Japan Today

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Posted in: Japan, Britain hold joint military exercise in central Japan See in context

Only 50 British members? PM May has very limited budget.

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Posted in: Abe faces host of diplomatic, economic issues after cabinet revamp See in context

@Rick Kamishiki13 Japan has close to 40 percent of capable working people working part time and it's not getting better. The real problem is that major companies has to compete with labor cost beyond Japan. China's labor cost is still one fourth of Japan. Most Japanese companies have already sold out to survive in this competitive world by giving away their technologies. They don't care about the people in Japan.

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Posted in: Japan's automakers welcome N America trade deal, but U.S. export curbs a risk See in context

How do you start off a trade talk with Japan when you have a ratio of 100 cars shipped to U.S. and U.S. ships 1 car?

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Posted in: Abe faces host of diplomatic, economic issues after cabinet revamp See in context

Mr. Abe walks in very fine line. There's a problem for lack of money. Why don't you blame Toyota for potentially giving away their hybrid and fuel cells technology so they can continue to make money.

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Posted in: Tokyo election, Koike's popularity could shift political landscape in Japan See in context

Koike is better for Tokyo,

Koike is trying to turn a dual system into her sole control. That is a problem.

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Posted in: Tokyo election, Koike's popularity could shift political landscape in Japan See in context

The key to achieving stability will be enforcing greater governance over political parties. The only source of power is to leverage the size of groups to steer the DPJ toward desired directions, as Koike is unlikely to spearhead a revolt and join hands with the opposition LDP.

There has been virtually no debate on reforms of the tax and social security systems and how to reduce the increase in social security outlays, restructure the various pension into a single program, provide medical coverage for the elderly, and address the dramatic rise in welfare subsidies. Policy differences between the two parties are not very significant, and both parties are aware of the need for reform. But the financial institutions would see their assets dwindle. But it could have a significant impact on local banks and credit associations.

Koike is not committed to making decisions that really matter to Tokyo and Japan’s future. Koike will do nothing to raise Japan’s political standards. A change in government will do nothing to improve the situation. Should the economy takes a turn for the worse, a demagogue could appear to take Japan toward a dangerous course. This is probably the biggest challenge in overcoming the currently political instability in Japan.

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Posted in: Okinawa marks 72nd anniversary of fierce WWII ground battle See in context

YubaruToday  04:24 pm JST THIS is what today is about here in Okinawa. Bugs the hell out of me that politicians have to take the stage and turn Memorial Day, into their opportunity to push their own agendas.

Doesn't help either by constantly ripping the scabs off of old wounds by regurgitating incidents that sadly occurred. I wish the writers of these articles would show some respect, with regards to that as well.

China still talks about the history of Nanking and invasion of China. Still, Japan has not offered official government apology. In comparison, Germany has paid billions and advanced to moving beyond of WWII and Japan has not. There is still a problem.

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Posted in: Trump's new idea -- a 'solar wall' on Mexican border See in context

Trump has 3-1/2 years left of his terms. Not much memory of his bs will be retained. Over 90 percent of the U.S. agriculture industry depends on illegal Mexican labor. How will this solve the border problem?

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Posted in: World's 1st Starbucks coffee shop with tatami rooms to open in Kyoto See in context

YubaruToday  04:27 pm JST Right, then according to the post you are referring to here, then it's up to the Japanese to keep their heritage intact.

It should be available equally to all nationalities (foreign companies) that respect Japanese culture.

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Posted in: Investigators obtain data recorder in U.S. warship collision See in context

Stuart haywardToday  02:41 pm JST Until we see the data recordings from both ships and statements from both crews, none of us will know what caused this collision.

Oceans are large. Even with U.S. Navy having advanced technology, it's only good as what you can use and monitor. They were asleep. The U.S. military with volunteer forces are not good enough in today's problems. If they want to be combat ready, the enactment of draft is necessary.

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Posted in: Former TV announcer Mao Kobayashi dies of cancer at 34 See in context

tmarieToday  02:43 pm JSTIt should read "Mao Kobayashi, well known former announcer, dies" but we all know that obituaries, be it here or wherever, are sexist.

So what is the cause of cancer?

