nihoncritic comments

This is a kind moment where a leader of a country is appreciating how Ms. Anderson had a positive impact for the Japanese community and tragically lost her life in a natural disaster.

@ alladin so what? Japan can't have LGBT people? I find the parades a welcome change and am glad they are demonstrating and raising awareness. You make it sound as if 'gay and lesbian' is a bad thing. Well, the irony of it is because of the discrimination they face, they tend to be far more open minded and friendlier than many people.

Cell phone cameras will not replace canon and nikon cameras anytime soon. An inexperienced camera user may simply think that megapixels make or break photography, but there are many variables such as lighting, stability, motion sensing, and a myriad of other factors involved. There is no way Hollywood paparazzi, documentary creators, and war correspondents will trade in their DSLRs for a cell phone camera.

I don't mind when JT wires back AP, Reuters, and other professionally written articles, but tabloids like this is garbage. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel.

There is no point in trying to reclaim top position, especially in TVs. What Japanese companies can do is find new markets to excel in i.e. medical imaging, photovoltaic technologies, aerospace, microprocessors (not memory chips). General Electric did this very well, they cut off all the loss making businesses, cultivated the profitable sectors into core assets, and developed divisions which will gain traction in the future. What America did in the 80s, the Japanese will have to do now.

China may be right about Japan needing to own up a little more, but clearly this "be sensitive to history" stuff is an integral part of its politics and diplomacy. For those interested in how WWII serves as a critical pillar to its foreign and domestic policies, I recommend the book "China's New Nationalism" by Peter Hay Gries. China often implements a "demand apology" to rally its population. For example when a stray US bomb hit the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999, the Chinese Press actually ran a counter on their newspapers daily to tally how many days it will take for the US to apologize. The Chinese side also refused to consider any US explanation which contested Chinese views that the bombing was deliberate. I recommend the book, it helps to understand how 'demanding apologies' form the cornerstone of China's politics.

@ Timtak

I think whatever you wrote is total nonsense. Rape is bad no matter where and when. First of all your argument is fallacious as there is no scientific/concrete evidence that claim that Japanese have an irregular libido or sorts (anecdotal maybe, science no). Second of all a massacre is somewhat defined by number but it has more to do with how a group of people are killed systematically in a brutal way. For example, the St. Valentine Day massacre led to the death of seven people but the event is defined as a massacre. It's all about the gravity of the crime, not necessarily about the numbers.

Streep's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher is exceptional. The iron lady indeed! Reminds me of when the press interviewed her husband and one reporter asked who wore the pants in the house. He answered that he did but he also ironed them.

People who automatically connect this episode to Japanese atrocities are distasteful as they are idiots. This episode is about US CITIZENS being denied their constitutional rights, forced to give up property for little to nothing (due to carpet baggers who clearly took advantage of their predicament), being incarcerated without trial and any legal say, and being spit on when they returned simply because they had Japanese heritage. In fact I dare any one of you critics to go to Hawaii/West Coast, approach a 442nd Combat veteran and tell him to compare notes with "American prisoners of the benevolent Japanese."

Before all this happened, Other areas such as Shizuoka and Hubei were celebrating friendship ties and building on goodwill. All it takes is one village idiot to waste the efforts of others.

Sony has had really poor management for the past decade. As Sun Tzu would say, "If he prepares to defend many places, then the forces will be few in number." Sony tried to protect what it built up and thus could only divert so many resources into technologies which really matter in the future. Sony focused too heavily on the highly profitable CRT television sets and was late to jump onto flat screens and milked the massively popular PS2 to inflate their profits. Instead of innovating ahead, they made their products incompatible with other computing products and charged ridiculous prices, not to mention their root-kit incident which unashamedly spied on consumers. Samsung in the beginning, believe it or not, had very little power in its television sales. However, the company made massive strides in its telephone segments, until it hit big with its smartphones. Using the massive profits generated from phones and aggressive emerging markets sales, Samsung cross subsidizes the sale of its products in developed countries, undercutting traditional consumer electronic powerhouses. All in all, Samsung had a great strategy and a empowered and motivated workforce to implement their vision. Sony on the other hand chose a foreign CEO who is clearly not knowledgeable about the field of technology. He was good at cutting costs and improving the the entertainment sector (Sony pictures) but failed to understand the necessities of innovation and technology. The new CEO Kaz Hirai, in my modest opinion, is a great replacement. He is creative, charismatic, ambitious, and can see the marketplace in broader perspective. His experience in turning the PS3 around is borderline miracle and his next big challenge will be tackling the loss making TV sector. If Sony is to make it, Mr. Hirai will be the one to lead the way.

