ReformedBasher comments

@extanker

Without knowing the specifics of the construction, and knowing the new requirements, it's hard to comment on this aspect, but I know what you mean. I'd be interested in how hangar space/elevators/flight deck would change if this goes through. Also just how many F35Bs would be deployed. At the moment it only carries a complement of 14 helicopters which isn't that many, so if Japan is buying a total of 99 F35s, I'd assume more than 1 carrier would be coming our way. Good. One basket is too scary for that many eggs, and power projection will be increased significantly. I’ll guess not all F35Bs would be carrier based either. Apart from having some spare for maintenance, why not utilise some of the remoter islands and build airstrips/facilities on them? As they’re STOVL, they’re perfect for island hopping. Need to have hardened shelters, good radar location and the strips primed for destruction to deny use by hostiles if they’re taken over.

As they are, a large number of stealthy aircraft will give the PLAN something extra to consider if things stayed conventional. I sure as heck hope things never get nasty, as I'm sure you and anybody else with a brain does too.

About time.

Keeping in mind that Japan hasn't had any aircraft carriers for near 80 years, it's going to take a lot of effort to get pilots up to scratch (perhaps the USN can assist), not to mention a massive refit to get an Izumo class vessel up to par. No, helicopter carriers are NOT the same thing. If anyone is going to assert otherwise, it's obvious they have no idea about how naval warfare works.

As for the whole "hurr durr, Japan is going to start another war" crowd, may I ask "with who?". Japan is surrounded by countries that have recently made public military threats, and has massive firepower (including nuclear weapons), it's common sense that Japan should bolster it's own forces to a) deter aggression, and b) be capable of meeting it at a realistic level if hostilities do escalate.

Probably a good excuse to look into unmanned gear as much as possible in Japans case.

A lot of weaponry is already automatic to an extent, but you can't have a functioning navy without adequately trained personnel.

@kwatt

What a ridiculous analogy. There's nobody at the tops of mountains suffering like the citizens of Syria.

I worked in the blue collar industry for over 10 years here as a hybrid (mostly white collar, but also helped out on the floor when needed).

The foreign blue collar workers were paid the same as the Japanese workers and had the same benefits. I've hear similar stories from foreign workers at other companies.

While I don't imagine that all companies are as generous, it should also be mentioned, that companies in my own country (Australia) often cheat foreign (and local) workers. If TV is to believed, it happens overseas too. The US would seem a prime example of exploiting foreign workers.

I'm writing this because I don't imagine the vast majority of Western foreign workers have set foot inside a factory or construction site here. Yes, there's black companies, but it's also just as a big a problem overseas.

And, shock and horror, it's the nefarious Abe who's pushing it.

But the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is seeking to open the door to blue-collar workers given the prospect of a deeper labor crunch on the back of the rapid aging of the population and a low birth rate.

I think it's a bit silly to complain about the location, but JR should have a dedicated train that runs directly to the airport, instead of having only the first four carriages of every second or third (?) regular express trains going there. I used to help out foreign tourists when waiting on the platform myself because they had no clue where to line up. Yes, there are English announcements but they are to very hard to hear at times, and not all foreigners speak English fluently, if at all. Mind you, I don't catch the trains that way recently, so maybe everything has changed?

They have no one to blame but themselves for their current situation.

I'm relieved that you think the child is blameless. It's still the one that suffers the most though. The parents could have paid a fine or something, without the need to throw the child's life upside-down. it's not just going to "get over it". That's why Ms. Yamagishi says there is a need for a humanitarian visa.

People who don't get this don't understand how humanitarianism works, or they simply don't care. And the country itself is crying out for foreign labour, yet does this. Does not compute.

@since1981

SHE did this to her child, not the government.

And what did the child do to deserve any of this? This fact seems lost on you - the child did nothing, yet it's the one that suffers the most. Armchair analysis at it's worst.

@ those saying the law is the law,

Strangely enough, families break laws because they are... families. They're doing whatever they can to stay together. Show some fricking compassion.

"On humanitarian grounds, the government should issue a special residence permit to illegal residents who have long been living with family in Japan," said Motoko Yamagishi, secretary general of the Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan.

And here we have a distinguished Japanese citizen defending foreigner's rights. Well said, Ms. Yamagishi.

Surely no human would think of invading Okinawa. What would they stand to gain?

A forward base to attack other Japanese territory. Not to mention nullifying existing bases to prevent counter-attack.

This really makes my blood boil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_123#Delayed_rescue_operation

And they have a point.

So we should all get fried because of some unspoken agreement by those who will safe in their bunkers.

Why do countries like Russia and China get upset at missile defence systems? Especially after gloating that their nuclear missiles are "unstoppable" and will lay waste to any country that opposes them. In the interests of regional stability, of course.

Farmland is not concrete and steel.

The dikes are being referred to.

Actually I'm in favour of protecting coasts and riverbanks against the elements where it's sensible and people are at risk.. But in this case, it was blatant destruction of a habitat. Things would have been better, and cheaper, with no interference.

There's a lot of speculation on these ships being used as aircraft carriers. Be that as it may, Anti-Submarine Warfare is also important role, and the ships carry a complement of ASW capable helicopters. They can assist in locating enemy submarines with their dipping sonar and sinking them with torpedoes. Potential roles would include fleet protection via ASW, either MSDF ships only or as part of an international force. With ships like these, it should be possible to keep helos on ASW patrol constantly for extended periods of time.

From what I can tell, it seems that the desiganted ASW helos are Mistubishi H60s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_H-60

Theorectically they could also assist in locating Chinese or Russian ballistic missile subs, although I would surmise that the diesel subs of the MSDF would play a much larger role in detection and prosecution.

