Mike Wyckoff comments

Posted in: July retail sales gain might be too little to spur third-quarter growth See in context

The biggest driving force behind sales these past 9 months is due to the governments “threat” of an imminent sales tax increase. They have yet to announce whether the tax will be implemented on schedule which has cause people to make those big purchases (including house renovations) now rather than next year. Mark my words, the moment the tax goes up, Japan will fall into a recession if it doesn’t tank pre-increase.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Defense Ministry requests record budget of ¥5.3 trillion See in context

The military spending has risen seven consecutive years under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

This is the same gov't the advocates a low yen to support exporters to boost the economy. Why? WHY, Abe, are you so goddamn insistent on being a complete hypocrite? If the LDP, invested that 5.3 trillion yen in domestically made military weapons, instead of buying from the US, this 30-year long deflation would be done and over with.

"It's the economy, stupid", James Carville

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: 6 killed, 2 injured in motorcycle crash in Nara See in context

Well, the cops never really do anything about this until post-accident clean-up time.

By Japanese law, the cops can't actively engage with bikes unless the bike has physically injured someone and the police have some sort of physical evidence (video or otherwise). This is coming from a police officer acquaintance of mine. And that is why there was likely no cops following these kids or trying to stop them or any others on the roads. The only thing the police will do is follow and record what the bikers are doing to compile enough evidence to arrest and convict them.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Teen biker mistaken for fugitive killed in crash after police chase See in context

Now a youth is dead mistakenly

Sorry, but no, he didn't die mistakenly.

He died because he was A) driving without a license (which you get after proving you know the rules of the road and can prove you can drive properly) , B) ran a red light, AND C) went the wrong way down a one-way street. OH, and D) Fleeing from the Police.

He died because he did these things. The police do NOT and can NOT aggressively stop any vehicle in Japan by law. Anyone who has lived in Japan knows this, otherwise there wouldn't be any more yanki bosozoku driving around all night like the ones that recently died in Nara.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Posted in: Narita airport shuts one runway as plane enters wrong taxiway See in context

Can someone explain why 6 Jetstar flights were cancelled and no other flights?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Turkish man sues Osaka immigration bureau for breaking his arm See in context

...at least in Japan where 80% of Japanese don't want any immigrants, they'd rather self-destruct...

I’m curious to see a source of that “80%” unless you are speaking anecdotally.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: In Japan, new rules may leave home-sharing industry out in the cold See in context

[SMH] I think there's a simultaneous sigh happening amongst the 6ft+ tourists/ex-pats here for reasons already mentioned.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Warning area expanded as Mt Shinmoe continues powerful eruptions See in context

Thankfully this eruption is in a relatively sparsely populated area of Japan.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Japanese gov't considers limiting casino visits to 10 per month See in context

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one that found it strange that the LDP including Abe are at odds with the “Japanese government. “

The Japanese government... presented ruling lawmakers a plan....The plan ..... has already met with opposition from lawmakers of the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe...

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: Automaker unions seek pay hike as annual wage talks get into full swing See in context

Maybe mine is off too but would it not work out to more like ¥100,000? If ¥3000 is roughly 3% then surely 100% is roughly ¥100,000.

at first I got that number too. But there is no way on earth, full-time seishain workers are getting 100,000 that’s below minimum wage!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan took in 20 asylum seekers in 2017 from nearly 20,000 applications See in context

Far too many people here are confusing Immigrants with refugees.

Sure there are a lot of people claiming to be refugees whom are in fact economic migrants, but Japans historical record on refugees is far too poor to give her the benefit of the doubt.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan's economy grows for 8th straight quarter See in context

When the GDP is at or below inflation there is a problem. And the Cabinet Office conveniently left that info out.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Automaker unions seek pay hike as annual wage talks get into full swing See in context

But even if the request of Toyota's union is fully met, the monthly pay hike will only be 2.87 

Maybe my math is off, but a raise of 3,000yen at 2.87% of wages would put the average base wage salary at ¥209059.

Does that hat seem a bit low to anyone else? No wonder the economy isn’t booming!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Automaker unions seek pay hike as annual wage talks get into full swing See in context

I’ll save everyone from reading and summarize with this.

Automaker “unions” push for higher wages but due to the high yen at this very moment, companies push back and say no. The government insists that the companies increase wages but as big business rules Japan, they hmm and haw and say “muzukashi ne.”

the end

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Automaker unions seek pay hike as annual wage talks get into full swing See in context

I didn't even know Japanese workers had ANY unions... you learn something new every day.

They aren’t unions, but “unions”.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Free agent Darvish meets with Cubs minus interpreter See in context

He is half-Iranian, so he may actually understand Persian.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Foreign minister wants his own plane for overseas trips See in context

Wow, what's up with everyone's comments being down-voted?

Something fishy going on here.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Man, woman arrested for puncturing tires of more than 180 cars See in context

There’s nothing more deflating than getting caught releasing gas.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan reports economy grew 2.5% year-on-year in July-Sept See in context

"year-on-year" only means something if the previous year was a good year...

The key figure here is "Private demand rose 0.3 percent"

But I'm sure Abe will use this to tout his flailing "Abenomics" as a huge success.

I'm still waiting for those wages to rise as he "promised"

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Teacher slanders student in Twitter posts, using another pupil's name See in context

Ultimately, if he isn't fired, the board chairman should be.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: 100-yen shop solves what to do with your trash See in context

More plastic to pollute. Not big nor clever.

Exactly right!

Are people that messy that they need a garbage bag to carry around with them? How about advising people to buy a bento box and do as the locals do, “not create trash”

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Year-end jumbo lottery tickets go on sale with Y1 bil up for grabs See in context

Yawn....Wake me up when its 10 billion yen.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Abe leaves on 7-day trip to Vietnam, Philippines See in context

I want to give him a one-way-trip ticket.

If you are a Japanese tax-payer, then you've already unknowingly done so. Unfortunately, the other half of the tax-paying public paid for his return... :(

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Abe leaves on 7-day trip to Vietnam, Philippines See in context

He will outdo Trump but Trump will not realize.

Why does everything have to be a competition nowadays?!

jeez

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Trump, Abe play a round of golf diplomacy See in context

There must be a reason he went Japan first, not S. Korea

yup, it's closer, and has bigger ass-kissers

10 ( +14 / -4 )

Posted in: Trump, Abe play a round of golf diplomacy See in context

ugh, get a room already!

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Posted in: Abe asks companies to bear part of costs to expand child-care support See in context

Ha! I knew it!

No sooner does Abe win the election he called, specifically for a mandate to allocate future tax revenue towards child-care, does he start back-peddling.

This is the sort of BRAZEN two-faced attitude that would get any politician in pretty much any other first world country kicked out of office, yet we see Abe do it again and again and again.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Suga dismisses concerns over Trump-Abe golf game amid N Korean threat See in context

for the first time ever I pray we get hit with bad weather between Nov 5-7.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Posted in: Japan fails to toughen passive smoking ban due to resistance See in context

Yet more news to shake my head at in frustration.

18 ( +28 / -10 )

Posted in: Ruling bloc wins 2/3 majority in lower house; Abe says he won't become complacent See in context

In the case of Japan, neither Abe nor any other politician will "save us" and frankly none of them give 2 cents about Japan's foreign tax paying residents. Any other thought on this matter is delusional.

Actually the Communist party did, as well as some former DPJ members that didn't accept the Party of Hope manifesto. I'm not sure if he won his seat back but former DPJ leader Ozawa also supports foreigners rights specifically the right to vote in local elections.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

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