Mona Lisa Rocketlauncher comments

I completely disagree with the US losing China as a trading partner is the real threat. Believe me, there are plenty of small countries willing to exploit their labor forces to pick up the slack and manufacture junk.

I still believe the biggest and only real threat is you can't attack NK or even attempt to assassinate Kim without getting Seoul wiped out, and possibly Japan.

There's simply no conceivable away of launching anything at NK to completely neutralize them, no matter how many of something or how strong of something it is. Unless you make a massive bubble and put NK in it, you can't stop them from launching hundreds of missiles pointed at SK or Japan.

Trump's advisers are like Japanese PMs before Abe: No point in learning the name because they'll be gone before you know it.

Mattis and McMaster both have been rumored to be on the chopping block.

Well, America, by being China's biggest trading partner (like 18%) and with China being North Korea's biggest trading partner (at about 90% or so), you're kinda complicit.

America can't pressure China because getting products made for crazy cheap is more important than, you know, a moral high ground.

I wish them luck as I would any newly-wed couple.

I've always felt that having a nation that resides thousands of miles away you from being in charge of your safety seemed a bit naive, especially when all of your neighbors don't like you.

i mean, China is building islands in "your" sea, NK is launching missiles over your country, and SKorea won't drop that time you occupied them. So decide what you want to do, push back or turn the other cheek.

Yeah, @Bertie said it. What's the point? You still have a kind of living memorial all around you. If you need a reminder of the disaster, just ask the people still living it.

also, I know this is to get tourist visits, but how can you build a memorial to honor the dead when we don't know how many are still dying from the radioactive fallout of that plant?

Love it! LOVE IT!

That picture says it all. The dude to Maehara's immediate right can only bring himself to give a half "Hee-yah!" and the last guy on the right is like, "I'm here, that's good enough."

Maehara's gone from flunking with Hatoyama, floundering with Kato, and failing to lead the DPJ to now faking it as the leader of LDP.

ABANDON SHIP! ICEBERG AHEAD! ABANDON SHIP!

whoa, @Laguna, calm yourself.

it's not shown in this pic but May arrived in a skirt and might not have felt comfortable getting down to ground level in it. Plus, the bench was probably set up for her so she could feel comfortable and not worry about awkward photograph angles.

Respect of cultures goes both ways and I think the Japanese respected the fact that kneeling on a tatami maybe difficult for a British PM not used to that sort of thing.

I love it when people suggest China should intervene. Why would China swat the fly irritating their rival?

It's also equally hilarious when anyone suggests direct talks with NK. Kim has one solitary goal: Building nuclear weapons capable of reaching the mainland US. That's it. It's not about feeding his people, it's not creating peace in the Korean Peninsula, all he wants is to have the biggest stick and no matter how far fetched we believe that is, that's his goal. He's killed people with anti-aircraft guns for crying out loud.

Take away their food, okay. The people eat less but the weapons plan goes ahead. Offer them aid, okay. People eat the same and the weapons plan still goes ahead. Sanctions are meaningless. Talks are fruitless.

Whatever NK says in direct talks is a stall tactic. They will keep building weapons because they saw how powerful China became once they had weapons and NK believes they can be the next world power.

Seriously though, no one knows what NK has and how many of whatever that is. But in the past year they're going higher and farther and launched at random.

Basically, if North Korea did decide to point something at Tokyo or Seoul, tens of millions are screwed.

Those precious interceptors first have to be launched to be effective and second, no one knows how truly effective they can be when used outside of a planned drill.

Abe can't protect you.

North Korea will always North Korea.

They will not stop or slow down their weapons program, they'll keep launching and keep getting closer and closer until they can make something that reaches the US mainland if not DC.

I feel the only reason the US or Japan or S.Korea hasn't attacked NK is because no can think of a scenario where Seoul doesn't get completely wiped out by all of the rockets pointed at it 24/7. Tokyo, too maybe.

Honestly, how can you attack North Korea and still be able to save half of South Korea or maybe even Tokyo? Launch every single thing you have at NK all at once and hope that dismantles their weapons system? Start a mass evacuation of Seoul in the middle of the night to reduce casualties? And what role will China play if an attack on NK happens?

"A house divided against itself cannot stand" may be true...

But by this point it's clear Trump not only wants to bring down the house, he wants to personally burn it down by fanning the flames of hate to do the job.

America's always been on a razor's edge but just enough right people on both sides kept it aloft, then Trump came along and gave a great big shove.

Bishop takes Knight.

Time will tell if it was worth it to Russia to pull the same hack twice. Once can be seen as a coincidence, twice is a pattern and patterns are always figured out.

Hiroshima has the highest amounts of areas deemed dangerous in all of Japan. In this particular area, too many houses were built on what was known to be fragile mountain soil. The torrential rains started around 1:30am and lasted for three hours before a warning was given to these residents.

