MasterBape comments

Nice to see Sawa dress up for the occasion. How elegant.

Yeah dilusioned.

You sure sound like a tough guy.

Use your hands...oh right, you wouldn't dare.

That's a lovely photo of her. The Emperor and Empress seem like a genuinely nice couple, really quite warm with sincere smiles.

Patrick smash, well said.

Now, I do admit that a man has a choice what to do in his life and make the choices he believes in.

However, Abe is a politician(not a very good one) who is in the public eye and gaining popularity.

It is on the strength of tension with neighbouring countries that he will likely be the next(his second chance, comically) PM.

No country needs a right wing leader, but Abe, with the help of the media, is playing a smart and cunning game.

A lot of Japanese still don't know the facts of WW2, and it is the likes of Abe that are playing the all too familiar "the victims are Japanese" whenever one criticises Japan and its policies in any way.

Whereas Noda lost popularity due to nuclear power policies, Abe is jumping on the Good Ship Popularity by using a different approach - defending the country and showing a backbone to the threats of China.

All pathetic really, as he will clearly take this beyond all chnce of repair, and its also a slap in the face to refuse to acknowledge war history. I mean, how do you break it to the nation and say, "yes, Japan's troops did this, this, and this".

Abe's visit to the shrine is bad timing and just another point for Japan in this game of which country, China or Japan,can keep up the nonsense for as long as possible.

the news will report this amid scenes of Chinese hatred....Abe's popularity grows.

The blind leading the blind.

While her lifestyle of finishing at work at 5 doesn't fit in with the real life of Japanese workers, the fact the character is 37, single with no kids does represent a social inability that is all too common here.

Right, so we know the rice is being tested, albeit slowly, but is there any news on what rice is safe and what rice has been rejected.

Or perhaps it's the predictable "all rice has passed and is contaminated, but within the limit".

After the history of quakes in this country, to build a power plant above a fault line, active or inactive, is completely retarded.

It's baffling how this country operates at times.

Can someone explain how this, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, " hampers efforts toward reconstruction"?

The Govt. needs to do more. The Govt.'s lack of urgency is hampering efforts.

How many evacuees are still living in a school in Saitama?

@gogogo:

"Let the animals be free and not in cages.... the reason she attacked the baby is because she knew no better and had not been trained by other elephants"

A lot of you voting down gogogo know nothing.

Where do animals learn how to raise their young? They don't read books.

Elephants are social beings who need interaction.

The mother elephant was possibly an orphan herself, subject to trauma, such as being moved to another country, seperated from her group where she established a bond, forced to give birth, put in an enclosure to give birth.

Have some empathy, people.

While I applaud the keepers(RIP) bravery for trying to save the baby elephant, one can work with animals for a lifetime and still not understand them.

The elephant must have been going through a lot of stress, perhaps even lived alone, and certainly gave birth under monitored conditions, likely in small confinement.

Elephants are intelligent animals, and unfortunately people still believe that they can live a normal life in captivity.

Spare a little thought and now that these are living creatures that shouldn't be used as means of entertainment for troupes of noisy school kids shouting "kawaii" and pointing flashing cameras at them day after day.

If the baby elephant survived, it will be traumatised for life.

Well, considering how the Govt. has not very seriously handled the Fukushima events, such as food, restarting more reactors, not punishing any TEPCO employees, not rehousing the victims...and so on, than maybe this "joke" shouldn't be taken too seriously.

The truth hurts.

Shouldn't they have actually dressed up a bit themselves?

It's a decent marketing ploy by the fat cats, and nothing more, nothing less.

Predictably, the fools will fall for it and will be all the rage for a week or two earning the record company some cash, and the suit company too.

another part of "Japan's unique culture" raises its head again: this time it's the "having kids as role-models, not only for teenagers, but also middle aged men".

More bullying and attacks in Japan?

Well, what a surprise!

Typically actions of bullies to be in greater number and attack weaker people...90 years old. Terrible.

The homeless should stick together as they obviously have heard about this.

Considering that the minister was strategically changed, I wouldn't hold my breath for any hope in the resovement of this matter.

The minister is changed to slow things down deliberately.

Poor and thoughtless actions on behalf of the Govt.

What a happy looking couple.

Looks like a fun date.

Another part of "Japan's unique culture".

One or two cases, would be terrible, but these type of deaths are commonplace here.

What is it with this society?

There's something that's driving people to do this in sheer volume, and it's not the "economy" or "no future" as is the usual excuse.