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Posted in: Former TV announcer Mao Kobayashi dies of cancer at 34 See in context

tmarieToday  02:59 pm JST W Not I. Hence my comment. But clearly the news does because not only are they mentioning Ebizo, they are featuring pictures of him with her as well. Read the first three paragraphs in this article. They focus on him.

Did you know Ebizo? ** How he care for her during diffcult time? **

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Posted in: Former TV announcer Mao Kobayashi dies of cancer at 34 See in context

tmarieToday  02:43 pm JST

Not probably, it is. Her relationship to Ebizo (whom has had numerous run ins with the law) should be mentioned AFTER her accomplishments. It should read "Mao Kobayashi, well known former announcer, dies" but we all know that obituaries, be it here or wherever, are sexist.

She was happy. She was in Japan. Who cares of Ebizo?

*

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Posted in: Former TV announcer Mao Kobayashi dies of cancer at 34 See in context

tmarieToday  01:11 pm JSTRIP. Never been a fan of her husband's, never understood her choice to marry him

You didn't even know her.

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Posted in: World's 1st Starbucks coffee shop with tatami rooms to open in Kyoto See in context

The successful companies tend to look outside of the box. It's about growth and survival. If Starbucks was Japanese company, people in Japan wouldn't spit beer on the keyboard.

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Posted in: World's 1st Starbucks coffee shop with tatami rooms to open in Kyoto See in context

Kyoto is a large city and most young people welcome the tatami room. The Starbucks has found balance between maintaining the trendiness of being an American brand and adapting to the Japanese market. They are the first coffee chain to implement a non-smoking environment, which appealed to the younger Japanese generations.

Starbucks has realized that it is not just about the product, but the experience as well and they have taken the extra step to become familiar with Japanese culture to create an unbeatable experience.

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Posted in: Kansai Electric restarts another reactor on Sea of Japan coast See in context

Of course, nuclear power isn’t the only source Japan relies on, geothermal energy, fossil fuels and natural gas imported from overseas, and renewables such as hydroelectric, wind power and solar all contribute to keeping Japan moving. But while Japan doesn’t want to rely on imports for its energy needs, hydro, wind and even geothermal options offer unpredictable output. Nuclear power, in contrast, provides a steady source of electricity for their industries. All this suggests that nuclear power is absolutely necessary in Japan.

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Posted in: 14-year-old boy arrested for dropping 5-year-old girl from 2nd floor of sports center See in context

Tony W. June 6  08:25 pm JST

The most likely explanation, if it was a "special" school, is that he is intellectually disabled. That's a reason, not an excuse. 

Unfortunately in Japan, many teens as well as adults with mental illness go untreated. There are many reasons why teens don’t receive the mental health treatment they need. Sometimes parents don’t recognize the need or don’t have the means to get their child treatment.

In most areas of Japan, they lack adequate mental health providers as well. There are many dangers of allowing a mental health condition to go untreated. Suicide is also a major risk for teens and adults who aren’t receiving appropriate mental health care.

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Posted in: Philippines' Duterte slams Chelsea Clinton over rape remarks criticism See in context

Duterte is more of pragmatic and astute leader who is intent on repairing frayed ties with China and decreasing the Philippines' excessive dependence on the US.

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Posted in: Trump announces U.S. withdrawal from Paris climate pact; allies voice dismay See in context

What does it matter? Nothing will change. Backing out of the agreement could prove a lengthy process, one that would end the day after the 2020 presidential election, when Trump might just be up for re-election. There's a four-year rule, a three-year waiting period before a country could withdraw and then a one-year waiting period after that keeps a country from backing out of the Paris agreement immediately. Since Trump reportedly plans to adhere to that process, the U.S. would be able to exit on November 2020.

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Posted in: Nurse arrested for stealing cash from patient’s family See in context

Kniknaknokkaer Today  09:43 am JST

Seriously people, it just isn't necessary to carry large wads of cash around!

Unfortunately, Japan is still a cash society. Compare to the west, many of the older citizens still pay their service in traditional ways.

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Posted in: 21-year-old man arrested for stabbing female acquaintance See in context

StevieJ June 1  09:32 pm JST

Maybe he had a thing for her and she rejected him and he couldn't take it? Or maybe he's just psycho?

