Mike Bird comments

All I know is it wasn't much 'Comfort' for the women forced to be 'Sex Slaves'!!

It seems there's a World View of what went on in World War 2 and then many peoples view in Japan. These sort of films have been made for many years, there just aren't many made about Americans because most POW's were British or Asian. The Bridge over the River Kwai, telling British solders POW story was made in 1957!

Only in Japan would you get a statistic like this one!

I smell corruption?

What plant are these guys on?

Trevor - granted, but if Hitler and the SS generals had been buried in the same military graveyard as the one commemorating the 'normal' German solders who had given their lives for their country, I'm sure the German people would have campaigned for the removal of the war criminals graves.

I realise culturally most Japanese families would normally need a dead body to have 'closure' on a love ones death, but what did the Police and Coastguard really except to find after 2 1/2 years????? Finding remains under a clasped building like at 911 is one thing, but we are talking about the sea which would have long claimed any remains. And why do it now??? The money could have been better spent on support of the families who lost loved ones.

American Gun shops experienced their biggest Sales day ever yesterday - Crazy!

There are more Gun deaths in a year in the city of New York (on it's own), than the whole of Japan, UK, Germany and France put together

A disillusioned population doesn't vote, so by default you end up with only older voters electing a right wing government, with multi-millionaire leaders with no idea of what it's like to be an ordinary person and a party that wants to isolate itself from it's surrounding countries - who am I talking about? The UK. Good luck guys, we're in our 3rd recession since they came to power, they cut government jobs in an effort to curb government spending only to create huge unemployment where skilled people only have the option of a part time job and government borrowing is now bigger than under a socialist government!

A disillusioned population doesn't turn out to vote, so by default you end up with only older voters electing a right wing government, with multi-millionaire leaders with no idea of what it's like to be an ordinary person and a party that wants to isolate itself from it's surrounding countries - who am I talking about? The UK. Good luck guys, we're in our 3rd recession since they came to power, have huge unemployment where skilled people only have the option of a part time job and government borrowing bigger than under a socialist government!

A disillusioned population doesn't vote, so by default you end up with only older voters electing a right wing government, with multi-millionaire leaders with no idea of what it's like to be an ordinary person and a party that wants to isolate itself from it's surrounding countries - who am I talking about? The UK. Good luck guys, we're in our 3rd recession since they came to power, have huge unemployment where skilled people only have the option of a part time job and government borrowing bigger than under a socialist government!

Yes perhaps the inspectors actually thought they were the ceiling? All sounds a little crazy.

Japan infrastructure construction industry is massive. As FightingViking points out, at the end of the financial year government department's are spending budgets they didn't even need digging up roads that don't need digging up, just the spend this years budget so they get the same amount of money next year. So if the money is there and tunnels are falling down because of age, then it isn't for the lack of money!!!!!! So where did the money from the Tunnel go?

I like the journalists phrasing of the first sentence, as if Japan doesn't have a struggling car industry?????? The only reason it isn't struggling more is this protectionism and it's false economics.

Rebel against what exactly???? For "Old Ways' read 'Dark ages'!!!!!

Having 54 nuclear power stations in a highly earth quake prone region is frankly a ridiculous idea! Especially when it has access to so much potential geo-thermal energy it could make use of instead. The Japanese people are now so much safer!

Institutionalised corruption wins again.

The rest of the world knows that Japanese whaling has nothing to do with scientific research, it's simply about making money in the Sushi industry. Whilst the Sea Shepherd might be infringing the law in it's efforts to stop whaling, the Japanese whalers (backed by a government) are simply bending international law to justify profit. Pity the Whales can't get sue!!!!

I have to say I got a lot of stick last week for my "Gaijuin' attitude towards the sacking of Mr Woodford and how he didn't understand Japanese management, when actually he just didn't understand why corruption should be part of good management!

Sorry but just by using the word "gaijin" in this argument you are simply confirming the stereo type! The culture of us and them!

Having observed both sides of the story, I'd say most Anglo-Saxon Companies are a lot more accommodating and understanding of Japanese Culture, than a lot of Japanese Companies are of any other culture, not just Anglo-Saxon! We are talking here about a Japanese company not being able to accept a European's approach to running a company.

On the other hand, if you take Japanese companies out of Japan itself, it's a different story - particularly here in the UK you will find a lot of Japanese Companies getting on very well - Honda, Nissan, Sony etc etc, the Factories work very well here and are some of the best in this country, mixing both English & Japanese management and work practices is a recipe for success - one learns from the other.

I'm not saying Japanese companies are wrong, I admire much of the Japanese approach to business, but the best approach is too accept that each culture does not have the only view on the world.

From the article above it looks as though the Japanese management of the company ultimately could not accept a non-Japanese approach to it's business. Interestingly in the article Mr Woodford's side of the story has not been quoted, only the Japanese management's view?

When are Japanese companies going to accept that their Japanese perspective is not the only view of the world?

It's not about 'Controlling' anything. It's about life! It's about dealing with an issue as we all have to do and moving on. This is about allowing people and their families, whatever there background or nationality, to deal with this particular issue, move on and leave it behind.

Whether you are English, American, Japanese or Chinese, it's about honoring War criminals at the shrine in the same breath as the innocent war dead which should be getting all the remembrance.

I had a relation who was forced to build the railway through South East Asia during WWII. The English people who survived and the families of the thousands who died in horrible brutal conditions have never received compensation or an apology. Whilst no one would ever want to stop anyone remembering their war dead, which ever side they were on, Japan needs to stand up and admit it's past and responsibilities, so the current generations can move on. Remembering war criminals in the same way as those innocents who fought and died doing their duty for their country of Japan, isn't moving on.

As a simple observation and as a 'reserved' Englishman, I find this a very 'Japanese' question. Yes, generally the Americans are very vocal in Celebrations, but nothing wrong with that (not that I would be so exuberant!). On the other hand it's sometimes very difficult as a Gaijin to judge any situation, as the Japanese are guarded in showing any emotion, let alone 'letting go' and celebrating victory after years of personal hardship and training to reach that one moment and win Gold.

I don't think Americans are as individuals selfish. Their problem is that over 90% don't own a passport and have no experience of the rest of the world and other cultures. They therefore think the rest of the world has the same attitudes as they do and are surprised when they don't. Bush hadn't really been outside the US before he became President! The Bush administration is run by big business - the largest percentage are on the boards of oil companies. Simply, the Kyoto agreement is not good for American Businesses and their Economy.