notasap comments

Iran has threatened to do exactly what we have see...to shoot ships in the Hormuz Straight. But hey, let's all just say "this doesn't make sense..." as if the laws of civil logic govern intelligence operations. Maybe its exactly because it "doesn't make sense" that they did it and think they can get away with it. MacArthur is correct, the Japanese are like children. The English too nowadays.

The anti-Americans are in force here, big surprise the censors at Japan-Today are not doing much to stop them...that being said there is no proof that the US or Israel did anything in the Persian Gulf today but there is quite a bit of intelligence pointing to Iran, who has threatened many times to do as what occurred, shoot tankers in international waters of the Hormuz Strait. Then look at the actual word of Iran, they don't want peace. As to a deal, the Iranians have proven to have broken the deal before the US pulled out, by the way it was not treat signed by the US. Even the Eu has admitted that Iran has gone back on its promises. The idea that Trump gets compared to Hitler while Abe meets with an actual dictator who has conducted terrorist operations many times is just sick. There is no balance to the Japan-Today comment sections. Let's see if this is allowed to stay up...I doubt it.

Good. Why should anyone not listen to the country in question...the Israelis claim Jerusalem as their capital so that's where embassies should be located. Out of respect for other groups who claim that Israel should not even exist is no reason to balk at the norm. What would Japan think if someone claimed Kyoto or Osaka as the capital and placed their embassy in those cities out of respect for some group who did not recognize Tokyo as the capital?

At best she is 1/34 and could be as low as 1/1,024. This a lower threshold than most Americans have and her link could be from an ancestor who came from South America 8 to 10 generations ago. Not to mention that most "Native" tribes require great grandparents, i.e. 1/16 or as high as 25% to claim tribal identity. This whole thing is due to her using her "native" identity for personal gain. She was called Harvard Law School's first woman of "color" for these claims. She benefited from pushing this for her own gain. So, for the side that likes to cry about cultural appropriation, it is Warren who should be criticized not President Trump. He's just making hay from her poor judgment as well as her lack of morals and ethics.

These seven US sailors lost their lives in defense of Japan. Shame on anyone who tries to use this tragic event as a means to attack the US. Every single day they are out there putting their lives on the line for your freedom. God bless the families of those who lost loved ones and God bless the US Navy.

Big shocker!

Bad move. FIFA should just keep the trust in the Ref and let the game play. Replays have hurt most sports they have been in, slowing them down and taking away something that makes sports great, humanity. FIFA should resist the use of replays.

Midway was more important, in a strategic sense post the start of active conflict between two powers. Pearl Harbor brought the USA into the war, which in the end was a good thing but ultimately more important, in terms of an event, than Midway. The Nazi and IJA/N forces day's were numbered after 7 Dec 1941.

Looks nice

Mohamad Bazzi has it quite wrong. Those saying that trump is about hare are the ones full of divisive conflict oriented perspectives. What Mr. Bazzi misses in his selective use of data is that the majority of the number of "hate crimes" that have occurred are antisemitic not anti-Islamic. Many of these acts were committed by Muslims. You can go to the FBI report on this to read for yourself, it lays it out quite nicely. Also of note is that today, over 100 Muslim pilgrims were killed in a terrorist attack committed by other Muslims. Clearly, for those seeking to lower the violence need to refocus to where the real threat to peaceful Muslims comes from, and here's a hint its not in the USA and its not from President Elect Trump.

Not long ago feminist would have called such garb oppressive byproduct of patriarchy. Now its celebrated by the counter culture, never mind the oppression and patriarchy. The media, JapanToday included, love these topics too. It's sensational and conflict oriented. But is this news or clickbait? I'd say latter.

Bunch of college kids who have grown up having their normal lives made into narratives of empowerment now facing the fact that they did not win in the last fair and free democratic election. For those looking to dig a bit deeper into this and well reasoned response, not partisan but logical....check out: http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/11/16/you-are-still-crying-wolf/

I just don't get it...what is with the love of this particular wine? I've had Beaujolais Nouveau many times...its ok, can be good but overall its an ok wine. Much better stuff out there and cheaper. Try a malbec or a good Grenache. I just don't get it.