This may seem like a pessimistic or cynical view of Japanese society, but ask a Japanese men their opinion on the matter and, if they know you well enough to speak their mind, they will probably tell you rejection is very difficult for most Japanese men. Things are unlikely to change.

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Posted in: Abe delays goal of no waiting list for daycare centers by 3 years See in context

The issue is a lack of daycare centers for the 73% of mothers who are already working and this government's empty promises. 

Japan has already encouraged day care centers to accept more children than they have room for and allowed new facilities to be opened without playgrounds as long as there are parks in the vicinity. Japan’s day care centers have undergone enough deregulation already. What is truly needed is an overhaul of working conditions and nursery salaries. Subpar wage standards hardly do justice to the grueling, highly technical nature of the work.

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Posted in: Abe delays goal of no waiting list for daycare centers by 3 years See in context

That a lack of openings at more affordable public nurseries could convince more women that they should forgo having more than one child or lead them to have no children at all, depressing a birthrate that is already among the lowest in the world. Japan with a public debt more than twice the size of its economy and the increase of public spending on the growing elderly Japanese, it is unlikely that the problem will be fixed any time soon.

The root of the problem is that working mothers face an old bias toward stay-at-home mothers. Many are asked "Is your work so important that you have to put your baby in child care"? Why are you being so self-centered?”

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Posted in: Japan's household spending sags; jobless rate lowest in two decades See in context

If Japan is to solve its demographic problem, it will have to tackle the labour issue. Japan needs to narrow the gap between over-protected permanent workers and under-protected non-permanent ones. That coddling one section of the workforce does not serve Japan’s interests well. Simply making life less cushy for permanent workers is not likely to do any good on its own. The big push should be on improving the wages and conditions of temporary workers. It should be made far easier for them to migrate to permanent jobs and for workers of all descriptions to move more freely between companies.

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Posted in: Japan's factory output rises 4% in April See in context

socrateos May 31  06:53 pm JST Actually Japanese economy does not depend much on exports in comparison to other developed countries.

Exports to China, Japan’s largest trading partner, climbed about 15 percent to a record high for the recent month. Exports have driven five consecutive quarters of growth in Japan’s economy, the longest run in a decade. When the global economy is going strong, exports to China grow. Exports are the only part of the Japanese economy on a firm footing.

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Posted in: Trump dismisses 'fabricated' report of son-in-law's outreach to Russia See in context

@blacklabel

White House’s has already made multiple mistakes in describing Kushner’s Russian contacts are now a matter of interest to investigators. Nobody who reports in is stunned when Trump's staff tells you something that’s not quite right. These are misstatements of verifiable facts. Kushner omitted two meetings with Russian visitors, the encounter with Kislyak and a meeting with Gorkov, the head of Vnesheconombank, a state-owned bank that has been subject to U.S. sanctions. An attorney for Kushner has said that he had offered to amend the forms once the errors were discovered.

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Posted in: Japan's factory output rises 4% in April See in context

The growth has more to do with exchange rates in Japan. Japanese companies still relies on exports for their profit. The adjustment in weaker yen makes Japan more competitive abroad. Domestic labor rate and supply cost has not changed.

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Posted in: Japan's household spending sags; jobless rate lowest in two decades See in context

Japan currently has 40 percent of their workforce working part time workers with mostly no benefits. In a decade, part time workers will be about half the working population. No wonder majority of these people have little to spend on other than the basic needs. Sure, Japan's economy is expanding slightly, but at the high expense of these low disposable workers. The gap between the poor part time workers and and rich will continue to expand.. I am not sure what young people of Japan has for their future. Abe government is not looking for solutions to the problem.

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Posted in: U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed Japan’s auto market is closed. Japan has rejected that claim, saying it does not impose tariffs on U.S. auto imports nor put up discriminatory non-ta See in context

In Japan, for regular cars, the auto tax is assessed by the total engine displacement as measured in cc's. Most U.S. cars have large displacement, over 2,000cc and above, they are taxed heavily in Japan. It's a way to discourage people not to buy U.S. or foreign cars.

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