Japan Today

proteus7 comments

Posted in: Remote-control VR robots to start working in Japanese convenience stores this summer See in context

As foreigner from N. America, I find most store clerks in convenience stores in Japan to be cold and impersonal. Clerks seem to be reading off a script for the most part and have no concept of rapport or repeat business. You may go to the same store for years and be served by the same clerks, but they behave as if they don’t even recognize you. Being treated by another human being in such a callous manner is incredibly off putting. At least with robots the customer will be spared that.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan to stiffen rules for foreign university student enrollment after 1,600 go AWOL See in context

Agree with MarkX.

Lakeland University?! Seriously?!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Inside the mind of a Japanese manager accused of 'power harassment' See in context

Whether or not this fellow’s actions constituted power harassment is debatable. Did he have a poor relationship with his co-workers before becoming a manager? Any history? Also, we don’t know the context or the tone. There could be professional jealousy involved and, I know from personal experience, Japanese men are mortified over public embarrassment. It’s not unknown for workers to twist the truth or outright lie to support their own agenda or that of the higher-ups.

Regardless, it would appear this fellow has a case; according to Japanese Labor Law. It doesn’t appear that he was given a verbal warning. And, a reasonable amount of time to comply. It doesn’t appear that he was given a written warning. And, a reasonable amount of time to comply. Before he was terminated. Hope he has employment insurance.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: Half-Indian elephant trainer crowned Miss Japan See in context

I'm not saying that this young lady and Ms. Miyamoto were not deserving of their wins. Quite the opposite.

But, fairness has never been high on the agenda when it comes to mixed race or non-white foreigners in Japan.

I also agree with Tanuki, Japan seems to be going out of its' way to appear "ethnically" diverse and racially tolerant.

-4 ( +7 / -11 )

Posted in: Up to 90 million more Takata airbag inflators may face U.S. recalls See in context

Why hasn't this company been fined or legislated out of existence?! If they could weather this storm for so long, then they obviously had enough capital to produce a better product than they did. Enough is enough.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Calls for boycott of Oscars grow over diversity of nominees See in context

If over 90% of the Academy is white, in all probability there is some form of negative bias, prejudice or implicit racism in play. Not to mention racism of the flat out variety.

Studio owners, producers and directors are dictating the narrative. Last year a Sony exec decided that Denzel Washington didn’t have “international appeal” because the international movie viewing audience was/is racist. Sounds more like wishful thinking, projection or transference. How do they know the international movie viewing audience is racist? Did they ask them? Have they conducted market research in all the world’s countries? Making economic and social decisions based on ethnicity and/or skin color is the cause of most of the social unrest in the States today.

Why does this matter in Japan? Racism and discrimination wastes human capital and all its’ present and future potential and contributions. Therefore, it should be eradicated everywhere.

As for “artistic merit”, is it the black actors who are lacking in talent and versatility or is it the roles and productions in which they are cast (or, in most cases, typecast)?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Clooney says Oscars moving backwards on diversity See in context

If over 90% of the Academy is white, in all probability there is some form of negative bias, prejudice or implicit racism in play. Not to mention racism of the flat out variety.

Studio owners, producers and directors are dictating the narrative. Last year a Sony exec decided that Denzel Washington didn’t have “international appeal” because the international movie viewing audience was/is racist. Sounds more like wishful thinking, projection or transference. How do they know the international movie viewing audience is racist? Did they ask them? Have they conducted market research in all the world’s countries? Making economic and social decisions based on ethnicity and/or skin color is the cause of most of the social unrest in the States today.

Why does this matter in Japan? Racism and discrimination wastes human capital and all its’ present and future potential and contributions. Therefore, it should be eradicated everywhere.

As for “artistic merit”, is it the black actors who are lacking in talent and versatility or is it the roles and productions in which they are cast (or, in most cases, typecast)?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Family branded welfare cheats because daughter gets part-time job See in context

I agree with the posters here; good for her! But, unfortunately, many Japanese companies will not want her. Maki will have to hide the fact that she can think for herself and think outside the box. Japanese companies want drones, who follow orders and don’t challenge the status quo. In a word, they want; robots.