Many if not most of these needless deaths could have been avoided. Houses can't be allowed to be built where mudslides are likely and government officials need to follow the protocols put in place to warn citizens about life-threatening emergencies like this.

sus·pect

1. a person thought to be guilty of a crime or offense.

These are 32 "suspects" - SUSPECTS - Not convicted of anything or proven to be guilty even, just 32 people thought to be guilty gunned down.

That's scary.

When I lived in the US, I was in fear of the cops pulling me over because I rolled my window down too fast. The Fuzz be hiding everywhere, just itching to pull you over.

Here in Japan, the Police look like they do everything possible to avoid pulling you over. Just two cops in the front seats, looking straight ahead, cruising around the block and oblivious to rolling stops, 5 cars turning on red, parking in NO PARKING, babies or children properly buckled up.

My feeling is of course Japan doesn't want their crime statistics to tick up.

If you're a country that is depending on Trump's America to protect you, I'd find a new insurance provider.

Cuz believe you me, if or when Trump launches an attack on North Korea or China or even Mexico, who knows, it will not be because he is "protecting" another country, it's because he's a loon.

I'd just forget America for at least the next four years if you haven't already. It's a wasteland now.

@clamenza BLM and Antifa are nothing but thugs and initiated the violence. If not, the whole thing would have been ignored

Grown men carrying tiki torches and shouting "You will not replace us / Jews will not replace us" should not and can not be ignored.

The Antifa would not exist if wasn't for the KKK and white nationalists holding rallies to declare that homosexuals, Jews, and anyone of color should be eradicated.

Again, I don't know what it matters.

If the Americans leave, they'll be replaced by Japanese forces and American flown Ospreys will be replaced by Japanese flown Ospreys or aircraft.

Not even as long as North Koreans are launching rockets or Chinese are taking your islands, but as long as North Korea and China and Russia are your neighbors, a large military force will be on Okinawa.

That photo.

You see a sign that says love in the background, a BLM sign with a peace symbol on it, a black man being hit, a white man flying over the car.

It's very difficult to look at but very necessary because it illustrates what's wrong so perfectly: When your actions are fueled by hate, everyone gets hurt.

It's disgusting that after all of these centuries we can't all love and prosper together.

I can see it now...

US forces along with their Ospreys pull out of Okinawa and the people of Okinawa rejoice.

Then, the hawkish Japanese government swoops in and occupies the bases along with, guess what, the Ospreys Japan ordered from the US.

You can't mend ties when the two pieces of thread don't meet in the middle.

I still don't know what Koike's biggest accomplishment is.

People give her points for standing up to the Old Boys Network but I don't think she's battling them because of ideological differences but just because they've been holding her back. It's just a personal grudge on being a woman in Japanese politics.

She supports the conservative textbook reform, She supported changing the constitution, She visits Yasukuni yearly...

People are just so infatuated with a female becoming prime minister that they can't see she's just another career politician with the exact same ideas as the PM you got now.

Japan's not a country that fosters bold thinkers, passionate speakers or game changers.

What Japan loves about itself so much is also what holds it back: We're all the same.

A losing hand is a losing hand no matter how many times you reshuffle your cards.

Honestly, this is sad.

Because when Trump is in the White House and being bombarded with staffers quitting, staffers leaking, North Korea launching, walls rising, and support dwindling...

All Trump can think of is that the White House is a dump. He can't think about the history of the house, the symbolism of the house, the responsibility of being in that house. He just looks at the cracks or old carpet. The decisions that have been made there, wars averted, righteous wars waged, foolish wars launched, medals awarded and peace deals reached...

The White House may not be the most beautiful but it has outlasted all of it's occupants and I reckon it will outlast you, too.

Hhmmm...

A dump like Trump Casino that was built for 1.2 billion dollars but is now closed down?

Or a dump like Trump International Tower in Chicago where vacancy is double that of nearby apartment buildings?

Or the dump that is Trump Tower in Toronto which faces many legal woes?

Or a dump like the business that was Trump Steaks which lasted a year?

Or a dump like Trump Airlines which lasted 4 years?

Or how about the dump of a business called Trump Vodka?

And who can forget the ultimate dump of Trump University?

Abe is like that kid you play video games with who constantly hits the reset button every time he's losing and says, that was just practice. This time it's for real!

You lost! Game over, man! Game over!

Honestly, I wish they turned the Olympic rings into a Voltron style robot!

Please, nothing cute!

Whatever it is, by the time the Olympics rolls around this character's popularity will have come and gone.

Funasshi and Kumamon were the biggest characters in years and you can still spot them here an there, but this country burns through them so fast by just putting them on every single commercial or morning show or variety show.