Kersey23 comments

Pathetic. I hope that they send this guy to a burn center so that he can see the damage that such actions can do. People could have died as a result is his actions. He needs to see what can happen.

I really didn't want to get into this issue, but Seavey your attitude and over simplification of the problem staggers and saddens me. A lot of what is being talked about here is child abductions. The children are abducted by their Japanese parents in foreign countries, even when they have been granted rights by the courts of the country that they are living in, and then brought back here where the parent is protected from foreign judicial entities and the foreign parent. That is deplorable and a huge injustice to all except the Japanese parent who holds all the cards.

Furthermore your advice to others of going to the ex and begging for forgiveness is just not practical because it doesn't work. And like another poster said, a lot of it is done just out of spite. When people can get away with things, they do them. That is what the system is showing. Don't get divorced and you made your bed, so lay in it, are really over simplifying the problem and shows no empathy at all to others who are in a less than powerful position. Sometimes it is not the man who wants the divorce. Sometimes it is the woman. Well, what does one do then? Surely you don't really believe that most of the time it is the man7s fault as you said earlier.

You say you side with the mother because at least the child will get to see its mother. Okay. That is not always such a good thing. Mothers murder their children all the time. Day after day, we read stories in this magazine about this mother or that mother who hurt or killed her child/children. Or other stories where the boyfriend did. Speaking of which, I was abused by my own mother after my parents were divorced. What was that you said to one poster? Don't bore me with your story? Well, I wont bother. But I don't share your belief in giving custody to the mother, because at least then they will be able to see her. Oh, my!

Personally, I feel that "custody" should be a court's responsibility to look at from every aspect for the benefit of the child. Not just given to someone because they are the Japanese parent of the child. That just robs the child of his other parent and only serves the vindictive other in most cases. I also know good men who have lost their children and only one foreign man whose wife allows him regular access. But she understands that their son needs his father. Four of the people that i know were just regular Japanese business men who are denied all access to their children. One had an affair, got caught and now the wife is punishing him for it. But it should have nothing to do with what happens between him and his child. We all make mistakes. Yes, his was huge. But it is besides the point as far as I'm concerned.

I, like another poster as well, hope that you don't fall victim to this. But in all due respect to you, you really should walk in those people's shoes for a while before showing such a lack of empathy towards them. Your over simplifying the problem and the answer to it, is exactly what this is all about. That is what the Japanese have done and that is why there is so much debate on this issue. You may think this may never happen to you, but I am sure most of the other people felt the same way when they got married as well. But you never know. Things change. People change. I hope you don't suffer like these other people have.

To all of you who have gone through hell and back, you have my sympathy. I just hope that you can be reunited with your kids someday. And I really hope this mess gets worked out.

What a volatile issue!

The Chinese government needs to back off. It has brutalized it's own people severely. But I agree with smithinjapan. Japan must look at the past instead of ignoring it.

Yes, you are right once again. Bravo. But the problem is the visit by the PM and some other diet members. That is what gets everyone excited. PMs and other officials do this not for the souls of the victims, but to gain support from voters who are outspokenly right wing or closet right-wingers. They do it to show that they will be strong against foreign powers. Many of them have said they never even visited it until they were elected. They don't realize the actual damage that it does.

I personally believe that the Shrine is supported through personal gifts from politicians here. And you have shown very extreme views in some of your posts.

Here is the problem Ladies and Gentlemen. Yuri on one side and Jackieng on the other. Both hold extreme views and that is why PEACE is not to be had. Both countries are openly distrustful of each other. Both aggressive in their beliefs and not giving the other an inch. Such a sad thing, when one can't show genuine contrition and admit its wrongs and makes excuses which enables the other one to keep the hatred alive. The other one LOVES that. It keeps it in power. It brainwashes its people to think of the other one as evil.

The Chinese people need to understand. This is not the Japan that committed war on its neighbors. This is an entirely different Japan. It would never go ballistic again. Most of the people who were in that war are long gone. ENOUGH ALREADY. How many more years do you want to beat this drum? All you are doing is creating anger on both sides. Anger never fixes anything. LET IT GO. FOR YOURSELVES AT LEAST. And for the rest of us who are tired of hearing about it. Make peace.

That is why the Chinese are wary of Japan. Its inability to be frank, open and honest about its past.

