Japan Today

Icecreampoliticsfova comments

Posted in: Japan to unveil Y100 bil in aid to Ukraine at G7 summit See in context

Oh my, where did they get the idea that the Ukraine need Japans money? Let the EU pay, they installed a western oriented government in the Ukraine and look at the situation now.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

Posted in: U.S. denies rift with EU over Ukraine policy See in context

Merkel's govermenment acts like it is outraged at the U.S wiretapping for wiretapping them. But if a U.S. diplomat is wiretapped/bugged, then it's alright to use that confidential information in public and fake outrage again.

Their fake outrage is for domestic consumption, because only those people are gullible enough to take all that fake outrage.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: America's energy revolution transforms international relations See in context

Been a while since I read that much bull.

Can't even list it all.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Many Japan Today readers hate AKB48 and insult them every chance they get. Yet the megapopular all-girl group has tens of millions of fans in Japan and Southeast Asia. Why so much hate for the group? See in context

Icecreampolitcsfova - exactly what is there to oversimplify?

I wondered as well, and it took me some time and effort to find out what is interesting about AKB. You can start by thinking about the lyrics of the songs or by watching them on TV.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Many Japan Today readers hate AKB48 and insult them every chance they get. Yet the megapopular all-girl group has tens of millions of fans in Japan and Southeast Asia. Why so much hate for the group? See in context

Because they don't understand what AKB is about. They are oversimplifying everything about AKB and don't even try to understand them.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Posted in: ANA apologizes over racial stereotyping in new TV commercial See in context

My god, it's a joke. Get over it.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

Posted in: Bomb hits Thai protest march See in context

Seeing their blockades have no effect,

the royalists are turning to false flag attacks on their own supporters.

It's so obvious it gives me a headache.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: 'Adult' AKB48 members appear in Asahi's new canned coffee ad See in context

Now, when you see the videos of the girls performing, which team is it?

On TV, you're usually seeing the most popular members from all teams (A, K, B, team 4).

If a popular member is busy at the time the TV show is recorded, a less popular member will perform as an 'under'.

Popularity is measured by their rank in the annual election among other things.

There is quite a fight online and within AKB about who gets on TV and who ranks in the election.

Haruka Shimazaki and Mayu Watanabe are currently fighting over the number 1 spot in the election.

But there are many other popular members in AKB.

By the way, I am Haruka Shimazaki-oshi.

To oshi somebody means to support her by voting in the election and following her career.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Parents return with ashes of honeymooner son murdered in Ecuador See in context

Rest in peace young man.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Abe should learn from Germany: Xinhua See in context

Germany is so proud of their reconciliation efforts but it is hypocritical.

The only chancellor who really tried to make up with thier neighbors was Willy Brand from the then left wing SPD.

All the right wing CDU chancellors were more concerned about their own Nazi-soldiers than about what happened to the rest of Europe.

Nothing to be proud of here. It's just that Germans like to be proud of themselves.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Posted in: AKB48 singer Yuko Oshima announces 'graduation' See in context

I guess if you're only interested in members that are already gone you didn't have a real interest in AKB in the first place, as there are many more interesting members who deserve a shot at a career.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: China says Abe not welcome after Yasukuni shrine visit See in context

"These people are fascists, the Nazis of Asia"

Well it's true, if you put your race above other races and are ready to kill for it you're a fascist.

Those who honor those who brought war to the world will readily start another.

Sadly, the LDP is not very forthcoming when it comes to historical matters and neither when it comes to reducing tensions in Asia.

This game is just too easy for the CCP. You're playing right into their hands.

The LDP is practically ensuring the stability of the communist regime in China.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

Posted in: 7 things that surprise Japanese people working in offices overseas See in context

OK, this one is backwards and limited to the service industry? I'm pretty sure the world over will agree that European and US companies provide a more enjoyable and caring environment than their Japanese counterparts...

In the U.S. there is no mandate for companies to provide healthcare or retirement benefits.

American workers have no trade union representation (only about 8%), so companies can give you whatever contract they want.