Two bat attacks in a short period of time, maybe its time to ban the bat?

Boy these type of stories really reveal the derangement of the anti-Americans. No shooter, no link to it being an American serviceman, yet the anti-American feels no qualms in making a statement that argues that its once again some superior feeling "free soldiermen" going "berserk." The truth matters not to the activist.

Duterte has something for everyone to hate...the anti-American left likes his anti-American rhetoric but most of these types are bleeding-hearts and so disagree with his ruthless extrajudicial killings and his Trumpesque tone...the center and right folks dislike his aggressive and uncouth tone and his anti-American rhetoric but don't mind so much his strong hand in dealing with the byproduct late 20th century cultural anti-social behavior. It will be interesting to see how he behaves while in Japan...my bet is he says something both sides can be offended by in regards to Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War 2 or the ongoing China vs everyone sea disputes. Time is the enemy of leaders like Duterte, he will eventually isolate himself and his country from the normative global community.

This is the new racism, its anti-racist on its surface and hides behind a veneer of concern for the victims of racism. But make no mistake, this narrative is just part of a larger movement that is seeking to use race, in the USA, as a means of pushing a neo-marxist agenda. They don't want to get past race because they need the victim in order to obtain power with which they will attack the status quo. So, black men are the victims of some prison industrial complex conspiracy...the proof is all stats of course, meant to push your logical thinking brain aside in the face of real numbers...but of course we know that stats can be manipulated to make anything seem legitimate, even Frankfurt school/critical race theory arguments like this film utilize. In reality the issues faced by the "black" population are in fact the same ones faced by the poor of all races...of course this Marxist rhetoric always justifies the proletariat, in this case black men/black people and so we have to squint really hard to see its not the socialization in the family, or lack their off, its not the socialization of the streets, with its glorification of violence and there is not free will it all boils down to a desire to lock up and keep "enslaved" blacks. These type of arguments have been around university campuses, praying on the young and naive, for decades. Until the media saw the money to be made with this subject most logical oriented adults understood this to be what it is, a byproduct of a radicalized social science activist professors. Racism is real and life is pragmatic. What we need more of is self responsibility and stability both economically and socially, i.e. inside the black family, and less calls to the barricades and to join activist movements. But, hey, where the money to be made in that....I suggest that the simple answer is to ignore these type of movements. Don't watch their films, buy into their rhetoric or support their politicians or causes. Racism is not nearly the problem that the activist wants you to believe it is...their loyalty is to the cause not truth.

Obama is a good candidate and great politician but a sub-par POTUS. I voted for the man twice, his first term was good...his second has been about division and leading from the back foot in regards to US foreign policy. His social issues are driving the Trump support wave we are seeing and his waffling on foreign policy is hamstringing Clinton's chances. Funny enough, I think Clinton is the best pick for the next POTUS but the Dem party should not have power...I think we will see many people split their tickets in Nov. Clinton will win but the Dems will not take the House or Senate. Obama has overseen worst cultural wars that the USA has experienced since the 1960 and its all built on a fake sense of selective outrage.

Not to make the case that Hillary is unfit because she was sick, this story is a valid story and its a valid election year issue. The heath of the candidate is always a topic of interest in an election year. Her passing out and being stuffed into a van to be zoomed of for medical help is not sexism but a legit issue. Those trying to play the gender card in order to stop such discourse are in fact the sexist in this argument. If you don't agree, just flip the script and imagine who the press would cover Trump passing out during a public event?

IMO, the media today is too activist and too sensationalist, often the two intersect. The idea that social media is the real press is just not sustainable any more than having the eye witness to the tornado be described as a reporter. The media has long struggled, in the West, with the balance of objectivity over a desire to fulfill the particular media company's positions and the desire to spin certain topics to represent that position in the narrative. There is a reason eye witness accounts are seen as a weak sort of proof or evidence in most civilized state's courts of law. The very same issue concerning eye witness accounts are present in first person social media "news" that is often a grainy 5 second edited video clip. Such clips are often used as "news" by reporters and editors who know that they are not very good sources of information. Because of the operational bias being so deep rooted, today the press often are seen as trustworthy as politicians, a group who have record high levels of distrust. We have already seen FB put its finger on the scales to push their corporate views in the form of "news". Whose to ensure this from happening again? In short until government asserts some standard as to what is the press/new/media, people will continue to distrust many sources and feel their way to the "truth." This outcome, feeling ones way to the truth over having the information upon which you can make rational informed decisions, is course is exactly what failure of the fourth estate looks like.

