midoritori comments

Interesting turn on the Midas touch "turning gold into sh**"!

Sorry you are ill Your Highness, please be well soon.

Do you really think this sort of behavior has never happened before in all armies and all conflicts throughout history? How naive! When you put young men in highly stressful situations, all sorts of a abhorrent behavior begins to appear. The only difference between then and now seems to be this idiotic compulsion to record every facet of the misdeed for posterity. That in itself may also be a symptom of the aberration. Today criminals (especially in mobs) seem obsessed with recording beatings, rapes, riots without the slightest notion that this in itself will lead to swift apprehension and prosecution. As awful as urinating on dead bodies may be, it's not the worst crime that could have been committed by this group. I would be far more upset if they were taking out there vengeance on the living.

Smart public relations move by Japan, who came across as the reasonable injured party against the unwarranted incursion of the eco-loons. Now if the Australian government will do it's part and recoup the monies spent on transporting the individuals back home, It will send the proper message.

Really makes you think about the whole concept of zoo's and caging animals for our edification and gawking. One troop of monkeys terrorizing another troop of monkeys to show supposed dominance. I do believe the wrong group is incarcerated.

No better than the pirates of Somalia except with better funding from the liberal sops of Hollywood. They should be handled the same way as the pirates. Incarceration or sent to the bottom.

成人式　is a wonderful Japanese tradition going back to 7th century. Why let it be exploited by the crass commercialism of a foreign enterprise like Disneyland? Where does it end? Celebrating the ceremony at McDonald's or KFC. Totally disheartening.

A Happy New Year to Their Majesties as well! Long life and good health!

Good riddance to another murdering butcher whose only ambition was to satiate his lust for greed and power no matter how many died in the process. The only sad thing about the situation is he has been replaced by another of his breed. Despots seem to grow on the planet like warts. My condolences are to the N. Korean people who have been deluded though conditioning that this is the best life has to offer.

@ Nessie, W.C. Fields might take exception to the company but then again he might just tweak Kim Jong-Il's nose and that would be most fitting!

What's next? Hawking Hideki Tojo T-shirts in front of Yasukuni shrine? I think the Chinese must have invented the "Rules of Acquisition" so beloved by the Ferengi. Nothing to tacky to make a profit on.

YuriOtani, funny, I'm female and don't find "growing a pair" offensive at all, but I'm also comfortable in who I am and what I'm able to do. There is certainly no intellectual inferiority between the sexes but there is for the most part a definite physical difference between males and females in strength and aggression (most combat soldiers in the world are male,most crimes of aggression (rapes,mugging) are committed by males) I stand by the term. Defending your ships with as much force as necessary up to and including lethal against privateers on the open sea regardless of who claims it as territory is justified. I certainly would not put it past Watson and his merry band of zealots to pull a "kamikaze" with a drone at some perceived desperate moment.

The Japanese government needs to take a stand and "grow a pair" against these terrorists and their media hound leader. All force necessary should be used to protect Japanese vessels. I bet if they were Russian whaling research vessels the "Sea Shepherd and their play pirate hippie crew would "disappear" in a mysterious "water spout" or some similar freak of nature.Wink,wink,nod,nod. There is something to said in showing clowns like Watson and his ilk you will be pushed and pushed no further.

I feel so sorry for the son, he's the one who will ultimately have deal with this sad situation, both socially and financially. The father should have used more common sense and deferred to a cranky old man. Now there are two families that have been ruined by this senseless tragedy.

How much longer are you going to look for an apology that in all likelihood will never be forthcoming because of the nature of politicians . The decision makers and military men of that period are long gone, even children born in 1945 at the end of the war are old grannies and grandpa's now. The Japan of that time is as likely to make a reappearance as the Tokugawa shogunate. If you don't forgive Japan at least realize that the people inhabiting Japan today are not of the same mindset as their grandfathers. They are people like you, trying to do for their families and to eke out a little happiness in life.

