mataka comments

There are reports in the British press and on CNN that the U.S. is compromising the investigation into the Manchester bombing. British officials have been complaining that U.S. intelligence services have yet again been leaking shared details, seriously hampering the investigation

As a result, the suspect's name was released too early by U.S. media which might have tipped off other suspects. This is alarming to say the least. The "intelligence community" is an oximoron if ever there was one.

America continues to march in the wrong direction.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/24/europe/manchester-us-leaks-investigation/index.html

How greedy and pathetic these people are. There is no commercial interest for Kyoto Univeristy. Such greed beggars belief. I hope Kyoto University takes a stand against these vermin. They should absolutely NEVER pay and should fight it in court as a matter or principle. Completely disgusting. I am determined to make sure I will never ever pay any money again which will end up in the hands of JASRAC and will personally strive to find 100 other people to do the same. If we stand up and counter such greed we can put a stop to it.

The bombing by Daesh only serves to strengthen the resolve of people to annihilate the terrorists and their baseless evil ideology. We are reminded of their total evil, and of their lack of even the most basic intelligence of understanding the human race. More and more news organizations, political leaders and others are increasingly referring to the terror group as Daesh - a derogatory name which its members have forbidden. I hope JT will start using only the name Daesh and I hope news organizations will stop publishing messages from Daesh and other terrorist groups celebrating the terror after the attacks. Such publicity is what the terrorists desperately seek. If others agree about using Daesh I hope that they will encourage other people to use only the name Daesh.

As if we needed reminding that the self congratulatory wholly inept Japanese justice system is not useless and despised enough already. After being fired for unintelligent statements while in office, Tamogami received over half a million dollars in compensation. The man is typical of these types of cancers that plague and blight our lives. A suspended sentence is completely meaningless. Unless younger Japanese stand up to this, nothing will change.

The perfect opportunity now exists for not letting him back in to the U.S.

Miyazaki has often said that money does not interest him and that his animation is for everyone. Perhaps that is the reason DVDs of his famous works cost ¥5,000.

"When I saw this painting, I was struck with so much excitement and gratitude for my love of art,"

What a sheltered life he must lead.

I am sure most of us can think of much more important things to be grateful for.

In a tweet earlier today, Trump said Mr Comey had "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations".

It appears that Trump should be the one who is hoping.

Am looking forward to Le Pen, her movement, ideologies and supporters taking a back seat after they are decimated in the election. Can't wait for the fat cancer in the Kremlin to see what his hacking has cost him.

It will be a great lesson for them both. And one which we shall not forget.

Another of his many gaffes comes to mind. When hosting a reception for hundreds of prominent British Indian businessmen, HRH said to one Mr Patel,

"There's a lot of your family in tonight"

"Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, 79, will be given the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers, the highest honor in this spring's commendations"

Why? This certainly does not reflect the view of the Japanese people. Mori is universally despised by Japanese young and old. He was hated during his failed tenure as PM and is hated now for constantly interfering in public life despite the fact he should have retired 16 years ago after being fired as PM after only a year in office. He is a constant source of embarrassment with his seemingly endless stream of gaffes and disingenuous comments both while PM and after, continuing now during his constant meddling with the 2020 Tokyo Olmpics.

In twenty years in Japan I have never ever heard any Japanese express any feelings on Mori except for those of complete contempt. He is often cited by Japanese academics as a prime example of "Rougai" (老害) - the perpetual interference and blighting of younger generations' lives by a controlling gerontocracy.

It is interesting to note the award is in the name of the Imperial family headed by His Majesty Emperor Heisei, indeed a great and honorable man who is said to despise Mori for causing controversy in 2000 by citing old references to a divine imperial system. The Heisei Emperor spent years trying to distance himself from his father (universally recognised outside Japan as the world's greatest ever war criminal second only to Hitler) only to have this honorable good deed and tireless efforts rendered meaningless by Mori. It shows how irrelevant the award system is for honoring such a small and worthless person as Mori and how the Imperial Household Agency continues to take advantage of the Imperial System only to serve its own interests with such grand orders.

