Nicky Washida comments

Good for NHK showing theyve got a bit of life to them!

But sadly in a country where rugby supporters have to be instructed to "have more fun" I am not surprised it didnt go down well.

...it was a Korean male who did the shooting at VA Tech a few years ago. I am not sure why they come to America and let go of that hostility towards others

TWO Koreans, that I have heard of, out of the million or more Korean immigrants to the US, have gone on shootings rampages. So this hardly qualifies as "they come to America and let go of that hostility" really, does it?

it is time that people in this country become PRO-active instead of RE-active.

Does holding an OUTDOOR BBQ party count? I just passed one with about 30 people in the garden of a local restaurant as I came home. The wind is starting to pick up here - thats going to be one hell of a party an hour or so from now!

Agree Rugby is a fabulous sport that needs more attention and the J fans arent the most wild and crazy on the planet but seriously - pom pom girls??! Please God no!

MAY consider criminal charges??! MAY???!!! Why is this not an absolute dead cert and why is this guy not going to go down for years and years to ward off others from pulling the same sh*t?

Do these people not grasp the enormity of what they have done? Literally - hundreds of thousands of peoples lives have been ruined because of their greed and arrogance.

Go ahead and lower the limit all you want, but unless this is actually enforced it means very little.

I would be delighted to buy produce from anywhere at all including Fukushima to help out the local farmers if they can test their produce and put a label on the packet showing it has been tested and independently verified and what the level is. While I have every sympathy for them, it is no good sitting there complaining that people won`t buy their produce anymore - show it is safe and people will.

On the list of prefectures: especially Tochigi, Iwate, Miyagi, Gunma, and Yamagata - has anyone heard anything in the news about products from those places being over the limit? And maybe what those products were? I dont recall hearing anything from there.

Wow! What an inspiration to women - in terms of looking good at 51 AND...erm...other stuff! Now where the bloody hell did I put my pinnie......?!

There is a possibility that the son played a part in scamming the mother...!!

Obviously no need for that if she was willing to hand him her entire life savings - clearly all he needed to do was ask!

Im also annoyed with the bank for not querying this - but not surprised either. I am annoyed with the son for clearly not discussing the possibility of this happening with his Mother and working out a "password" or something, and I am furious with the b$%###&$ who have scammed an old lady. I reserve judgement on the stupidity of the old lady because she may be sick or infirm. But you know - sad as it is that we read about this on a weekly basis, in the UK grannies are beaten up for the last 10 quid in their purse on a weekly basis. That is more shocking to me.

What, as opposed to the eye-wateringly hiked prices we are paying already?

And Badmigraine is right: booked well in advance, 4 tickets to the UK on June 30th this year (not even start of summer peak nor Olympics, 1 adult 3 children) - 800,000 yen. They get super-pricey if you fly direct and/or book to go more than a month.

Pictures like this remind me that amongst all the madness this is actually a serenely beautiful place.

I dont blame him for not resuscitating her, but I absolutely think he is a rat for scarpering and leaving her to die, not even calling an ambulance - apparently he called his agent.

But I know someone who knew her very well, and believe me, without going into details there is a LOT more to this whole situation than the press are actually reporting.

I have no problem at all with smokers as long as their smoke doesnt affect me or my children. I even take the trouble to thank smokers who see us waiting at a crossing and make efforts to keep away from the children, shield them or even sometimes actually put their cigarette out.

What I can`t stand is seeing children hanging around in smoking rooms while their parents puff away, or people that walk down the street with complete disregard for the people around them - that is rude & selfish. If me and the children block the pavement, I apologise and gather everyone to the side so whoever is behind us can get past. i wish the smoker in front of us blowing ash and smoke into our faces would show us the same courtesy.

The onus is on the parents to find an equitable solution.

Thing is though, if it were that simple none of this would be happening, would it? Yes, in an ideal world people behave with integrity and put the needs of the children first, but when you have people who dont behave like this, and have the full backing of the state protecting them while they behave without reason or integrity, stronger measures need to be called for.

I dont give a damn whether Japan signs the Hague Convention or not - they will always find a way to wriggle out of it. What I DO care about is whether they sign and then ENFORCE those laws - remains to be seen but the nation as a whole doesnt seem to have a very good track record of enforcing any laws related to racism, sexism, labour.....why should this be any different? The only thing that will make a difference is outside pressure.

My heart goes out to any loving parent separated from their child. If sanctions are what it is going to take to force Japan to abandon this barbaric practice, I say bring it on.

