Marc Lowe comments

Of course they are mixed. Wall St. Is mixed, too, kind of like a Long Island iced tea. The largest bull market of the century is coming to the USA in the next couple years. Informed investors are doubling down on tech stocks and Asian stocks of companies that are setting up shop in the US and it's economic ally Japan. And, that's no bull.

This shows they don't understand. LGBT is old news, It's now LGBTQIA. By doing this, they are, it seems, discriminating against QIA. At least Yamagichi wants to end suffering of sexual minorites. The LDP needs to tighten up because they are slacking off in regards to this issue.

Okay so the US and communist China are having Mexican standoffs in the Pacific. Big deal. If the Biden Banana Republic would just rename the South China Sea to the Eastern Sea of the USA, the problem would be solved. Communist China should be renamed to West Taiwan, too. China's J16 aeroplane cant be really good because the number is too low. America graduated out of F-16s last century. I doubt China would be carting around weapons of mass destruction on the open seas. What crazy country would buy such weapons from China anyway, say for a rogue government landlocked in Africa---where ships cant dock anyway.

Good to see North Korea standing up to the constant haranguing and bullying by other regional powers such as Japan and South Korea, who are marionette puppets for the USA. Space has no borders and everyone should be able to have satellites, even Ms. Kim. The North Korean satellite is not a problem for Japan, South Korea, America or anyone else. It's their legal right and everyone moaning about it should immediately silence themselves. This includes Japanese news outlets like Asahi, Yomiuiri, Seikyo, Mainichi, etc.

Doesn't anyone here understand international relations, political science or diplomacy in the geopolitical sphere in which we live? Judging by prior comments, I think not. Li and the CCP are simply using thinly veiled saccharine coated fake dialogue to coerce others to see "their point of view.". They clearly have plans to both cripple the West an reclaim Taiwan and Hong Kong. Macau never gets mentioned because the Western and CCP oligarchy make too much money there. Biden is a lame duck and the CCP knows this. They are aware the Democrats in the US are idiots and can be easily purchased and tricked. Li is simply using the media to play the victim, while his military is getting built up at an incredible pace. Blaming Japan, Canada and the US for routine training should be a red flag to any and all of you that China wants to fight.

The fisherman is a hero and proof the police and security detail here have no idea what they are doing. Thank goodness for the brave fishermen who besides risking life and limb to feed their village, selflessly came to the rescue of our revered Prime Minister to save his life. I seriously doubt the NPA's report will do any good, though.

Well, historically, Japan and the US were/still are war mongering nations. They will, as they always do, find a loophole or create a loophole thru which to get the TNT to Ukraine so Zelenskyy can blow up invading Russian forces. It will be nice to see how Japan develops when it becomes 4/5 a 'normal country. It is not surprising the company is based in Hiroshima, where other war mongering G-7 countries met with surprise guest Zelenskyy. It was probably there that this logrolling, underhanded Machiavellian deal making went down. It's as if The Cold War re-booted because of Biden.

Every 100 years or so a prodigy comes along. Babe Ruth in baseball, Bobby Fischer in chess, and, now, Sota Fujii in shogi. Air Force pilots and commercial pilots use flight simulators, so his usage of AI to level up is by no means unfair whatsoever. While I can play piano, guitar, drums, clarinet and sing 5 octave range, I also use synthesizers and software to perfect my unique sound. I like this to Fujii's utilization of AI. Math doesn't lie, be it in shogi, money ball, stock trading or music. Fujii is a genius and we are lucky to have NHK televise his shogi matches. Shogi is too cerebral for most expats here, but for those of us who get it, it is a very intriguing, addictive and intelligent game.

MLB just pays more but the league is saturated like the Top 100 radio show. There is more talent in Japan. Any NPB team playing WITHOUT foreigners would DESTROY any MLB team playing with their regular roster of Americans and hired foreign guns. Japanese Yakyu is superior to American baseball, which is slightly superior to cricket. How you people can't understand this is beyond me. Have you been to a game in Japan? They are next level. It's like David Bowie starmen playing mere mortals. Japanese baseball is the highest level of sport in the Milky Way.

@rainyday

Do you even understand the sport, or Japanese samurai spirit? If America and other countries that play baseball in the WBC like England and The Netherlands are better than Japanese, then why do they never win it? Japan always wins it. The time they didn't win was because of foreigners umpires. Sheesh.

