Richard Burgan comments

@Wasabi This is a joint project that both sides have agreed upon. It is a chance to establish a facility that can benefit the Japanese people during a disaster. The likelihood of catastrophe is rising due to climate change and China's 'activities'. The US is obligated to defend Japan. I know it's a new concept, but at least Japan could prepare to care for its people.

The time to worry is when JMA is not issuing warnings. For Typhoons JMA is almost always last to notice. Usually, the US, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are a few days ahead.

Resign to take responsibility? Translation: Running away from the heat. How about staying to fix the problem? That's taking responsibility. (If there's an actual crime involved don't let them resign, fire them.)

If you're a politician, you think of fixing problems with laws and policies or maybe money. That's something you can talk about and, most importantly, get credit for. Everyone else just says, why don't they just enforce the speed limit or existing laws? I have found that the Japanese Police don't really enforce much. They try to influence behavior by their mere presence. It will be interesting to see if this works....

This is a supremely bad idea. Businesses who use prices to discriminate based on where "you are from" should be required to post that fact at the front door. You don't need to have lower prices for locals. Just send then coupons in the mail or use affinity cards. Essentially, have one price for all and give discounts to locals. Businesses have been doing that forever. Remember tourists who feel discriminated against can go elsewhere and they will spread the word about your business worldwide.

They can locate these data centers in the country away from cities. The only difficulty is obtaining skilled labor to build the facilities. Later operations require skilled workers, too. Data centers use a huge amount of energy, and they need to be redundant (supplied from two different sources) and backed up with on-site generation. Maybe building a few data centers will help Japan escape the information technology dark ages.

Right now Japan has sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands. There is plenty of history to back that up. Only recently has China sought, to access these islands, probably due to the possibility there are oil or mineral reserves in the area. If Japan wants to keep these islands they must immediately establish permanent installations on the islands. Certainly no one wants to live there, all that's needed is a communications station, air traffic radar, weather station, tide gage, or other research facility. Japan needs to regularly visit and maintain the facilities to keep its claim. Once this presence is established, China would need to take the islands by force (aka: start a war) to displace Japan. However, if Japan doesn't do this China will, and Japan will have to take the islands by force (aka: start a war). As a "pacifist country" Japan is not likely to start a war without several years of study and debate. Japan had better act if it wants to keep the Senkaku's!

Let me guess where the majority of these tourists behaving badly are from. Probably they have traveled less than 1,000 km to get there...

The 240 day reserve will not keep things at a normal level for that long. Storage locations are all over the place and distribution from locations where specific products are stored to specific refineries will not be easy. If a major disruption occurs expect to be majorly disrupted for many months or even years.

Best quote from P.M. Kishida's speech: "Yubba Dubba Doo"

There's a big difference between building a residential area near a base and building a base near a residential area. The same goes for airports, pig farms, and a lot of other things.

It will be interesting to see what happens when they implement this in Okinawa, where there are no mass transit services (no trains, nobody uses the buses) and four times the national average for cars per family.

An interest rate of 0.1% isn't even interesting. That level of interest is simply not worth your attention.

There is not much for 'experts' to discuss here. The whole dispute about the release of radiation is ridiculous. The amount of radiation contained in each tank is about equivalent to one or two radioactive EXIT signs used at critical points in large buildings. The signs contain a small amount of the radioactive element Tritium, which will glow even if the power fails. The only radioactive element left in the water being released is Tritium. Let's get over this stupid issue.

@voiceofokinawa Do you actually want Okinawa to be part of China? How soon would you like that to occur?

Next to the new missile site is Joint Naval Base White Beach, a critical node in Japan and the U.S.'s monitoring and anti-submarine capabilities. A small number of protesters showed up with "No Missile" and "No War" signs, saying they are dangerous and similar. Actually, anti-ship and anti-air missiles have been present in Okinawa for several decades. There are also thousands of missiles stockpiled in Okinawa. These short-range defensive weapons and the personnel are here to protect Okinawa.

Good job JAXA! All three spacecraft made it to the lunar surface softly. Unfortunately, the SLIM lander is upside down. Something happened at the very last minute to flip the craft around and upside down. The batteries have now died; we must wait and see what happens. JAXA has a lot to learn about involving the public and keeping them informed. I remember the NASA and JPL missions in the 1960s and 1970s. They made the public an equal partner and kept us on the edge of our seats with detailed commentary and live pictures. Scientists always want to work in secret, but they should remember that the public pays the bills. There is a lot of public interest, there were over 45,000 people waiting for over an hour to watch the 2:15 AM (JST) news conference. Again, congratulations for landing on the Moon, Japan!

