Japan Today

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Posted in: PlayStation outages frustrate users around the world See in context

Hopefully they are stepping outside their doors and enjoying the world IRL.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Posted in: Entrepreneur launches support service for international school kids in Japan See in context

Somebody disagrees but access to education improves social mobility and social mobility, although still relatively high in Japan is sliding because access to education is getting harder. The middle class is shrinking as classes become more entrenched. Average kids in a lower income family who cannot afford juku at the age of 15, are being shut out of accessing the best high schools and therefore the best universities and the opportunity of education. Even for many middle class families it is becoming difficult to pay for juku, and university.

The parents of these kids attending Harrow can afford whatever it costs to put their little darlings through the hoops to stay in the lord class.

There is a troubling tendency in Japan for entrenchment. Children of politicians, enter politics and are elected by name, son's of dentists and doctors are pushed into becoming dentists and doctors and daughter's of doctors are pushed and prepared to marry doctors. The children of an owner of an SME is destined to take over the family business even though they may be much better suited for something else.

Japan must resist the temptation of class entrenchment.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Entrepreneur launches support service for international school kids in Japan See in context

If the indented outcome of these schools is for children in Japan to become fluent in English a better approach would be for prefectures to create a number of public English immersion schools.

But, I believe that the intended outcome that parents who send their children to these schools is to buy their kids' access into some kind of snobby class to lord it over the rest of society.

The last thing Japan needs is to revert to some kind of pre Meiji Restoration feudal system of entrenched classes. It is just as likely that genius and innovation come from a kid born into a family of "vassals" as a snobby "lord." Hard work, ethics and the ability to create wealth is far more likely to come from the "vassal" class than the wealth-harvesting class these kids will become.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan's farm exports up 3.7% to ¥1.5 tril in 2024, a new record See in context

@jinjapan

There is plenty of quality rice at a very cheap price, imported from Japan, at Costco in Canada.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Mexico, Canada after they pledge to boost border enforcement See in context

If baffles the mind as to why Trudeau didn't offer this a month ago as everything is something Canada needs to do regardless. He and the Liberal party are awful and put the economic and social well being of their country behind their own egotistical selves.

-3 ( +7 / -10 )

Posted in: Beyonce, Sabrina Carpenter win Grammys as musicians honor Los Angeles See in context

Benson Boone not only won the Grammy show, he already won 2025.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Trump says Americans could feel 'some pain' from his tariffs that are triggering trade war See in context

Good bye John Deere, hello Claas. JD is already overpriced in Canada so farmers have been migrating to other machinery not made in Illinois to brands like Claas and Fendt. A rising USD seals the deal, buh buh John Deere.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Trump says Americans could feel 'some pain' from his tariffs that are triggering trade war See in context

@patkim

Canadians have been selling US properties since November.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Trump says Americans could feel 'some pain' from his tariffs that are triggering trade war See in context

@bass4funk

Plenty of cars and airplanes to be imported from elsewhere and the EU produces more than half of global pharmaceuticals. Pretty sure Vietnam can supply electronics.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Posted in: Trump says Americans could feel 'some pain' from his tariffs that are triggering trade war See in context

@bass4funk

Canada buys 17% of all US exports, making Canada poor will kill off 17% of US exports. Everything the US produces is available or will be made available at lower costs from another country that wants Canada's business.

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan concerned over impact of U.S. tariffs on China, others See in context

Occupied Japan and Occupied South Korea will be the next places where the "eye of Sauron" will land. America certainly doesn't need cars from Japan or Playstations (X Box is just as good) or Mizuno baseball gloves from Hyogo.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Posted in: Canada, Mexico announce tariffs on U.S. in retaliation for Trump's tariffs See in context

Trade is the bedrock of modern civilization. I do not want to toil in the fields to grow cabbage but will trade my labour in my specialized field for cabbages with a person who specializes in growing cabbages.

Trade allows specialization and capital to be used efficiently to the benefit of everyone and for humans to progress in all aspects of civilization.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Posted in: Net population influx into Tokyo recovers to pre-pandemic level See in context

Move government offices and workers that do not absolutely, positively need to be in Tokyo to small cities across the country. A huge benefit would be a likely increase in fertility. Probably more than half of the 500,000 national government employees could be sent to small towns in Kyushu.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Posted in: White House says tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China will start Saturday See in context

The current Trudeau Liberal government in Canada has spent 10 years self inflicting damage on the Canadian economy and creating poverty. The Trump tariffs will be bad news for Canada but probably not as bad as what Trudeau has done.

-15 ( +6 / -21 )

Posted in: Which U.S. companies are pulling back on diversity initiatives? See in context

@Jimizo

Okay, please explain the difference between the concepts of equality and equity and how they are applied.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Posted in: Which U.S. companies are pulling back on diversity initiatives? See in context

@albaleo

No. What you describe is equality and that is the furthest from equity that one can get.

