skyguym42 comments

Posted in: Genkai nuclear reactor shut down in Saga; cause unknown See in context

Parse, people, parse...

“We have not monitored any abnormality such as any change in radiation gauges,” could mean "We have not looked at the radiation gauges". That is, after all, the proven Japanese way of dealing with problems...don't look for them and you won't see them. I hope the crowdsource radiation monitoring network is checking to see what's really happening.

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Posted in: Norwegian gunman wants to see Japanese psychiatrist See in context

Obviously nuts. If he just pleads guilty he'll serve a maximum of 21 years (look it up, that's the max he gets if not declared insane)...and in a Norwegian prison which is nicer than most apartments in Japan. Free internet, big-screen tv, unlimited communication with the outside, weekends off to see family (these are all considered basic human rights in Norway and cannot be infringed upon even for security reasons).

If he was sane, he'd realize that a Norwegian prison would be like a tenured professorship in Crackpot Political Studies, allowing him to write, organize, and plot with others to his heart's content.

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Posted in: China calls Japan defense comments irresponsible See in context

tkoind2, don't misunderstand, I don' think it's a good thing, but that it is inevitable. I do not believe there is really anything we can do about the Chinese. They have the military and economic power to do what they want in Asia, and the cultural confidence to motivate their population to want those muscles flexed. China is a vibrant (and scary) country in its ascendance.

What do we have to push back with?

A stagnant, shrinking, demoralized Japan that believes in its heart of hearts that the future is bleak and "nothing can be done"?

A demoralized, divided, financially shattered US (with a military worn down by endless wars) that cannot get its utterly broken political system to work without crisis forcing the issue.

The parallels are pretty scary between this and the 1930s. But in the 1930s the war actually spurred people to come together and fight. We no longer have either the fire in the belly or the leadership to do anything but watch. So Japan had better figure out how to survive as a client state.

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Posted in: Clinton: More than 2,000 dead in Syrian crackdown See in context

Anglootaku, I agree. Never said there weren't good things in the Arab culture, just that western-style democracy does not work well there. It doesn't.

I mention it because so many people seem to think that because Assad is a bastard, the opposition is obviously better. We are about to find out, and the cheerleaders will quietly slink away when it turns into something worse. The most organized opposition is far more anti-Israel and far more religiously-driven. The western-educated anti-Assad Syrians you hear on NPR speaking from Washington DC are not the man in the street. They are likely to be just as horrified as the westernized Egyptians are now at what emerges from their (quite understandable) revolution.

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Posted in: S Korean ferry operator bans Japanese passengers: Yonhap See in context

I'll feel some outrage when I can rent an apartment without hassle, visit any bar or sento I wish, and ride past a cop without getting a bike registration check.

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Posted in: Clinton: More than 2,000 dead in Syrian crackdown See in context

We will soon realize that Assad was the best among bad options. He was secular and afraid of a war with Israel. The people likely to take over next will be neither. Not saying he was a nice guy, but Arab cultures are too tribal to support democracy. The human rights violations are pretty much par for the course in the region, and will likely be worse under whoever replaces him.

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Posted in: China calls Japan defense comments irresponsible See in context

Japan will be a vassal state of China before long and needs to start cutting the best deal it can. The US is a dying country, the rest of the West is just as weak, and Japan refused to arm itself properly when it had the money and the chance...leaving no other options. China is the future whether we like it or not. But Japan will keep it's head in the sand, play tough until it gets some MSDF ships sunk trying to force a superpower out of its Lenensraum and realizes it has no one to rely on. By that time the Chinese terms will not be so good. The future for Japan is not a bright one.

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Posted in: Norway killer's manifesto praises Japan for not adopting multiculturalism See in context

It did make me grin a little that they now know just what kind of person admires the society they have built. I've already pointed it out to a few people here at work when they mentioned how awful the massacre was.

But the posters above are right, this will have no effect. It will make no difference to most Japanese...they simply aren't capable of making substantive changes without being forced to. Japanese who are capable of independent thought leave Japan for real cultures.

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Posted in: If a longtime expat starts offering you advice, walk the other way See in context

Chances are the boss was passing on complaints about his hair from clients...and he's been here long enough that he did it indirectly, as a Japanese would. He just might possibly have a touch more experience than you, and while you must judge for yourself, you might find it useful not to ignore him automatically, Trenton, m'lad. Even if he is a crotchety old dodderer of 45 or more years.

