Posted in: Fundraising scandal in Japan's ruling party turns up heat on embattled PM Kishida See in context
Kishida's days are numbered. I think we'll have a new PM pretty soon.
It'll be interesting to see which 'faction' the next PM comes from.
Unfortunately my money is on Sanae Takaichi. The first woman PM could be a big enough story to try and take the attention away from the Abe connections and the Unification church / funding scandals.
4 ( +5 / -1 )
Posted in: Kishida to return part of salary amid backlash over planned pay raise See in context
Returning a portion of his salary means that he will still continue to accrue extra benefits at the level of the salary increase (pension etc.).
If he wants to return the salary increase, then he should also forego all the extra benefits that come with the increase before he 'returns' it.
16 ( +19 / -3 )
Posted in: Gov't floats ¥40,000 income tax cut a year to ease inflation pain See in context
Japan has seen record-high tax revenue for the past three years through fiscal 2022. Of the total, income tax revenue grew by around 3 trillion yen from fiscal 2020.
So why do we still have to pay the 2.1% 'Special reconstruction tax' for the 2011 earthquake until 2037?
This is supposed to be a special 'temporary' tax - so why not just reduce / do away with this?
6 ( +6 / -0 )
Posted in: Kishida plans income tax cut for households and corporate tax breaks See in context
Evidence that he is planning to call an election in 5...4...3...
-2 ( +0 / -2 )
Posted in: Flipping genius? Japan is getting new flip phone/smartphone hybrid See in context
Why? It is totally unnecessary.
It's like releasing a new computer with a paper notebook embedded into the monitor.
-4 ( +0 / -4 )
Posted in: Shogi prodigy Fujii becomes 1st player to hold all 8 titles See in context
I wonder how Fujii would get on if he tried his hand at chess—and likewise, if Magnus Carlson gave shogi a try.
4 ( +4 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan school absenteeism at record high of nearly 300,000 in FY2022 See in context
Kids are a lot more curious and willing to learn than people think, diluting it down to "kids lazy, only want phone and game" is such a one dimensional take lol. Maybe if schools promoted healthy and engaging hands-on learning that's actually motivating to them instead of just shoving useless information into their heads they'd be more willing to attend and participate.
Abso-bloody-exactly
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Japanese gov't plans to seek court order to dissolve Unification Church See in context
Goodness me, it took the government long enough to get their ducks in a row!
'Are we all out then? No traces? Is all the tatami back in place?
OK. Ahem. We plan to seek a court order to disband the Unification Church.'
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Trump surrenders at Atlanta jail on charges he tried to overturn his 2020 election loss See in context
@bass4funk
they could let the guy run against his main political opponent and let the people decide
The people DID decide, and your man tried to stage a coup.
That is literally why he is getting his mug shot done today.
14 ( +17 / -3 )
Posted in: 27% of Japan's nursing homes face bankruptcy due to price hikes: survey See in context
I'm saying that no one would die if a doctor and (husband/wife) had to take care of a dozen seniors. No bankruptcy. Just like how (untrained) children take care of their elderly parents with an occasional visit to the hospital or clinic.
If your logic is that anyone can basically take care of the elderly because untrained people regularly look after their own parents, then why not just put a few oldies in every office building around the country? I mean, the big companies could take dozens at a time, and the hundreds of employees could all be on a rota of care duties. I'm sure office Taro or Hana would love to get out of the office for a few hours to make a trip over to a clinic with their assigned oldies.
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: Ex-con provides peek at killer Tatsuya Ichihashi's life behind bars See in context
Japan's prisons are very much like black holes -- little information about what happens inside ever leaks out. One of the few sources of prison stories is from those who have been released.
It's good to report on the general conditions inside prisons and the treatment of inmates etc., but it's not necessary to write specifically about this murdering scumbag.
13 ( +14 / -1 )
Posted in: Police to test lone attacker spotting scheme after Abe shooting See in context
Under the pilot scheme, officers at some police headquarters will gather information on individuals deemed particularly dangerous during questioning or other investigative activities and pass the data on to public security officials, who will then assess their threat level.
Kinda sounds like policing 101 to me.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Japanese people have a deep-rooted belief that we should atone for our own sins, so plea bargaining is unlikely to increase very much. See in context
Five years have passed since the introduction of the Japanese version of plea bargaining, but the procedure has been applied in only three cases.
It might have only been applied in three cases 'officially', but I've witnessed the public deep executive bow on dozens of occasions, which, let's face it, is the 'unofficial' plea bargain and has been thriving for decades.
-2 ( +3 / -5 )
Posted in: At least 130,000 bank accounts affected by latest My Number ID card issue See in context
Somewhat 'modern system', please meet 'out-of-date infrastructure', 'even more out-of-date working environment', and 'under-skilled, underpaid, overworked workplace minions'.
What could possibly go wrong?
-3 ( +2 / -5 )
Posted in: Johnny's president apologizes for alleged sexual abuse by late founder See in context
The only good thing that can be done now for the abhorrence that is 'Johnnys' is for it to be forced to no longer exist.
Payouts to victims should bankrupt the company so it can no longer function. Anyone proven to have known about what was going on should be prosecuted.
It should not be allowed to just make a public apology and settle behind the scenes with shady non-disclosure agreements.