As for Ospreys, they'd be suitable for assisting in amphibious operations. Note that the Izumo class of ships cannot launch landing craft, and the Ospreys could only help in moving a small compliment of men or equipment/supplies at a time.

Unfortunately Japan doesn't have any truly amphibious ships. There are AFAIK a total of 3 ships that have to dock at a "friendly" pier and unload troops, vehicles and supplies. Retaking invaded territory such as the Senkakus would be that much harder, although not impossible. Izumo class ships would help alleviate the burden.

On Tuesday, members of a local hunting club took the monkey to a mountain in Shiga and released it back into the wild.

How likely is it to survive? Doesn't sound like a good solution if it's still an infant.

Better than nothing I guess. Japan really needs to get with the times when it comes to smoking.

expat, thanks for the interesting link.

Unfortunately a lot of people don't want to skill up and head straight for the more famous peaks without sufficient experience. Also, having the right gear and fitness will have a big impact if you do get stranded. Assume the worst. Will you still be okay? If so, carry on. Otherwise, go/stay home.

Russian icon paintings are some of the most valuable in the world.

Russia is indeed a country rich in culture and history.

I'm not familiar with Princess Takamado, but she seems to be a good representative for this visit.

But why is she wearing a hijab.

It's not a hijab in the Islamic sense. A lot of women wear headscarves, not just for religious beliefs,a and most just Muslims for that matter. This article shows some details.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headscarf#Christianity

Glad to hear you're okay Smith.

Seawolf,

Good point about the blocks. You seem far more knowledgeable than I on the subject.

What could have been done to make the wall safer? It's not like earthquakes are rare here.

I'm not a builder, but when I first saw the wall on the news, it screamed shoddy workmanship. The blocks are stacked on top of each other, not staggered so their position is zigzagged. And the reinforcing is way too short.

The airlines are not the only international carriers who have made the change recently, with Australia's Qantas earlier this month defending its decision to list Taiwan as part of China.

But only Japan gets ridiculed for it.

I don't like it myself, but airlines are businesses, not nation states. They must a) make a profit and b) protect their passengers.

Anyway, it's not Japan that's responsible for this change, it's Communist China that demands other countries kowtow and follow it's hogwash.

Oh, in that case, give Hokkaido or Ezo back to the Ainus, and give Okinawa back to the Ryukyuans.

Not this crap again.

You do realize that the Ainu also live(d) in Sakhalin? Do you insist that Putin returns that territory also?

As for Okinawa, it was US territory after the war before it was returned to Japan after WW2. Why not ask the locals which they prefer before you decide on their behalf. Or better yet, show proof of a majority of Okinawans who want independence.

And if you really want t go down that route, Japan wasn't always a unified country. Do you want Nara, Shimane, Fukuoka, etc all declaring indepence too?

FWIW, I'm from a minority too. Yes, we have our language and culture. No, we don't want independence. Recognition is just fine thanks.

It's starting to look worse than China. 

Hilarious! Oh wait, you're serious?

Whether you support Abe or not, he doesn't even come close to being a tyrant. Even if there was proof of impropiety, I still think he's one of the best PM Japan has had in years.

If he gets voted out in an upcoming election, the usual malcontents will be whining about the the next PM within days, if not hours. No matter who he/she is or what party is in power.

 reporting in mainstream media

If you actually followed the news, you'd see most channels aren't friends of Abe, or any other politician. The more mud, the better, as far as the media is concerned.

Assuming the "estimated" number of protesters is actually honest, let's apply some elementary school level mathematics,

27,000 protesters / 130,000,000 people = 0.0002% of the population.

Let's go one step further - 27,000 protesters / 9,000,000 people = 0.003% of the population in Tokyo. My calculatii

Cars overturned, shops set on fire, etc = 0 anything to get excited over. What I had for lunch is more interesting.

This story isn't just an issue in Japan, but in other countries as well.

Yes, women have the right to choose. But it can create serious headaches at work.

Back home, I've seen women take long periods of time off to give birth and look after their babies. That's great, but their job has to get filled by somebody.

Even companies that have a large staff will encounter problems if their skills are specialized. Do they hire a consultant or train other staff? This costs money and not all companies are in a position where they can afford the extra expense.

And if other staff are used to fill in, this puts stress on them to do not only their jobs, but do the extra work too over lengthy periods of time. What about their rights?

This is the reality. Some companies can't just bend over backwards to meet these expectations for a number of reasons. Knee-jerk accusations of incompetence and sexism might be true in some cases, but stereotyping is stupid.

Wow, no oxygen, ropes or crampons! Be careful not to hit your head on the torii though.

The framework will make inroads into solving a severe labor crunch in Japan while creating jobs for foreign workers, which have thus far been limited to highly specialized positions due to concerns that an influx of immigrants could lead to a rise in crime.

On the bright side, potential crime probably won't include exposing genitals to elementary school students, much less kidnapping and murdering them.

zichi

The mountains are not that high? 

Height has nothing to do with danger. Even small and "safe" mountains can be dangerous if you head off trail or part of it is washed away etc.

That said, I agree something doesn't sound right. I can only imagine that the father made some really bad choices to end up in such a predicament and/or his or the son's health was a contributing factor early on. (The article does mention the father made a call, so if that was the case, it's not included inthe story).

My advice to newbies - carry a whistle, the louder the better. And a flashlight, to be used sparingly in a emergency. Both will get you noticed. Some brands of packs have whistles built in as part of the webbing.

Also, be aware that animals and sometimes irresponsible people can create trails that might fool you into believing they're the main trail. Particularly on mountains that are seldom climbed (I've no idea about Matsudaira San, but it looks like some the trails there are a little sketchy, and extra growth due to hot weather will make them worse). If the trail you are on suddenly "disappears" or becomes dangerous, go back the way you came, unless you really know what you are doing.