oginome comments

Thank you Japan Today, for putting that link at the bottom of the article.

Truly sad case, RIP. Better mental health support is needed everywhere.

@gokai_wo_maneku

I know that the vaccine rollout is really late. But at the same time, due to the discipline of the Japanese people, masks are worn and people socially distance, so our infection rate is a small fraction of other countries like the USA or Brazil or India, just to name a few.

What 'discipline'? I live in Tokyo and have seen barely any of this so-called discipline from people here in the last year. People don't even wear their masks correctly, I saw one guy yesterday wearing a mask that only covered his bottom lip... Fashion statement? Social distancing doesn't exist in any way, I barely see anyone use the hand sanitisers that are available at the entrance to convenience stores. What does it say when only the gaijin is using the hand sanitiser... Trains are still crowded and packed as usual from what I hear, I saw restaurants filled up with people during Golden Week 'state of emergency' when I went for my walks. Please do tell me where this discipline is. The infection rate is a small fraction of other countries only because testing is also at a small fraction.

The way Japan has handled COVID has been a disaster, it's all been so dishonest, sneaky, underhanded from the government. Has seriously made me consider whether I want to continue living here.

It's easy to be disgusted, but try being in her shoes and see if you react differently.

If she was being sexually harassed, then I hope this is brought to light and her co-worker loses his job. My comment was directed at sakurasuki's assertion that disabled people caused annoyance to those around them. You're not digusted by his/her statement?

This woman has daily work that need to be done, as mentioned that her coworker has a handicap. Some handicap can be really become annoying to people who in close proximity. This article just mentioned a little what she need to face, day by day.

Disgusting. Why is this comment allowed to remain posted mods? You delete comments that are far less offensive.

But Japan is ''doing well' according to some posters on this site. 15,000 virus patients unable to gain access to any level of proper health care is obscene in such a wealthy society with all the advanced medical technology and infrastructure they have. Hospital beds per thousand are some of the highest in the world here, which makes this all the more maddening. Could the government not have made a deal with these private hospitals to take COVID patients, a financial incentive of sorts? Private hospitals refusing to treat COVID patients because they're worried other prospective (money-making) patients will stay away is not a good look.

Putting the burden on public hospitals when they are so many private ones is not good.

Well, put this in perspective. Japan has had 5,000 deaths while the USA has more than 400,000 deaths, and at the USA rate, Japan would have more than 130,000 deaths. So Japan is doing pretty well. Not as well as Taiwan or Viet Nam, but still, doing pretty well.

Gokai, why do you keep trying to make Japan's situation looked good by comparing it to the USA as if America is the only country worth comparing to? America's sitation is a complete disaster because they have one of the most unequal societies in the developed world along with woeful to non-existent public health care services. This, along with their obesity problem and the fact that they had a fascist in charge of the White House throughout the near entirety of the pandemic meant that everything was obviously going to go to sh*t, quick and fast.

What's Japan's excuse? It has a much healthier population that America. This, combined with a likely ancestral immunity of sorts to the virus should all have been factors in its favour no? Yet, still, its death rate is somehow many times higher than its East Asian neighbours.. Not just Taiwan and Vietnam (did you specifically name these countries on purpose since Japan's relations with them are relatively better?). China, South Korea, Mongolia, China and Hong Kong are all outperforming. Hong Kong! The densely populated city that has been nearly levelled by protests and riots in the past year, with the obvious COVID risk implied, is doing better than Japan! And Japan having an older population in general doesn't provide an answer since the death rate from the virus here is FIVE TIMES higher than in the rest of the region.

Japan has been by far the most, dishonest, sneaky country with how the government has handled the virus. One of the most limited testing regimes throughout the world, countries that are many many times smaller in population size perfrom more tests on a daily basis than Japan does. Yet the population are not made aware of the discrepancy in tests per million so they only look at daily figures compared to other countries. This virus is FAR more widespread in society than you think, contact tracing has all but been given up on at this point, people are dying at home since their symptoms 'aren't severe enough' and Japan was the only country in the planet to encourage domestic travel throughout this pandemic! All to make money for businesses of course. The state of emergecy guidelines are also unbelievable in their audacity. 'Close restaurants after 8, please'. Workers are still expected to risk their health for the economy of course, there's no protection and no order to make companies avail of telework even though this could all be done. 'We don't want to infringe on personal freedoms'. HAHA. Japan does not care about personal freedoms considering there's been no change in its inhumane, work-yourself-to-death culture. If personal freedoms were a priority, the Japanese government would be genuinely overhauled this and let people know their rights.