@ Sunhawk

Not sure what you are trying to imply here but regardless of the international standards adopted universally, this holiday is very important to more than two billion people, roughly 1/3 of the world. Try to be a bit more mature won't you?

@globalwatcher

You know I was referencing Enron the whole time right? I am having trouble how you managed to stereotype an entire nationality and assume that they are unintelligent ala "non critical thinking" and "non problem solving skills" Please reread my post. When the money is good, people turn into idiots. Greed is rather a universal thing and when you're making money even with irregularities, it is hard to pause a moment and "ask why" (no pun intended) things are going so great. Clearly, you think Japanese opinions are worth less than gaijin posts, which I think is a bit interesting, but I respect your opinions.

Wow, I can't believe there is something positive on this site. By the looks of all the posts, I figured everyone wanted to burn down a building or kill someone due to all the complaints and frustration.

Here are my few things:

1) Good manga (My latest reads being bambino (italian cuisine) and bartender

2) transportation accessibility

3) onsen

4) convenience and the abundance of food

5) generally respectful people

6) great seafood!

7) the motor/auto prevalence

8) small cultural stuff like beer and edamame kind of stuff

9) night life

Makes sense. Once you hit it big in Japan, you are raking in money. As Japan is the world's second largest music market, Kara will do its best to maintain its brand image and try to generate hits. I wish them success. However, I don't really understand why there must be comparison between Jpop and Kpop. They cater to different people and no music is inferior or superior. Sales is a big factor but not the whole picture.

The other day, all the people in my class were forced to watch the documentary "Smartest Guys in a Room." Real messed up stuff going on within that cancer of a company Enron. But what surprised me is that all the people pointed fingers at one another and were quick to disassociate any relationship with the firm. But even so, before the sh*t hit the fan everyone was loving the company for its elevating stock prices. Everyone was guilty in the whole scheme. The government, the shareholders, financial institutions and partners, auditors (in house and external), the employees, the management and so forth. I would think the same situation applies to Olympus, where everyone were delighted to do business even when the books were cooked the whole time, only for everyone to jump ship when the titanic started to sink.

Sony has fallen hard and can't really fall any harder. Its redeeming areas are its entertainment areas namely video games and film/television departments. Its smartphone and television sectors are bleeding money. Clearly, it will need to create a galaxy caliber phone using the android platform, either exit or reform the television department, and ultimately develop a strong portfolio of games and a sound video game console system with xbox live standard online integration. Sony has good talent, only its intransigence and missteps has caused the company to enter all races totally flatfooted. Panasonic televisions are wonderful, but in this day and age televisions are simply a boasting area where sales and market share is still priority over profitability. It doesn't really matter if you are 1st 2nd or 3rd place in sales, a division which is bleeding money is ultimately a cancer and should be either cured or removed.

The armed services is still very much a masculine organization and I would assume many women who fell victim to sexual assaults remain tight lipped about their incident in fear of retaliation, shame, and other factors. While there are many find people who join the military, it is also a destination for those of questionable and nefarious individuals. I think it also remains a very racist organization as the recent death of Private Danny Chen will demonstrate.

@Netninja, I find editorials like consumer reports far more credible when they consistently rate Japanese autos as the best in class for quality. If you think Japanese autos are done, I think you are very much mistaken. However, I am happy to see that fortunes are starting to reverse for GM. GM's latest models are quite stylish and they are hungry to redeem their honor. While much like JAL and government owned, these two companies are taking desperate measures in desperate times to come back. I will not be surprised if these two organizations have shed the defunct areas of the past and are fighting hard to plow ahead. I am happy GM managed kept their chin up while half the country screamed for GM to hit the gallows back in 2008. Finally, I am quite impressed with Akio Toyoda's hands on management as of today. Until the recall, no one knew who this person was for the most part, but now he has dedicated himself in revitalizing Toyota's boring image. The Lexus GS is one example and we will definitely see Toyota vehicles dedicated to better styling and fun driving.