10 ( +23 / -13 )
Posted in: Cool Biz campaign begins across Japan See in context
Just use common sense and dress appropriately for the situation and the weather.
9 ( +9 / -0 )
Posted in: Caregiving needs physical strength. I was fine in my 60s, but after I hit 70, I started to feel like I was losing my strength. See in context
Then for the love of God, stop voting for the LDP where nothing significant ever changes.
The LDP has been in power for almost ever, yet hasn't done anything noteworthy to address or support an aging society - an issue that I remember reading about at least 25 years ago.
It shouldn't be on the elderly to look after the elderly. Yet that is what we have - people working well beyond retirement age because either they can't live on their accrued pensions, or the industry they work in is severely understaffed and underskilled.
Whichever way you look at it, it's the failure of many iterations of this abhorrent LDP government.
5 ( +5 / -0 )
Posted in: I do not care about my age, now that more people are expected to live to 100 years and older. So I plan to seek re-election. See in context
Because of course, it's all about you.
The sooner Japan removes the oyaji class from positions of power, the better for everyone.
8 ( +13 / -5 )
Posted in: Kishida rallies party members for victory in April local elections See in context
Let's do the time warp again.
It's kind of fitting, given the LDP's insistence on ultra-conservatism and policies stuck in the past.
Let's time-travel to any year in the last 40 years, and everything will look the same.
3 ( +12 / -9 )
Posted in: High court upholds ruling in favor of Japan's ban on dual nationality See in context
Nationality Law, Article 11. A Japanese national shall lose Japanese nationality when he or she acquires a foreign nationality by his or her own choice.
Surely this is a positive for allowing dual nationality to remain with someone throughout their life.
One does not choose to be the child of parents from two different countries.
13 ( +15 / -2 )
Posted in: All-male BOJ selections another blow for gender equality in Japan See in context
Ironic, given that women are likely managing the majority of household budgets.
4 ( +8 / -4 )
Posted in: Japan rolls out 'humble and lovable' delivery robots See in context
part of an experiment businesses hope will tackle labour shortages and rural isolation.
How about trying the experiment of offering jobs with decent pay and working conditions?
The only reason there are labour shortages is that many companies only offer the bare minimum yet expect the world from their employees.
4 ( +10 / -6 )
Posted in: Reverse trend in teleworking starting to appear in Japan See in context
The oyajis sitting at the head of each department table risk losing all meaning to their existence if telework is allowed to continue. Therefore the general trend will be a return to the office.
3 ( +11 / -8 )
Posted in: 43-year-old man arrested for assaulting son at hotel See in context
The boy needs to man up. A cup? My dad used to use a leather belt, stick or any heavy object.
Sounds like you should've 'manned up' a bit more. What exactly is manly about taking abuse anyway?
16 ( +19 / -3 )
Posted in: Do you think participation in extracurricular school activities in Japan is beneficial for students? See in context
Go and have a walk around a park on a Friday night in any Western culture to see what the alternative looks like. Cheap booze, cheap drugs, cheap hookups and anti-social behavior like only teenagers can! Then ask yourself again if you think bukatsu is a bad idea, never mind the levels of obesity and game playing either!
How does having or not having bukatsu affect the cost of alcohol, drugs or hookups?
I'd argue that mandating extracurricular activities in many western cultures would likely drive many teenagers to start using alcohol and drugs.
2 ( +5 / -3 )
Posted in: Do you think participation in extracurricular school activities in Japan is beneficial for students? See in context
Optional: Yes.
Mandatory: No.
5 ( +6 / -1 )
Posted in: More than one in three Japanese working women in survey would rather be housewives See in context
You’ll notice that the number of “yes” responses gets progressively higher as the respondents’ ages go up.
Erm...No it doesn't.
8 ( +9 / -1 )
Posted in: Kishida, Sunak agree to enhance Japan-Britain ties See in context
No talk about the import of decent quality cheese?
Now that is a disgrace.
Bring back Liz Truss!
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan to allow wage payments to digital wallets from April See in context
I hope my company doesn’t go this route. They still use fax machines so hopefully that’s a good indication.
Maybe, unless they decide to start faxing your salary to you.
2 ( +3 / -1 )
Posted in: Economic revitalization minister resigns after Unification Church scrutiny See in context
So this has been going on for months now and all that time this guy has just been sitting there in silence presumably hoping people just won’t notice his ties, and attendance at meetings. Bizarre.
"I deeply regret that my attendance at several meetings of the organization has resulted in giving credit to the said organization," he said.
What does he think happens when a serving lawmaker attends several meetings with an organisation? The ignorance, or sheer contempt this guy has for the Japanese public, is staggering.
I notice he doesn’t regret attending the meetings, just that it gave credit to the cult of corruption masquerading as a church.
5 ( +6 / -1 )
Posted in: Denmark adopts law making it illegal to burn Koran or other religious texts
Posted in: Death penalty sought for man over 2019 Kyoto Animation arson-murders
Posted in: Top gov't spokesman allegedly received ¥10 mil in kickbacks: source
Sack of sheetz. But nice hairpiece.
Posted in: Top gov't spokesman allegedly received ¥10 mil in kickbacks: source