RationalReader comments

Posted in: Japan reports record new coronavirus infections for 3rd straight day See in context

Unfortunately the government’s initial panic convinced the lower intelligence/information segments of the population that there is a material risk to healthy under-70s. It will take them time to unlearn that.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: LDP policymakers say Japan should have missile base-striking ability See in context

Surely this is just common sense Much better to shoot down a North Korean missile while it’s in North Korea, rather than above our heads.

14 ( +22 / -8 )

Posted in: Tokyo, Sydney aim to lure HK financial firms, but Singapore a top draw See in context

It’s the personal tax rates that are the biggest issue. Why would financial professionals agree to pay 50% in Australia or Japan when they can pay 20% in Singapore

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Hong Kong protest leader fired from university teaching job See in context

So sad about Hong Kong. It seems there is little hope left for them. Japan should let as many come here as want to.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Posted in: Chinese authorities take control of U.S. consulate in Chengdu See in context

China cannot feed itself. Stop food imports.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Posted in: In Mount Rushmore speech, Trump says protesters seek to 'defame' heroes See in context

It was a great speech.

Happy Fourth of July!

-10 ( +5 / -15 )

Posted in: LDP wants to attract foreign workers for Japan's financial sector See in context

Why would a financial professional leave a 15% tax rate for a 50% tax rate?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: N Korea blows up inter-Korea liaison office, raising tensions See in context

NK is like Antifa, not Israel. Blowing up buildings out of ignorant petulance.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Posted in: Tokyo reports 27 new daily coronavirus infections See in context

So boring. COVID was last month's news. Nobody cares any more.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Posted in: Trump says he won't watch NFL, U.S. soccer if players kneel during anthem See in context

I think it’s OK to watch them. Just don’t buy their merchandise or support their sponsors.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Posted in: Foreigners with humanitarian needs will be exempt from Japan re-entry ban See in context

Foreign permanent residents/spouses etc. can return provided they left before 4/02.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Do you think the Japanese government lifted its state of emergency for the whole country too soon? See in context

The whole thing was nonsense to begin with.

Vulnerable groups should self-isolate. The rest of us should get on with our lives.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: Ending coronavirus emergency raises hope, sparks some concern See in context

Heading out to dinner in a couple of hours to celebrate our re-found freedom. I have been missing yakiniku!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan set to fully lift coronavirus emergency in Tokyo, 4 other prefectures See in context

Unfortunately the governments (including but not only Japan and Tokyo) have created rods for their own backs here. They have convinced so many of the low information/low intelligence portion of the population that the virus is highly dangerous, even to the young and healthy, that they will have trouble now in persuading such people to return to normality. The road to (economic) hell is paved with good intentions.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Posted in: U.S military at Japan base shows it can function during pandemic See in context

They could have kept operating both. They took them offline for minor health issues which were fatal to nobody.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan more likely to completely end state of emergency on Monday See in context

Too slow and too late, but better than nothing.

Possibly assisted by the CDC issuing their new estimate of fatality rate - 0.26%. 0.0325% among under 50 year olds.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: U.S military at Japan base shows it can function during pandemic See in context

Of course the US military can function. For more than 99% of young fit people, this virus is less dangerous than the regular flu.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Outrage in Hong Kong as China pushes security law See in context

It would be nice if Hong Kong people could resist the evil CCP tyranny, but given the numbers it seems unlikely. I would advise those who can to get out. Come to Japan, go to the US or Canada or Taiwan. Just escape.

Japan should immediately make a humanitarian exception to the closed borders policy and allow Hong Kong residents in here. US states which have restrictions on visitors from Hong Kong (e.g. Hawaii) should immediately let them in.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Abe ends state of emergency in Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo; Tokyo's may be lifted Monday See in context

As the evidence mounts that countries and states which did not lock down are doing no worse, and often much better, than those who did, the justification for this idiocy becomes weaker and weaker. Isolate and protect the vulnerable - old or chronically sick people - and let everyone else get back to normal.

