mtt comments

Posted in: Japan should acknowledge sex slaves' pain: British MPs See in context

Then,I wonder what those apologies by Mr.kono and PM.Murakami are called?

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Posted in: Japan should acknowledge sex slaves' pain: British MPs See in context

Why anyone think Japanese soldier had to go into Korea and kidnap girls when there was a network of pimps and prostitutes in Korea sellin/buying slaves already? Korea did nothing to defend Asia from invading Europeans/Americans but simply chose to hide behind Japan. Koreans should also blame its own cowardice and never-ending infighting. Japan has apologized more than enough. If Korea is no longer Japan's colony, Korean government should apologize to its people for its utter failure of protecting its own people from the ouside threats. Do Koreans ever feel it's their responsibility to protect its own people?

If Brits and Americans really cared about putting Japan and Korea closer together, they should know this kind of cheap talks would only accomplish opposite results. Maybe Japan and Korea are meant to keep distance from each other, I'm certainly fed up with their complains and becoming allergic to them.

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Posted in: Tamogami's testimony stirs hornets' nest in Diet See in context

ptolemy, acoording to your logic, 58% of Japanese agreeing with him means "Japanese believe everything a teacher,politician, or TV news reader cum analyst says"? Wow, could you explain your math?

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Posted in: Japan should acknowledge sex slaves' pain: British MPs See in context

"Sex slave" was not a new invention of Japan or Japanese army for the WWII.

It is very tragic, but the practice of selling/buying young girls for prostitution had always existed and had been common everywhere in Asia as far back as its history goes and was widely practised at that time. It is unbelievable today, but prostitution as well as buying/selling under-age girls had been legal all over Asia. It's clearly a form of slavery, but it's not in any way an unique creation by the Japanese military.

In fact,even today there are many young girls and women who are being forced to prostitution in many areas of Asia wherever there is poverty. I feel a greater concern for them and I suggest Japan give some assistance for economic development and serious efforts to rescue these women, since the US or UK seem to have no interest or will to help them.

It's a shame Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and bore a child with one of them, but he did neither invent slave system or slave trade, but sadly he was not above the bad custom of that day or did not live up to his words. The same applies to the Japanese military during WWII (and maybe even before that?).

Many descendents of African slaves also maintain the British government hasn't apologized properly yet. Don't they ever feel ashamed to spell out such blatant hypocrisy?

Many Japanese have extended apologies, but it's not possible to do so to their satisfaction or enough to erase such scars.

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Posted in: Japanese Nobel laureate shrugs off prize See in context

I don't blame him.

There are many researchers who were worthy of the prize, but ignored due to politics and others.

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Posted in: Japan, Russia vow concrete steps to end island dispute See in context

Well, wait and see...I bet Russia will use these islands as bargaining chips to remove some of the US power and influence over Japan and the North East Asia in general.

Since they have oil/gas and rather be rich and comfortable nowadays than be armed and dangerous and that they also want Japan to work together on developing Siberia, Russia may finally show some willingness to compromise a little on them.

I think Japan has been getting fed up with the US and this is an opportune time for it while the China and US are busy locked in this love/hate business relationship.

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Posted in: Japan, Russia vow concrete steps to end island dispute See in context

Russia can sell oil and nat gas to Japan, and they may be able to grow a lot of food in future as well. Japan, in return, can sell cars and other high tech stuff to the Russians who are getting richer. And Japanese love Russian culture( music and musicians especially)!

Since NATO and East Europe are recently ganging up on Russia, Japan and Russia are now realizing they actually have many reasons to get along.

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Posted in: Tamogami's testimony stirs hornets' nest in Diet See in context

Tamogami is totally wrong, Japan was an aggressor alright.

But its actions in Asia were quite within the norm of that time and nothing worse than what the US did in the Philippines, Hawaii, Central/South America, Viet Nam or what Europeans did everywhere. The apology made by Murakami and other J-premiers are a lot more than what others had done to former colonies.

US school textbooks do not teach the tortures the US military openly used against philippinos in order to take over the Philippines from Spain or why the US had the huge fleet in the Pearl harbor (hello! it's in Hawaii).

The whole world used to be devided into either the strong/colonial masters or the weak/colonies. I'm sure most Japanese still feel they did make the right choice fighting back the wave of the invading,colonizing forces so hard rather than surrender to them or watch them take over the whole Asia on the sideline.

Since Japan hated and resisted becoming a colony that much, of course they feel bad for those who fell into that state.

But why all other countries in Asia didn't fight back all those invading Europeans? As much as I think Japan was clearly an AGGRESSOR, those colonized were COWARDS.

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Posted in: Finance minister says financial crisis mainly U.S. fault See in context

It was clear to anyone with a common sense that this recent boom with over-production(China) and over-consumption(US) could not be sustained for long. If it weren't for the sub-prime mortgage mess, it would have been something else to pop so many bubbles which had formed everywhere.