It's the sneakiness of all this that grates.

"Oh no, NHK, please don't go around making vaccination roll-out schedules like that. It's bogus," administrative reform minister Taro Kono, who was selected to spearhead the vaccine roll-out this week, tweeted on Wednesday.

The arrogance.

The actual situation is diabolical and no-one seems to realise. The testing numbers in Japan are ridiculously low and the rate of COVID positives is alarmingly high. Why are only 5,000 being tested every day? It needs to be 100,000+ daily. In Queensland Australia they're testing 10,000+ daily with only a dozen active cases. My company tests every staff member once a week and we all wear masks in the office. Japan is on the tip of an awful COVID positive iceberg.

Dr. Hitoshi Oshitani who was/is part of the 'special government panel' in charge of the virus strategy response said that Japan would't be taking the mass testing route and that 'cluster-busting' and backwards tracing was going to be the country's plan to control this. Unfortunately, unlike Sweden which was open about its 'we're going to aim for herd immunity' approach, misguided as it ultimately may have been, Japan (as usual) was opaque, secretive and sly. You have the government panel on the one hand saying what they said, and then Koike and her goons talking about how tests would be increased massively (which of course never happened). Then you have the media reporting positive cases every day while not conveying clearly that that number comes from a very small number of tests which then leads to a false sense of security when the average Tanaka compares it to daily numbers in Europe and America. Then we had Go to Travel/Eat, which the less said about, the better. So there's been no clarity, coordination or leadership in this whatsoever from the start. Now we'll recommend closing pubs at 8pm because the virus won't spread at work or on trains (if you're wearing your mask!), only when you're drinking in an izakaya! The whole thing is an embarassing farce and a shame for Japan. Demand accountability from your leaders people.

But still, compared to the numbers in the USA, Japan is doing pretty good. Still, I wish we were doing better.

How about comparing Japan to other East Asian countries (which I NEVER see Japanese media do)? Ironically, this 'Japan is number one' article gives us an idea of Japan's ineptitude at dealing with this virus compared to its neighbours.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/01/10/commentary/japan-commentary/west-japan-coronavirus-response/

They talk about how East Asian populations might have an inbuilt resistance to COVID because of possible pandemics thousands of years in the past, so obviously that means it is much more fair to compare Japan to its neighbours than other populations. Anyway, the writer gives the statistics which don't paint a pretty picture for Japan.

''East Asia is the star performer. The average mortality for China, Hong Kong, Mongolia, South Korea and Taiwan is 5.5 deaths per million people (DPM). Within East Asia, Japan has the highest mortality with 27 DPM.''

In Japan, the richest, most developed country in Asia, the likelihood of dying from this virus is five times higher! Can you explain this? Or will you put your fingers in your ear and do the 'blablabla, we're doing better than Europe and USA, no, not listening, take it somewhere else!!' response?

Saving face and looking good in the eyes of the world is like the most important thing for Japan. Even at the expense of its own citizens. Really really sad.

No. In fact, I don't even consider Japan a first-world country, as most countries in 'the West' are; and I'm not even being facetious. It seems first-world at first glance, but spend any amount of time here and you see it for what it is. A friend once summed it up well: "A third-world country with a very thin, and rapidly thinning, first-world veneer"

Oh dear. If Japan is a third world country with a first world veneer, what does that make the USA? A post-apocalyptic wasteland?

You are comparing old games layout and features with new developed games. That is REALLY narrow minded. Of course you get a different look at it then. And I don't think you have played FF7, 'Let's save the world' is not the plot there. And when you understand the story, it's obviously not a muddled mess. Most of this interaction, characters and story line is later on based on new FF games. It's great that you find other FF games better, probably the latest is the best? That's got 3D and comes very close to real characters.

I think the one who's narrow minded is you, assuming that because I say don't like FF7, that means I must not have played it. What? Trust me, I've played FF7 more than once, (I was a massive JRPG fan in my early teens) and it doesn't hold up at all today. FF9 came out four years after 7, they were both developed for the same system and the features and layout and gameplay is similar in both games, the main difference is FF9 happens to be good while 7 isn't. And you're wrong about the 'latest is best' assumption, FF10 is one of my least favourite games ever, I even prefer 7. And the less said about 13, the better.