Not just America, but American Military Officers...they were the ones who wrote Japan's constitution. Here's the catch, it was light-years more progressive than the ones being offered by Japanese. I believe that I recall that the US only undertook the writing of the constitution after Japanese submitted a draft that was not anit-military enough nor did it enfranchise Japanese women. It was the failure of Japanese in immediate post war period to seize the opportunity presented them by America and produce a modern constitution befitting a representative democracy that led to US officers having to write it themselves. Of course it's been amended a few times and tweaked a bit, not much, but some. So its not fair to say that the extant constitution was written by the US but the bulk of it comes straight from the US version.

This has woked out so well in Europe, why not have these people in the US as well? Fifth-column comes to mind.

All of the snark on this board...equals a bunch of smug expat westerners doing what they do best, dishing on anything no in the mainstream, center-left spectrum of good/bad. I for one think that these Olympic athletes have proven themselves enough, way beyond what most of these drive by critics on this site have, to be trusted to choose what they want to eat. Good for them! Criticism is cheap and common.

by diversity they mean anti-white....this is why "diversity" is such a hot button issue. No one, well hardly anyone, is against the idea of having a diverse set of actors. The problem arises when we celebrate some and demonize others...so we celebrate the otherness of actors who are black or women playing parts that were written for characters who are not of the actors gender or color while we demonize white men, specifically, for taking rolls that do not match their perceived race. The debate boils down to the person either taking a classic view of racism, that is the judging of someone based on their race or perceived race, either positively or negatively or by taking a Marxist view of race, which centers on power within a system and not so much about the actual race of the person. The latter only promises conflict where the former allows for a post-racial outcome. This is why talking about race is moot...if the outcome is post-racial then it must be post-racial for everyone. We can't celebrate race on Tues only to demonize it on Friday. So elites like Mat Damon can afford to play the game but working actors know very well that there is a downside in being limited by race or expecting movies to have racial quotas when it comes actors.

This is cool, I'm going to get one. I agree they should have added Tecmo Super Bowl...but it will be nice to run some laps around the field with ole Walter Payton.

Abe does so knowing that the US has his back. It's time the US left Japan to their own defense. I'm sick of our sons and daughters putting their American lives on the line for a country that hates us as much as Japan does. General Douglas MacArthur was correct, Japan is a nation of grown children. Until they are forced to think/act and defend themselves they will keep protesting the US troops on Monday only to hide behind our troops on Tuesday when China enters "their" waters. Time to grow up Japan.

So the US now will have to back up little Japan even more than they have been while the Japanese can continue to hate us Monday through Thursday but Love us when Chinese ships sail into these disputed waters on the weekend.

It's easy, leave Japan to the Chinese and move US assets to Guam. Make Guam and other West Pacific US territory into a US state and then dare China to cross the line. Let Japan worry about Japan. The Japanese hate us, they use these rare base events as a perpetual rally cry, so let them have it....leave Oki and let the JSD move in.

The US should leave Japan...the Japanese hate us, let them defend themselves. As soon as they become fully responsible for their own defense they will see how sweet they had it under the US defense umbrella. Until then they will continue to hate us while relying on us. Let the Japanese on Okinawa figure out how to defend themselves from China. Maybe they want to be part of that totalitarian state...if so, let them go. The lives of US service members should not be put on the line for a country that uses them as political fodder and who serve only as the raison d'etre around which so Japanese activist are focused. American lives are just not worth risking for a country like Japan that seems to want to have the best of both worlds. Let the Japanese figure out how to defend themselves while keeping their naive pacifist views. Bring our boys home and let's start focusing on our own defense. Leave Japan to its own...if they fall or become a puppet of China, that's their loss.

She's not anti-police, she's just pro-getting-rich-off-cultural-fads. Like most of the social issues in the US the anti-police one is a fad that has enjoyed more than its 15 minutes in the spotlight.