mojibake comments

Great, more flickery LED christmas lights. Am I the only one who finds the rapid pulsing harsh on the eyes compared to the smooth glow of the old-fashioned kind?

Well said, fatloser. The article makes the assumption that disseminating information entails a lack of empathy, which isn't necessarily true at all. In fact, a little more transparency, driven by the citizenry and not just those in power, is just what this country needs to keep it honest.

On the other hand, in the case of the Ethiopian child photo, more attention to the problem brings aid and relief. In the Akiba case, as a random killing, there really aren't any "lessons" to be learned. So the more publicity and debate you have, the more you end up with natural human reactions: ogling, and clamoring for "something to be done", regardless of how wise those actions may be. We've seen it before with 9/11.

But that doesn't mean the guerilla reporters should be condemned; those that reacted with distaste and a lack of empathy should be reminded of their manners, but advocating for hiding the truth is a dangerous thing indeed.

So, what other countries in the world DON'T fire foreigners on work visas first? Oh, I can just see the voters turning up at the polls going, "Well, I'm glad I'm out of a job because Jose was such a great guy and would have to return to his country if he got fired, he deserved it more."

The gravest consequence is death? No way -- even graver would be a lifetime of state-paid care due to avoidable birth defects.

Oh, and Libertas -- I'm glad you finally found the "real Japan" in Alex Kerr. Because no foreigner has ever claimed to expose the "real Japan" before.

^^ bark bark bark

Let's hope that Verizon Japan has a more customer-focused attitude than the parent company. Most people I know would consider it crazy to contract with Verizon US and its monopolistic practices and indifference to quality of service...

Ah, but the question is, "WHICH films have English subtitles?" Don't bother trying to find this information on the website or the brochure -- I just called their info line and was told that you need to call to confirm whether a film has English subs or not. Most films in the "Competition" category do; all films in the "Japanese eyes" category do, and only some in the "Winds of Asia" category do. It seems insane not to publish this information. Anyway, the number (HELLO DIAL) is 03.5405.8686 / 050.5548.8600 (IP Phone) (9:00 - 18:00).

Ah, but the question is, "WHICH films have English subtitles?" Don't bother trying to find this information on the website or the brochure -- I just called their info line and was told that you need to call to confirm whether a film has English subs or not. Most films in the "Competition" category do; all films in the "Japanese eyes" category do, and only some in the "Winds of Asia" category do. It seems insane not to publish this information. Anyway, the number (HELLO DIAL) is 03.5405.8686 / 050.5548.8600 (IP Phone) (9:00 - 18:00).

Wonder how many ADHD kids in Japan go unmedicated. They should really import the American concept of "toss a few pills at Junior and he'll be fine!"

Isn't it true that the first 710 yen worth of fare is measured by straight distance, regardless of time? In that case the article's advice about worrying about when the driver hits the start button would be irrelevant, no?

Madam Sushi for Prime Minister!!!!

goodluckwiththat.

Notice how the meaning doesn't change a whole lot if you replace "McCain" with "Bart Simpson" in this article...

Nice to see JT's editorial standards are still at their exemplary levels...

Hiroyuki is a decent guy, a maverick with principles that revolve around free speech. The kind most of you self-assured gaijin would love to slap backs with in a bar.

Some of the losers that hang out on 2ch, on the other hand, are a different story. Witness the whole WaiWai fiasco and the Mainichi's beyond-spineless response. Or the scheme to get the Yamanote Halloween Train partiers arrested (anybody taking bets for 2008?).

The moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of an ignorant, xenophobic, underemployed MOB, especially when dissenting voices are few and far between because most of us can't post in 2ch-ese.

"when is Japan going to step up" -- Hmm, that's funny; perhaps Boeing would beg to differ. Of all the places they could have sourced the carbon fibre wings for the 787, they chose this backwater. Odd, in light of your comment.

Or perhaps, you simply weren't asking the right people?

seansezso, just give it up already and admit that you made a mistake in assuming that the word came from English. LOL

And an entomologist (same pronunciation as "entymologist" in your post) is a person who studies bugs. An etymologist is one who studies word origins.

Let's see now, Japanese passport ... no biometric checks. Foreign passport ... fingerprinting. Now if I were a Russian spy, which passport would I be holding?

FWIW, I work at a big Japanese IT company and the employment rules say "In the event that the employee has not used all of his/her leave when the employment terminates, the unused paid leave shall be considered forfeited."

This kind of goes against what Terrie wrote above, in that the company is neither obligated to allow me to take the leave nor to buy out the accumulated leave. Don't know whether that's legal or not -- any opinions?