While the whole world is pointing fingers at the US, not even a hint of apology will be coming from the US, not from the US politicians or those on the Wall St. who helped to create this mess. True, it's not the US custom to do so, but this apparent lack of responsibility/shame and hubris are more telling for the future of the US.

Unless they(including big 3s & UAW) are brave enough to face the painful truth, there will be no chance for a better future.

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Posted in: Where is Japan's version of Obama? See in context

The US style politicians will never work in Japan. Japanese may be inspired by someone like Kennedy or Obama far away and they may say they wish they had leaders like them, but in truth, Japanese society will not allow anyone charismatic to have a concentration of power. They will tear down any charisma and pull him down acting like a leader and force him to be a PUBLIC SERVANT. I guess that's the reason Emperors rarely appeared before people and the main- -stream Japan never embraced Christianity or personality-cults.

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Posted in: Finance minister says financial crisis mainly U.S. fault See in context

There is no excuse for S&P as well as Moody's which gave AAA ratings to those toxic assets and sold to the rest of the world. I hope those who lost big from this everywhere in the world will sue these rating agencies, so there may be some sense of basic morality and responsibilty restored.

While Japan was selling too many cars and China toxic milk and toys, the US was exporting things far worse. Is this the free trade the US has always been preaching about? Worse yet, those ignorant may blame China or Russia anyday but will never put the blame squarely on the US.

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Posted in: Criticism mounts among gays over California ban See in context

Without creating any child following the law of nature, I don't think gays have any commitment or concern about the future of this planet or the humanity at all. They have opted to just push their rights for their own pleasure and satisfaction for their life time only. The ability and the possibility of creating another human being to carry on our dream and aspiration into the future has been the most fundamental and magical quality in our civiliztion.

I think gays need some basic humility before the law of nature.

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Posted in: Criticism mounts among gays over California ban See in context

In addition, those silly politicians, the SF Mayor Newsom, Dianne Feinstein and others, who were totally bought by the organized force of gays/lesbians and ignorng the rest of residents, were appalling.

Many in California were afraid to even voice any opposing view, for they would be jumped on with a label of a HOMOPHOBIC. Moreover, most big newspapers utterly failed to put any space for any meaningful disscussions on this. They made it out simply as a fight between gay's civil rights vs. Christianity.

Mayor Newsom, Feinstein and other Cal-Dems are again sadly out of touch with the silent majority.

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Posted in: Criticism mounts among gays over California ban See in context

I was also taken back with the hateful responses here to those who disagree with gay marriages including myself. I am a Bhuddist and my opinion has nothing to do with what the Bible says.

Please make it clear many of us are TOLERANT of the gay lifestyles as a personal choice and are willing to treat their life-long partner with respect. But the gay union will not receive a BLESSING from me or many others, which a marriage between a man and woman usually deserves, for it has nothing to benefit the whole humanity.

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Posted in: Criticism mounts among gays over California ban See in context

If gayness is meant to be natural, it should be on DNAs and it should be able to be carried down into the future by the law of nature. Are you here and alive because of a gay union?

Our future totally depends on unions between a man and woman.

In the same way I oppose marriages based on incest or polygamies no matter how much they love each other, I would not call a gay union a marriage.

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Posted in: Criticism mounts among gays over California ban See in context

skipthesong, I guess they have an agenda to promote the gay culture/lifestyle into the mainstream as normal and equal to a marriage between a man and a woman.

Local TV ads against gay marriage said public schools would be forced to teach kids about gay marriage as norm and all other public institution woul be sued if they fail to treat gay marriages the same way as traditional one. That's not what we want for sure.

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Posted in: Criticism mounts among gays over California ban See in context

I have no problem with gay couples and their lifestyles, but I voted for prop.8. I'm not a Christian or a Muslem.

But we are all part of Nature and it means we must not deviate from the law of nature too far. A marriage between a man and a womwan has a sacred significance beyond religion, because it can produce an offspring to carry our civilization into the future. It symbolizes eternal life and hope for humanity.

The meaning of a marriage is more than just an official union of two lovers. Besides, they already have domestic partners law protection.

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Posted in: Next U.S. president faces China-Japan balancing act See in context

Actually, keeping a delicate balance towards US and China may be more crucial for Japan than for the next US president towards China and Japan.

A possibility of a truly close tie between US and China is nearly zero considering China's size and political/cultural influence in Asia with its military/political/economical capabilities. US may tolerate or even welcome a limited power/status for China, if it can prove itself as peace-promoting and stabilizing force in the region, but US is not likely to accept a full growth of China enough to challenge US hegemony or economy.

US can gain from China economically on short term, but in a long run China poses as a possible greater threat to US than Japan.

If Japan cozies up to China and Russia becomes a strong trading partner for Japan supplying energy and buying Japanese cars, it will be a total end to the US hegemony in Asia.