A touching and inspiring news story indeed. So often society and even the industry or league doesn't get it. There are talented geniuses like Yoshoda out there in baseball and other fields. But, the powers that be, keep them down, just like the music industry prevents genius musicians from showcasing their unique talents. It would be great if some team in the MLB would give her a chance to pitch in the big show sometime. Everyone here knows Japanese baseball is the world's best. That's why the NPB limits the number of foreigners. The inferior MLB doesn't do that. Now, while this may be bad for the level of ball played in the US, it also means Yoshoda has a shot to make it in the big leagues. I think I'll write a song about her and what an inspiration she is to all of us who are trying to realize our dreams. So glad to have read this instead of some stale piece on Otani.

Osaka never disappoints. This grotesque, absurd, yet intriguing true story would make for an epic film. Was she taken into, or, will she be taken into custody? There is always the chance that contacting the police slipped her mind. JT indicated the constabulary are questioning her about the birth. Typical of them. Any logical law enforcement agency in other developed nations would instead inquire about the demise of the children. This both shocks and sickens me. The poor children. Perhaps Eric Clapton or Elton John will compose songs in their honor. They deserved better than what they got. That's for sure.

Outstanding news. Japanese university graduates are among the hardest working and ambitious scholars in the world. It is nice to read that so many of them will have gainful employment and contribute to society. If only the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand had such motivated uni students. The West would rise again and dominate the geopolitical sphere. I'm sure many of JT's readers are scholars from American speaking countries. Surely, they did their fare share in getting these grads ready for Japan's corporate rat race. Congrats to the Class of 2023! May they make Japan the greatest again.

As I myself am an expert on Buddhism and a professional musician, this article was fascinating. Not knowing Tina was involved with Soka Gakkai was surprising. Previoulsy, I had learned Herbie Hancock was also a practitioner and went so far as to gift the SGI founder, Ikeda Daisaku, a grand piano. Haters in the comment section are dissing SGI, but they did great things spreading the Buddhism all over the world. It kept Tina alive during tough times and helped her, and countless many others, to flourish, as well. What the Buddha taught can benefit anyone, and is especially effective with genius musicians such as Ms. Turner, David Bowie, Herbie Hancock, etc. Great reporting!

Japan is displaying a flippant attitude towards a peaceful announcement of a North Korean satellite being launched. The LDP people in power are quite repugnant when it comes to dealing with the DPRK. In the headline, Japan Today says "missile", but in the story, JT says "projectile." Which is it? Shoddy reporting and very slanted towards Japan and not giving any benefit of the doubt to North Korea. Does Japan have ICBMs? Maybe Kishida has a little Napoleon Complex when it comes to Kim. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. My hardly earned Yen is on North Korea successfully launching and getting it into orbit while Japan passively sits by.

Korea and Japan need to work things out. Seems like all the same issues get brought up again every time a PM changes in either country. The Korean population in Japan does not get a fair shake from either country, so it is nice to see that some benevolent Korean companies stepped up and will compensate the slaves for Japan's travesties against them. Shame on Nippon for its non-handling of this matter and for not returning Dokdo to its rightful owner (Korea). Takeshima is not Japanese.

Britain and the CCP are both terrible. Hong Kong is a mess because of Britain first, and Communist China now. The only reason anyone ever goes to Hong Kong anymore is in transit on their way to Macau. Portugal and China handled Macau much better than Hong Kong was handled. Apple Daily was a rag, at best. It shouldn't be referred to as a newspaper. China did the right thing shutting it down. They also did the right thing by letting Cantopop continue. Hong Kong blessed the world with Andy Lau and other talented musicians who are enjoyed by Chinese, British, and educated Japanese.

With his stellar record of diplomacy, it is hard to believe this headline. Did Supereme Leader Kim slam the pact, or just some bombastic blowhard in the North Korean media? Criticizing the aggressive behavior of one's enemies is hardly "slamming" the more powerful country(ies). Perhaps if Japan would send more pro-wrestlers over to entertain the North Koreans as they did with Antonio Inoki in the mid-1990s, North Korea would be more friendly towards them. Political diplomacy is clearly not working. Time to cart out the athletes and musicians to encourage peace thru athletics and music. Kishida and Kim should seriously consider having a karaoke summit sometime soon.

This is horrible. American soldiers and sailors should really try to set a better example for the youth of the countries they protect and serve. For whatever reason, all drugs are bad in Japan, yet the elderly are over-prescribed by zealous doctors. If these sailors were providing free prescription drugs to the elderly, it would have been a noble act. Unfortunately, it looks as if these morons tarnished America's amazing image by brazenly violating Japanese law by trafficking narcotics to people with addiction issues (ie. the local population - Navy does regular drug testing on its sailors, so its pretty clear they weren't using the drugs.).

