Posted in: Trump denies downplaying virus, casts doubt on mask usage See in context
Trump added. “I’m not looking to be dishonest.
Yeah, he's not. His dishonesty just comes out all naturally for him.
8 ( +12 / -4 )
Posted in: Trump denies downplaying virus, casts doubt on mask usage See in context
If it wasn't so serious, I am really looking forward to this election in November. It is going to be all Biden's to lose.
1 ( +5 / -4 )
Posted in: Japanese airline removes passenger refusing to wear face mask See in context
@Serrano
Yeah, there's no way the virus can find its way over, under or around those (plastic face shields)!
The same with face masks. But what we're trying to do is limit the viral transmission as much as possible so I'd rather share a plane with somebody with a plastic face shield rather than without one.
I just shake my head when I see those.
The same argument could be said about motorcycle helmets by some people (especially by those living in countries where they're not compulsory. ) It all comes down to our perception of things. They might look silly but they might just save us one day.
-2 ( +2 / -4 )
Posted in: Peach plane diverts to Niigata airport to offload passenger who refused to wear a mask See in context
Yeah, but it does not have to be a significant one or even the main one. In a country that does not hug, shake hands, or kiss much, where natural social distancing was already greater than elsewhere, where even children are made so busy they hardly have time to visit friends, where in so many aspects cleanliness seems more important than mental health, where diets are head and shoulders above the diet in many other countries, masks may or may not be so significant.
I totally agree that other factors (besides wearing masks) might have more of a significant effect on the number of covid cases in Japan, especially the lack of shaking hands and hugging in its culture, but surely you cannot disagree that masks do have an effect? Please check Shaolin74's posts.
Worth an emergency landing?
Whether it was considered an emergency landing or not, the man didn't abide by the rules of the airline. These are made for the safety of all passengers, and I'm sure the airline asked the passengers to wear masks before boarding the plane. He caused a disruption, and there would be protocols that the airline must follow in situations like these, so they decided to divert and land as soon as possible. I do agree though that it would have been better for everyone involved if this incident had happened before they started 'clearing the runway for takeoff.' The fact that he wasn't wearing a mask is not the reason they landed in Niigata. He refused to follow the rules of the airline, and is now paying the price.
0 ( +2 / -2 )
Posted in: Peach plane diverts to Niigata airport to offload passenger who refused to wear a mask See in context
Donald Henderson for one, as well as a bunch of doctors throughout the medical profession, say they (masks) don’t work.
Donald Henderson seemed to be referring to self protection by wearing facial masks. I think it's common knowledge that they won't really protect you from viruses if you wear one. My argument was that the wearing of facial masks gives some form of protection for others. There are many factors, but if you compare Japan with many other countries, wearing masks has to be one factor that has suppressed this virus.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Peach plane diverts to Niigata airport to offload passenger who refused to wear a mask See in context
Wearing mask will not save you from the virus, you will only hurting yourself and lower your immune system ....
Wearing masks will not save you directly but if everyone does it will. Please scroll up and read the virologist Shaolin74's posts. You will get a better understanding of how effective masks are. Then look at the statistics in Japan (a nation of mask wearers) and you will understand even more. I don't why you would say that wearing a mask lowers your immune system. Eating bad food and not getting enough sleep would do more damage.
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Peach plane diverts to Niigata airport to offload passenger who refused to wear a mask See in context
According to the data from the CDC the chances of dying from covid 19 is 0.04 %.
Worldwide, it's actually 3.4%. Imagine if all countries decide to go the herd immunity way. Hospitals will become overloaded and have to start telling people (who are barely breathing) that there's nothing they can do, so please go home. THAT is what's going to happen! You can't argue against that!
I'm also concerned about the long term health complications that nobody really knows what they are...
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Peach plane diverts to Niigata airport to offload passenger who refused to wear a mask See in context
Shaolin74, thank you very much! I'm not a virologist but everything you posted makes sense to me and I can't understand why some people consistently disagree with the value of wearing face masks.
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: Peach plane diverts to Niigata airport to offload passenger who refused to wear a mask See in context
If people seriously believe they are protected if they wear magic masks, why destroy other peoples human rights if they don’t choose to wear masks?
I don't think many people DO believe that they are protected if they wear a mask. What most of us do understand though, is that we are more protected if OTHERS wear a mask around us. Consideration for others is a good thing. Would you not agree?