American companies fire at will. When you do get fired all you get is 100 dollars a month from the state (SNAP).

This is paradise compared to Japan, I guess.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: 2 dead, dozens injured as political violence shakes Thai capital See in context

a military government with a royal head of state is what they want? reminds me of a several historical situations. None of them turned out so well.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Thai protesters break into army headquarters See in context

That is because the army is on the side of the royalists.

It's really funny how the royalists call an elected leader a dictator or a majority government (Puea Thai) a regime.

If you want to live in a dictatorship so badly go to China.

Only half of the Thai senate is democratically elected, after the royalists changed the constitution.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Chinese journalists obliged to take refresher course in Marxist reporting techniques See in context

On that biased reporting argument, name one publication where reporters are free to criticise the companies that take out ads in their publication? Name one publication in the West where reporters are not in bed with a political party?

Communism can exist without state censorship. The question is how you define communism. If you define communism as workers' control and ownership of the companies they work in you don't need state censorship to make that model of an economy work. It is simply not necessary.

Censorship only becomes 'necessary', if the government wants to hide anything, like corruption, environmental desasters, or other scandals, exactly what is happening in China and happening on a smaller scale in other countries.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Radiation levels in seawater near Fukushima reactor hit 2-year high See in context

Ok I just read up a little on the situation in Fukushima.

There are like 1.300 spent fuel rod assemblies in reactor number 4 at Fukushima Daiichi. There is a danger that this building will collapse causing a fire and/or explosion which would release so much radioactivity into the atmosphere you don't even want to know the consequences.

That is why they are trying to remove the spent fuel rod assemblies from the stricken plant to transport them to a safer location (probably at another nuclear reactor in Japan). This extraction is technically very difficult and will start in november.

If there is an accident during the extraction, and all of the spent fuel rod assemblies will catch fire and/or explode, there will be a release of radioactivitiy so large you don't even want to know how much.

If that operation succeeds and the nuclear waste will be stored at another nuclear reactor. Look forward to the next earthquake and tsunami. Because all of Japans nuclear reactors are located at the coast.

Since this nuclear material will stay dangerous for another tens of tenthousand more years, this problem will be here to stay until a permanent storage facility is built. So far Japan has none.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Radiation levels in seawater near Fukushima reactor hit 2-year high See in context

What worries me is that they have been watering these reactor for more than 2 years now.

That leads to certain problems. With all these leaks the ground will become so soft, the building structures will get cracks and they might collapse. If that happens, the nuclear fuel rods will be exposed which will make it even more complicated to cool them, if that is at all possible with the techniqual equipment they have or will be able to get before a nuclear explosion occurs.

The Japanese are literally sitting on a powder keg and I wonder whether they realize this?

And another thought. If they do realize this, do they plan on doing something about it?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan's structural reforms critical to meeting inflation goal: IMF See in context

These so called structural reforms are what broke Europe's economic backbone (starting with Great Britain and Germany, then forced on the South by Germany). Since these so called reforms were initiated poverty and crime rates rose dramatically.

Structural reforms typically consist of

removing taxes for the wealthy and corporations, introduction of flat taxes like the consumption tax (as oppossed to a progresssive tax system), removing social welfare systems by privatising them (for example health care) privatising state enterprises and institutions (like train services, universities, schools, housing) removing state intervention in markets generally (for example remove susidies for families or even certain industries) deregulation of the markets (for example removing or not introducing health or environmental regulations)

The effects are usually:

sharp drop in the income of the average worker and familiy rising prices in privatised and or deregulated markets sharp rise in corporate profits sharp rise in incomes of top earners sharp drop in government revenue economic stagnation or recession low inflation or even deflation

it's time to stop this nonsense.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Nazi-themed cafe in Indonesia sparks global outrage See in context

This article portray's Jews as the only victims of Nazi blood thirst.

But In reality, not only Jews died an unnecessary and gruesome death, but also millions of other civilians, among them many children, internal political rivals, young soldiers, partisans, political activists, Christians (http://www.ksta.de/region/sie-wurden-verschleppt-und-ermordet,15189102,13315450.html) you name it, they didn't stop anywhere. Just look it up on wikipedia.