1 ( +10 / -9 )

Posted in: Taiwan President Tsai calls for stability in China relations See in context

Of course, the best solution for China is the German solution. Provinces, starting with the SARs and other littoral areas, abandon the People's Republic and rejoin the Republic. Eventually we would have a fully free and democratic China and the PRC would follow the DDR and the Soviet Union into well-deserved oblivion.

Unfortunately this progression is not realistic in the near-term. For now all we can do is to bolster and maintain Taiwan, politically and militarily, so that the Chinese people have a constant and close reminder that Chinese society is not incompatible with freedom and pluralism.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: K League imposes 100 mil won fine on FC Seoul for sex doll spectators See in context

K League needs to get a life and/or a sense of humor.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Posted in: Koike unveils road map for easing of restrictions in Tokyo See in context

It's no good bickering about which person may have been infected, or may have died from the disease. Most of the stats are unreliable. The only one that does work (in advanced countries at least) is excess deaths.

In the US, excess deaths peaked at about 20% of the regular level of deaths. So long as Japan is not doing worse than that, they should be fully open.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Abe announces lifting of state of emergency for 39 prefectures See in context

Florida & Georgia re-opened about two weeks ago. This site shows how they (and the rest of the country) are doing.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/excess_deaths.htm

This is probably a good guide to how Japan will do over the next couple of weeks.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: More than 90% of Tokyo hospital beds for COVID-19 patients filled See in context

This is also a useful tool. Japan needs to copy this:

https://healthweather.us/?mode=Observed

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: More than 90% of Tokyo hospital beds for COVID-19 patients filled See in context

At this stage in the epidemic, where we don't clearly know the ratio of infected to diagnosed and where testing is still ramping up, excess deaths are the most reliable statistic for how bad things are.

The US now has a great site where you can see nationally or by state. Hopefully Japan will have one soon.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/excess_deaths.htm

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan, faced with criticism, scrambles to do more coronavirus testing See in context

The panic around this virus is irrational & hysterical.

In New York City, an epicenter of the pandemic with more than one-third of all U.S. deaths, the rate of death for people 18 to 45 years old is 0.01 percent, or 10 per 100,000 in the population. On the other hand, people aged 75 and over have a death rate 80 times that. For people under 18 years old, the rate of death is zero per 100,000. 

Of all fatal cases in New York state, two-thirds were in patients over 70 years of age; more than 95 percent were over 50 years of age; and about 90 percent of all fatal cases had an underlying illness. Of 6,570 confirmed COVID-19 deaths fully investigated for underlying conditions to date, 6,520, or 99.2 percent, had an underlying illness. If you do not already have an underlying chronic condition, your chances of dying are small, regardless of age. And young adults and children in normal health have almost no risk of any serious illness from COVID-19.

If we help the old and the sick to self-isolate, the rest of us can get on with our lives.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Posted in: Japan to revise criteria on symptoms for being tested for virus See in context

The only way to get a real grasp of how this is affecting Japan is to find a source for excess deaths. I have been looking, but unfortunately I can't read Japanese well enough.

Of course, the excess deaths will not precisely follow Covid mortality - there will be other positive effects (less traffic deaths and less regular flu/infectious diseases), and negative effects (stress-related death, deaths due to overwhelmed hospitals or deaths due to patients being afraid to use the health care system) - but overall the numbers should correlate quite well.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Do you think the coronavirus will change the way people work, shop and socialize in the future? See in context

Germany is reopening stores & restaurants today. They are well on the way back to normal.

Germany 81 deaths per million. Japan 4 per million.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Tokyo to pay more to businesses that remain closed until May 31 See in context

The cure is far worse than the disease. More people will die as a consequence of the depression than from the virus.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Posted in: 70% see Japan-U.S. security alliance in positive light: gov't survey See in context

Time to ditch this unfair and unilateral treaty. Why should we agree to defend Japan when they don't agree to defend us. This is the only one of our defense treaties which is not for mutual defense. Plus the Japanese use it to evade taking their share of the common defense.

The President should give Japan 3 years notice of our intent to abrogate and tell them that he's happy to discuss a fair and bilateral treaty if they're interested.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

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