FF7 is certainly NOT overrated, people who think so have NOT played the game and so do NOT understand/know the deeper meaning of the story. Liking the other FF games above 7 is something else. Also, FF7 has the only unique concept where the music still is being played in concerts for people to get those great memories back when playing the game. I am sure I will :)... GO CLOUD!!

Except I have played FF7. What's so special about it that sets it apart from the other FF games? The characters are 2-D cardboard cut outs with little character development and next to no interaction and the plot is the usual 'let's save the world' type of the thing with the usual anime tropes. Not saying FF9's story is amazingly unique, but the way it's presented is leagues ahead of the muddled mess that is FF7. Not to mention the fact that the characers in 9 are actually fully fleshed out and interact with each other in a way that's believable. 9 is the only FF game where I felt transported to another world, and this is coming from someone that also enjoyed 7 and 8 as a child. I'll give you the music, the FF7 soundtrack is good, but even then I think 8's is better.

I think Darknuts didnt really mean a sequel but some proper follow up in the series. FF9, 10 11 etc While looking great have been a complete disappointment. FF7 and FF8 have been absolutely the best FF games in my opinion and both had a great system, Materia and Junction. The only problem with ff8 was that you had to draw magic to max it out heh.

FF9 is the best game in the series, so much better than the overrated FF7 and 8.

Well, you are to an extent right and there is nothing wrong with wanting to put national interests first for the greater good of the nation to get its people off its feet. And you don't need to educate me, but thanks for the kind gesture.

So you're a mercantilist and you don't believe the US should abide by free market principles, then.

Hmmm, did your country help to make it better? Did your country make a difference? Who else was there in full force besides the US? And you never mentioned the corruption that has been going on in Haiti for years and years. Where is your outrage? Why was it that there was so much corruption with a lot of the humanitarian services, some from the US and others from overseas. Don't start and don't get off on a tangent. If you want to believe that lie, you are more than welcome to do so.

Thank God my country didn't 'make it better' if what you think making it better is what the US did. And bringing up corruption in Haiti doesn't change the fact that the US took advantage of another country's enaction of neo-liberalism to uphold its own protectionism.

He is partially right, but mostly wrong. But I am for advocating giving jobs to qualified Americans first and it's a good thing.

How am I mostly wrong? Are you really not able to understand or are you (as I suspect) obfuscating and not facing up to the truth?

And oginome is right, the free market is not about putting national interests first, it's about unrestricted competition between privately-owned businesses.

Thank you cleo. Interesting how Republicans see free market economics as an enact science that will bring prosperity to everyone if followed correctly, but yet don't seem to want to follow these principles themselves.

Who says it is illegal? Who is going to hold America to account for this "manufactured" pretext for justifying war?

You're not aware of international law? The Iraq war was illegal. It met the critieria for War of Aggression. The US as a member of the UN and as a permanent member of the security council has to abide by the rules, just like all nations do. Unfortunately, hypocritical US has shown a consistent and disturbing tendency to demand other countries comply with international law it while it feels it can disregard it whenever it wants. American exceptionalism in action.

No I do not. To me the Iraq war was a chance for the UN to asset it's relevance. It has proven to be impotent without the US military. Now I think the US should quite the UN and only associate on issues of common international interest on an ad hoc basis. Why should the US sweat over the useless resolutions and condemnations that are passed by the UN Security Council. Hussein can gas his people and that's cool. Assad is doing it and the UN isn't doing anything about it. Why have a UN when it does nothing but should about the inhumanity of man and does nothing about it. Seriously, how relevant is the UN now with 136,000 people killed in Syria? The UN is worse than a joke - it is a cruel joke.

So basically you're saying the US doesn't have to follow international law again? That it can invade any country it wants, and isn't answerable to anyone? Imperialism in action. The arrogance of the US is unbelievable. And acting like you actually care about the welfare of the people in these countries is hilarious. What about the injustices perpetrated against American citizens by its government within its own borders, the lack of universal health care, the NSA spying scandal, completely riding roughshod over those amendments Americans are always shouting about?

America spent much more then it will ever make back by any of the relatively small business ventures that US companies may be participating in post war Iraq.

The US has never been one for long term planning or looking at the consequences of its action. Look at the declining state of the US economy since the early 1980s when short-termism began to dominate economic thinking. The same applies to the military. Plus the US has the miliary industrial complex, and this depends on the US being in a state of 'perpetual war'.

