JamesTCL comments

I agree with collegepark30349. On top, dragging all that dirt into the schools means more time cleaning the schools. I'm sure that is a lot more time cleaning compared to waiting around to put one's shoes on.

I also like the idea of Akiko Kani, principal of Aoyama Elementary. Many of us change moods when we change into different clothing.

If student numbers are growing as much as stated above, surely the local wards should be adding more schools to compensate for the increase.

There is a bigger problem looming if China becomes the main aid donor instead of the USA. I've seen first-hand how Chinese aid benefits politicians personally in some developing countries. China will set a standard that most developed countries are not use to. It'll be a case of "I don't care about my own people, what's in it for me" situation. The Chinese government is always more than happy to line the pockets of those politicians. The developed countries won't play a part in this game, so they'll be shunned by the developing countries accordingly. Once Trump is out of office, the next President won't find it easy to offer aid as they did before.

HercolobusToday  08:09 am JST

I did the math. That is 58 years in prison,

It's only 47 years and 7 months. 217million yen appears to be correct. I'm sure the courts will consider more for the separate damages.

BertieWoosterToday  07:50 am JST

the Shizuoka District Court ruled that investigators had fabricated evidence

So how about bringing those responsible to justice? 

Totally agree.

Promotion is the key to reaching their goal. As long as the exchange rates favor the incoming traveler, the numbers will definitely rise.

As for spreading the tourists around the country, not as difficult as one would think. Japanese TV stations have several programs showing many wonderful and unique places around the world (and domestically). I have been to some of those places and would love to go to the places shown that I haven't been to yet. The government only needs to collaborate with overseas TV stations to promote a lot of different places and unique events as they do here in Japan.

Using on-line media such as instagram, tiktok, etc. is another way to promote places that are lesser-known but just as interesting to us foreigners.

They have until 2030 to think about what to promote and how to promote. That's plenty of time. I'm sure the government is capable enough to succeed.

smithinjapan: in my defense, the word "some" refers to a small number of companies as the incidents that have occurred are quite small compared to the overall numbers we are talking about. Incidents do happen, just as they also happen in other countries. Japan is not perfect, just as every other country is not perfect. All one can hope for is that the few shady companies are caught and dealt with accordingly.

As for your comment: "What "better life" can Japan promise them that would actually be better than the current alternatives?" Many of these foreigners who come to Japan don't have jobs in their own country. They are an extra mouth to feed in a family that is desperate to put food on the table for all. Many of these foreigners have low or no education skills, but they are taught Japanese language before they are brought to Japan (at the expense of the employer), then trained to do a job that most Japanese workers shun. In most cases, many of the foreign workers save enough money (usually through overtime work) to send back to their families. They have a guaranteed paying job for at least 3 years, accommodation, meals provided in some cases, and a chance to further their stay in Japan through study programs. I'm sure many of them are grateful for this.

I would bet hugely that for every sad story you might hear, there are at least 100 good stories, or more, if a survey was taken. Of course every foreign worker wants more money, but who doesn't?

For many of those who are just guessing the problems, I can shed actual information on the situation.

Firstly, the Japanese government created this program to assist companies who can't employ enough staff locally. The only option remaining to these companies is to shift their operations overseas or close down. So many of you who are disgruntled with companies' low salaries would be more disgruntled that you couldn't buy locally made food/products.

The foreigners who are brought here are trained in their own country before being brought to Japan. They undergo another several weeks of training before they are sent to their employers to begin work. The training consists of language skills and cultural understanding (work and social). The companies pay for all the training, return airfares, and their accommodation, as well as health and other benefits, and in some cases, some of their meals are provided at some companies.

So the salaries, although appearing to be small, are not so bad when considering the above. For those who are disgruntled with low salaries, you would more than likely be more disgruntled with paying more money for locally made products if the companies had to pay higher salaries on top of what they ate already paying out.

