redelmotalking comments

I will live by my own policies

I will sleep with a clear conscience

I will sleep in peace

from Emperor’s New Clothes

RIP Sinead with your beloved son.

ANZAC Day has become Australia's national day. It has now far surpassed Australia Day. It's the one public holiday of the year that people respect with solemnity and sincerity. Why? Because even though it was decades ago, the current Aussies and Kiwis know instinctively what those ordinary people were fighting for then, and they want to show their true gratitude. Their country, their families and the free and peaceful way of life down under. Those things are precious, easy to lose and are well worth getting up at dawn and fighting for.

I like his comment "urgent issues go unaddressed". This sums up modern Japan neatly. There's no urgency, just a quiet resignation and hopelessness. I feel an uneasiness when 'I increasingly see robot waiters delivering meals in a restaurant, self service creeping in everywhere, and when I see all the masses of imported food in the supermarkets. Japan has always been able to adapt and survive (and thrive), but I feel this time the demographic and geographic realities may be just too intractable even for the ingenuity of the Japanese.

The exam period matches the school juken period. Wonder if there is a JAXA juku somewhere for this?

Really which athlete would want a medal from the "simplified" corona Games? Just do it properly or cancel it. And concentrate all resources on Japan's recovery post pandemic.

Was always a non issue really as fewer and fewer Japanese students wish to study abroad anymore. The more alarming thing is the very low opinion those in charge seem to have of ordinary Japanese people. They are so easily burdened, easily confused and seemingly rendered clueless with any proposed changes. But that’s not borne out in reality as most (non elderly) Japanese I see are typically pretty sharp and savvy and can adapt quite readily.

Nobody in their right mind would come to Japan for a business trip under those conditions. Who thought this up? Just keep Zooming until things get better.

I think they are preparing for a cancellation. These messages wil be drip fed out to the media over the coming months and when the announcement comes, people will be already over it.

Just hope they refund the tickets.

Once these kids graduate and are a few years on after school, they will realise that high school baseball wasn’t life and death like they were led to believe by everyone - teachers, coaches, the society and the media.

At least this has woken up all PR holders to the reality of the PR status in Japan. It's been misunderstood by some as being something permanent and close to a citizen. A better name for it would be "long term foreign resident visa" - less misunderstandings that way when pandemics come along.

Australia possibly went too far with the lockdown, given the economic fallout now playing out. Once the borders were sealed and the cruise ships and travellers dealt with, the issue was pretty much sorted, with minimal domestic transmission.

But overall a great display of leadership and judgement by the Morrison government.

Only reason I go to Starbucks is because it's guaranteed tobacco free. It's certainly not for the coffee!

This kind of headline about a Japanese young person is sadly so rare in Japan now. Truly heartening.

Here's hoping Japan doesn't suck all that optimism and creative thinking out of him in the future as he progresses through The System...

Was used for ebola and it didn't work. False and dangerous hope.

There will likely never be an effective vaccine. Society will adapt and learn to live alongside this coronavirus. It already is in that process.

Life goes on, it always has. Humans are amazingly adaptable, the key to their survival and domination of the planet.

RIP to the ones who haven't survived this pandemic.

I heard the reason the school sports grounds are kept as dustbowls is because the public schools don't have the extra funds for grass maintenance (mowing, watering etc.). Poor kids.

Well, not sure whether we've seen much leadership in either case, but Koike san definitely wears way nicer face masks.

Cancel it now. The dream is over.

Australia went from laid back to a police state in a matter of days, where you can now be jailed for going to the beach. Japan seems reluctant to disturb people’s lives and livelihoods and the general harmony of the society. Only time will tell which approach was right.

The problem is that it may be peaking in July in many countries, even if it has subsided in Japan by then. Japan would be basically inviting the virus back in. Why would they do that? Just beg the IOC to postpone it.

Why would cancelling (or most likely postponing) this sporting event freeze consumption?Are people suddenly going to stop eating or something just because the olympics are not on? I think the average Japanese is sensible enough to understand reality, unlike their elites.

The airlines are at the very front line of this crisis. Those desperate signs say it all. I hope they survive.

It’s a good time to switch to domestic travel and support your own travel industry which will be struggling to survive soon.

This is a unique time to see your own backyard in peace and quiet without hordes of international tourists. Grab the chance while you can, including in Japan. .

The virus supposedly peaks 10 to 15 weeks after first appearing. Worst could be over by Golden Week in Japan.

July is simply way too soon now. It must either be postponed to 2021 or held as a TV only event, although still loads of risk in that for the athletes. I hope the IOC has the decency and common sense to move it to next year due to these extraordinary circumstances. What alternative universe do they live in?

If they truly cared about the evacuees, they wouldn’t run the relay through places like that out of respect.

It's really time to rethink the whole Olympics idea and move to a more sustainable model for a pinnacle global sporting contest. It's out of control. The show must go on it seems, in spite of a global pandemic (which it is). Probably even a nuclear war wouldn't stop the iOC. Just hold the Games without spectators they'd say.

If Japan gets travel bans from the big countries over the next few weeks (US, Europe etc) that will seal it. Even if the warmer weather kills off the virus and travel bans are lifted, it will be too late for the olympics unfortunately. Postponing it to 2021 may not work either. What if COVID 20 emerges next winter...too risky. Just refund the tickets and lets move on to Paris 2024.

Japan did a great job of building the infrastructure and being ready for the Games. In a wealthy city of 30 million those venues won't be wasted.

An interesting angle on this is whether after recovery your body has built up some resistance or immunity to reinfection by this particular virus. Need a medical scientist to comment. How depressing it would be to recover and then contract it again.

Investors hate losing money more than anything, so look to the stock market for some indication of what to expect over the next few months. The future is already priced in.

Anxiety growing daily in Japan but Interesting to contrast with Australia. Life goes on pretty much as normal. Just 15 cases of Covid 19 with 10 recovered. No major events canceled, sport going on everywhere, no advice to stay indoors or avoid people. No longer the top news story.

Why? Well borders were sealed very early on with no Chinese students and tourists allowed in. And this has been extended again to end of Feb and will probably go well into March. And the Aussies from Wuhan and the ship? All Quarantined for at least 2 weeks on an island and isolated military bases.

Japan? Well Ginza was still full of Chinese tourists right through CNY. And the Japanese from Wuhan and the ship - they are straight back in their homes and communities on the basis of one negative test.