You and I seen to agree on this point. I think the US should leave the world to fend for itself and disentangle itself from the UN. America should be more concerned with it's own national interests than that of the "international community".

Yes, the US should leave the UN so it can continue its imperialism unabashed without those annoying UN restrictions such as having to respect human rights and other countries' sovereignty holding it back, right? The US leaves the UN, it becomes a rogue state, one that threatens and invades other countries. In this situation, its only right that the rest of the world imposes sanctions on this nuclear-armed, war mongering menace to world peace.

No, sir, I know full well what a FREE market is, but we keep dancing around, I am for employing Americans first as an American, once those jobs have been filled my high tech and skilled Americans, then we can branch out, pure and simple. It helps the country, the private sector and our economy, that is FREE market.

That's still not what the free market is. You need to educate yourself badly. Putting national interests first is not free market capitalism. It's mercantilism as I need to keep pointing to you.

Sorry, I don't care about Haiti, I want to help those people, I feel sorry for them, but my priority is to see Americans help and take care of Americans first.

Your country helped make Haiti even more impoverished then it already was by robbing Haitians of the one thing they had left : food self-sufficiency. This was achieved through deceit and trickery, by forcing Haiti to enact neo-liberal reforms and the US taking advantage of this to further sustain its own protectionism. Disgusting.

No, it's not. Of course, the country has and should take care of its people first and allow them to flourish with all the opportunities Capitolism allows in OUR country for OUR people. Once that need has been met, then I don't see a problem with helping others.

That is not how it works at all. Do you even know what free-market capitalism is? If you're going to argue that the US should help its own first, then that's fine, but don't call it the 'free market' because that's definitely not what it is. You're advocating mercantilism. And 'helping others'? Really? By doing what? Forcing these poorer countries to enact neo-liberal reforms so their markets ended up getting flooded with cheaper products from other countries thereby depriving them of the ability to develop their own industries? For the US to 'recommend' these measures while not implementing them on itself smakes of hypocrisy and deceit and yes, even gross stupidity from those who can't or are not willing to see the contradiction.

To get a good example of this famous American hypocrisy, look up Miami rice to get an example of how protectionist US has dumped rice from subsidised American farmers into Haiti all in the name of the 'free market', in the process destroying what little there was of the agricultural industry in Haiti.

No, sorry. I'm talking about specifically the FREE market in the US, NOT internationally. Internationally, what the US does globally, fine. But domestically, raise homegrown talent first. we need to take care of our own first.

So it's OK for the US to force other countries to adopt neo-liberal measures while it protects its own markets? That's hypocrisy on the highest level.

And even if it wasn't hypocrisy, 'taking care of our own first' is still going against the type of capitalism that the US preaches and is so desperate for ther rest of the world to take on board. Isn't the US supposed to lead by example?

I don't recall saying that I require sex for services rendered. Still, it would be an improvement I suppose.

I didn't say you said that. I asked you what you meant. And gross @ your answer. Proving my point.

Utter BS! There are millions of home talent, home grown, highly skilled and highly educated! Millions! Where they can easily make huge profits and see high returns! Why look OUTSIDE just to save money, when you can give someone, a NATIVE person, mind you a job. Fill those jobs first. Then once those jobs have been filled with Americans, be my guest. I am sick and tired of all these big corporations trying to save money by paying someone from Sri Lanka less, than paying an American.

You're advocating mercantilism again. This is going against what the free market economics that the US is always preaching other countries should follow.

Those books are badly written. They don't deserve the sacrosanct status they have. If you want fantasy novels that children and adults can read without their eyes bleeding, go for the Philip Pullman His Dark Materials series instead.

I don't have residency in Germany. So I don't have to worry about German politics. As for Apple and other Tech companies, of course it's avoidable, just give the jobs to QUALIFIED Americans FIRST, that should MANDATORY!

That doesn't make sense. Free market capitalism means giving the job to whoever is the most skilled or provides the most return on profit. Picking Americans for the job because they're American smacks of mercantilism, the very thing the US is always criticising.

No, I directly said it sounded like the opinion of a bitter Western woman. I still have no clue whether you are bitter, western or a woman. But you have the opinion of one.

Here's what you originally said in your reply to me

This sounds like the opinion of a western woman bitter from not getting the attention she feels entitled to from years of having the upper hand in the west.