How can people live in poorer countries like Thailand and struggle in their lives, but live happily with their family.

People in Japan look for material possessions to make their lives happy, but not one another.

Very, very sad.

In the light of wanting to start other reactors, this is a ploy to make it look like should another disaster occur, the nuclear power station will be in complete control.

They have learned the errors of their ways and no human error could possibly happen again.

Think about it.

If anyone is charged, I stand correct, but nobody will be arrested and questioned.

The Govt. just won't listen to its people because it doesn't want to give any power at all to residents.

What a complete waste of everyone's time, but I hope the people don't give up.

"Nakamoto said arriving passengers are checked more closely than those leaving the country. He said he would stop an incoming passenger if he or she was acting or dressed strangely."

...but wouldnt stop an outgoing passenger.

Thanks Japan and the attitude of turning a blind eye to a potential problem.

Patrick Smash:

"Surely the JSDF (which costs the taxpayer 60 billion dollars a year) could have dropped badly needed supplies in an emergency. The real problem is that too many Japanese workers spend their whole lives staring blankly at Excel sheets. They do not have a clue how to respond to anything other by shouting "doshio" a lot, then following a load of long-winded procedures that make sure no one is responsible for anything,"

Beautiful.

Absolutely right.

@ Zichi and Onniyama,

Thanks. The info is a bit clearer now. I'm glad that someone checked, unfortunately not all of the story is in the article.

Still, you would expect TEPCO to have all the necessary items needed in any worse case scenario at the ready.

Like I said before, complacency.

A 6-hour dive to get a car battery?

Maybe the employees of TEPCO drive electric cars, or maybe they are too stupid to realise that cars do in fact need batteries...AKA "a car battery".

How they can accuse Kan without acknowledging their own mistakes is beyond me.

Embarrassing for Japan. Just a complete embarrassment, and hard to believe no-one is held responsible for this.

Are they "accidents" or is it suicide?

I know that there are a lot of drunken idiots at stations and people engrossed in their phones and video games and fall off the platforms, which doesn't seem worth spending money on gates for peoples stupidity.

If the reason to build these gates is for high suicide rates, then the Govt. and country needs to find the real cause and offer more support than they are doing.

@ yaukuni:

"Actually .... things like that don't surprise me in Japan.

I've lost count of the number of times people having been discussing and worried about irrelevant things and I've been trying to say "But, what about...?" which was the thing without which everything else was meaningless. "

You're right - People spend more time worrying about the change of temperature, getting out the autumn clothes, and how terrible food is in other countries.

This whole situation typifies the Japanese "no sense of urgency" and complacency.

And yet, people still want to point the finger at Kan.

@ matthew simon,

Ever been to Akihabara? I have seen stuff like this on sale, don't remember seeing a hand grenade, I must admit, but the other stuff and more is readily available, as long as one is not on a tourist visa.

Some people would argue that putting the bear into a zoo is cruel...anyone that's been to and seen the cramped spaces of Ueno Zoo should know this.

Relocating to another area would be good, but the bear can probably track it's way back if it wanted to.

Don't shoot it in the first place; teach residents to be more careful.

Hu,ans and animals can co-exist, but mans attitude of being more important makes the easy option of putting a bullet in its head.

Sad, but true.

KariHaruka,

Well, "OUR (Japanese) islands" is still under dispute, but let's just imagine they are indeed Japan's islands.

I have some questions for you concerning the islands:

Now, can you justify spending all that money on the islands?

Do you believe that it's fair to spend even more money sending the coastguard to patrol in the waters?

Do you think that the islands are more important than issues like rehousing the evacuees from Fukushima?

Do they islands have any impact on your daily life whatsoever?

Is it worth the risk of damaging import/export/business relations with China?

Don't point all the blame at China; Ishihara is clearly making matters worse.

These islands are, and will continue to, costing the taxpayer a lot of money. Money that I honestly believe could be spent better and on more urgent matters.

If you believe that these islands are so important for Japan, and the money spent is justified, then the media brainwashing has worked and clouded your judgement.

Typical of a nationalist to load the gun for others to shoot.

He's no doubt loving every minute of this and is too pig-headed to realise how bad this could become...or maybe he doesn't care, because neither him nor his pretty boy son would be on the front line.

And, what's he done with the money from donations for these islands?

@ Disillusioned:

Unfortunately you're quite right. I've written in other news that there is a serious problem here.

People clearly need help, but on the other hand, others turn a blind eye to problems and just ignore it like it doesn't exist.