Christian proselytizers give me a real pain. The priest is merely performing one of his duties in soliciting alms. You are free to offer or not, that is your option. The Christian proselytizer however is as usual beating everyone over the head with her beliefs. "My way or the highway to Hell". No choice is given by her, merely the veiled threat of eternal suffering should you decline. Even though I am a non believer I would still prefer the benign grace of the priest over the bible thumping ravings of Christian proselytizers.

Their Imperial Majesties make a lovely couple!

To His Imperial Majesty, Happy Birthday!

天皇陛下　万歳!! Tennouheika Banzai!!

He is an anchor of stability to the Japanese people in good times and bad. The throne is important culturally and it would be a sad day for the Japanese people if it was dissolved. I personally felt a certain reassurance in seeing the Emperor and Empress visiting the disaster relief centers. That somehow we'd get through this. I wish His Majesty only the best on his birthday and the hope for many more. Banzai!!!

I think it's girls doing what girls do, having a bit of fun dressing up in wild fashion. I love the frilly lace and Victorian style of the outfits. I only wish I was young enough to join in the fun! The clothing is neither sexy or provocative except in the minds eye of certain people. That's certainly not the girls fault.

@ Aliber

Don't start a fight unless you can finish it. The object of a war is to win it by any means possible. That's why it is so horrible and not to be entered lightly. As far as America playing the victim I totally disagree. If anyone has played victim in WWII it is the Japanese in regards to the two atomic bombings. A fanatical Japanese military government had instilled through propaganda a sheer terror in it's civilian population about American conquest and occupation and they were expected to fight to the bitter end. The American government estimated that they would suffer 1 million American casualties (and god knows how many Japanese casualties) in a planned invasion and the war would last into 1947. The American populace was already sick and tired of war after 4 years. Truman in a later interview said he would have never been able to justify not using the bombs as horrible as that sounds if they would immediately put an end to the war, which it did. Truman said that if American mothers and wives found out that he had the capability to end the war and did not use it and suffered 1 million additional casualties he would have been burned at the stake and justly so. The Japanese were given ample time to surrender and vacillated. They were also given ample warning to evacuate both cities and chose not to.

@ Gaijintraveller

There has never been law in the US banning the burning of the flag. You are free to do so as long as you're not breaking any fire safety laws. It come under freedom of expression guaranteed under the US constitution. Every so often some right wingers want to add a constitutional amendment to ban the burning of the flag but it never gets very far.

However, you may get punched in the nose by some less tolerant individuals. ;)

Lets not forget this is still the government of Mao who murdered up to 70 million of there own people "striving" to give them a better life. They still have a stranglehold on their people, human rights abuses abound and anybody who complains too vociferously disappears. Japan would do well to remain cautious of such a neighbor. The tiger may have rearranged its stripes but certainly not it's heart nor its mind. I wish Noda-san all the luck in the world in these difficult times. He will need it.

She must have been a fangirl of Team Rocket! Nobody else could contrive such a dumb plan and have go awry.

Long live their Majesties! Always an example of dignity and humility. In these troubled times it is good to reflect on how very far the Japanese nation has come since the war. They serve as an beacon to guide us.

I don't believe that men who are predisposed to rape women are looking at what they are wearing before they commit their crime. Rape is mostly about power and control not fashion. However my mother always told me that how I dressed is how I would be perceived by people. You are free to dress as you like in most locales but why would want to demean yourself by dressing like a tart. As a woman I find this sort of demonstration to be self serving and embarrassing.

I believe this is the typical overreaction by the West about something happening in Japan. Hitler just doesn't generate the same reactions in Asians as he does in Europeans and North American. I remember reading about a Nazi cafe in Seoul,S. Korea where one was served by waitresses in SS attire. For all I know it's still in business. It just doesn't register the same gravitas. Perhaps if they had picked Stalin or Mao (who murdered many more people) as the motivational speaker there would be far less complaining on this site. Sounds like other agendas are at work here.