Posted in: Scramble for hospital beds in Nagoya shows coronavirus challenge for aging Japan See in context
Japan needs to start taking this virus way more seriously. That needs to start with edicating the public of it's seriousness! Lookign around Tokyo most people seem to have already relaxed back into their normal life. Places are packed.
This doesn’t sound promising at all for where we're all heading. Down right scary. Don’t like that the source is so reliable... Imperial College London:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1239975682643357696.html
Behind the Virus Report That Jarred the U.S. and U.K. to Action
It wasn’t so much the numbers themselves, frightening though they were, as who reported them: Imperial College London.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/world/europe/coronavirus-imperial-college-johnson.html?referringSource=articleShare
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Posted in: Lower voting age leaves many wondering: 'Where's Japan's Bernie Sanders?' See in context
Maybe it could come in the future but for now, a 'Bernie Sanders' cannot rise in Japan unless he came from the existing set of political families - Politics in Japan, at the top at least, is based on family dynasties.
6 ( +7 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan hits out at UNESCO for archiving Nanjing massacre documents See in context
I have a theory that although these things are said, with a straight face, on the world stage, globally public, that the motivations to say them and decisions to do some are primarily Local.
That is to say these old cronies are baying to their peers, have no concept or concern about the impact of their words globally and to the Japanese people, and they hope only to impress their own and increase their standing in the moment.
The alternative is that perhaps MacArthur was correct in describing Japan at the end of the war as a spoilt 12yo child... and they have not yet grown up much.
5 ( +7 / -2 )
Posted in: Gackt lashes out at Cool Japan: 'Almost no results of Japanese culture exported overseas' See in context
I met a Japanese guy who'd lived outside Japan for 20+ year and worked in Event Promotion and marketing most of that time, with various projects ties to Japan and the country he was at at the time.
A connection, an ex-senpai, convinced him to come back to Japan as a consultant to help them with Cool Japan
Sounds good right?
He proceeded to tell me that those who issue and those who distribute the funds to mostly Dentsu, Hakuhodo & ADK, direct it to black holes presented to them by these companies. There's very little build get that isn't used this way, but somewhere within the huge team involved, there are people who are passionate about helping Japan or at least want to have some real impact.
Almost in despair: that's what they've hired him to do. To try to find real firms representing Cool Japan that have a chance to have some impact.
The problem with the big companies is they are never held accountable and have no success stories, no information to give about how the money was used and what it achieved.
If what he was saying is half true, it explains a lot and is sad.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Trust continues to plummet in Japan See in context
Yes this study seems a bit high level to say the least.
I would say on a down to earth level, Japanese are some of the most trusting of 'Professionals', men in white suits, and evn the government and institutions at more fundamental or detailed levels.
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Posted in: Nowhere to put nuclear waste See in context
Jeezus, are they criminally insane?
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Posted in: Gang leader killed boy, say 2 other suspects See in context
If you are in this group & this is occurring before your eyes there are three choices only:
say this is enough this is wrong, I don't agree with it stop! (and extreme would be physically try to stop it) this is wrong, this is not me, I'm leaving - leave. A strong person leaves early. you stay, you are part of the group, you have limited control on the situation or none you think. You say little or nothing.What do you think occurs?
in most places in the world? specifically in Japan?So so sad.
The 18yo is garbage of Society, is probably mentally deranged and in the context of Japan alone perhaps is a bizarre aberration & extreme of the bullying culture here. Hearing more about supposed motivation of the murder would help... but only a little for people reaching for explanation, not for the poor little guy or anyone in his life.
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Posted in: Fear of missing out drives Internet addiction in Japan See in context
Sure 'fear of missing out' would be one of many, many drivers, and in Japan this one would be much higher up the rank of triggers/drivers, but the problem is western/1st worldwide, across a huge age & socioeconomic range.
The solutions mentioned, that they are trying seem effective or at least intelligent and broad ranged though, so maybe the focus on 'missing out' is entirely the writers amplification.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Damage worse than thought in Nagano earthquake See in context
Yes, that's right; the U.S. directed their Earthquake machine at Hakuba to put pressure in the Japanese Government to sign the TPP agreement and, and.... O.M.F.G.... there are people who believe this sh...
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Posted in: Aging Japan struggles to make immigrants feel at home See in context
Agree with Timtak; what an earth led to this statement being included with a straight face?
"In most developed nations, this kind of shortfall is plugged by immigration, but Japan allows no unskilled workers into the country, amid fears they would threaten the culture of consensus."
A broad impact to culture of which valuing 'consensus' perhaps more than most countries, would indeed be 'on the list' of fears, but to lay the cause of resistance to more relaxed immigration policy at the feet of 'fears they would threaten the culture of concensus' ignoring the multitude of other complex issues that come with such a decision.
Japan certainly does need to face it and ASAP and statements like the above make it sound like the author couldn't be bothered researching/identifying even the most basic of real concerns.
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: Court orders Facebook to reveal revenge porn IP addresses See in context
Agree with Frungy. H3ll, agree with everyone posting so far.
