horrified comments

2am is too much for kids that young. What was the father thinking?

Nihonmatsu - isn't that the place where they were going to ship out contaminated rice until one farmer couldn't keep quiet and reported the elevated levels? Thanks to him, the rice from the area became banned. I think there is more than is being reported in that area.

cabadaje-

Shame the internationally wanted criminals got away.

Agreed. But at least the criminals only managed to kill 75 whales.

I'm glad all this 'anti-China' media blitz (sponsored by the GOJ) has at least brought about something useful: pollution monitoring. Back in the 90's one US military base was complaining that after testing the air they found the smog in Japan was 1,800X the safe level in the USA. It made the newspapers, but the government did nothing about it.

One can provide links to support any side of this issue. However, having a researcher who is being paid for the government of Japan (who does have a definite bias/agenda) is not considered to be a reliable source.

Dead link in article.

Last year, about 90 members of the mega-popular group appeared the Wonda Coffee Morning Shot commercials.

Those girls must be sooo glad they didn't have to stoop to doing porn to make a living. At least for now, anyhow...

Actually, recent research has shown over and over again that low dosage radiation does in fact cause damage. Some studies have shown higher instances of damage.

Many scholars (who have previously said the opposite) have reversed their opinion and now agree on the harmful effects of low-dosage radiation.

Pukey2-

I see. So when it's a non-Japanese fleeing Japan, it's because they're selfish, disloyal and scared for leaving Japan in the lurch. But when it's a Japanese leaving, it's for the safety of the children, to participate in a retirement scheme and to enjoy the comforts of life abroad.

Yes, that's right. But that was more of the reaction from the 'bubble-reality' non-Japanese residents. You know, the foreigners who don't want to admit they will never be equals among Japanese locals. AKA - 'apologists.' They were the only ones using the ridiculous 'flyjin' moniker.

The Japanese locals didn't condemn non-Japanese too much for leaving during the disasters.

I'm a Christian who believes in God (Jesus,) but I find these people offensive because they take what is normally positive scripture and make it negative. Guilt trips. That is not what God is about.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Psalm 32:2

This is a positive, peaceful quote - describing a relationship with the heavenly father. And where is the person holding the sign in this photo? I can't see anyone.

tomoki, you could not be more wrong. The man is extremely right-wing and xenophobic. He is also on record claiming the 'comfort women' incidents never happened.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20728387

"The confrontation between Japan and China … has escalated to a truly dangerous level," wrote the former US diplomat Stephen Harner in Forbes. "Objectively it must be stated that it has been Japan that has done the most to raise tensions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/17/china-japan-dangerous-standoff

The Senate document also states firmly that “white the United States takes no position on the ultimate sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands, the United States acknowledges the administration of Japan over the Senkaku Islands.

http://www.japanupdate.com/2012/12/u-s-senate-passes-amendment-supporting-senkakus-japan/

The JET program is the best for young graduates coming over to teach. It pays well and is solid daytime work. The scum of the industry are the crew that send you out to elementary schools, pay you much less and host poor administrative environments. Watch out!

However, after spending almost 20 years in Japan, I'd have to partially agree with the person who said, "Do your 3 year stint and go home." That is what the overwhelming majority of Japanese locals want you to do, and there is social pressure to go along with that plan.

Stick around until you are in your late 40's and you'll start to see some stares of scorn. You'll know enough of the language and culture to know that so many locals are thinking, "Why are you still here?" (I only wish I were exaggerating.)

That happy, 'just-off-the-plane' bubble of existence is bliss -- enjoy it, and move on.

Many times I have been at the computer for a few hours and walked away with a very cold right hand. This is a good product for living in Japan.

No LTE network capability; no sd card slot; and no removable battery.

I don't think so.

cleo -

You really think people today are influenced by 60-year-old propaganda?

Isn't it obvious they are? Then again, a lot of non-Japanese seem to be in a 'happy-to-be-here-no-matter-what-bubble," so never-mind and carry on in your obliviousness.

It's quite simple, really:

westerners in the west don't ask new acquaintances super private questions. Japanese in Japan don't ask other Japanese nee acquaintances super private questions.

So, whether consiously or not, Japanese are "othering" non-Japanese. It's a form of micro-aggression. Not cool and needs to stop.