YUri! Fact is that your people came under Japanese rule in the Edo Period. There were Okinawan people in the military, officers included. You pay taxes to the Japanese government. You have Japanese citizenship. Hence you are Japanese. Therefore you are the same. Chinese should be wary of people like you who make excuses. If I were Chinese your reaction would give me weariness as well.

No , their ashes are not there. Just there names. OR so we are told. But so what? Their names are. Yuri, when I read posts like your it sometimes makes me understand why the CHinese are still angry. PLust the politicians who apologize one moment and than another one thumbs his nose (Shintaro "I am so great") Ishihara at CHina and the two Koreas. Use all the excuses you want e,g., "I am Okinawan" or "Today's people are innocent", blah, blah, blah, and you just keep the fire alive.

This must be a joke. Japan is not aggressive towards China. It is the opposite. It is always China trying to tell Japan what it can and can't do. It is always China pitching a fit over one thing or another. LIke a barking dog that won't shut up. IT DOES keep bringing up the past. The only way japan and China will get past history is for China to put a muzzle over it's big mouth and for Japan to teach history and accept it as it is. But the only one picking a fight is CHINA. It has fights with all of its neighbors. China has no right shaking its finger at Prime MInister Noda. China is acting like a bully on a school yard. This is convenient for the Chinese leadership. Change the focus from the problems within China to making Japan the evil one. Japan doesn't shake its finger at China except for the build up of it military which it claims is for self-defense. Yeah, right. We really believe that one. And for copyright infringement. But everyone attacks China for that. But according to the Chinese that never happens. China really needs to look in the mirror.

Germany may be guilty of not letting people spread crap around that the holucost didn't happen but that is okay in my book. They are responsible for their history and making sure it doesn't get whitewashed.

They only make people angry

I feel great sadness for the victims on all sides. Nanking, HIroshima, Nagasaki and the whole bunch. But your side was the aggressor and continues to honor its own war dead while ignoring the victims that your country created. I wish my own country would teach true history as well, so I am not only attacking yours but mine as well.

There are so many Japanese who find true history about the past inconvenient. That is convenient and hardly fair at all. But once again this is true for most of us in the west as well.

@jackleng

yasukuni is a shrine dedicated to murderers and war criminals. it deserves to be burnt down

This is not right for you to say. You are being unfairly iconoclastic and these types of comments well never change people's minds.

Yuri. You say that there is nothing that Japan could do and that the Chinese will always feel this way. How do you know? Japan has not been honest about it and forthright like the Germans. Honestly, neither have we in the west. But if Japan behaved like Germany than the Chinese would have nothing to complain about. Giving money and an occasional apology really does nothing at all. It has to be taught in school. Japan seems horrendously hypocritical every year when it pays homage to Nagasaki and Hiroshima but does not even try to look in China's direction. You give them fuel for the fire. It is like a criminal feeling sorry for himself and saying I was treated unfairly. That is what makes people angry.

Yuri!! I have never heard such a thing about Germany . Please elaborate. Secondly, the true sadness of it is that the Shrine should not even be there in the first place. Japan has done little to atone for its past and has made abundant excuses for its past. Does not even come close to Germany when it comes to really teaching about the past and makes excuses galore for the past. It whitewashes history ridiculously. You like many other Japanese are no where near Germans when it comes to true honesty about your country's past. Neither are we Americans, though. But at least this one can admit it. Millions of Chinese were killed by the Japanese and no amount of excuses is ever going to make it any better. It is sad when people feel it inconvenient and make excuses like "I didn't do it" and say things like, "Why should I apologize?" That is just convenient! What you can do is not have an establishment that provokes anger among your country's victims. What is the NAZIs had a place to honor their fallen soldiers? Don't you think that people would go nuts? Are you trying to say that Japan was fighting the good fight while Germans were just evil and killing people? Are you trying to say that the German men who fought and died where more evil than the Japanese military that killed millions in Asia?**Are you trying to say that the Japanese men who occupied most of Asia were just victims of the government while the German men were different and went there voluntarily?** If you are then you are sugar-coating your country's past. And there in lies the probvlem and the reason that we are still arguing about this issue.

If they didn't report what these knuckleheads say then they would not be journalists.

And I congratulate the so-called left wing media for reporting when government officials put their foots in their mouths. But I am a little confused about something. It has always been my belief that the media here and the government was quite cozy with each other. Maybe I am wrong.

Just-a-guy!!! It is called real journalism. Something that is lacking in China. The Chinese government loves it. It takes the focus of attention off of them. See that is the difference between the Japanese/Western media and the Chinese government (who control the media there, I mean who are we kidding?) That is the difference. News is reported, even if it may not make the government happy. IN CHina however, the story is quite different.

