Lunchbox comments

Resurfaced, I don't doubt the truth in your experience, but your opinion formed is Anecdotal, and goes against many of the known facts about the justice system in Japan. This case is a very important one as although it has long been known that the Japanese system of forcing/torturing (semantics) suspects into confession is flawed, this is undeniable evidence and admission of the fact. Hopefully the media and politicians will do their job now and demand an enquiry. All suspects deserve a treatment like yours, it is basic human rights. There is so much bait in this story, the media should have a field day. Unfortunately, what will probably happen is that the NPA chief will apologize and step down, and the story will fizzle into nothing, because the journalist and the politicians are useless and the Japanese people don't demand anything more of them.

So they were kept in custody for over a month on no evidence? Deplorable human rights.

Mistake in the article, the boy found the beetle in Ushiku Ibaragi, not the Ushiku in Chiba.

It is being displayed at Boso no Mura in (Chiba kenritsu Boso no Mura) in Narita Chiba, hence the mistake. http://www.chiba-muse.or.jp/MURA/e/index.html For anyone interested in Japanese Nature and traditional Satoyama, I highly reccomend this museum!

herefornow, I think it's more incredible that She can make it to the track than him, she looks fragile enough to snap in half at any time, beautiful woman though.

I think this article is incorrect.

As I read it in the japanese news this week, Kosei nenkin will not be scrapped. It is kosei nenkin kikin that will be scrapped.

Yasukuni,

While I agree with your general gist about the overall lack knowledge about Japanese aggression in the 20th Cent, I think it also fair and important to say, that most westerners I have met assume that Japanese are not taught about the war at all, even though they actually have no idea what is taught in schools, or how it is taught. Like maths, science or any other subject, every student gets a different education, most schools suck at equipping kids with what they really need. The lack of knowledge about Japan's part in the war, is often overlooked through incompetence, rather than malice. The same statements about how 'knowledge of Japans past' are taught, could also be said about how 'ethics and manners', 'respect for the elderly', or 'discrimination' are taught. Overall schools are doing a pretty lousy job at all of them, but don't not teach ethics on purpose. Extremes aside, most Japanese people are 100% anti war and they agree with Japan's constitutional pledge that Japan should not have an army and they want peace forever. Schools and teachers in Japan are the same, if anything, they would be even more to the left of the spectrum.

Elementary schools that I have been involved in, do a lot more than your suggestion of a '1 hour video' a year to educate Children about Japan's past. Do you honestly think that a video once a year would change things? I have seen many DVD's and books about japan's aggression in Asia in Japanese public and private elementary schools, some of them violent enough to make me stop and think. I have also seen children do presentations and cute little powerpoint displays about the nastier side of Japan's 20th century. I have even seen Chinese guest speakers talk to children about Japanese occupation. There is a lot more than most foreigners actually think.

High school on the other hand is all about facts. Look at any text book (and text book is all that's important in HS) about any war that ever happened, it's all about facts. University history exams don't care about reasons, they only want to test dates, people and places. I agree with you, Japan's history between 1895 and 1945 should be the most important, but that won't change until universities start testing it. Schools don't have time to talk about stuff that won't be an the exam. But I would much rather they focused on science, ethics and common sense than the war, those issues are much bigger problems for Japan's future as a society.

A bigger reason for the viewpoints we see represented in the media or talked about at around the coffee maker at work, are patriotism. If my country was fighting for islands with another country and I knew there it wasn't 100% ours, I would still be annoyed that the other country was being aggressive over it. That's just human nature, neurology, we can't change how our brains work.

What if some kid wants to play on that slide?

Maybe it's a trap, when the kids comes down the slide he gobbles them up, and then pretends to be asleep again.

Ishihara is the only person that wants the Olympics anyway, and he is the imbecile who caused all this commotion so sounds good to me.

No, Nakaji Koide was a house owner ( he was away on business trip), he had a 13yr old son and two daughters. He lost his wife, father and son. Poor guy.

I've been to a house party in this same village (shuku), also a family called Koide, so must be relatives.

I read about this in the Japanese newspaper. The findings they came up with were so obvious I thought it was a satirical joke when I first started reading!

