sasapesso comments

There is increasing wage gap thanks to our corporate overlords. And bosses 'boss' more, which in excess is just a nuisance to the workers. Thus, the old warm work environment is no more. The fish rots from the head.

He is not lying. What he says is truth irrespective of his motives. So anyone opposing that fact is just blind brainwashed American.

Japan isn't an empire. Why Japanese 'emperor' isnt called king or something more suitable to his position? This kind of self-gratification (calling their symbolic leader with fake empty title, ruckus about the national anthem, etc.) makes life harder for individualism to flourish and democracy to fully reach its potential.

No. 40 years old convict will probably never change in the rest of their lives. but 15 years old has potential and their crimes usually come from their idiocy and ignorance rather than cold-blooded calculation.

Ishiguro's style doesn't fit modern fast world. That's one of the reasons why he is a great writer.

I'm ok with population drop. I hope the rest of the world follows Japan in that respect. More people didn't bring peace to nature.

Aging society with declining population generally see lowe crime rates unless grannies become terrorists.

It is ironic. Nazis perceived Japanese and other Asians as inferior race, if they ruled all the world, they would be slaves. Now failed-to-be-slaves are missing ther failed-to-be-masters.

Well Japan is no longer as worthy trade partner as it used to be. As mentioned above, it is trying to protect its rice farmers and auto producers + it has shrinking population and low economic growth. China has corrupted politics. Other contries don't see China as a trustworthy partner. However it has more dynamic economy than Japan.

Both countries are unlikely to change their ways, however I hope perceived threat from China + US pressure make Japan to abide with other Pacific countries.

China should get over with its grudge against Japan, any state action motivated by nationalistic fervor is bound to create new problems. Senkoku may belong to either Japan or China, but irrespective of that, area China deems belong to it is not demarcated according to international agreements and laws, it is biased both against Japan and South Korea. Japanese airlines is just a corporation follows economic interest, there is nothing wrong with their decision, I am sure they also feel against China"s self-righteous blabber.

I agree on institutional aspect of racism in Japan. No serious laws against racism makes it possible to discriminate any foreigner, which is not the case in the West. This makes Japanese state problematic. On the other hand racism on popular level might be stimulated by the West itself: there is kind of inferiority complex. Even though a non-western country sticks to its culture, almost everything else from state structure to economy is a gift of industrial revolution and that is why today countries are more alike than ever before, which makes them emphasize on small things to feel distinctive. And more important for Japanese at psychological level is the importance of the second world war, they lost first time in any war, this loss meant that they were not the best, not the most powerful and the emperor"s speech was the seal of the inferiority complex. The reason why the Japanese like being flattered by foreigners is a result of this complex. The fact that their loss was at the hands of Americans make them prefer all other Westerners to US citizens.

I think treatment of Maori women is a result outdated cultural thing. Adding to that self-prclaimed cultural distinctiveness make it easy to bar her. For all cultures, sticking to 'cultural values' does not mean they are innately good. Cultures do change, and people obeying old rules without further thought might be at blame here, even in Japan samurai culture is relatively new, replacing old palace and bureaucracies, it replaced some previous values; before that in Heian lady Murasaki writes about unsighty peasants - at time 90% of population- now more value attached to country people for their hard work and distinctive ways; the French executed their main cultural idol, the king, introduced new values to the world, etc. In elusive and trainsient world, instead of resisting, people must reflect more on what parts to save and what to discard.