And as for the "mixed-race children" comment...don't let me hear you say that within earshot. You will acquire a quiet and discreet injury which no one will notice happening. And I presume you would not marry a Japanese woman for fear of miscegenation. No letting native blood pollute a good English bloodline like the Truitts'.

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Posted in: 10-year-old boy drowns trying to save younger sibling in Saga See in context

The poor family...the fact that they should have been more careful will make it all the worse for them.

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Posted in: Gackt to hold concert just for men See in context

What the heck, it's at least interesting...and as far as those saying he's not enough of a man, I point to Freddie Mercury... a gay man who no one can say wasn't macho.

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Posted in: Japan leading charge against bluefin ban See in context

I do not support a ban, because it will be an unenforceable waste of resources, but make everyone feel that "something was done".

With modern techniques, poacher ships can avoid detection. The Japanese will simply illegally fish them to extinction while claiming innocence.

So eat a piece today so you can tell your kids what they tasted like.

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Posted in: Do you support a ban on the trade of bluefin tuna? See in context

To answer the question, I do not support a ban, because it will be an unenforceable waste of resources, but make everyone feel that "something was done".

With modern techniques, poacher ships can avoid detection. The Japanese will simply illegally fish them to extinction while claiming innocence.

So eat a piece today so you can tell your kids what they tasted like.

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Posted in: Do you support a ban on the trade of bluefin tuna? See in context

---And tuna are too big for baileen whales and too fast for toothed whales.---

That fact will be conveniently left out of the newscasts. Japan's sheeple will accept it as gospel the second some paid-off professor says it's true. I've never been in a country where facts mean so little.

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Posted in: Architecture in Japan See in context

Modern Japanese architecture is not really so bad, but the fact that Japanese do not maintain or clean or repaint anything makes it look worse. I see so many new buildings filthy and rusty within 10 years that I decided not to buy a mansion...it would just fall apart under me. I built a house that I maintain and repair.

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Posted in: Do you support a ban on the trade of bluefin tuna? See in context

It's a simple choice....take a break to let the population recover and enjoy bluefin for the long haul, or eat all you want now for a few more years and then never again. Seems simple, but the Japanese will simply pretend there is no problem and poach them to extinction. Then they will blame Antarctic whales for eating them all.

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Posted in: Japan worried that Toyota's problems could hurt U.S. ties See in context

Let's see the recall and safety records of all the other carmakers before deciding that Toyota has more or worse problems than other carmakers.

Am I the only one that remembers that the US govt owns GM, which will be the big winner from this...conflict of interest much?

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Posted in: Man arrested after stabbing high school boy at train station See in context

Good thing knives are banned....

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Posted in: 3 pedestrians killed by car in Nagoya; driver, passengers flee See in context

So I get the impression the car was left behind...so it shouldn't be too hard to find the driver at least. Although the Japanese police don;t have the best record in catching fugitives. Fortunately he'll probably turn himself in after the hangover wears off.

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Posted in: Minister cautions U.S. military after part falls from U.S. Navy jet, hitting house See in context

Wow, Kwatt, I'm impressed with your knowledge of aircraft design! Aircraft have many parts that are not necessary for flight, but are there for other purposes. Inspection panels, sealing strips, al sorts of things. It's not like some evil American engineer purposely designed things to fall off and hit Japanese houses.

If the mirror or a piece of trim or a door handle falls off your car, does it stop working?

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Posted in: Minister cautions U.S. military after part falls from U.S. Navy jet, hitting house See in context

Cue the protests in three, two, one....

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Posted in: Hatoyama says he'll start from scratch on Futenma relocation plan See in context

---I do not like your attitude and you should not use such insults in referring to the people of Okinawa! ---

I was referring to Japan's unwillingness to defend itself, not Okinawans in particular.

The PM is trying to keep his hired army in the most convenient spot for Tokyo politicians.....away from the mainland where there are more voters. He cares about the people of Okinawa as much as any PM...only during speeches about the bases, with no action following.

I doubt your attitude is liked by many on this board either!

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Posted in: Hatoyama says he'll start from scratch on Futenma relocation plan See in context

YuriOtani, the distance would allow for defensive prep before missiles arrived...warning is good. I said nothing about defense.

And as I said, we have the same goals; You want us out, so do I. The fact that our reasons are different should not matter. I want you worthless cowards to be on your own, you want us stinky gaijin out, but we both want the US to close the bases. Why are you arguing with me? We should be working together to remove the bases.