The far left has done a good job of confusing the 2 words and tricking you.

Blind auditions for a symphony were great and really were about creating equality where musicianship was judged on merit. But that is not DEI. Equity is giving the 1st violin slot to somebody based on their identity, and banning other people with the wrong identity from even trying out and not hiring capable people based on merit. The quality of the product suffers, people feel ripped off when they go to a symphony so stop going and everything just falls to rot.

There is really not a difference in performance between an "A student" and a "B student" but there certainly is between an "A+ student" and a "C- student"

Equity has been forcing the hiring of "C- students" for roles that require "A+ students."

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan preparing to use rice reserves amid soaring prices See in context

@wallace

Government workers, i.e. middlemen, need to get paid too. It is unfair to tax beef producers to pay government workers to interfere in the free market rice trade.

Rice needs to be sold in the free market at a price discovered by buyers and sellers.

Government needs to get out of the market.

The closing of the Osaka Dojima rice futures 4 years ago has negatively impacted rice production. Reopen it so that farmers can lock in high prices months in advance and produce to fill their contracts.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Posted in: Japan preparing to use rice reserves amid soaring prices See in context

@wallace

It means profits all along every supply chain ensure efficiency and provide an incentive to produce in line with demand and workers get paid for their labour.

Food is no different than widgets, everyone needs to work towards maximizing profits with minimal government intervention in the free market.

Farmers need to get paid and high prices provides a great incentive for them to grow more rice. It is a strong market signal that ensures supply is grown. Government intervention to artificially lower prices robs farmers of profits and discourages them from producing more rice.

Just like you, farmers expect to be paid for their labour.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Posted in: Which U.S. companies are pulling back on diversity initiatives? See in context

@Mocheake

Sure sure, whatever you say.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Posted in: Japan preparing to use rice reserves amid soaring prices See in context

The next time you are on a train across a plain in Japan, look outside the window and take note at the many small rice fields at the same altitude separated by a strip of grass. It is extremely unproductive.

Those fields (not terraces) should be combined into larger fields. Productivity in agriculture would shoot up.

The government can use tax policy to allow younger farmers to create larger fields; if farm land in sold within 12 months, the proceeds can be made exempt from inheritance tax.

Also note the outdated inefficient greenhouses. Those quonset hoop greenhouses are old technology not used commercially anywhere else. 21st century greenhouses are large rectangular structures. They are significantly more productive.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Which U.S. companies are pulling back on diversity initiatives? See in context

@GuruMick

Indeed they are! Unfortunately far too many people do not understand the difference. The "E" in DEI stands for equity which entails taking from people who worked hard to get ahead and giving it to folks who do not merit it. It both insentivises slackers to do less and disinsentivises hard work; arriving on time with a good attitude and a willingness to learn.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Posted in: Which U.S. companies are pulling back on diversity initiatives? See in context

Equality is a human right, a virtue, well worth fighting for. Equity is garbage and well worth fighting to put into the dustbin of stupid ideas.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

Posted in: Japan preparing to use rice reserves amid soaring prices See in context

The cure for high prices is high prices, not low prices. The surest way to guarantee that farmers are not incentivised to produce more rice this year is for the government to dump rice on the market, lowering the price, making growing the stuff unprofitable. Plant soy beans.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Posted in: Bank of Japan hikes interest rate to 17-year high See in context

Hopefully this will finally bankrupt all the zombie companies in Japan.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan wage growth gathers steam as reluctant retailers raise pay See in context

Companies MUST do more to increase productivity. Japan has be stuck with around 1% growth of labour productivity for 30 years; that is less than half the rate of growth in productivity in the US.

Innovate or go extinct.

So yes, 300,000 is a poverty rate that is based on productivity and is around the starting wage in the US 40 years ago.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Posted in: Japan wage growth gathers steam as reluctant retailers raise pay See in context

A new graduate getting paid in the 300,000 yen range really is working for peanuts.

I am pretty sure that that is what the starting salary of a university graduate was in North America 40 years ago.

And American get bonuses too.

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

Posted in: South Korean investigators call for indictment of detained President Yoon See in context

I am still really unclear as to why he declared martial law.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Canada vows strong response; Mexico urges calm in face of Trump trade threats See in context

Trudeau and his party are done but they are happy to toss the entire country into an economic abyss on their way out.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Putin congratulates Trump before inauguration See in context

There was no reason for the US to pick fights with the other major powers; China, Russia and India without working with them to avoid conflicts and wars.

Blinken and Biden had put the world on a very dangerous course.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Posted in: How Costco succeeded in Japan: The story behind its 1999 market entry See in context

Costco succeeds because they treat their employees better, much better.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

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