By the way, unbelievable as it seems, Sony models bought in Japan, even the top end Alpha ones do not generally have an English menu. In fact they appear to have only Japanese. You have to request the "international model" which is available at larger Bic Camera / Yodobashi etc. They appear to be identical except the multi language menu including English is unblocked. It seems Sony is the only major manufacturer to do this. I have absolutely no idea why but have first hand experience when I bought an RX-100 pro compact by Sony for when I do not want to lug around my Canon SLR. The man at the store (Bic Camera in Yurakucho) seeing I was not Japanese suggested I buy the international one as the models on display had no English. The price is the same in Bic Camera. But certain models may be pricier outside Japan so perhaps Sony want to control prices / sales between markets.

I first used an Olympus OM-10 film camera and ended up migrating to the Canon EOS for many years as it was a great system, easy to use and as good as Nikon without the snobbery. In recent years though I am really drawn to the Olympus mirrorless series - fantastic design, compact and beautifully made. To replace my aging EOS 50D which is too big in this day and age, it would be a toss up between the Olympus or the latest Alpha series by Sony which seem to have an edge for processing power and very fast auto focus. Decisions decisions...

We visited friends in Shin-Yokohama yesterday (saturday) afternoon and early evening. It was virtually empty. Even the big shopping arcade and shinkansen area seemed so quiet compared to other times we have been there. My youngest even said, "mommy where is everyone?!" I presumed many Japanese have left big cities to visit relatives.

However, it was much busier by contrast when we got back to Tokyo.

A lot of folks have been saying to us they will stay home and save money because they have no money.

I sometimes hear this and then see them a few weeks later to hear they have bought a new Audi sedan or they are going to Cuba at 650,000 yen each.

Well done for Olympus and shareholders for bringing the case against these corporate cancers. The Japanese inept judicial system failed in its task by giving Kikukawa a suspended sentence so it is good that separate proceedings were initiated. I can only wonder why it has taken so many years for the Tokyo court to reach such a decision. The men should have been jailed years ago. They should have been stripped of all assets retrospectively (Kikukawa transferred many assets to his children just before the suspended sentence was issued). An appeal could take years while self congratulating legal incompetents yet again fail to uphold justice. No wonder the legal profession is so despised. The evidence was overwhelming. Like Kikukawa and the others, they too are morally bankrupt . They are worse than useless. I hope younger generations will stand up and take similar actions. The Japanese corporate world is riddled with useless, incompetent, ageing dinosaurs bereft of morals who think a simple bow is enough to atone for massive fraud and other crimes. There is no justice in Japan. Disgusting.

Expect to see a U.S. - China bilateral trade deal announced soon.

Stupid is as stupid does. These kind of foolish acts happen with all nationalities. Just as with other nationalities, this Japanese tourist could be taught his own Japanese culture by non Japanese people. He could be taught the true meaning of the salt as the poster said above. When Japanese act poorly or stupidly in public and blight our lives on a daily basis, I (a caucasian woman) often tell them in clear (and polite) Japanese that in Japan this is how we behave or we do it like this. If possible, I make sure other Japanese hear loud and clear so their incorrect behavior, rudeness, selfish acts etc are rewarded with the ultimate humiliation: a foreigner telling them how to act correctly in their own country. I cannot state clearly enough how effective this eductaion is. I got the idea at Tokyo station a few years ago when a foreigner in perfect Japanese scolded a Japanese couple for not controlling their children while about a hundred of their countrymen looked on. It's probably much easier being a woman as most people, especially men cannot fight back. Anyways, if your Nihongo is up to it I recommended giving it a go. Humiliation is the most effective way to show folks the error of their ways.