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Posted in: Hatoyama says he'll start from scratch on Futenma relocation plan See in context

---Yes, because being a few thousand miles further from a threat is always a good idea?--

Not always, but sometimes, especially in the age of missiles. Having the bases further from potentially hostile launch sites can give you more warning of an attack. If you have good long-range systems (which we do), distance can be good.

Also, would Japan be in as much danger of attack if the US bases were not there? It seems to me that the US bases drag Japan into US squabbles as much as defend against them.

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Posted in: Hatoyama says he'll start from scratch on Futenma relocation plan See in context

It may be naive to think there would ever be a referendum, but I think the US should be listening to the people most directly affected, not Tokyo. If we are not welcome in Okinawa, we should tell Tokyo they need to be moved to the mainland or we will move them to Guam. But we should no longer be complicit in forcing these bases on Okinawa just because the Old Boys wnat to continue outsourcing their national defense.

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Posted in: Is Ozawa heading for the slammer? See in context

No, it's not North Korea, (you said that, not me)...the lifestyle and freedoms here are still going to be better than 90% of the world even if the economy and politics don't change.

Hopeless to me does not mean that Japan is doomed to be a horrible place to live or anything, just that the politics and govt corruption here are unlikely to improve anytime soon. Japan's potential will never be realized, which is sad.

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Posted in: Is Ozawa heading for the slammer? See in context

drtoro, give me a reason to think it's not hopeless....the most radical change in Japanese politics in decades has only given us crooks who are less competent than the last batch.

When young people I know say "Why bother to vote, they're all the same, and all the real action happens behind closed doors anyway", I have very little to respond with, because they are right. The Old Boys of the status quo (regardless of the party) have such strong machines on the ground, and the Japanese are so loathe to go against authority and peer pressure that change is effectively impossible. The political and societal cultures here coopt, weaken, sideline and ultimately defeat any attempt at real change before it starts.

Enjoy Japan as it is, but don't expect it to change. Or expect the change to be glacial and only skin deep.

Whether Ozawa goes to jail or not, Japan will be run exactly the way it has been for at least the last 55 years, and largely by the same families. Get used to it.

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Posted in: Hatoyama says he'll start from scratch on Futenma relocation plan See in context

I'd be stunned if contingency planning for a mass removal of the bases is not underway now. Japan is not a serious security partner, and there is no real reason to stay and defend them. Hold a referendum, and if the bases lose, the US should get out regardless of what Tokyo says. What happens after we leave is not our problem once they ask us to leave.

We no longer need these bases as we have no legitimate security interests in Asia that cannot be handled from Guam (Korea can handle its own defense now). The US sun is setting, and the new regional power is China. Japan had better be either thinking of how to cut the best deal it can or building a serious defense force. They can afford to defend themselves, but prefer hiring a military to building one.

The US should not be attempting to hang onto its bases where they are not wanted, and Japan should stop depending on others and become a real country worthy of respect.

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Posted in: Is Ozawa heading for the slammer? See in context

Even if he resigns he will just change titles and continue to run the party and the PM from behind the scenes...anyone who thinks this will change Japans' politics (or even thinks there is a remote possibility that Japan's politics will change) is a fool. Japanese people are ultimately is fine with the corruption because it would be impolite and troublesome to try and fix it. They bitch and then vote the same class of crooks every time. They get what they deserve, and will get the likes of Ozawa or his like in the LDP for the next 100 years.

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Posted in: Where are all the babies? See in context

tkoind2 is right, the problems are obvious, as is the fact that Japan is permanently and utterly incapable of fixing it. The cultural inertia here is simply too overpowering, the lack of initiative and willingness to stand up for oneself pathetic and irreversible. Japan is a dead country walking.

The Japanese are sitting on the tracks and watching the train coming, noting the color of the train, how many cars it has, whether or not it's on time, lamenting the fact that the driver is not doing his job. They are remembering with teary eyes how they used to ride that train with their friends, being sad that they know it's not going to stop, and that they could get up and out of the way if they wanted to, but that no one actually told them to escape, so maybe it's not ok to move, but look at that cartoon character painted on the train, kawaiiii....SPLAT. No sense beating your head against a wall here, folks, Japan will not change a damn thing until absolute disaster hits. And then they will blame it on foreigners.

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