These kind of upside down rules are why many kids (and adults) live in poverty and have limited educational opportunities.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Posted in: Man arrested for strangling girlfriend See in context

Could be that the guy was an immature loser. But, it’s equally probable that they were both inflexible in their thinking and there was no honest, open communication between them; without which, there can be no personal growth. Now, there won’t be any for either one of them. Sad.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: What happened to Hollywood's push for diversity after Oscars? See in context

And, who propogates this myth about people of colour not being internationally viable? Think it’s the same people who cry “anti-Semite” at any opposition to Israel or the insularity of Judaism. But, I’m sure there are tons of black Jews, besides Sammy Davis Jr. What was it the pot called the kettle?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Smartphones are nothing more than poison to intelligence, personality and creativity. See in context

He is not wrong. Sometimes you just have to draw a line and take a stand. Good on him.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Posted in: Abe unveils plans for fund to tackle child poverty See in context

Hey, here’s a novel idea. How about giving people jobs with wages decent enough so that they can afford to feed their kids properly or start a family in the first place? Or, give raises (based on productivity) or a guaranteed standard of living increase at the very least.

In the case of single parent families caused by divorce, child support payments should be enforced.

As for this fund, monies from 3 of the 4 pensions that Japanese national politicians receive on retirement should be more than enough.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Major firms heed Abe's call to raise wages See in context

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the price fixing that goes on in Japan in relation to goods and services. Perhaps, this is why companies are having “difficulties” raising wages and government feels the need to “intervene”.

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Posted in: 'Englishisation' - Is it working? See in context

A big part of the problem with English teaching in Japan is the quality and professional development of Japanese (and, foreign) teachers of English. In short, the quality of teachers is low and professional development is almost non-existent. Most Japanese teachers of English (elementary, jr. and sr. high schools) and some foreign English instructors (at some large private English schools) are generally the lowest academic performers in their teaching programs, disciplines or may have no teaching credentials at all. They may have had a few classes or studied abroad; but they can’t speak (or write) English with any real fluency. Students, taught by these ill-prepared teachers, quickly pick up on this fact and it both discourages motivation and provides a negative role model for English acquisition. In terms of professional development, Japanese English teachers are required to take classes to improve their teaching, but the type of classes are dependent on the teacher’s interests and schedule and may have absolutely nothing to do with teaching or classroom management. And, unless one belongs to a professional association, there are no professional development programs in place to support foreign teachers of English.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Increase in foreigners points to diversified future for Tokyo See in context

I agree with Antthom and sfjp330. And, since vacancy rates are so high, why not use that extra space to make house/apt. sizes a little larger or maybe even a little more green space around homes?

The current trend of government and corporations forcing full-time workers (both native and foreign) to pay for their own benefits (as required by law) is both regressive and punitive.

Treating foreigners as “full-time, temporary”, as interchangeably replaceable, second class or as “equal, but separate” is obviously not the answer.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: WWII firebombings of Japanese cities largely ignored See in context

It’s good to see some Japanese people (finally!) standing up for themselves; against a government that caused this horror in the first place. More of that spirit is desperately needed in Japan today. Of course, the individuals mentioned in this article have spoken up at a time in their lives when they have nothing to lose. If younger generations spoke up or spoke against policies that do them harm, directly or indirectly; fewer injustices would be inflicted on the Japanese public.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: U.S. offers $5 mil for return of ex-FBI agent missing in Iran See in context

Ok, I’m going to ask what you’re all thinking; what’s so special about this guy that the U.S. government would be willing to pay $5 million for him? Has he been gathering up-to-date intelligence in prison? And, what happened to not negotiating with terrorists? Or, doesn’t that apply in this case?

