OkiTaroSan comments

What I find most interesting about this article is "There are 87,000 + Chinese exchange students in Japan, twice as many as 10 years ago, and as we worry about Japanese men and their pick up styles and success when chasing Japanese women, Japan has fallen to #2 spot in manufacturing and related business statistics, and those 87,000 students are picking up, and taken home, more than Japanese girls. The next big question should be, How many Japanese women are moving to China??????? I seriously doubt those Chinese boys are bringing their Japanese girlfriends home to Mother....

And, as I ride the trains in Tokyo, and look at those young Japanese girls - with their cell phones in one hand, and make up mirror in the other, I say, I stick with their mothers......

87,000 Exchange students......Japan government had better get their act together.....Nanking payback is coming fast....

OkiTaroSan

For Okimike67........I do agree with your comments. Having said that I still think Tanaka got sacked for letting his guard down, especially so new to his post, and making a stupid comment thinking he could get away with it. All in all, I think the original plan of moving Futenma had a reasonable chance of becoming reality - that is, until Ogawa, Hatoyama, and others in the DPJ made promises to the people of Okinawa they could not keep, and either knew it, or were to stupid to think they could get away with it.......and in the end it is coming back to bite the DPJ, and the Japan government, in the butt.....

I doubt very seriously we will see it come to reality - an if it does - it will not be without a fight.

OkiTaroSan Naha, Okinawa

Generally speaking, comments made while drinking, and when the speaker is more than slightly drunk, anything said is "forgotten" and not mentioned the following day. As an example, drinking at a NiJiKai (party after the party), where people tend to look the other way. But, here today, we are not talking about days of old, before WWII and 1945 - we are talking about a Japanese Government Official, holding an important post in the Japanese Governement (Tanaka San is not a Politician - but a career governement employee) who is just DUMB enough to make a statement in such a way that it is an INSULT to Okinawa (and that includes every person who lives here). As my mother told me, after smacking me across the face with the back of her hand, "It is not what you say, but the way you say it" that gets you in trouble.

And, boy, does he have a hangover. Actually, he has three of them, the newspapers, his boss, and worst of all HIS WIFE (can you imagine - he comes home and gets no O'KarriNasai - O'Tsukare Sama - Just "How can you be so BAKA to open your big mouth and say stupid things like that" How can I go shopping tomorrow - where all the neighbors know I am married to an AxxHxxE,

Just a thought from my side,

OkiTaroSan....... Naha, Okinawa

While there are places, situations where religous preferences (veils etc) should be set aside, people should not be restricted from wearing religous symbols etc. As long as people do not try to push their religouse beliefs on me, telling me I am a "sinner" etc, everyone has the right to express their religouse beliefs.

This is a quick message with more to follow after I read the comments from other people.

There are many religions, and we have different names for the same God or Supreme Being we believe in, but there is only one God.

OkiTaroSan

This is very sad situation and for sure, OjiChan will carry this tragedy to his grave. One can assume the 2 year old might have been sitting in the front seat and baby in the back seat. Whatever the case, as someone mentioned, if he was taking the kids to nursery everyday - the staff should not have taken it for granted he was bringing only one child for the day. It should be part of their training, at all levels, to question the unexected. As more and more people rely on nurseries for child care, and the need for such facilities increase daily, the safety training for staff should be increased and strictly enforced. I am surprised how often I see Nursery School buses loaded with kids, often gathered at the back window of the bus, and not safely belted into their seats. Often times, the bus driver is the only staff on the bus responsible for a gaggle of kids.

There is no need for us to discuss this tragedy any further. I am sure that Grandfather is totally devistated.

OkiTaroSan