MilesTeg comments

Design MonkeyNov. 14  07:21 pm JST*

@miles

Thank you for the link to Second Harvest! I have been looking for a long time for a good place to donate and volunteer in Tokyo! I just wish this woman wouldn’t have had to end her life for me to even know about it.

…Aan even bigger reason for me to volunteer and donate!

Glad that I could help. I worked for a Tokyo NPO and met the Japan founder; Charles McJilton several times. He's a good guy with his heart in the right place. We'd often meet and whine about the challenges of fundraising in Japan. People assume that everyone in Japan is well-off but the reality is that there are hungry people, especially children.

This article posted by JT also talks about other related NPO's though I don't know them very well.

https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/organizations-tackle-problem-of-childhood-hunger-in-japan

MeiyouwentiNov. 14  05:59 pm JST

@almakukac

Don’t jump to your own conclusion. Maybe the woman was a kleptomaniac and stole the food just for the thrill of it.

The prevalence of kleptomania is 0.3 - 0.6% of the general population. It's extremely rare. It's highly more likely that she was just hungry and didn't have enough money. Maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions.

There is an organization called Second Harvest in Japan that collects food usually nonperishables and distributes at certain locations for the hungry.

https://2hj.org/english/

It is truly sad when people have to steal because they're hungry.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. What a moronic statement...but then again...we are talking North Korea.

The Rolling Thunder Revue I think was his best tour and the live album is great. It's going to be hard to beat but willing to give a listen.

Why studios are so keen on AI images brought to you by Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, and Danny Huston from the 2013 film the Congress (based on Lem's sci-fi classic the Futurological Congress).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgi8Y9xSMwI&t=3s

It's ironic that some say that China, Korea and other Asian nations should forget and move on from the atrocities and murders committed by the Japanese in WWII cause well.....it was a long time ago but feel that history in this situation should not be forgotten.

RedemptionToday  05:04 pm JST

As a tax accountant he knows the ropes and how to manipulate the system. Good for him.

*'Kenji Kanda, a House of Representatives lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, *admitted that land and property belonging to his firm was seized by taxation authorities on four occasions between 2013 and 2022 due to non-payment of fixed asset taxes.'

If his company got caught four times for tax evasion it means that he doesn't know the ropes and how to manipulate the system.

sakurasukiToday  04:43 pm JST

@MilesTeg

I'll show you on how coincidences from link that I provided earlier.

Where those crime happened? Cambodia, coincidences?

What kind of crime? Online/Phone scams, another coincidence?

Were those people can't got outside freely while in Cambodia and held against their will, which usually indicates human trafficking? Yes they were, another coincidence?

Why Cambodia, because their official corrupt enough so ring leader can bribe to turn blind eye about human trafficking, there are plenty report about this.

Why this particular group get busted? Many reason, perhaps they don't pay enough to Cambodia official and those officials just don't happy about that.

This case is still being under investigation, there will be more story will come up after that. It will take some time for them to really complete actual report, maybe next year even another few years.

In some cases, they even disguise their hiring process so applicant have no idea what actually what they'll do.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14863500

We still can not ruled out, those Japanese being lured to Cambodia and then being coerced after they arrived. First thing those syndicates do is luring those people to do online marketing job, however once syndicate picked those people from the airport, those syndicates will ask them to handover their phone and passport. They bring one or two tugs to make those things happens, after that they brought to compound , only after that those people realized what they need to do scam just in order to survive. Otherwise they'll get punishment if they failed to comply. So yes it is coercion.

Whether they know whether they finally know their action is illegal, yes they do but remember they are too victim under coercion.

You realize that three Japanese men escaped and were not captured in the Cambodian raid. If they were victims why did they run away. Because they were probably some of the ringleaders. Yes, some of the ringleaders were Japanese.

All you can provide is coincidence, conjecture, and opinion. You can't provide any evidence that proves these Japanese men aged 20-40yrs old were victims of human trafficking. The idea that men in their 30's & 40's were victims is highly unlikely.

It's more likely based on the facts and evidence of similar operations in Japan, that they knew exactly what they were recruited for like those in Japan knew what they were recruited for; to scam elderly Japanese victims. One thing for sure, once they started making calls, they knew it was a criminal activity, Unless they were held at gunpoint, which I doubt in Cambodia, 25 men could have easily overpowered their supposed captors and gone to the police or Japanese embassy.

sakurasukiToday  07:08 am JST

You can check from @commanteer where victims also can be Taiwanese which is one developed nations, EU published report number of citizens from developed nations, German, France, Italy that become victim of human trafficking, so it doesn't matter whether it's from third world or no.