What a waste of taxpayer money, I wonder how many monbosho bafoons worked on this report . The report had no data to back any of the findings, and announced them like they were revolutionary insights that would change the way we thought about cell phones. Of course people are going to say their kanji writing skills have dropped, that's just putting words in their mouths, how about actually testing them every 2 years to come up with some scientific data, or using the time to read through real scientific reports that have already been done by professional academics. The funniest part, they made the conclusions by comparing the survey results with the ones they had done in 2002. That's a decade ago!!

Cool photo!

Franz, it is the elderly in this country that worked their bottoms off 6 days a week and made Japan the economic power that it is ... was. Yes, they did a few things wrong and we are now stuck with maid-cafes and Soshoku Danshi and the most meaningless education system in the developed world, but they've done their share, now it's the younger generation's job to support them. Happy retirement old people, live long!

Tokyobaroyaryo,

Despise for the loser from abroad.

The lady looks like she's enjoying her day out of the rest home, you really think that's what's going through her head? Way to jump to conclusions!

Way to go! Once again, Kitajima inspires a new generation.

Last month Ishihara said he intends to join a research trip in october and actually step ashore.

And now China has sent to ships to the island to guard it.

So why don't we all start up a "send Ishihara to Senakaku" fund, and make sure we can help him really get on a boat and go there. I can think of no better solution than to see his backside get blown out of the water by the Chinese military boats!!

Cloud seeding? Yeah, like that's really efficient. It would cost a billion yen for some light rain in isolated villages and fields that wouldn't even make it to the Tone river. What this article is talking about is tens of mm of rain over a large catchment area.

The jury is still out on Cloud seeding, there is no doubt it works, but to what extent we still don't have enough reliable scientific data (ie. not including anything that China claims), and without scientific data it's just pseudo-science. Much more effective to just ask people to save 10% each. Would cost much less and has guaranteed success.

Nice shot! Did you use a flash?

I hope he tries to swim ashore, might be the only way we ever get to see the end of him.

I wonder which country will be first to issue a postage stamp series featuring the islands on them?

The superiority of Stradivari or Guarneri violins has been proven to be a myth anyway. A couple of years ago, a legitimate scientist proved that even professional violinists can't tell the difference between a Stradivari or a good quality modern violin. Easy to find on Google for a good laugh. Still, they probably play better knawing they have half a million $ in their arms!

Amazing talent, her opponents must just dread seeing her name come up against them in a draw. They have no hope of beating her. Awesome photo by the way!

Yay, now we can get back to the Olympics! I'm so bored with the media frenzy around Nadeshiko hogging the spotlight from all the other Olympians for the past year.

Congrats on Silver by the way, should be proud.

3 golds in a row, impressive!!

whether you’re more familiar with the dark and witty Kitano on the big screen or the goofy jokester Beat on TV

Goofy Jokester? I think Bertie's description of clearly insane would be a more accurate summary.

"You can destroy trust in a single day but to rebuild it takes time" the 59-year-old Yale-educated president of TEPCO, Naomi Hirose said

Ironic statement, because it's the complete opposite here in Japan, trust is instantly bought here, and the average public never let go of it. Tepco, LDP, Yukijurushi snow brand, JA and their solar panel scam, 90% of Japanese doctors, JR West, Japan Sumo Association, Acupuncture, etc etc.

I could name 50 companies, political parties, products, people etc that the Japanese people have thoughtlessly put all their trust and money into for years and years, only to be screwed over time and time again and still come back for more.

SmithinJapan,

Not hard to find out where they are headed, just head to your local pet shops. Exotic Pets in Japan are big business, and basically sell anything they can get hold of as. There is no need for a black market here, because the whole industry is barely regulated at all. As long as it is not covered by the Washington Convention (1975) then it is fare game.

And in the meantime all the caring animal lovers harp on about the Whales... Little do they know.

...Banzai!!! ...Banzai!!! ... Now what do we do?

Well, I'm sure their Daddies are proud anyway.

Sekatsu ga Daiichi?

Sounds like a Korean Pop-Group.

Anyway, Congratulations Ozawa on forming your twentieth party. There is a slight problem with your strategy though, every time you form a new party, you have less members than before. At this rate, by the time you are 90 you'll be the only one left.

tmarie,

As long as they got dollar, we will keep giving them visa.

Maria, They are still probably doing all that now (making tea, getting low paid, wearing a suit, being harangued etc), except now they have cell phones.

Why Japanese would want to focus on advertising and exporting this aspect of their centuries old culture, absolutely baffles me. Anime, otaku, cosplay, etc. Japan has so much more to offer the world.