I agree with Jakesmum. I don't know what the circumstances were here, but I do see a LOT of negligence walking around on a daily basis. Like I said before Mothers aren't perfect, but waking 20 meters ahead of your toddler alongside a busy road is just asking for trouble. As is allowing him to have a tantrum alongside a major intersection by just walking away and abandoning him (I had to get off my bike and stand near him because I couldn't in all conscience just ride past and surprise surprise he got up and tried to run into the street).

There are tragic accidents due to momentary thoughtlessness, but there are also near-insane act of recklessness too.

I feel sorry for the driver but the same thing goes for him - turning into a street in a residential area you should be prepared for the unexpected -like a toddler crouched in the street. It shouldn't be there, but it was, and I find it very hard to believe he didn't actually see it if he was paying attention. But again - don't know for sure. Could have been obscured by a bush? Another bin bag?

I am sure both the mother and driver are devastated by this and woul give anything to take their actions back

Clearly the Mother is responsible - even if the driver was speeding the baby shouldnt have been in the street BUT:

Newsflash people: Mothers are not perfect. They make mistakes, sometimes tragic ones that they will then have to live with forever. I am sure there is nothing any of you can say about this poor woman that will bash her even a fraction of the bashing she is giving herself right now.

Or is everyone here so perfect that nothing like this could ever happen to them? They never get tired? They never lose concentration or get distracted for one second? Because if so - please let me know what you are taking - I and every other Mother I know needs some of it!

@tmarie - Let me just say I am only half disagreeing with you.

@tmarie - I dont necessarily disagree with a lot of what you are saying, but this constant attacking the women of Japan at every opportunity really is - and I mean this will all due respect - getting a little tiring now.

I have just had to quit my daycare and from now on for the next two years I will be keeping my youngest at home with me. I have had to quit work for medical reasons therefore no more daycare. The change is needed, but I am nervous. I dont quite know how I am going to cope being at home doing all those things you listed, not interacting with adults I have anything in common with other than a 2 year old child, while my husband gets up to God knows what just because he can - he has the freedom to do it.

Not saying life at home is going to be so terrible - I honestly dont know but I DO know that when I was on maternity leave I found it lonely and isolating, but please - once you have tried it for yourself and seen how lonely and soul-destroying it can be - then I will be more than happy to listen to your diatribe about how lazy and selfish these women are.

Sorry! Just a sensitive topic for me right now! :)

@Ambrosia - THANK YOU. BIG thank you. I have no idea of the circumstances behind what led this woman to do something so terrible, but I am sick to death of reading so much nonsense about the "facts" behind PPD/PNI - many of which seem to come from people with no knowledge or experience whatsoever of the condition.

So thank you for sharing some pertinent, relevant and factual information. Again I have no idea if post partum psychosis is behind this womans acts, but it CAN last years if left untreated, it absolutely CAN lead to criminal acts and it is most certainly not possible to rationalise what you are doing if you are truly in the grip of it. Thos are the facts about PNI. Whether or not this woman was suffering with it or some other mental disorder, or is just simply evil remains to be seen.

Sorry, I just cant understand why anyone would want Mickey and Minnie Mouse at their wedding. Those awful cuddly toys of the two characters in wedding garb seem to be compulsory purchasing as it is for anyone getting married here (and then everafter displayed on the genkan shelf) but this takes it to a new level of tacky. Just my opinion.

Lovely, positive article and I am sure everyone mentioned here is just the tip of the iceberg. Great to hear about positive steps being taken to rebuild and recover in the long term through opening businesses.

There is a womens underwear shop in Lalaport Toyosu 2nd floor right now called "Homos".

A 12 year old boy practicing for JHS entrance exams once said to me looking at a picture of a farmyard and reading a short text - in answer to the question "Why do children like to go to the farm?" he responded: "Children like to go to the farm and torch the animals" (touch)

a business student once told me he cant find suits to fit him because he is too thick (he meant thin!)

Another guy once told me his homework was "still under construction" (Id only asked him to write a letter!)

And a few names too: a friend of a friend who had a really hard time at high school in the US because her name was "Shizaho". Two others for similar reasons in the UK: "Hitomi" (Hit on me) and "Shitomi".

A 5 year old girl at my sons sports day last year was wearing a t shirt with silver gothic writing reading "I Love Sex". That was pretty shocking.

I saw a woman on a plane once wearing a pink tshirt with tiny writing across the front reading "I see you have already met the twins".