Secondly, you don't need to publish assumptions about who would "most likely" protest what. Just report on what actually happens. Like: there was no protest whatsoever against that Nazi cafe.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Posted in: Middle-aged males suffering from epidemic of wife-induced disease See in context

you just try to deflect from the bitter truth, that women, that refuse to recognize their husband's efforts are ingrates.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

Posted in: AKB marches on See in context

from left to right: Kojima Haruna, Iriyama Anna, Watanabe Mayu, Shimazaki Haruka (Paruru), Akimoto Yasushi, Kawaei RIna, Takahashi Minami, Kashiwagi Yuki.

Also vote for Paruru this year! <3

-5 ( +5 / -9 )

Posted in: Teacher suspended for taking part-time job as call girl See in context

women are usually at their wit's end (financially or otherwise) before they have to enter the sex trade. That's why the sex trade ought to be abolished/outlawed altogether.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Posted in: Germany gives Japan its backing as N Korea tensions rise See in context

In the event of an unseen nuclear, environmental, and human catastrophe in Japan, the conservative German Merkel-government will come to you aid... by sending a dozen rescue dogs and a few warm words. Oh right, that was in 2011.

Kudos to other governments that actually send their army (USA). Btw i am from Germany and i can tell you this. Thsi government is all about kind words and opressive action. If you call Germany for help, they will destroy your country or what is left of it (Greece, Spain, Italy). U.S. will actually come in and do something.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Former British PM Margaret Thatcher dead at 87 See in context

Well her politics live on, as we can all see and feel in Europe's austerity regime. Rest in peace.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Gunma police, NTT, Kanto Gakuen working on app to warn users of high-risk areas See in context

If you want to aviod danger as a woman, you might want to not leave the house after sundown. If you are a kid, you might not want to go to school anymore, as it is a "dangerous" place. If you are man, stay at home, as going to work is dangerous. It's not the places that are dangerous, but the perpetrators.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Gov't presses 2 utilities to lower planned rate hikes See in context

That is, for example, the reason that Germany just recently had to cut down on its ambitious solar panel program. They simply could not afford the subsidies anymore, and without subsidies, the "green" energy is so outrageously expensive it a gigantic waste.

Well, that is inaccurate. The reason they cut the green energy subsidies is that the green energies produced so much energy, the coal and nuclear plants had to shut down operations from time to time. That generates less revenue for those plants and the owners of those plants, mainly four huge companies (RWE, eon, EnBW, Vattenfall) were pressuring the gov't to cut subsidies.

That's why many solar panel production companies were closed in Germany since the conservative gov't took over (2009). Also, those companies quickly pressured the German gov't to restart nuclear plants (which they did) after Germany ordered them to be shut down after the Fukushima disaster.

Also, Vattenfall sued Germany for billions of euros in damages in a WTO court, because ot the shutdown (Vattenfall AB and others v. Federal Republic of Germany (ICSID Case No. ARB/12/12)). Imagine how well liked Vattenfall is in Germany. Also, Japan is signatory to that agreement, so TEPCO and others could do the same.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: AKB48 ballot to be held on June 8 See in context

I hope Mayuyu takes first place and Paruru second :-)

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Gov't presses 2 utilities to lower planned rate hikes See in context

oh yeah, wage cuts instead of rising prices, well that will bring down deflation!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Our communities are extremely safe. Most Canadians are very friendly. If you are a Japanese parent and if you are thinking of your child going for a foreign education for whatever reason, what is happ See in context

Funny how you confirmed all my assumptions about Americans, but seem to have an explanation for everything.

For one, it wouldn't be far for your kids to walk if you would live in the city. Also, living in the suburbs must be so cheap, yeah right. Also, would you believe a black man carrying a gun saying he carries it because he likes hunting? Well then why would you belive a white man saying the same thing? Let me tell you why you don't live in the city, too many non-white people. Go hide now in your SUV.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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