I'm not blind to the fact that some companies are taking advantage of foreigners in their employ. It happens and some companies are caught and dealt with accordingly. There are some foreigners who are sent here only to run away from their employers to obtain money by ill-gotten gains. It goes both ways. But they are not the majority and there are many foreign employees appreciating the opportunity to work and make money for their families, something they couldn't do in their own country.

If you don't believe this, talk to people in the industry and find out for yourself the actual situation instead of reading something into this story that is not there.

The above information is mostly correct, however many of the banks will not open a bank account for foreigners who haven't been living in Japan for more than 6 months. The alternative to this problem is to obtain a letter of confirmation of employment from your employer (in Japanese), but this is not always acceptable to some banks or branch managers. If you are a student who is not working, then you have no choice but to wait 6 months.

On top of this, several banks insist on a name seal. Check with the bank prior to making one.

I'm not against LGBT'S but I am against organisations who feel the need to force players to wear such logos, especially when it's against some players' religious beliefs or their personal beliefs. Everyone has the right to free choice and shouldn't be forced to comply with such requests. Why do organisations have to get involved in such social matters? If they pursue this, then they need to promote other rights. Why not show support for black peoples' rights, women's rights, men's rights, children's rights, parent's rights, wives' rights, husband's rights, pets' rights, and much more ridiculous campaigns. The whole thing is just not necessary as it was proven recently in Australia.

It's a laugh that Nigel Owens agrees that it was time-wasting. He was criticized eventually for wasting time himself for so many years. Nigel Owens was infamous for calling scrums with a few minutes to go on the clock, when he would call 4 or 5 resets on purpose until the hooter sounded. The next pack down would result in a penalty to the winning team so they could kick the ball out to end the game. It was a shame that it took coaches 3 to 4 years to realize his tactics so he wouldn't have to spend more energy chasing the play. Now, he has the hide to say that the referee was right. I totally disagree that in such a major event, a referee would even consider such a controversial decision that not only affected the outcome of the Bledisoe Cup, but the leading table on the rugby championships. I hope never to see Raynal referee a top tier international match again until he is fully re-trained. As well, just for the Kiwi idiots who are one-eyed, there have been many times the All Blacks have gotten away with the same tactics. If the shoe was on the other foot, you would be complaining just as much as us Aussies.

It's amazing how Japan gets away with a lot of dis-information in their marketing ploys. Most of the adverts would be crucified in Australia (I'm sure other countries are just as strict). The 100% juice farce has been going on since I lived in Japan for more than 30 years. But the most disturbing advertising ploys are the restaurants that serve meals that look nothing like the adverts, especially when it comes to proportional sizes.

That's okay for terminal 2, but they have nothing for terminal 1 making it most inconvenient. I spent 9 hours waiting for my player to go through the PCR testing procedure and customs. We missed the last train, bus, and taxi from terminal 1. Along with 500 other passengers, we ended up sleeping on the floor inside the terminal. It was the first day they allowed student visa holders to enter the country but their system broke down and they could only process one passenger at a time. They received no food or drinks and no authorities arranged anything for people stranded in the terminal. The media weren't notified, so the airport got away with an embarrassing incident.

According to the law, regardless who makes the mistake, the receiver of the money is not entitled to it. He must pay the money back, even if he spends it or invests it, he must pay the entire funds back. I used to work in a Japanese bank and have seen this incident happen in Japan once.

I just hope they release his name and photo so his whole life can be destroyed. I'm not impressed when someone acts like this guy did.

Many of the comments are missing an important part of the problem. That is, it's going to be difficult to prove to the Immigration Department that only a foreign graduate-student can fill any particular position in a chain restaurant business, so arranging a visa for a foreign student will be futile and a waste of the company's time.

The main issue is the information the student provided that made a company assume the person applying is a foreigner. Both parties could be at fault; one for not clearly supplying proper information, the other for not asking the obvious question if there was enough doubt.

The information in this story is not enough for the above comments to be justified, which means most of you have committed the same mistake you claim the company has done and "assumed" the worst.