But my favourite is a packet of all butter croissants (6 in a pack) drizzled with icing and dripping with oil and on the front of the packet a big declaration "CROISSANTS! FOR HEALTH AND BEAUTY!" Um...

The issue I think is if the fluid remains and becomes infected. That could be really dangerous. But it sounds like the doctors are well on top of it. heres hoping he makes a speedy recovery

@77777777 - I see the point you are trying to make, but actually, classic depression and PND are actually two completely different illnesses.

PND of the kind I suspect this woman may be suffering from is more akin to psychosis than normal depression. For this reason there have been calls to change the name in the US and other countries from "Post Natal/Partum Depression" to "Post Natal/Partum Illness" (PNI) for the very reasons you have stated. Calling it "depression" actually confuses the issue, because in its extreme form it is not actually a depression at all. It is further confused by the fact that some people DO experience depression after childbirth, and most recover. A very small number of those slip into psychosis.

This is a field - like many other in mental health - that is still evolving as more is understood about the condition. But it really cant be compared with environmental stress - that is generally NOT the underlying cause of psychosis.

Just want to add though that parenting classes will not help people with true PND. It is a condition WAY beyond the normal feelings of inadequacy and feelings overwhelmed. That needs a separate plan including recognition of the condition, advice for family members and discreet but easily attainable medical support.

I agree with gogogo that parenting classes should be mandatory, but I think they should actually start BEFORE conception occurs. Might also help the unwanted pregnancy rate here and solve two major problems in one.

Funny isnt it - like the movie where Keanu Reeves said "you need a licence to keep a dog, even catch a fish, but theyll let any old xxxxx be a parent".

I normally pretty much ignore celebrity nonsense but I found this one amusing because the marriage and pregnancy was annunced barely a week after the statement was released saying they are "just friends" after being spotted together at Disney Sea. Why even bother lying? Peoples lives are not going to change if they actually know the truth about you (you are just really not that important) and all that has happened is you just end up looking a twit when you are blatently busted for BSing (just friends??! My a**!)

That said I hope she is feeling better now - those early months of pregnancy can be totally crappy if you have the tsuwari.

@Al Stewart: She already has a 4 year old, so she must already be aware of how much work a baby is. Apparently (in the absence of any other information) that child is well and healthy, so calling her an unfit Mother and accusing her of dreaming about the fantasy of a baby not the reality is a bit of a stretch.

Perhaps she was on the phone trying to get the support she so clearly needs? And one month olds dont generally need the bathroom! Yes, it would be so simple wouldnt it, if babies either needed sleeping, feeding or a nappy change and that would stop them crying? Ever had a baby with colic? They scream for hours, usually in late afternoon and early evening (when this incident happened), from about 3 weeks old to about 3 months, longer if you are unlucky. Nothing you do seems to help them, no doctors can help, most in this country dont even recognise the problem, simply calling it "yonaki" and telling you to "Ganbarre". In other countries you can get a medication called Simethicone that sometimes helps - but its not available here. Some even tell you it must be your fault because something you are eating is upsetting them in your milk (no clinical evidence of this whatsoever) making you feel even more crap than you already do.

Unlike the Mother of the twins earlier this week who also had a 4 year old who was on the "watch" list for child services and who she had also been abusing, this woman (unless further information comes out) seems to have a supportive family, and a healthy older child - which means it is not a stretch to believe she was genuinely ill and not just hankering after a living Gucci bag.

Absolutely tragic - again.

The system here really needs to get SERIOUS about PND. It is no good providing services if no one knows about them. I would like to see not just the new mothers but also the immediate family given a talk and information on the signs of PND before they leave the hospital, a number to call with any concerns, and a support system put in place and agreed among midwives, community nurses and the family before the mother and baby leaves hospital. In addition to the one month check up for the baby, there should be a mental check up once a week for the first 3 months for the mother and REAL questions asked - by people trained to spot potential problems. I would even like to see a buddy system where a new mother is matched with a volunteer veteran mother or grandmother in her community (once she returns home) and meets her for coffee once a week to get advice and support. If the companies cant support paternity leave, I would as a minimum like to see them releasing new fathers at 5pm every day for the first month of a childs life and no business trips.

People need to know how many women suffer from it (because everybody here gamans until something tragic happens and nobody knows) how common it is and how normal it is and that help is available and that available help needs to be right in their faces - not just a number on a business card.

They take care of you physically beautifully here (except for the lack of pain meds!) but mentally you are thrown out to the wolves once you leave the hospital.