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/crim_thb_vctz/default/bar?lang=en

In the past human trafficking usually related to forced cheap labor and sexual exploitation, that's why in the past victims mostly from third world countries. Now there is new kind use of human trafficking which is force victims to do scams either by phone or online.

Nobody is saying that human trafficking doesn't exist. We're saying that it's irrelevant and not happening in this case involving 20-40yrs old men from a G7 country; Japan. Posting articles about it happening with other people in other countries is pointless because human trafficking has nothing to with these guys and the Yakuza. Provide one legitimate source that these men in this case are victims of human trafficking. That they were forced against their will, coerced, threatened, or kidnapped. Good luck.

There's also a corresponding article in JT called 'Like a video game': Japan's gangs hire online. The case is almost the same as this one only it takes place in Japan. But the same factors are involved; the Yakuza, scams targeting old people, and people taking the jobs. Those that took the jobs knew exactly what they were being asked to do; commit a crime. They weren't coerced, forced, or kidnapped. They knew exactly what they were doing.

Your using Japanese being recruited to do these jobs willingly under no false pretense is diminishing the true dangers of human trafficking.

They certainly don't sound like victims of human trafficking as some have falsely claimed. The girl was hired to impersonate a police officer and steal from the old, weak, and uninformed. She knew exactly what they expected her to do from the get go and had no problem with it. One guy admitted doing it so he could just get wasted every night on expensive champagne. They're victims alright.....victims of their stupidity and greed and now criminals.

I seriously doubt that these guys aged 20 - 40yrs old who come from a wealthy G7 nation, are victims of human trafficking.

V CampbellToday  09:07 pm JST

I was kind of hoping the strike would go on for years. The world needs self-important American actors and actresses to be less important. I haven't watched a theater movie in 15 years, and have no plans to see any in the future. There are better things to do than worry about Hollywood.

So you're blaming the actors and not including the producers, studios, writers, and directors for making bad films. And not all US films are Hollywood-based. There are lot's of independent films with original writing and ideas that have also been shut down. What a film expert you are.

EastmanToday  03:17 pm JST

well who really cares at all?

You do. You cared enough to say that you didn't care.

Gangsters and thugs, regardless of race, will kill anyone, Japanese or foreigners, if enough money is owed to them or perceived as a viable threat. There is no noble Japanese gangster that let's foreigners off the hook.

4TnoToday  01:34 pm JST

The airline industry went downhill when they lifted their strict hiring policies due to discrimination. I used to work for UA and once they started hiring people without any actual experience, that's when the complaints started pouring in.

Training, procedure manuals, and performance evaluations should offset lack of experience to a great degree. Don't the companies themselves bear some responsibility?

Their first two albums, Murmur and Reckoning, really showcased Stipe's vocals and Buck's guitar and created an interesting new sound. Rock but with a twist of folk, even new wave and a little country. Eclectic to say the least.

GlobalObserverToday  09:37 am JST

Freedom of Speech

There is no freedom of speech in the military.

SpeedToday  04:28 pm JST

They weren't writing anything worthy so let them keep picketing in the streets. They ain't necessary.

I believe the writers' union and the studios have settled. It's only the actors now and they don't write the films.

Alan OchoaToday  04:40 pm JST

I'm confused as to why y'all are talking so poorly about the actors and writers. They're not the ones that get to decide what movie is being made, or how a certain script must be written. Don't get me wrong, sometimes their talents do fall short, but they're not the ones deciding to make the 180th superhero movie of the year. These are regular people that continue to hone their craft and want to be fairly compensated for what they bring in revenue. You gotta have worms in your brain to be against that, or just be the average boomer that dislikes anything going on within pop culture for no legitimate reason.

Agree. Though I think in general the writers have more involvement with development of films than actors do, so they could he held a little more accountable especially for the terrible writing.

Some also seem to think every movie is Hollywood produced and that they're all blockbusters. It's ignorant and says a lot about the general movie going public nowadays. They whine about the mindless sequels, remakes, and blockbusters yet have no problem about the many other films that are being cancelled and delayed and blame the actors. Irony at its finest.

This strike affects all films in the US even independent ones that go against popular trends, have some originality, and give us some real art house gems.

Always found it childish, funny, and naive that some feel there is only 'one' who is the best of all time. The best composer, actor, writer, guitarist, movie, album, book, director, etc., of all time!! Really???

wolfshineToday  04:38 pm JST

Looks like fun. I guess we should be glad Ken Hasebe isn't the mayor of Osaka.

Fun for some is sitting on filthy streets with no food, drink, or music when there's hundreds of venues that provide all the above and jumping into a cesspool. LOL!