Alarm bells girls. Just DON'T DO IT!
It doesn't need to be an issue or cross into the 'but we're in love' - it's like when a good friend asks you for money. Not $10, $100 or even $10,000 - a lot of money for you, and puts some solid pressure on you to 'just trust' them.
You don't do it, exactly because of the risk to friendship & more.
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Posted in: Japan's sozzled salarymen: the lost tribe in a modern pickle See in context
I know waaay more Japanese 'salary men' who don't drink, at all.
For every 'stays until the manager leave & he leaves at 11pm' there's 99 more who go home between 5-8pm. (Seen the commute anyone?).
There is solid truth to the stereotypes & the cultural norms that produce them (from cram schools, to low wages & no OT, to 'expected to attend' evening social gatherings where alcohol is definitely consumed. But I think this year is a little better than 3-5 years ago, there's less % living like this than there was in years gone by.
Things are getting tougher in the whole western 'end of growth' era, but I hazard a guess many, many Japanese 'worker drones' - the majority I'd even guess - both male & female even though things 'could be better', do spend time with their kids, do have hobbies, holidays and by & large are happy.
PS Some Karaoke bars, though they'll still likely stink like old smoke, have non-smoking rooms & it also d lends who you go with.
1 ( +3 / -2 )
Posted in: Organic food movement in Japan progressing slowly See in context
I think it's great to be able to buy foods that would otherwise not be available.
Great stuff!
Certainly I have bought some of these products here in Japan and have even heard of http://www.choosee.com though haven't ordered from there yet.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Women execs ruin companies, magazine claims See in context
In Foreign Financial Services there are many, many Female bosses & invariably they are highly respected from every level.
I can think of one that matches the description of the childless sour career woman but that is out of a dozen or more.
3 ( +3 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan may only be able to restart one-third of its nuclear reactors See in context
People against Nuclear without giving thought to what that means to the short & medium term way of life f (& potential to speed Financial Default/Collapse of Japan) &
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Posted in: U.S. scientists expect traces of ocean radiation from Fukushima soon See in context
The accident was terrible, preventable and is actually well & truly ongoing, but take a look at some information from truly independent scientific & non-alarmist sources too:
FUKUSHIMA ACROSS THE PACIFIC http://blog.safecast.org/2014/01/fukushima-across-the-pacific/
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Posted in: If you're low-income, here's what you're doing wrong See in context
Guys, this is Spa! We're talking about (& JT has hooked us in, with it!)
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Posted in: Q&A on operation to remove Fukushima fuel rods See in context
"Heavy Protective equipment" - like what?
They'd need lead & Boron/Boron alloy or some other Chemical elements known to absorb/control radiation etc.
The white suits? They are primarily to keep out particles from ingestion & skin contact, not protect from the kind of radiation likely to be pouring forth from these things IF nothing goes wrong!
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan scaling down 2020 Olympic stadium after criticism of cost See in context
IMHO...
the fact most of that budget was approved already for the RWC in 2019, THEN Japan won the Olympics, counts it still sounds like stupid amount of money the world has changed & will continue to change at a faster & faster pace over the 6-7 years until them; all 'Humans' need to stop spending & consuming at such levels. It's never been 'sustainable', but for the love of {insert your deity or superstition}, the chickens are coming home to roost in the lifetimes of most people reading this & our children. Japan has changed, she has higher priorities & must be much more frugal; hello, Fukushima? clearly they can't use the old one is, but somewhere between massive refurbish & razing it to the ground to start from scratch for the Billions proposed is just as clearly possible4 ( +5 / -1 )
Posted in: TEPCO exec tells DPJ Fukushima plant not under control See in context
The water tanks are an on purpose distraction (one they can't hide anyway, there's about 1,000 of them and they're building madly!).
The real 'water' issue is that the water they're dumping daily under the 3 reactors, is onto molten cores of each, deep into the ground. The waste water pumped back out and into the (leaky) tanks is the excess that doesn't simply get absorbed into the ground and down into the water table.
Today, timed roughly with the steam, there was a spike in tested groundwater radiation levels of 50,000 Bq.... per liter!
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Posted in: Earthquake, tsunami drills may have been counter-productive See in context
High quality reporting that 'SPA!' is well known for of course... sarcasm
Not to take away from the fact that many people may indeed not have tried to run, or thought they were far enough inland not to be concerned. Most people didn't have the time to make the decision either way.
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Posted in: Anti-China protest See in context
China will crush Japan, financially at first,if they are not careful.
There's no escaping it. What, they think China is going to stop growing, modernizing and consuming?
Good luck with that. China will make an early example of Japan.
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Posted in: Trump revokes security clearances for Blinken, Sullivan
How can he have a conscious getting fatter and obese while his people starve and scavenge?
Posted in: N Korean leader Kim slams U.S.-S Korea-Japan partnership and vows to boost his nuclear program
I could use a little global warming. I've been freezing all week!
Posted in: Top climate scientist declares 2-degree C climate goal 'dead'
Posted in: Trump pressure to boost Japan defense spending could strain alliance