I can't understand why this group is asking the whole world to deal with a problem that is created by certain countries (definitely not the majority of countries in the world). Why don't they just target those countries responsible and have them stop polluting the oceans full stop. Then we don't need to spend billions of dollars cleaning up the problem when it can be stopped at the source for a lot less. Like many of these so-called environmental groups, it's all about justifying their salaries. Simple solution for a simple problem. I live for the day when we can see people working for environmental groups that actually use their brains to save the earth.

What a way to end a referee career, with possibly the worst performance ever. Romain Poite made so many bad decisions, for both sides, it completely ruined the game. The sin binning was not as bad a decision as the one he gave against the Australians when they were attacking the Scot's goal line in the first half. He called the Australian attacker as continuing moving forward after being tackled but the video showed the tackled player rolling backward once to put the ball down, no movement forward at all. The Australians were in a prime position to score. It was unbelievable and only one of many decisions this referee made that had us all in disbelief. I am not a fan of the French referees, I really hope the World Rugby Org. do something to improve the quality of referees in France, especially if they are going to continue to be used in Test matches. Enough is enough and we have had to endure these well-below-par referees from France for decades. These games are just way too important to leave a "hack" referee in charge, and it is not okay to say that both sides are subject to this level of refereeing. The players, coaching staff, and fans deserve better.

What a pathetic attempt this article is making of criticizing the Japanese government without committing to actually criticizing them in clear words.

The media jumped on the bandwagon when there were a few ratbags protesting the games to be cancelled, but the same media were only too happy to report how great the events were each day. Now, they are going to stir up trouble over the actual losses made by the games for their own gains. The media today have no scruples.

None of the media would report the huge difference of cancelling the games as opposed to going ahead with the games on a restricted basis. For those without a clue, the Japanese government would have faced a much larger bill to cancel the games (sponsorship money, tv right fees, cancellation fees, law suits, etc). A conservative estimate (not including law suits) would be approx. JPY160,000 per tax payer. I was definitely not prepared to pay this out of my own pocket.

Be careful, check the facts before you trust the media. They are only keen to publish the information they want you to know.

It's so easy to demand cancellation of the Olympics. But it's not so easy to do. Who's going to pay back the billions of dollars to the sponsors? Who's going to bear the brunt of lawsuits for loss of revenue from canceling the games? What explanation is acceptable for all those athletes that have worked many years to get to this point in their careers?

People are quick to jump on the bandwagon but I bet the very same people will be glued to their TV sets cheering on their compatriots.

Just get the games done and over with, so we can put all this behind us, and get on with our lives.

In foreign countries, waiting for everyone's food to be placed in front of them at the table was a religious matter of many years ago. The people would pray together once all the food was delivered. Of course, these days, not many families pray before their meals. However, the restaurants overseas still try to bring the foods to the table at the same time.

In Japan, there is no set rules, but many Japanese people prefer to eat their meals while it is still piping hot, so fellow diners will kindly request each other to start eating instead of waiting for their own food to be delivered. I have seen in some Japanese schools where they all say "itadakimasu" together before they start eating the school lunch.

I hope everyone living in Japan voices their anger, not only to the Japanese government, but to the selfish business leaders who pressured the politicians into starting the Go To Travel and Go To Eat campaigns.

My respect for the Japanese government has been lost. I'm very disappointed.

How unbelievably stupid. Another outbreak in Beijing has recently been detected and the U.S. is stupid to allow such risks of further spreading the virus. This will make U.S.A. just as responsible as China if the virus spreads further as a result.

The haka is an unfair advantage, definitely giving the All Blacks are big chance to psyche themselves up in front of the opposition.

However, I'm guessing that most coaches don't know the actual circumstances in regards to the approval of the on-field haka. Any coach has the right to refuse the haka prior to a test match in accordance with World Rugby regulations. They can ask the referee to start play without the performance of the haka prior to the players entering the field. The referee then informs the teams wishing to perform the haka of the refusal. It's as simple as that.