TaiwanIsNotChinaToday  03:14 pm JST

Yeah, no, a farmer not leaving China is not a sign of tacit support for the CCP. The only question is how deep the indoctrination goes.

Why specifically a farmer. Chances are a typical Chinese farmer wouldn't be highly educated or know what it's like to live in other countries, so would have no reason to leave China as he already supports the CCP.

If someone who has typically more education, like a banker, who has travelled outside China, has no intention of leaving China. it would imply he has no real issue with the CCP and what it's doing. His not wanting to leave then could be seen as support for the CCP and not tacit in any way.

GBR48Today  12:14 am JST

quote: The majority of Chinese right now are just nationalistic sheep.

I don' think that's accurate. They just know what they have to say and not say to survive in a dictatorship.

Criticise the CCP and you cannot return to CCP territory without getting banged up or beaten up. Get residency somewhere else or claim asylum somewhere where you might get it. Escape HK if you can and don't go back. It's occupied by China now.

I agree that there are some who fear repercussions but I don't think it's a lot. They support the CCP partly out of cultural adherence to authority (part of Confucianism).

I think for some it's more of a tradeoff; put up with this nonsense because they like the hawkish attitude of China vs. the world, especially western countries. The PLA certainly have no problem with it. Though exit bans are being enforced stronger than before, some Chinese can still vote with their feet and leave. That most haven't could be seen as tacit support for the CCP.

commanteerToday  06:45 pm JST

Replace "Chinese" with "Americans," "Brits", or "Canadians" and I would agree with you. The educated Chinese are very aware of what is happening, and sometimes very brave compared to Westerners in defending their freedoms.

Where do you come from? If you were American, British, or Canadian then you'd know that many have a distrust with governments and corporations. We know we're stuck with them but there's also a wariness and general mistrust. Personal freedom and civil liberties are at the core of society. People are free to and often express their dissatisfaction through protest, demonstrations, and discourse. The issue now is that it's become polarized which has produced more extremists and blurred the lines between patriotism and nationalism. We're not as concerned as much as the Chinese with global image so we're more open to and able to publicly criticize our gov'ts and countries and more likely to not take it as a personal affront if someone bashes our country.

The majority of Chinese right now are just nationalistic sheep who care more about their nationalistic image than the erosion of their civil liberties. How many are educated in China compared to the general population? What are the 'educated' actually doing about their loss of personal freedom?

And sadly most Chinese will just let this happen, have their personal freedoms stolen by a police state, let the government do whatever they want to citizens, because they feel the need to be support the government and be nationalistic. We must support 'China' even if the 'China' we're supporting is crooked and rotten because it's about saving face at the global level. We don't care what's happening to us domestically as long as we look strong and united globally. What kind of country will you have left.

I was hoping for a sequel to Shin Godzilla as it ends on a cliffhanger. I also thought the sub theme allegory of the gov’t’s incompetent response to Fukushima was unique for a Japanese film. It was a fresh perspective and even Godzilla himself was different. Not your usual Godzilla film.

BigPToday  07:55 am JST

How long have humans been feeding their infant children? And still the nursery staff cannot get it right?

Where do they find these staff?

I think it's required that at least one staff, usually the manager or owner, have a childcare license but as for the rest of the staff, experience working with children or any academic background isn't required. With staff shortages and rise in incidents, sounds like they'll take basically anyone.

Unless you live or run a business in Shibuya ward, vote, and pay Shibuya ward tax, Hasebe doesn’t care what you think and rightfully so. Why should he? He’s the mayor of Shibuya not the mayor of Tokyo. Why should he care what a bunch of self entitled, crybabies who live outside his ward think. Sounds like he’ll be re-elected cause he’s doing what the residents and businesses want.

commanteerToday  02:44 pm JST

Abuse is abuse. It's not OK just because somebody was aware of it. People work in Amazon warehouses despite the abusive conditions because they need the money, for example. Abuse should not be a term of employment that one can choose to accept or not. If he wants to abuse people, then he needs to get busy cranking out more bad movies for money to pay these suits off.

People who work at Amazon are part pf a union. You can have them act on your behalf. That's what they're there for and what you pay union dues for.

If you take a job with someone knowing they're abusive before you take it, it's your fault. If you continue to work under abusive conditions for 11 years, it's your fault. Find another job. If you stay on just because the money is good and put up with the abuse because you like how much you're getting paid, it's your fault. You mean she couldn't find another job? Or maybe she couldn't find another job that paid her so well cause she liked her lifestyle. It's called being self-entitled.

And his being supposedly abusive is only part of her lawsuit. Part of it is also because he didn't give her a reference. Is he required to give her a reference?

I think he's just an alright actor. You on the other hand, have a clear bias.

People need to stop being victims and take some accountability.