Kaerimashita comments

Indeed, a segment of the population who need the most assistance.

How ridiculous this all is.  Like childish name calling.  does it really matter where it began?  Not like the relevant governments deliberately did it.  Or that it is a result of their policies or their form of government.

But if they are rampant, where is the concomitant death toll?

Pharmaceuticals.  Web based ones. 

Once the crisis passed watch all the currently stricken ones bounce back.  Airlines (there may be less of them so the remaining ones will be operating at higher capacity).  Food and drink (likewise).

If their only solution is to buy more assets, then no surprise.

Like so many Supranational or other Big State ideas, unintended consequences and not the desired result.

Words like "onslaught" are a bit much.  The damage to livelihoods and so on are precautionary, not because people are dying in the streets.

That will not be a particularly flattering shot.

No laughing matter.

They may be right, but I can't help thinking that Japan is way closer to the countries where this all exploded and so if a wave were to hit here it should have already happened.  Fact that it hasn't might be indication of 1. no need to panic or 2. all these experts love calling doom and gloom because that is partially their raison d'etre. 

We shall see.  In the meantime the knock on effects on the whole world remain awful.

How unedifying and pointless.

Plus if some of this is BoJ ETF buying then guess for the first time they might make some money on their asset purchases.

They will be extended to when the games are held (next year?)

The parts describing his romantic involvement and so on with Soon-Yi are particularly poignant.

Will be down by the same this time next week.

The volatility likely not over yet.  when it is those with cash will make some money.

No.

Once this is over these companies will look really cheap.

"financed in part bu deficit covering bonds"??

Who wrote this nonsense?  Japan already finances its normal budget by issuing bonds........

To find this extra money it will all need to be borrowed.

And spending huge amounts will still not really mitigate the damage caused by mass shutdowns of the economy and so on.

I know that many thing the government is not doing enough, but what do the stats show?  so far Japan is nowhere near the worst affected or fastest growing in terms of Covid-19.....

Hmmmmm...  Who's gonna buy?  What are they looking to sell?  after the WeWork debacle I think many are going to look at their "assets" way more critically.

not sure this signals a company in trouble (but could be wrong).  More likely they want cash to buy up proper companies once this current panic has passed.

Nearby, a group of women sat picnicking, none of them wearing masks.

So what?  Are masks a proven spread stopper?

Also how are they supposed to eat and drink wearing a mask?

Seems to me sitting outside is at the fairly benign end of socializing.

Tragic.  all the poor F1 millionaires and plutocrats.

although I guesws at some stage this will impact the oprdinary working engineer and pit crew and rifg drivers etc.

I really think that this kind of apocalyptic language is not helpful. In my view it has directly contributed to the huge impact this has had already had despite minor loss of life and short duration to date.  Talk of Great Depression and Spanish Flu and Black Death and so on that is all the rage (plus our ever present celebs updating us constantly on their status and so on) and just stokes panic and fear.   As is so often the case, the rich will benefit from this.  For those with cash, this will represent a wonderful investment opportunity at some stage in the future.  Asset prices will rebound in the near future.

So they turn people away or quarantine them?  Friend of mine had a relative arriving on a study visa.  Rushed to get a booking before the axe came down midnight Friday.  Was told by UK Japanese consulate that as long as he was on a plane before the equivalent of Japan midnight should be ok.  JAL told him the same.  Arrived and was told he had to go home.  No quarantine option allowed.  Totally destroyed all arrangements. 

I know the staff at Immigration are not paid to exercise discretion.  but the rules themselves seem odd.  some countries quarantine, some visa waivers ok others not.

and the lack of proper coordination between consulates, airlines and arrival officers......

To read that folks are being told "please self isolate" but then can get on public transport with no checking is a bit weird also.

Almost predictably the Middle Eastern mess takes another turn and former allies become enemies and former enemies become allies.  Perfect illustration of why US and NATO intervention in this region was so unwise and continues to be a waste of time and money and people.  Best solution is to let the regional powers sort themselves out.

Movie will be boring - not sure why so many see this as good basis for a thrilling flick.

If (when??) France finds Ghosn wasn't entirely straight and arrest and try him, will we see the same level of criticism of the legal process I wonder.

Think the facts don't chime with him being Trump's stooge.  And not sure I would believe that the Washington Post has an insight into his thinking. 

But if he doesn't quit the Dems can always try and impeach him.

How exactly do we know that they are tourists?

Abenomics at work again.  coupled with a redundant economic model that is being out produced and out competed by the likes of Korea (electronics and auto, say) and China (lots of the light industry that used to be a mainstay of the economy here).  And a massively overspending government that is stuck in a hankering after the post war boom.  Sad.

Stop propping up dying industries and zombies.  stop depressing wages for young people.  Stop trying to monetize the ridiculous debt mountain. 

Maybe that will work better than the current failed experiment.

To attribute general stupidity and racisnm to the virus is stretching it.  Just gives dimwits another excuse to act on their bigotry.  not like there has been a mass outbreak following the virus.

Use paper bags or bags made from other biodegradable or recyclable material.  Charging does help reduce usage.  But bags are only one small part of the plastics problem.

Also I don't see a lot of discarded plastic bags lying around our cities or countryside.  Plenty of pics of other countries where plastic waste is a real (and highly visible) issue.