gyouza comments

@patrick smash - were you a witness? The current info is that she was boarding downhill, she hit the middle to rea of the bus and then went under. No indications that the driver was in any way speeding, if he was, then the 20 people on board would have been injured as turning 90degrees at speed in a bus is no small affair.

Currently we do not have enough info to judge the drivers guilt, and quite rightly people are pointing out that maybe, just maybe, the girl played her part in this very tragic accident. Current public opinion on buses is such that the Police may have arrested him as a play to make it seem like they are doing their job. He may well have been negligent but WE just don't know.

@disillusioned

Truck 'em! I hope this driver goes to jail for a very long time! Regardless of the circumstances!

Wow, strong stuff. Does any of the circumstances you disregard include the one where he is completely innocent? It is really hard to guess (that is all we can do at this point) what happened. Look at the TV footage, it shows a bus almost passed the crossing, and police focusing on the back bumper which is dented.

Skateboarding and cycling over PEDESTRIAN crossing is illegal for a reason, it is dangerous. There was no cycle "lane" at these lights.

@LFRAgain - I hear you. Accidents will always happen, and people will always judge afterwards how they could have been avoided, usually by trying to apportion blame to someone or something. As you mention, bus drivers have had to pass a lot of safety training, and generally, I find them to be the most cooperative group of drivers on Tokyo's roads - focused on smooth flow of traffic and safety. They also tend to drive slowly at corners, etc for the comfort of passengers.

More info is needed before anyone here can assess the guilt or otherwise of the driver. What I don't really understand is the TV pictures focusing on the back bumber (side) of the bus.

I saw a horrible sight this evening too, an 18 mth old toddler running very happily towards a fumikiri. Mother was talking to friends about a 100m away. Odd things was, most people didn't even notice him. I stopped him just 5m from the crossing, and have no idea what he would have done if I hadn't been there - would he have the sense to stop? Or would his curiosity get the better of him?. Had the worst happened, there would be outcry that fumikiri's in Japan are not safe enough or similar.

@valued_customer - try not to over analyse the question, the point being made is IF there was a situation like this that presented itself to you, what would you do? Would you resort to torture to get the answer you need?

BTW, if you don't think that these kinds of crimes are done off the silver screen, look up the case of Marc Dutroux. Complete evil in abducting, starving, and even burying people alive. There are more representative cases out there if you care to look. Too sick for me, and hence this very important question.

He reportedly confessed to killing her during police questioning

Interesting parallel to the "torture" poll / thread on todays JT!

Looks like the netizens here are engaged in the topic too!

If you had captured someone that abducted your partner or child, and that abductee was in a situation where they had a limited amount of time to survive (timed explosives, or possible drowning by tide rising, or even just starvation because tehy were locked up somewhere) what would you do? Just shout loudly? Assuming you have exhausted the rational route of asking and pleading. What happens then?

I don't know the answer to be honest.

Employment analysts are predicting a massive influx of Rhodes scholars drawn in by those undeniably delicious salty snacks in the smallest portion designated by McDonald’s typically served to children under 5.

Or by semi-intelligent people who know that S fries are more than enough, and aren't suckered into obesity. Oops. Sorry, I'm being as condescending as the author - shame on me.

So young, so sad!

The whole thing is way out of proportion. Way too much TV time being wasted on this. It is alleged that he "discussed marriage" to both women, not necessarily a real proposal. The two people who will know the real truth are now rid of the problem, so we can all move on. Of course, anyone who thinks marriage is a good idea after a month of dating (Tominaga) or even two months (Sonoyama) is probably asking for trouble.

As for crying BEFORE talking to the media mob - nice try, but you fooled absolutely no0one except yourself Shioya - most press and TV are ridiculing you. Maybe this episode will help you grow up a bit?

Cool - good luck in London!

@zichi

gyouza well you know the world of politics?

To be very honest, and I'm sure that you know this already, I think every party has split. reformed, split again, and splintered so much that the real level of responsibility (i.e. holding ones self accountable) is close to zero in all parties right now. I think this is a major part of the problem that we have here in that no cabinet has presided for more than two years over the last sixty years.

Nothing like a bit of continuity!

PM Noda has already that nuclear energy will be part of that new policy but what percentage we don't know? Ex PM Kan is maintaining his stance on no nuclear energy.

I also expect come the next general election, the DPJ will be out of office.

Cool, so the party that built this mess will be back in power again. Not exactly comforting!

When I first came here, I couldn't believe there were so few real "pavements". "The safety council would have a fit" I thought. Then I realised that most people actually have common sense built in here in Japan, so rather than needing a sign on train windows saying "don't stick your head out of the window, it will be chopped of by a train in the opposite direction", most people actually know that is a risk. The recent spate of accidents is tragic beyond belief, and perhaps a sign that people are getting a bit comfortable with the status quo, so perhaps it has become time for some "sleeping policemen" on the roads especially near schools, and without a doubt when there is no pavement near the school. Sad it is needed, but probably well overdue now.

@zichi

there's a more than 6,000 year history of tsunami, enough events to know that the Pacific Coast will be struck by powerful tsunami. But Fukushima and other NPP's were built on probabilities and not on possibilities.

OK, agreed it is dangerous, and building on a fault line is downright stupid. Now lets get back to the real world. What are the chances of being hit by a car whilst crosing the road? Well, on average, someone gets hit every 10 minutes. But road accidents only account for 2.1% of all deaths according to WHO. Interestingly, a similar amount (2.2%) is attributed to chest related cancers, many of which are smoking related. Double that number and you get the number attributed to HIV/AIDS, 2.5 that and you get the number for heart disease.