You're going to pretend that wasn't aimed at me now? Come on, it was very obvious. Immediately assuming that whoever had this opinion was female was very telling. Plus, the very fact that you say these 'bitter' women have 'the upper hand in the west' shows you yourself subscribe to the self-pitying male gaijin narrative.

Then why do you sound so bitter about it?

Not bitter at all, just find entitled, spoilt behaviour from white men a bit much to take.

Fandango SpoonmonkeyFeb. 03, 2014 - 12:49AM JST

I'm not asking for much from my marriage. A little recognition of the fact that I'm busting my arse wouldn't go amiss though.

What do you mean by 'recognition'? As in thinking your wife owes you sex because you're the breadwinner?

timtakFeb. 02, 2014 - 07:41PM JST

@ oginome Wow, "Flowers in the Attic" is some harsh stuff. I have only read the wikipedia plot but it seems to blow this "lovey dovey" anime away.

It's one of the most insane books I've ever read. The sequels notch up the insanity even further. Lurid, purple prose, melodrama that makes Dynasty look insipid, and the dialogue is to die for. Much more exciting to read as a 10 year old than Enid Blyton ;)

I didn't say you are a western woman, I said it sounds like the opinion of one.

Please, it's pretty obvious what you were implying. You assumed I was female because I called out the gaijin men on their misogyny which is very real and is evident nearly every time you meet a male foreigner in Japan.

This sounds like the opinion of a western woman bitter from not getting the attention she feels entitled to from years of having the upper hand in the west.

The reason so many western male - Japanese female relationships work so well, is that both are used to being expected to treat their partners well, without receiving the reverse. So when they get together, it's a relationship where they are both treating each other well, which unsurprisingly leads to happy relationships, a low divorce rate, and mutual respect.

Truth hurts? And who said I was a Western woman in the first place? Interesting how you assume that criticism would have to come from a woman. The entitled gaijin who throws his toys out the pram when he doesn't get what he wants is a well-worn yet sadly true to life cliche, unfortunately.

Sounds tame to those of us who read Flowers In The Attic as kids.

Price fixing and they go to jail. US Banksters who almost destroy global capitalism as we know it, and ruined lots of lives globally: NOTHING. I guess two brothers were not well connected enough to the US power structure.

This. Funny how the Japan bashers on this page are acting like the US is some bastion of moral values compared to Japan when it comes to punishing economic transgressions when in fact the US is as corrupt as it gets in this area.

Oginome - If America was still occupying Iraq you would at least have an argument to make. You are not making yourself seem all that smart when you assert imperialism. What is the great benefit the US accrued by removing Hussein's regime? Does the US have control of Iraq's oil? Was the leadership in Iraq put in power by the American government? The answer to both questions is no. A textbook example of imperialism was Japan's annexation ok Korea in 1911.

I really can not rebut your argument about the use of drones in places like Pakistan and Sudan; you make a good point there.

The Iraq war was based on the information from multiple countries and the UN. They were all deceived. Hussein played a dangerous game and lost - despite the support of people like yourself.

The US manufactured a pretext to justify its illegal invasion of a sovereign country, illegally, in defiance of the UN. Imperialism in action. Iraq's oil market was completely closed prior to its occupation by the US army. Now the Western MNCs, some of them American are owned, have set up shop there and are currently raking in profits. Iraq has little to no control over its oil supply in 2014. And just because the US has officially surrendered control of Iraq doesn't suddenly mean it's not imperialist. Bizarre logic. The fact that it occupied in the first place is where you'll see the imperialism.

Of course you'll agree with me about Obama. Democrats are everything that's wrong with the US and only right wing nut jobs can save your country from itself. Right.

The UN and 'multiple countries' were deceived? Really? What information was the US privy to that eluded these multiple other countries? From what I can see, the US seemed to have been gravely misled about those elusive WMDs that were never discovered. This 'error' which costs tens of thousands of deaths and destroyed the lives of millions suggest that America has no business being a member of the international community until it has been made to account for its gross misconduct and war crimes.

Women lose their sex drive, men retain it forever(seemingly). There is nothing foreign or Japanese about it. Some foreigners might have the wrong pretext of what a Japanese woman is, based on what they think of them through anime and x rated films. Japanese women aren't their foreign husband's sexslaves. Just like any decent man, you need to romance your way into bed. A good start is a foot massage with oil. remember, sex is never free!

Too many American and European men in Japan are entitled and self-pitying. They should take this advice on board.