Yes, people say dumb things. But blame the people who say them, not the media. But that is not the issue here. China has told the Japanese PM not to visit Yasukuni. How dare they? It is an internal matter. NOne of China's business whatsoever. What happens in China is always China's business. And it loves to tell other countries to BUTT OUT. But China does not mind shaking its finger at others. Hypocritical to say the least.

Noda has not even gotten started and the Chinese government is already picking a fight like a bully on the playground. This is clever. It turns the attention away from them. The Chinese government is the one filled with right wingers. You can't say anything against the Chinese government without them getting OFFENDED. As we all know from reading Chinese newspapers the Chinese government is always right. Yeah, right. Sure. That is why the press is controlled by the government. See, if news agencies don't report REAL news, than they are just like the Chinese press. Sorry.

As Lucabrasi said,

**"It's the idiots making the comments, not the press, who's at fault her

e"** Blame the idiots. But the media there in China at least needs to give Noda a chance.

Oginome.

Only the terminally clueless eat at Gusto anyway,

THAT IS NOT THE POINT and you know it. 120 restaurants were closed down because of the so-called efficient system that is so prevalent here that you sang the praises of in another forum. . How many workers worked in those restaurant? Hmmmmm? And you want to say this is an efficient country? Don't think so at all. In fact, it is no more efficient than any other place. People are people.

Yes, Japan should follow Germany. Hey, check this out. EVERY COUNTRY SHOULD!! That is the only country that has taken full responsibility for their past. But no one else has done so. Come one, European domination of most of the world and that part of history has never been concentrated on by them.

Every time China has cracked down on protests and been criticized by other countries, China has always said" BUTT OUT. this is an internal issue"! What is good for the goose is good for the gander. In reality the Chinese government loves when PMs go to the shrine, because they can turn the people's attention from the problems that permeate their country to getting people to focus on the EVIL JAPANESE EMPIRE! LAUGHABLE!

China has no business telling Japan not to visit the shrine. That is an internal issue. China doesn't like other countries meddling in it's national affairs and is really quick to jump on that bandwagon. I don't like PMs going there anyway, because of the issue but China has no right butting into internal affairs. BUG OFF!

CHINA calling Noda a right-wing nationalist? You have got to be kidding me? That is nonsense on so many levels! How can China call anyone that? I think they hold that HONOR more than anyone right now, WOW MInd-numbingly hypocritical!

And Gusto is INFAMOUS for that.

DAIEIRIA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I needed a good laugh. I am going to lunch now, but NOT THERE! I never liked the place anyway. One thing that really gets under my skin is when a menu shows a picture of something that looks really good and has a good size volume, like steak or something, and they bring back something that looks half the size of the picture. I always want to ask the waitress, "Are you kidding me? Do you think I forgot what the picture looked like? This is nothing like the picture!!! Bring me something that resembles the picture". Yikes.

DAILERIA!!!!! LMFAO! Good one, sensei

So many "than" instead of "then". OOOOPS! Typos galore. Sorry.

Actually now that I really think about it, this might just be a good idea. Ozawa gets what he wants, and then maybe he will stop complaining and we can have a long term Prime Minister. But, I still don't like Ozawa! I think we should have a rule. After you become prime minister than you must QUIT the DIET and retire. Than put the rightful man who has the power into the Prime MInister's job, that would be Ozawa. Let him do what he needs to do and than make him retire. But Ozawa is too smart for that. He knows that once he becomes prime minster that his power will be HISTORY.

Here we go again. The same damn thing. Instead of breaking free from Ozawa's vice-grip, Noda now puts in one of Ozawa's cronies. I had a little hope in Noda because he wasn't supported by Ozawa and was relieved when Kaeida was not chosen because he was, but now Noda has once again enabled Ozawa. I felt sorry for Kan. He wasn't a bad Prime MInister, he just didn't have any power because every time he turned around it was Ozawa and his crooks who were going against him. He didn't have a chance from the get go. Now, things might go a little more smoothly because Ozawa has Koishishi in Noda's cabinet. There is the slightest chance for a long term government but it is not what the people want. Who the hell votes for Oawa anyway? He has to be one of the most dislike politicians I have ever seen in Japan. Everyone I ask detests the guy, but somehow he keeps getting reelected.

Is this some more of that "efficiency" that OGINOME was talking about in another forum?