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Posted in: Japanese workers get smaller share of corporate earnings despite record profits See in context

My last full-time job was a 40 hr./wk gig, but the company through the use of an in-house dispatch company (close partnership), didn’t have to legally pay any health or pension insurance. Naturally, no employment insurance was offered. As a result, I paid for the public versions out of my own pocket. When contract renewal came up, I was commended for my efforts (from 0 to 50 students in a year and growing), but told that the owner of the company I was dispatched to had the money but didn’t want to give me any more. They even refused to pay the standard of living increase guaranteed in the original contract (1 – 3%).

Economically, I don’t know how long I can stay married under these conditions; the last “offer” I got was $500 lower than what I made 20 years ago. Of course, this is also happening to a large segment of the Japanese population. Coincidentally, about half of the workers in that 12-person office were working by the hour; all were women. As mentioned in the article, Japan isn’t the only nation contributing to the dissolution of its tax base and the destruction of the family. Regulation and enforcement are needed. Raising corporate taxes (preventing them from being passed on to consumers) and instituting fair market competition (as opposed to the price fixing that goes on) would also be steps in the right direction.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Robots replacing human factory workers at faster pace See in context

So, will the labor savings realized by utilizing robots be passed on to the consumer? And, assuming the money economy hasn’t been abolished, when the labor force is, by and large, replaced by robots, who will be buying the consumer goods the robots produce? Lesson for the day; in the 21st century, most objective business decisions are motivated by greed.

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Posted in: Olympic hurdles: Learning from European successes and failures See in context

Since many of today’s university students and recent grads will be affected by and benefit from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, let’s see what they have to say about the pros, cons and possible long-term impacts of the Games:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ian+A+Tokyo+2020+Olympics

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Posted in: Tokyo looks to slash Y200 bil off 2020 Olympic bill See in context

Since many of today’s university students and recent grads will be affected by and benefit from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, let’s see what they have to say about the pros, cons and possible long-term impacts of the Games:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ian+A+Tokyo+2020+Olympics

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: New daycare centers held up by residents opposing noisy kids See in context

What is wrong with these people? Do they not know that biologically, quiet children are not a good thing? Did none of them not ever have children of their own? Setagaya is one of the wealthiest wards in Tokyo; essentially people can afford to have children there. In addition to changing the laws, perhaps, new parents in Setagaya may consider “voting with their feet” if appropriate daycare facilities are not provided. Any bets on how fast the ward administration will come around when they see their tax base eroding?

11 ( +16 / -5 )

Posted in: Floating solar plant starts operations in Hyogo See in context

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the energy/power generation of the sun, in one day, is equal to the total amount of energy/power production on this planet, in a year. With all that space debris up there; how difficult would it be to build a network of satellites, in geosynchronous orbit, outfitted with solar panels, transferring that energy/power towards ground stations? This is not a novel idea and would pay for itself in no time, produce no visual pollution and, you guessed it; the sun is very rarely eclipsed in space. The only people I could see not liking this idea are the power companies.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: The 5 most fun countries to teach English in See in context

This article should read – 5 most fun countries to teach English in AS A CAUCASIAN.

Although it’s never been overt in my case, but a friend of mine who is actually an English major was told that he was too black to work as an English teacher in Japan. In one instance, after speaking to a J-lady on the phone for about 20 min., when I mentioned that I wasn’t Caucasian; she responded by saying that her students preferred “blonde-haired, blue-eyed” teachers. I kid you not.

Just finished a 1-year contract where 3 companies were joined together to “share costs”; tax avoidance, wage theft and exploitation would be more accurate. One company in the group served as a school/dispatch company. I unknowingly signed up with this company thinking it was some kind of holding company. They straight out refused to pay shakai hoken. When the contract came up for renewal, the dispatch/mouthpiece informed me that I could continue but the standard of living increase guaranteed in the first contract wouldn’t be honored; this is despite glowing student and HR reviews. I was told it wasn’t an issue of revenue; the major capital contributor to the group just didn’t want to give me any more money. And, so, we come full circle.

Been teaching 19 years, 16 in Japan. Have a TESL and a M.A. in Applied Linguistics.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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