kuuku comments

at least china is doing something different for this diplomatic cause, i am wondering what japan's politicians will be doing, going or preparing to visit yasukuni again? of course they are also preparing to change the constitution..why don't they rally with their ally (ies)?

sad news to c exploitation of those weak people in society rather than helping them. the elites of those big companies should be held accountable as well.

let face it, the US had already gave a friendly advise against the public worship, now Germany is at least, now giving some indirect and friendly advise as well, but Abe in the other news section is now preparing for removing or editing article 9..i am wondering how many more countries should help japan with friendly advises,,but maybe they will never be considered,,and if they are editing article 9, do they really think their soldiers will be needed in international missions with this kind of thinking and behaviour? well, it is an interesting news though to start off 2014 with. akemashite omedetou gozaimasu.

i think Abe government is now using yasukuni as one way to retaliate against china for the newly established ADIZ,,when they cannot think of other ways to deal with senkaku and the new ADIZ,,,they turn to yasukuni to inflict pain not only to china but to asia and the pacific and to his own abenomics..rather than trying to create more opportunities from what he already been praised for,,he went the other way around, trying to create hates to all things japanese around this region, and perhaps the world..

Washington has welcomed Abe’s efforts to boost Japan’s military posture and assume more of the alliance’s defense burden, but been less happy with Abe’s revisionist stance on history.

as for the first part of the sentence, i only aware of the current US President's speech (Barack) in Berlin before the EU summit when he publicly called that German's role on the international stage is very well needed/welcomed and should be increased, but i think i haven't heard if he already made that kind of speech here (Japan)... i think i didn't even hear that as well from Vice Presd Biden during his last visit for Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing..perhaps i missed out on something about any public speech or announcement from Washington for Tokyo to boost its military posture..but, sorry if it was not a very public one..

We don't visit Yasukuni and the Chinese slag us off. We visit the Yasukuni and the Chinese slag us off....

maybe, but i think the chinese are not the only ones to go against this public worship,, other countries in some ways might be thankful to china for being very responsive against this issue..of course, japan have other problems with china,,especially senkaku,,but as for yasukuni, maybe china is not the only one to feel the pain..

leave it out china, let japan sort the problem out herself, if they cannot, maybe the world should bow down in front of them saying - ok japan, the actions you did in wwii are justified correct and as good examples..:))..maybe that should make Abe and his ministers and other nationalists more proud..

While recognizing Japan’s guilt in this matter, we also need to recognize the political posturing on the parts of China, Korea, and others who want to keep this issue fresh and unresolved for the purpose of personal political gain.

that understandable, so i think money should not be repeated as the blame, but the actions of politicians, if money is appear again, don't think that neighboring countries are not growing, and if they are growing, what japan should say if they are ready to pay back those compensations, perhaps they will feel more isolated, i don't know.

What did South Korean goverment do with the $500 million that Japan paid already?

i will say the S.Korean govn't should consider paying back those compensations to Japan, it does not worth it, money is not an issue here,,,,it just like "we already paid you so whatever the things we do, u just say yes, and keep your mouth shut" ..as a fast developing nation, i think the South should consider not only giving aid to other countries but paying back the $500million and i think that should settle enough what Japan is always base her arguments on...

japan is just a very proud country, they are even proud of what their soldiers did during WWII, raping or killing or torturing the masses like animals, they are all justified in the eyes of the world as very good examples of what the Japanese soldiers should do,,even the only country that is on your side (US) has issued an advise alongside victims of WWII,,but not sure whether those advises are considered,,, maybe the US need to move away from Asia for a year or so, to see how proud this country is.

I'm really disappointed with America. Why can they realize by now that not-visiting the shrine only makes China & South Korea more aggressive.

i dont agree with that, i do think that if the yasukuni problem can be solved (just by not visiting or reforming everything inside), then the only one left might be the disputes which will make things a lot easier, but if disputes and yasukuni are mixed-up,,,i think that makes more load...maybe Abe wants more loads than making things easy for him and for japan...if china and S.Korea and US are against this, then leaders should be really concerned about that...and i don't think those are the only three countries to go against this, think about that..

Abe is still not the right man for the job, the next election should give way for more reasonable Japanese to take on this post and break away with this nonsense visits...keeping in mind that not only s.korea or china were being killed like dogs during WWII.

nice big heading - saionara

japan is quite unique in its actions that lead to outside complaints, whether it is yasukuni or the whales or disputes, they are all quite unique in their own interpretations...as a developed country, i think it is quite proper for a developed country as well like Australia to take up this role and refrain the hunters to not take too much before its too late. thanks to australia for that.

perhaps it will be better to discuss new approaches to such problems with asian neighbors (perhaps including china) rather than giving money (for supports) as if there will be any forthcoming military conflict. i know each country has its own way to approach this problem, but if they are not allowed to share their opinions, but just giving money and thats it, i don't know if that will work.