If I was the coach of an opposing team facing the haka, I would definitely refuse the performance, regardless which country we're in. Any act to take down the mood of the All Blacks would definitely be a bonus to an opposing team.

It should be a condition that he pays back the costs spent by the Japanese government (and other governments) to get him back to Japan from Syria. As well, "sensei258's" suggestion should be another condition before issuing a passport. Perhaps he'll think again before ignoring the government's warnings.

Vaccinations are important but there are circumstances of real risks to individuals. The lack of information and warnings to people is the problem here. I agree that vaccinations are necessary, but doctors need to advise each patient (or their guardian) about what to do or what not to do immediately after shots are administered.

My son suffered an attack from a virus that left him partially blind in his left eye. He was 15 yrs old at the time and needed one more vaccination before attending school overseas. No-one at the hospitals could find the virus or the cause of the virus until one particular doctor mentioned that he has seen a case or two of viruses attacking babies shortly after a vaccination. Only then we realised what had happened.

Had we have been told that we should look out for anything strange occurring with my son's body over the one week period after the vaccination, we might have been able to cure him of the damage.

The point is, medical organisations need to research ways to prevent such problems in the near future, and provide enough information of the do's and don'ts for parents who are having their children vaccinated. Perhaps then and only then, will more people feel safer about vaccinations.

You also forgot to mention that a recent law now requires that all cyclists ride on the same side of the road as cars. That law was brought into effect more than 2 years ago from memory, however we still see cyclists riding on the opposite side of the roads into on-coming traffic.

I have the same amazement as kniknaknokkaer and cringe every time I see a kid race around a corner or come out of a small laneway at speeds that no-one could fathom.

I've been told that the kids are taught at school how to ride bikes in Japan by the police. I don't think the lesson has much affect because many of the kids still ride their bikes dangerously in Japan. I would prefer to use shock tactics when teaching the kids how to ride safely in Japan. A visit from people who are crippled from bike accidents would most likely have a lot of sway.

I feel that despite the Government's efforts, many businesses are ignoring the chance to take advantage of these short periods of potential business growth. I know of some logistic companies that have no plans to address possible sudden hikes in demand for delivery of foodstuffs. It's not so easy to increase trucks drivers for such a short period of time either. Other suppliers for the restaurant industry are also ignoring the potential increase for demand of their products. In Sydney during the Olympics, many restaurants ran out of food way before closing times, leaving diners stranded in lines outside waiting for nothing. I think the same mistake will happen here in Japan during the World Cup Rugby, but owners of restaurants may learn from this mistake in time for the Olympics in 2020. Will restaurants have enough knives, forks, and spoons to cater for non-chopstick users? Will the convenience stores be able to stock up regularly?

There is no explanation or reasons given for the drop in numbers. I'd like to see what the major reason for avoiding Kyoto would be. Are the Japanese travellers heading overseas in preference to domestic travel? Are they keen to visit other places in Japan? Are they avoiding the Chinese crowds?

One thing is for sure, there is a travel cycle and I've seen the domestic and international travel industries turn around when there are major news reports of natural disasters, terror attacks, etc. in my long presence here in Japan. The numbers will turn around eventually.

Most of the food from China that is imported by distributors goes to restaurants. Whilst supermarkets are required by law to state the origin of foods on their labels, restaurants are not required to do so. How many people would eat at a restaurant if they knew the food they were using in their cooking was imported from China? Isn't it time the law was extended to restaurants too?

I can't believe this article. How ridiculous!!! Cooking onions and sausages are probably the easiest of foods to cook, whether it is on a grill or in a frypan. Test Kitchen really needs to get a life and stop trying to insult the intelligence of the readers.

I find it unbelievable that the Government doesn't make the sponsors or the companies who falsely allow foreigners to register as a resident to be liable for the difference in fake claims.

This will certainly stop companies and local residents from assisting such false claims. It's quite simple and I'm sure acceptable to the community.