I may not agree with an issue, but I dare not try to create an incident which may wound up harming and killing/injuring people. This man may feel wronged, but to cause violence and potentially injure someone, especially by burning is criminal and wrong. There may be some people like netninja who may rejoice that property is damaged and people may face tremendous injury, but fortunately, many people think this is not the case, primarily the international justice system.

Nope. I sometimes don't understand why people admire sports stars. Many of them are not good role models at all. After all, baseball is a game, a kids' game. Dress it all up with blood, tears, and sweat, but fundamentally, it's a kids' game where a bunch of grown ups are paid exorbitant amounts of money to play several hours a day. Sure, it is difficult to be in the major leagues and Pro baseball league in Japan, but nonetheless any notion that a baseball player is 'underpaid' is ridiculous.

If there is a Big Mac Index for the US, the Gyudon Index works well in Japan.

If Kodak is doing bad I wonder how its traditional rival Fujifilm is doing. If Fuji still has some options, they could eventually buy parts of Kodak which are relevant but seeing how traditional film businesses are declining quickly I don't think Fuji is exactly in a stellar situation as well.

Lee is an inspirational player. While I am not sure he is the next best thing since sliced bread, he proved himself during the championship game against Australia. He faced discrimination in his home country of Japan and was spat on by his kinsman in Korea for living among the 'jokbaris,' but emerged victorious. I genuinely hope he will find success abroad and continue to cement his career as a fine player in athleticism and sportsmanship.

A primary rule in a territorial dispute is "who has his flag planted into the soil at the moment?" In the case of the Liancourts, the Korean flag stands tall. In the Falklands, the Union Jack flies. In the northern territories, the Russian Bear prowls about. In the Senkaku case, the Japanese flag is firmly planted. It is no doubt that whoever has that presence, albeit minuscule, has a larger claim in territorial arguments. These territories are too small and do not yield the rewards justifying the higher price to pay whether that be armed conflict or hardball realpolitik. If anything, Taiwan and PRC can do nothing but send in that formal complaint, much like Japan does towards its South Korean and Russian neighbor. Globalization did turn out to be a method of peace keeping. There is no way that both countries, in this CH and JP, will be willing to trash billions of dollars of mutual profitability for the sake of a few inhabitable islands.

A politician who raises taxes will never be popular. Noda knows this. But he knows he will rather take the hit and try to alleviate Japan's troubles which is nearly beyond saving. Unfortunately, while he faces the fire, the others will run to save their reputation and hide in the pockets of special interests who remain parasitic and diminish any hopes that the country can have a brighter future. Naoto Kan's political career succumbed to dirty politics and Noda will be the next target.

What is mildly annoying is how these "Business Savants" do not include the younger generation. While I do agree somewhat that older people tend to have experience, it is the young generation who bring forth change. If this article really wishes to become a bit more relevant, it needs to talk to most importantly, younger people of various disciplines. You never know who may be the next Zuckerberg or Eric Schmidt. Each person of a new generation has potential.

lostrune2

A google search will reveal that GM used a rather 'indirect' method of paying back its tarp loans which really wasn't 'paying back'. In fact all that really occurred was a reshuffling of money and alterations in accounts. I also find that their Chevy Volt, which is supposed to be GM's future is facing so many problems namely battery overheats and possibly igniting fires. For a car which is supposed to be "America's future" it uses $250,000 of taxpayer money to produce each car. I admire GM for its international business prowess though and its newly restyle 2012 line up looks pretty good. But by no means has it removed its re-coined title "Government Motors."

Dunno Mabo, I tend to find that foreigners enjoy Wagyu. However, American beef is excellent. Not fair to to judge over which country makes what.

Not surprising. Japanese automakers while still highly competitive need to realize that other companies are just as hungry for profits in a deflated economy. Hyundai and Ford for example are several of those who have done very well recently.

Dunno some14some, the glitter seems pretty universal to me. It is really interesting how many people accuse Japan of commercialism but clearly the same exist within their own respective country. After all, I find the Pope's statement for moot, as the church as an organization is surrounded by "glitter" as Foxie quotes, "marble, reliefs, architectural sculpture and gilding."