good to know the number of protesters (over 3,000) backing the opposition's fight outside the Diet, but quite unfortunate and a sad news to finally know that the bill was still passed through, hopefully politicians voted not against their conscience but to what the japanese pple elected them for. will be very interesting to see the effect of this new law.

maybe JT should follow-up on Abenomics how is it going, perhaps the secret bill is also one priority part of it (?).

good to c protesters in front of the Diet building, hope they are not being called terrorist like the previous case.

it is for japn to do its own part (not the US or neighboring countries), whether u act soon or later, the zone will have real effects, whether the senkaku is belong to china or not, it will change views in the long term, as i think it also have the potential to go into school textbooks, etc..once u nationalized the islands, i think it should hav already been followed up with maybe something constructed to secure the long-term view of people about the islands,, i think that was done by china first..it is very legal for japan to use the island for something, what hold back the govn`t to consider using the islands..or maybe it better they did not nationalize it in the first place.

internet users? i am wondering maybe they are just kids not monitored by their parents, if not, then what wrong to them, looks like they are just mis-using the internet.

sorry but i think abortion and homosexuality are the creations of people to please themselves, the church is not the political organisation or an NGO or some kind of social network like facebook which should please people, it is a spiritual organisation which is to God alone, and only God can judge the purity of each spirit. so i think the pope can change corruptions within the bureaucratic structure, but to the other extremes like homosexuality and abortion i think they are only for pleasing this life, not the next. for abortion, the church has its own natural law for family planning, which is very safe and won't do anything bad to your body, a must to learn before marriage. for homosexuality, i think God creates men and women in their natural form, changing that form is just for pleasing your body's own content, lust and desire, not ur spirit.

even second-marriage which resulted in the Roman church being abandoned way back in the British history because the King want to re-marry, that tradition is also still alive and strong till these days. i am not promoting catholicism by the way, just so that u can balance ur views with some views u may not be aware of.

Islamic extremists would be glad to hear your comment. That kind of view that condones assassination as a tool to achieve political goals is called terrorism.

i think u'r confusing urself between those who fight for freedom of the country in general and those who fight in the name of God/Allah. there is a distinction between political war and holy war - as religion (at least nowadays in most countries) is not considered part of the political life. mixing those can only create confusions like what u wrote. look at what the yasukuni shrine has been considered part of political life here - it only triggers anger and confusion outside.

He was hanged the following year, when Korea also became a formal Japanese colony, heralding a brutal occupation which lasted until the end of World War II in 1945.

so the japanese already hanged him. i think that should be the end of japanese story/involvement. now that korea is running its own affairs and want to recognize its own citizens who were pro-independence, i just dont see any reason for japan to oppose such efforts as if its (japan) still colonize SK. the one that japan is doing in yasukuni is far alot more....worse, or shall i say beyond understanding - worshiping those who kill innocent millions just because they have the power to do so.

The revision is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe%u2019s education reform policy that also includes adopting moral education and patriotism into school curricula.

i don't think patriotism is needed during these days (with the fukushima problem and the economy still find their way up). perhaps with the exception of island disputes, some patriotism might be needed, but maybe only if some kind of war is coming. i hope they don't play around with WWII issues again.

well done Japan. the aid is very well needed. no doubt this aid could mount more if other contributions are included, don't forget that churches here can also give the kind of amount that can be quite close to what the govn't can offer as well.

it is true that because of the effect of the 2011 tsunami, japan have to recover and part of that might include nuclear energy back online. however, for the sake of victims around fukushima, i think japan should also consider taking the lead in clean energy R&D, so that fukushima residents are reassured of the government's effort not to repeat the same problem again.

“It would be a crime against future generations for our generation to restart nuclear plants without resolving this issue,”

that right, if only the PM has the will to take the lead on clean energy. as the other former PM said;

“It can be achieved. Why miss this chance?”

it is possible. nuclear power plant was also only an idea in the past by which previous governments already translated it into being with successful implementation. for sure, clean energy can also be translated into reality as well.

Japn is a blessed country in many ways, thanks for extending your arm alongside other countries pouring aid to ur most affected neighbour.

Particularly in the media and in education, I would love to see more diversity and more recognition of the presence and contributions of foreigners and minorities in Japan. History classes should cover the darker aspects of Japan’s history so young people will have a more nuanced understanding of lingering conflicts with their neighbors.

nice article with recommendations above, agreed. i heard part of abenomics is restructuring the economy, i am not sure if this restructure will also include some part of maybe encouraging a more friendly and perhaps more open outlook e.g. to assess workers on their achievements rather than their other identities, etc. i think everyone (or most) foreigners here (like myself) experience some kind of racism/discrimination, whether it is in school or at work. sorry to say but (i think) Japanese are sometimes very proud of themselves that their pride control them rather than them controlling their own pride.

all the best to Japan Medical team!