"Local residents remember an incident in 1965 in which an elementary school girl was fatally crushed by a trailer that had been parachuted down to the village of Yomitan during a U.S. military drill."

So what? How stupid are these people?

How is that tragic accident related to the situation now?

Those over 70 year olds would do well to stop dreaming of the past, and spare a thought for the future and for younger people.

How would these armchair complainers feel if the U.S. abandoned Okinawa now in the face of the threats from North Korea? Thought so.

OK that's it. The world is so tired of the brainless fake ball of fat in NK and the pathetic threats and sheer BS. Not to speak of the immense suffering of the people and all the daily atrocities that go on there. Every single person in NK and every single person outside NK knows it is a giant fake pantomine. It will not end. Time to act before it's too late. The risk of nuclear war is one we cannot accept. Take out the fat and save as many NK folks as we can. Save the world from more belligerence, threats, suffering and wasting our time so we can get back to our lives.

"Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a U.S. nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a single strike,"

Well before you do, feel free to let us know if you have any final requests or business for us to take care of after you are turned into glass.

Boycott United Airlines

Trump Trainwreck inc. is gathering speed - he has just lost in the appeals court. No surprises there but it does make for hugely entertaining viewing.

As expected, we have just learned that Trump has lost in the appeals court. He is throwing a huge tantrum - just look at his latest Tweets! Senior cabinet members have been summoned to the White House. The Trump Trainwreck is gathering speed at such a rate that even the majority who despise him seem surprised. How deluded Trump seems to have been to think that the courts would go against the law and side with him. The news will be even more entertaining this evening.

On the defeats he is facing in the courts, CNN put it best before the weekend:

"Donald Trump is learning the hard way he's not the Messiah"

After the various judges struck down Trump's order (based on the fact that it is clearly illegal), the White House announced that such an order was "Lawful and appropriate". Did they not listen to what the judges had to say? If Trump et al. wish to carry out such executive orders they will first need to see that laws are changed. Failure to do that will simply result in an embarrasing defeat for Trump and continue to provide hours of endless entertainment for the majority who despise him. For the president to suffer such a humiliating defeat so early in his term does not bode well for his staying in office very long.

If they do meet as seems likely, Queen Elizabeth will need a good pair of sunglasses.

This is absolutely heartbreaking that someone could hurt an innocent child like that. The wife was brave to report it. I agree that in Japan with such a useless justice system it is likely the man will just get a warning and be free to to it again - he should be destroyed.

From a legal standpoint it was totally expected that a federal judge would nullify Trump's executive order rendering the President unable to carry out such actions under the law in only his second week in office. It appears that the Trump Trainwreck is gathering speed - the first sign was on the very day he was inaugurated when Trump was forced to back down about the turn out of people to his inauguration, when aerial photographic evidence presented by mass media outlets proved he had lied again. The Supreme court, if it gets that far is bound to overrule Trump's orders since they are illegal as things stand. This loss of authority from the President at such an early stage of his presidency is certainly entertaining for the silent majority who disagree with him and who did not vote for him. But at the same time, these illegal actions will cause much suffering for individuals stranded at airports and elsewhere and lead to the break up of families. According to CNN, thousands have already gathered at airports to protest. I wonder if such unrest will escalate and we will see a return to something like the Nixon era when there were large scale demonstrations and public unrest all over the US.

Emperor Showa personally approved the deployment of chemical weapons on several hundred seperate occasions, something that you will have difficulty reading about in Japanese despite the evidence compiled by many Japanese and foreign academics. Amazing that they are still finding them more than 70 years later.

The EU was doomed to become an out of control self fulfilling socialist gravy train from the start. The fact that unelected bureacrats were able to formulate laws which take precedent over a sovereign nation's own determined laws was immoral and unacceptable. Congratulations to the Brits for standing up to such nonsense at last. May, who voted to remain in the EU, is doing a great job by following the will of the people for a hard Brexit. Respect to her!