I've always had a sneaking suspicion that Japan has been producing nuclear weapon parts for a long time. This is just more confirmation. The quick reaction of the USA immediately following the Fukushima disaster made me think there is more invested in the nuke program of Japan than meets the eye...

Robert Dykes -

[Scaremongering is more dangerous than radiation in Fukushima-shi. -- Disagree.] I 100% disagree with your disagree.

I 100% disagree with your disagree of the the previous disagree.

It's not polite to talk behind someone's back.

Half-handshake going on there. How many of those have I gotten here?

On the other hand, people in small towns or communities are very comfortable with only what they know and tend to act very skeptical toward what they don’t know.

Yes. So it seems, then, that Japan as a whole has a 'small town mentality,' because people across the country act like that.

Scrote - There is no danger in using your overseas credit cards in Japan. Do you really think the auditor from the tax office has the time and resources to do the kind of search needed to discover your credit card purchases? From a foreign card? Don't make me laugh! Do you have any idea what a sophisticated investigation like that would entail? The tax officer would have to have some super-high credentials and a huge expense account to pull that off. Please don't be silly.

I was audited a few years back. The tax officer just went through my books and receipts and asked me a few questions. He eventually found a small mistake, charged me a few thousand yen, and was happy his audit was paid for by my small fine. Even a few of my receipts were obviously not proper expenses. But he let it go.

There was no cross-referencing with employers and there was certainly no closed-doors investigation to find any unaccounted income. How could they prove it, anyways?

Nice walls of text, Subhashini and Shivaji. Are you guys doing a course and writing papers on Hashimoto, now?

JesseBayBay - The credit card option is your best bet. Keep doing that - living on Aussie credit cards. You can live on credit cards here, and none of it is going to be detected by the tax office. Just keep your receipts hidden in a drawer someplace (or burn them once a month.) I've been audited, and I can say you have nothing to worry about.

When you file your return, just use the normal, "white form" for filing: you're not required to show receipts for anything that way.

Hashimoto:

They think they can make decisions about everything and ask local governments to accept those decisions. If they ignore voters feelings on this issue, then voters will send them a message at the next election.

Isn't this the clown who ignored voter's feelings about burning debris in Osaka?

IT'sME:

Got to disagree there 100%. Talk to your ward. Myself a PR-holder and currently on social-welfare due to a medical disability. Raising my son and the ward is taking well care of us, they even offered a helper to come and clean, etc. In short I get 100% free medical, schooling, etc for me and son, free water and as much support as I want just a phone-call away.

Good for you. Count yourself fortunate, but like I said, it's not that way for everyone. In fact in October of 2010, the Oita District Court proclaimed foreigners DO NOT have the right to receive benefits:

"OITA - The Oita District Court ruled on Oct. 18 that foreigners with the right to permanent residence but without Japanese citizenship are not entitled to welfare benefits, rejecting the claims of a 78-year-old Chinese woman who sued after being denied benefits by the Oita city government.

In the ruling, Presiding Judge Yasuji Isshi said, 'The Livelihood Protection Law is intended for Japanese citizens only. Welfare payments to non-citizens would be a form of charity. Non-citizens do not hold a right to receive payments.'"

http://www.debito.org/?p=9991

BurakuminDes -

but when it comes to the J-ladies, all the fellas will agree: GAIJIN ADVANTAGE - GUARANTEED!

Yes, that's true. But for us married guys, it's not really a huge plus (beyond a slight ego boost.) I'm happily married -- what do I need with a 20-year-old girl with an infatuation? That won't get me a promotion, or even a different type of job. That won't get me a voice in my neighbourhood community. It doesn't count for anything important in life once you're married.

Gotta love the continued rhetoric: "If you don't like it, go home."

What if Japan is our home? My house is here. My home is here. I pay taxes and contribute to society. My children go to school here. So, if I don't like something, am I supposed to remain silent?

If I don't like being unfairly discriminated against, I'm supposed to pack up and leave? That is silly logic at best.

And yes, the more integrated into Japanese society you become, the more you realize how limited your rights are. If you can live in a happy bubble, then good for you. If you need some kind of cooperation from the business, political or administrative world, good luck getting treated fairly. Not saying you won't, but the odds are against you.

Yeah, me and my hdmi cable from the computer have been doing this for the last 4 years. And the shows I get don't have commercials.