Please be as angry (or preferably more angry) at the groups causing more deaths than NPP's. Or are you just recycling the thoughts of the new face of activism, Arnie Gundersen?

But isn't there a sense of self importance? I've been on TV, I've seen talento X? Otherwise why would they bother? The local convenience store pays more for less hassle.

Hang on, 800 experts? Did they all go here? If they did, it would explain why there is a waiting list to get in here extending out until July!

I think that maybe Makoto thinks too much and doesn't do as much "living" as she suggests! Not wishing to sound rude, but being who you are and not needing to question or analyse each aspect of life must be a more balanced way to live? Reflect and adjust by all means, but sounds like a life taken too seriously. Or am I in the minority there? ;)

Nordic food? Ikea meatballs?

But seriously, would love to try this place. JPY22,000 for the menu, 13,000 extra for wine, so not exactly cheap, but if it is the best...........

How come they only just realised this? They aren't fit to be lawmakers in Briain if that is the case!

Just before the DPJ came into office, the national debt was about 150% of GNP and now it's 228%, that's an enormous increase, and it's everything to do with the post headline since one general election promise was to reduce debt and government spending. I don't know why this has happened.

Zichi - PLEASE let me know where you get the figures from. When DPJ arrived in 2009 it was 220%, now it is two hundred and forty something percent (worse than your numbers!). Source Eurostat.

Don't forget that each government inherits the mess from previous one. Hence no one is truly held responsible for their own mess. Previous administration was out of control, but lets not forget that there aren't the party divisions like you would experience in EU or the Americas - everyone is centre, and has probably been in the same party as the "opposition" at some point.

and armchair critics have very high standards Not aimed at you btw! Sorry - sounds like a cheap shot!

Zichi It rose above Italy (the worst at the time??) in the late 90's and kept climbing. It will rise further becuase of the rebuilding. What, if anything, has that got to do with the title of the story? And why is the biggest rise (2008-9) not cause for concern? Don't forget that debt is struck when bonds are issued so there is always a lag. You decide the budget, then issue bonds to realise the money.

I'm concerned by your calculations though. Where did you find numbers that say it has risen 30%? You sure it isn't a rise from 220 - 250%? That isn't a 30% rise, it is less than 14%.

They HAVE been trying to cut the fat out, and deserve some credit for ending some wild scams that defy rational thinking. Unfortunately, they aren't perfect, and armchair critics have very high standards.

Current national debt has increased by more than 30% since the DPJ took office

How much does it cost to rebuild a region?

I believe they started well, by digging into the wasteful spending of previous governments, and it was all open too, with Ren Ho and Edano doing a fine job. Then Hatoyama lost the plot, and started spewing all kinds of ridiculous stuff. Kan stepped in and calmed things down a bit, but the damage was already done, the opposition had enough material for a whole conference and constant damage limitation was required (oddly enough, there were even attacks from within the party (especially Ozawa)). Kan was then blown apart by the Earthquake and ensuing disasters, and remained way too far away fro it all to be seen to be in charge which left us with Noda, who if we let him get on with the job would probably start changing things. Sadly, the opposition outnumbers them now, and Ozawa is just playing games and trying to force the hand to make it HIS turn. In reality, he doesn't have the answers. He isn't saying what the solution is, just that what is happening now is wrong, and tugging those heart strings of voters by saying that the government is breaking its promise to you. Baloney! And there is a reason the deficit is ramping up right now - I wonder what it could be??

Great stuff!

@tmarie Earlier this year in March there was a big hooha in UK about border policing. The Home Office (I think) basically accused border guards (passport control) of letting in terrorists. Then passport control identified that they don't have enough resource to do all the checks required, Home Office hit back saying "you never complained before" and we are where we are now. It is a kind of work to rule to make their point. I flew in last August and had no issues either, but I'm dreading this year.

Jeez, if leeks grown in Okinawa were labelled Hokkaido no one would give a monkeys. Add the name Fukushima and suddenly the good lord needs to strike every one down.

1) What was the level of contamination if any (recent records have been consistantly ND)? 2) What is the danger of consumption on a semi or even regular basis?

Forget it, as no-one really cares about REAL effect on health. That is why processed food with preservatives, etc, is so unpopular here, everyone knows it is bad for you so they don't eat it, right?

@tmarie It WAS OK until the immigration office was accused of being lax in letting in terrorists by the government. Rules weren't being adhered to, and the government let the immigration office know what it thought of it. Now they are basically working to rule to counter the criticism and as a result, do not have enough people to man the gates to go through the full check they are mandated to do, and hence the queues. Whatever you experienced in the past is not what is happening now. It is a difficult story, as the immigration officers did a good job of using their judgement on people coming in I think, they provided a good service based on the numbers of people flowing through Heathrow. The governement though would be hung, drawn, and quartered if a terrorist passed through that filter, with the volatile press asking why the terrorists got through. There needs to be a balance, but right now, no one is talking to each other, they are just blaming each other, hence teh 5 hour delays. If you fly through right now, you might change your opinion!

Brian Moore, head of the Home Office’s Border Force body, said they were “fully prepared” for busy periods during the Games and had “well-rehearsed plans” in place.

But not prepared for a regular Thursday evening? I'm not looking forward to my UK holiday this year, Wonder if I can reroute to Paris/Amsterdam and drive from there?