"employed for up to eight hours at workplaces not designated under their programs." Does this mean eight hours total or eight hours per day?

These kits and emergency food supplies are big sellers in the US. You can go to any COSTCO in the US and buy a year's food supply. There's a lot more to being prepared for a disaster than just buying kits. You need a plan, and you need to practice it. In Japan, people seem to depend on the government to do everything. People even wait in their broken houses for the government to inspect them before they clean up and fix the damage. We all need to prepare ourselves. Then, we can live with peace of mind.

@Brian Wheway The US offer to help was extended on January 2nd.

@Pseudonymouse The offer to help was made on January 2nd. It took Japan a long time to request help. I'm sure the US would provide any level of help requested but the host nation has to request it. I think there is a mentality that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Of course that's twisted logic. Not asking for help IS a sign of weakness.

Just don't use the evil Osprey V-22s please. They can carry more people and cargo, are much cheaper to operate, and get there faster. Glad to see the US Military given the opportunity to help folks in Ishikawa Prefecture out.

The Japanese university exam selects the best memorizers in the country. This test should be abandoned and replaced with a test that selects the most promising achievers and creative minds. Memory records the past and is not a good indicator of future performance. Japan needs to prepare for the future not live in the past.

'Officials' are having difficulty getting key supplies to many villages on the Noto Peninsula that are cut off. I'd like to point out that the U.S. Military has a huge capability in this area. I can tell you that military members would much rather be providing assistance than training. All it would take is one phone call from PM Kishida to get things rolling. (I know Japan needs to save face and appear capable of taking care of its own people. But, if you really want to be capable help your people faster! It is no shame to accept assistance in a natural disaster.)

I'm not surprised that the pilots did not know about the fire. It appears that much of the control and information systems and wiring were destroyed in the initial collision. The fact that it took 18 minutes to evacuate is pretty concerning. The escape slides probably weren't working efficiently because the slope was slight due to the collapsed landing gear. I hope this incident comes to be known as a "New Year's Miracle." May the five dead Coast Guard Crew members rest in peace knowing they were helping their country.

It is amazing that all passengers and crew from JL516 are safe. Good Job!

Worst firefighting response I have seen. They didn't even protect the passengers.

JL516 was clearly given 'clear to land' by ATC

JA722A (CG aircraft) was assigned as number 1 for takeoff and told to proceed to location C5 (which is next to the runway). The pilot did not acknowledge this command or state that he was entering the runway. He was not cleared for takeoff. The pilot obviously did not hold short and entered the runway.

Both pilots and ATC should have had situational awareness of each aircraft's position. The poor communication discipline certainly contributed to the confusion.

IATA regulations require exclusive use of English so that every pilot and ATC controller can understand. Yet, it is fairly common to hear conversations in Japanese. Many controllers and foreign pilots have strong accents that make communications less reliable.

The JTSB will investigate and determine the contributing factors to this accident. Flying will be safer as a result.

May the five Japan Coast Guard members who lost their lives serving their country rest in peace, and their families receive the appreciation of everyone.

Here's what's going to happen. Tamaki won't sign. The Central Government will sign for him. Tamaki will appeal to the Supreme Court. Work will begin again right after the New Year's holidays. Tamaki will spend all his time telling everyone that the forces of evil are against him. China will annex Taiwan while the US and Japan watch with outrage. Suddenly, Japan will realize that they may be next to become Chinese. The base expansion will be completed.

The eight crew members lost in this crash are exceptionally qualified and trained. They are the best of the best. Being a member of a Special Operations Unit is a big deal, and they only select the best. There must have been a mechanical failure to cause this accident. Both Americans and Japanese should respect the crew members who lost their lives while protecting all of us.

If "the people of Japan" (AKA Okinawa's Governor) really want the US to leave, then the US should leave. I think it would be reasonable to implement a 5-year transition plan. After 5 years the US will be gone, and Japan will have the responsibility to defend itself. Consider what it will cost the Japanese people. You will be paying triple your current taxes for at least 10 years just to pay for the required build-up. You will have to change your constitution. Your children will be subject to mandatory military service. Of course, you also have the choice to become Chinese...

The US military cannot entirely suspend Osprey operations for a casual reason. They are vital to many operational missions such as resupply of Naval vessels and remote training sites. Statistically, the Osprey is a safe aircraft.