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: Annual dolphin hunt starts in Wakayama whaling town See in context
As a lover of all kinds of meat I am being hypocritical, but killing animals for food consumption is cruel. I think that the perceived level of cruelty is based on many factors, including culture. I have seen crabs and prawns packed in plastic wrapping for sale at supermarkets in Japan. Looking at them closely, they are still alive, suffocating away.... Obviously for the sake of freshness. To me, this is down right cruel. But to others, they can only think of these animals as food, not as living creatures, and are more than happy to purchase the product.
3 ( +3 / -0 )
Posted in: Sapporo, Osaka make LGBT couples eligible to receive support money See in context
Bugle Boy of Company B
I’m against this decision.
Why are you against it? Is it because they are not legally married?
Do you support them not having to pay taxes then?
Or are you against anybody, being legally married, from getting this support?
7 ( +9 / -2 )
Posted in: Convenience store worker arrested for assaulting customer over handling change See in context
When I use the highways and I have to pay cash, I always held my wallet in front of the clerk at the mount station, so that the clerk can put my change directly in my wallet.
Monty, when paying for something, do you also ask the clerk to take the 'infected' money out of your wallet as well?
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: What do you think about the coronavirus contact tracing app that some countries are urging their citizens to download? See in context
@theFu
I'm not a programmer at all but if what you say is true, I stand corrected. I based my opinion on the app that the Australian government released and I could not see whether they were able to physically trace where you were using GPS. My point is that I feel people jump to conclusions that the main reason to produce an app like this is for the government to spy on them. Like you said, Google and Apple do it, but people still seem to allow them to do that by buying their products/services. When it comes to something like this app. though, people don't realize the benefit we all could get from it to help control Covid 19.
-2 ( +0 / -2 )
Posted in: What do you think about the coronavirus contact tracing app that some countries are urging their citizens to download? See in context
Interesting to see people jumping to conclusions that the government wants to get as much information from their people as possible. This 'Covid 19 tracker' App is just that. It allows you to know if you were in close contact with anyone who gets diagnosed with the virus in the last certain number of days. It doesn't track your everyday movements. It just recognises whether you were in close proximity to the carrier (if they too also has the app.), not where you were exactly at the time of risk.
You probably passed on more information to collect your ¥100,000 but never really thought about the government trying to track you then?
-4 ( +2 / -6 )
Posted in: TV personality Bobby Ologun arrested on domestic abuse charge See in context
I can't believe people are saying that his wife shouldn't have called the police!! If you get assaulted, who should you call??
Also, unfortunately for Bobby's career, this is (at least) his second report of assault (I think he assaulted his manager before this), I can't see him being asked to continue being on TV. Whether his origins are from another country/culture or not, you wouldn't expect his career to last. Look at Shimada Shinsuke, one of the elite television personalities, whose career started to falter after he assaulted a woman by spitting in her face (apparently he later admitted to having ties with a crime family). The Japanese are not forgiving, even for Japanese born people.
0 ( +4 / -4 )
Posted in: Many pachinko parlors stay open despite state of emergency See in context
But the quickest and most effective way for everything to return to normal, is to stop the spread. You do this by making sure people stay home and only go out for ESSENTIAL NEEDS ONLY. Pachinko is NOT...I repeat IS NOT an essential need by any stretch of the imagination.
And as I said earlier, if these greedy business owners don't comply, they are only prolonging the recovery process, and prohibiting other businesses from returning to normal sooner. This jeopardizes people's health, their lives, and their livelihoods. And if people choose not to comply and refuse to cooperate, then YEAH, the government needs to start taking more drastic steps to get it under control.
@Mirai Hayashi
I agree! It has to be 'one in ALL in' if we really want to control this virus. Unfortunately though, the constitution does not allow for the government to force lockdowns in Japan. The best the government can do is make everyone understand how important it is to close down until the end of Golden Week. I totally agree that some 'thoughtless' business owners who decide to stay open are not helping the situation at all and are probably prolonging it, so they have to realize that in the end they are not helping our society to get back to any sense of normality, and therefore not helping their industry in the long run either.
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: 4-year-old boy hit, killed by bus; driver arrested See in context
Why couldn't the parents have waited for the bus to fully pass before getting onto the crosswalk, more than likely they were in a blindspot.
RGCIVILIAN1 - The law states that traffic should give way to pedestrians on the crosswalk, hence the arrest of the driver. Japanese pedestrian crossings are useless because traffic simply does not stop for people who are about to cross. I don't understand why the police don't patrol these areas. It is so dangerous that I feel it is safer to jaywalk as at least you know that you are responsible for your own safety and will be more aware of your surroundings, as compared to being in your so called 'safety zone' and being oblivious to the dangers of using a pedestrian crossing.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Japanese customs: A guide in a coronavirus world? See in context
A very balanced article compared to the people leaving comments. I wish they would read the article instead of jumping to the comments section. They might actually learn something.