Will rebuking him get rid of the photos? Chances are they are already viral. Some people, such as the Kishida offspring, just don't look good in any photo, regardless of their pose. Perhaps if he were a better looking male specimen he would not be subject to this sort of abuse by political witch hunters. Poor guy is getting harassed just because his dad hosted the G-7 and hung out with the big swinging boys of the other six world powers. It is a shame what the Japanese media does. A true shame...

Another murder suicide? The stress celebrities have must be unbearable. So sad. Will ticket buyers to the Kabuki performance that was cancelled get a refund? Japan Today readers such as myself arenintellects and Japanophiles. Surely, many readers enjoy Noh, Kabuki, etc. It would be nice to know how to get a refund.

It will be interesting to see how the six other G-7's folks enjoy their free holiday in Japan. Kishida is doing the right thing meeting with Biden first and then whoever is running Britain after. After all, it is America who protects Japan. While some others have commented this summit is only symbolic, it will send a message to war mongering communist nations that the civilized world stands together. Even though Australia isn't in the G-7, they are considered fairly civilized and will be present as they are a force in the Pacific. Hopes and prayers for peace.

Oh joy! Generic sake. Hopefully it tastes better than the horrid music they play in their shops. And, hopefully, people with better taste than Muji's clientele brewed the sake. I'll give it a go, but wear my earplugs when I purchase it.

This is ridiculous reporting. Besides the horrible punctuation, what idiot refers to the reporter with an honorific prefix? Japan Today is not what it used to be. Too bad. This could have been a cool story. It's unfortunate it wasn't reported better. Furthermore, it promotes bad table manners to a Western audience (ie. English speaking audience). Using the word "taste" instead of "slurp" would make it sound better. While the noodles and soup may taste delicious, it's pretty clear the experience is ruined from the cacophony of people with no table manners slurping their food and burping freely.

Biden made the right choice. He can meet with the OZ leader in Hiroshima anyway. It saves time and won't put a strain on Australian police and security details. Also, at his advanced age, travelling all that distance across time zones probably isn't a good idea. It's surprising he is even coming to Japan.

Clearly McDonald's is the superior choice here. They have amazing quality control and the sheer volume of their sales is indicative of how popular they are. This tandoori is a blessing in a country where Indians and Nepalese Japanized their menus. At least Mickey D's does massive market research before releasing their products. They know what people want better than people do.

Good to hear. Good relations between South Korea and Japan are tantamount to stability in this tumultuous region. While the "lecturer" states they should subordinate themselves to Biden's America for survival, I think they would be fine without. Japan makes excellent battleships, and Korea's are even better. Perhaps, for the time being, allying with the U.S. is a good idea. Eventually, however, South Korea will probably annex North Korea and be able to protect Japan. Yoon and Kishida are doing the right thing here by burying the hatchet and making a nouveau Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Kishida and Yoon using Hiroshima as a backdrop is kind of an unnecessary and overly dramatic guilt trip to impose upon their respective citizens, but if it works in improving relations, it's worth it.

This is a serious problem, and one that exposes a double edged sword of sorts as the root cause. Children raised during the pandemic are essentially socially inept spoiled brats who can't function in a group environment. Sad, true, but can't blame China for everything. Nurseries will be be blamed, but they get no real support from the government. Instead they have to jump thru governmental hoops and all sorts of red tape but get no real support or assistance. Due to countless limitations and rules, nurseries can't afford to pay staff well. The result is employing underpaid staff of questionable talent. A formula for disaster. A while back, in Fukuoka, a Canadian teacher made international news by beating a child. Clearly, this problem is not only a Japanese problem, but a Canadian one as well. I pray that the children will be safe.

Cannes is a good festival, even in these ridiculous woke times where to win an Oscar you have to have an underrepresented person in a lead or key role to qualify. The short queer Western film sounds good. Harrison Ford looks good because he plays tennis, which keeps you young and spry. It looks like a star studded event and I wish it continued success. Of only Japanese city offices would get their acts together Japan could have a great film festival. Cinema is so important here but is underrepresented despite featuring underrepresented races in all they key roles. Two thumbs down to Japanese government's handling of cinematic culture. Two thumbs up to the French and Cannes. Pass the popcorn!

This is ridiculous. The government closed the country just like it was in Edo times. Then, they ask their minions to go abroad just like when Japanese emigrated to Brazil, California and The Great White North's western territories to manually labor and make other countries rich. Plus, airlines are back to gouging people on the false pretense of surging fuel prices and civil unrest in developing nations such as Russia and Ukraine.