sammuraisteve comments

Just watched the interview with his parents and I too thought they appeared to be full of crap. They denied everything and the answers seemed too prepared. Although it was difficult to hear with the rain pelting down (they couldn't have found a better location for the interview?), there was just something 'off' about the whole thing. For Japanese parents of a killer they seemed to be very calm and cool. And man, does he look like his father. Why did this couple not appear in front of the cameras two years ago?

Back to the apprehension of this nut, for two years I've been wondering why it was so hard to find the guy. I wonder what percentage of Japanese men between 20 and 40 are as tall as he is. 1 percent? 3 percent?

The surgeons and his parents should be arrested for assisting a known murderer.

Great accomplishment! But can the guy not make a comment in English? Just a few words?

Has anyone seen this story in the Japanese media? I would like to read how they word it in Japanese.

Has anyone seen this story in the Japanese media? I would like to read how they word it in Japanese.

When I used to teach at elementary schools, I walked into a grade six class and the home-room teacher was sitting at his desk at the front of the room, fast asleep.

Carrying an omikoshi is a blast. Yeah, unless you're by far the tallest in the group.

I read last year that Billy had sold more than 1.5 million copies of his DVD. At 15,000 yen a pop that's about 225 million dollars. Do you think Billy likes Japan?

Where in Nagano? I haven't found this on any other website - including kyodo.

It used to be a capsule hotel but they converted it into a restaurant/ regular hotel a few years ago I think but it may be a love hotel. Never been in but been by a couple of times.

Friends arrived yesterday from Canada and had to wait on the plane for an hour after landing (and a 13 hour flight) as 2 (yes, only two) 'medical inspectors' came on the plane to check all 200 passengers.

If my child wants to explain to his/her friend at some point in the future that his/her mother is Japanese that's fine. If you say to your friend, "Ohhhh, that's why you stink./ are good at soccer./ have such a hot temper." - then maybe she should call YOU something.

What is the definition of the term half? In Japan, it means one parent is white and one is Japanese. I find it ridiculous that people need to point this out and I also find it ridiculous that white people living in Japan married to a Japanese see it as OK to use this term for their own children. Probably because MOST of the racist comments 'Half are cute' or 'cool' or 'their skin is nice'. (Again, if these comments aren't racist then what is the definition of racism?) I realize that this will open a whole can of worms for the posters here but I have been here a long time and I have never heard Tiger Woods (one parent black the other Asian, President Obama, Oh Sadaharu (one parent Chinese one Japanese), etc. ever described as half. So why the need to say "Duhhh, your kid is a half?" "What do they eat?" "What language does he speak?" "Can he understand you?" "Ohhh, how cute and wonderful, he speaks Japanese." "You should speak to him only in English." Whatever. When people make these comments I want to say "We are all bleepin' human and until people realize that and get on with life we have to put up with ignorance." But I usually smile, wonder what my children think and move on depending on the day I am having. On a bad one I sometimes give the person or persons an earful and they just stand there bewildered at the strange foreigner and I realize there was no point.

My kids are half (half european and half Japanese, they have 50% of the DNA from each of their parents). Neither of them are double (in that neither of them contain 200% DNA as far as I am aware). By that rationale every human being is 'half'.

Surely they must have security video footage of his actions inside the cell.