Japantime I tend to agree with you there. The article is about the possibilities of 'why' Japan is not in a situation similar to America, Spain or Italy. The article gives people's ideas of what they think is the reason. OK, some people might think that the Japanese aren't as clean as what they mention in the article. Their opinion is based on what they've experienced themselves whilst being in Japan, and I can sort of see where they're coming from, but this article is trying to find out the reason why Covid 19 hasn't hit Japan as hard as America etc. Some people have said it could be just plain luck, but I also really believe that culture is playing a big part of it.
-3 ( +1 / -4 )
Posted in: Japan extends calls to avoid nightclubs, bars to all prefectures See in context
Japan will allow governors of all 47 prefectures to "strongly request" that their residents refrain from visiting nightclubs, hostess bars and busy downtown spots
Is it just me or shouldn't the government just "strongly request" everybody not to go out ANYWHERE during this difficult time? I'm sure nightclubs and hostess bars are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these cluster zones. Why pinpoint certain areas/industries when pretty much you can pick up this terrible virus whenever you're out and about?
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Barbers, 'izakaya,' dept stores, DIY shops to be off Tokyo's closure request list See in context
Possibly the time of 8 p.m. for closures of 'Izakayas' was decided on to stop people from doing the traditional Izakaya equivalence of 'bar hopping' and suppressing the spread of Covid 19 by keeping patrons at the one establishment? No way near 100% effective, and I still think lockdown is the only way to go.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Many schools in Japan reopen after monthlong coronavirus shutdown See in context
"I hope the school will teach her hand-washing habits and other aspects of hygiene," she added.
So that is what schools are for? Where is the parental responsibility?
TokyoTelegraph - Exactly!!! Schools are expected to ridiculously do so much.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Man jumps on bullet train tracks during questioning over voyeuristic filming of woman See in context
Why do some people enjoy making their situation worse?
Because people like him commit crimes and really believe they will get away with it!
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Diet OKs simultaneous streaming by NHK See in context
its very easy , if they have no laws that fine you or threaten penalties for non payment then just dont pay its simple. Forcing the J governement to mandate laws to punish people for non payment wont happen, too many elderly that cant or wont pay and the J government dont want to pee of those voters. I will never pay this extortion fee until a court hearing or legal fine is presented to me for non compliance, or the fee is mandated as another tax enforced by J law. your move NHK
WTF Japan, I agree. I also wonder why the 'law' states you must pay NHK the fee but when you buy a brand new TV from the store, the seller never mentions anything about the 'compulsory' NHK charge incurred for having the TV. The legalities of it all is very unclear. How could anybody happily pay the fee when NHK employees are embezzling the revenue earned through these subscriptions and a certain percentage of people just plainly refuse to pay it?
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Diet OKs simultaneous streaming by NHK See in context
The broadcaster has already decided to cut the subscription fee starting in October 2020, a year after a consumption tax hike scheduled for this October.
Doesn't this mean we won't be expected to pay for NHK from October of next year?? Why is everybody complaining?
-4 ( +0 / -4 )
Posted in: Train etiquette: Top 10 inconsiderate behaviors that tick Japanese train commuters off the most See in context
Totally agree with afanofjapan! You need your personal space of at least 30cm, in front of you, not particularly BEHIND you. So why take up the extra space behind you on a crowded train with your backpack when you can conserve space by wearing your backpack in front of you AND guarantee that personal space at the front. It's a no-brainer and also shows a little bit of consideration for others! People who wear backpacks on their back during peak hours are saying that they don't need the space in front of their face??
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Is a common Japanese phrase for 'goodbye' the reason for Japan’s crazy overtime hours? See in context
What about the "meiwaku wo kakeruto omoukedo" when a new father announces the birth of his child to his fellow staff members? This should be a time of happiness and not having to apologize by saying that your new child is a burden on everyone you work with!
10 ( +10 / -0 )
Posted in: German car attack may have been religiously motivated, prosecutors say
They lead in soon hitting the ground after jumping over the edge.
Posted in: Facebook, TikTok harden EU commitment to tackle disinformation -- but not X
Posted in: Japan will decide its defense spending on its own, based on the prevailing security environment.
Posted in: Race walker and Olympic silver medalist Koki Ikeda suspended 4 years for doping