Japan should be very careful and maintain a fine balance by keeping equal distance from US and China. Japan should never, ever become sticky close with just one nation, for becoming that close means DEPENDENCE for Japan.

The ideal state of Asia or NE asia is the 6-party talk in which everyone is cordial to each other, but dreams a different dream.

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Posted in: Next U.S. president faces China-Japan balancing act See in context

China can be more useful for US than Japan in the area of economy nowadays. Its restricted press and communist dictatorship also make it easier for US to negotiate with China.

Just recently, after Sarkozy talked with W Bush in US, he flew into China and it was very entertaining to see him desparately trying to tickle Chinese with flatteries so the GREAT nation of China will be responsible enough to play the part of a SUPERPOWER in this global(mostly US and EU) finacial crisis. In short, it's the China's turn to be used for paying for the wars and excess greed of the West. Japan is past middle-age and much can't be expected from it anymore. I'm sure W Bush, who was not the part of and absent from the Asia/EU talk, must have held the leash of Sarkozy.

But does it mean Americans trust China and feel friendly towards it? I don't think so. Rather, they feel China is a force to reckon with and the future status of US will greatly influenced by China's actions. And they also seem to have some wonderful plans how to spend China's accumulated wealth.

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Posted in: LAPD says Miura hanged himself with shirt in cell at detention house See in context

At least we Californian tax payers won't have to pay a huge cost for this soap opera.

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Posted in: Mass despair permeates working class See in context

This is exactly the same in the US along the Rust Belt. Only difference is that in US, they rather blame others for their misery. It used to be against Japanese, but now more towards Chinese or anyone who work harder and complain less.

Unless you find a work you are compelled to do and can grow on for your whole life, anyone's life can be a misery. Too bad, even these people are too smart to totally accept the meaningless existence.

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Posted in: It's curtains for turbo-capitalism See in context

This may be a good chance for many of us to change our wasteful lifestyle.

If this hyper-growth of globalization means over-consumption/production turning our planet into one huge trash dump of meaningless junk under a sooty sky, it may be better not to attempt another over-stimulation beyond a sustainable level.

Too much greed is like obesity and totally uncool.

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Posted in: Power lines See in context

Can't they get rid of these ugly power lines? Every time I go back to Japan, I get overwhelmed with way too many power lines. They are such eye-sores and I don't understand why they don't hurry up and bury all of them.

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Posted in: Japan unlikely to follow U.S. on defense See in context

As Japan works to promote closer ties with China and Russia, the funding and the scale of the US forces within Japan should be reduced proportionally. As for Iran and other Isramic nations, Japan does not have any of religious, political,cultural or historical problems with them as the US, Israel or Eourope do, it will be foolish for Japan to take sides. The treaty Japan has with the US is not an oath or a code of gangsters and the world doesn't need to split into two over every issue.

The US should welcome and promote a helthy and independent Japan, if it really cares about peace and prosperity in Asia rather than hegemony, or Japanese public may stop supporting US as their leader and a close ally.

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Posted in: Japan unlikely to follow U.S. on defense See in context

I don't see the US having any set plan regarding Japan or Asia nowadays.

They will want to wait and see how all those different forces will work themselves out and form a new Asia. Even then, what the US or any country ultimately want for an ally or a neighbor is a stable democracy. And how Japan deals with China and Russia on her own should be a great interest to the US foreign policy makers more than being a good poodle.

If Japan can act mature and responsible promoting peace in Asia, I'm sure the US is more than willing to grant a lot more trust and independence. And I hope Japan will become a valuable ally in this manner.

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Posted in: For Japanese men, dysfunction starts in the cradle See in context

I agree with Mr.Liddell many Japanese men are so spoilt by their mothers that they don't realize how self-centered they are. Many Caucasian men, on the other hand, are so delusional that they would never, ever doubt they are anything less than perfection. They may think this as self-confidence, but I think it's more like being a self-satified p--, with lazy intellect and half-baked insights. I know both Japanese and Caucasian men and both have enough faults.

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Posted in: China’s president flies to quake zone; death toll could reach 50,000 See in context

I can't find words to describe the magnitude of this tragic calamity. My deepest condolence to all those suffering from this earthquake.

Beyond that, I am very impressed with their whole handling of it.

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Posted in: Sony sponsors Japan's youngest Davis Cup player See in context

I hope SONY sponsors atheletes of any nationality, not just Japanese, since it sells its stuff and makes money everywhere.

I think Japanese firms which do business overseas should create scholarships and sponsorships for locals rather than trying to help only Japanese do well.

Most US firms do not care about nationality. I was very impressed with their generosity, especially HP Foundation which helped me many times even though I'm Japanese.

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Posted in: China demands apology from CNN after commentator calls Beijing 'bunch of goons and thugs' See in context

Bill O'Reilly and Lou Dobbs are mean, biased and absurd, while Jack cafferty is funny with a good heart.

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