slowguy2 comments

Smithinjapan is absolutely on the mark. Abe & Co. are transparently trying to piggyback on the proposed US-NK summit so as not to be left out in the cold. Plus Mr. Abe badly needs a distraction from the Moritomo scandal. Plus it reinforces the traditional Japanese view of themselves as victims. Plus it's all good for him if somehow the abduction issue muddies the waters and the main parties leave the talks dissatisfied. It's as cynical as it is hypocritical.

Japan held back not to start a new war. Nevertheless the claim persists. If they don't renew this claim regularly, they could lose it... To my knowledge, Japan agreed on respecting an ICJ rule, so it's up to South Korea to finally finish this blame game: Accept Japan's offer to settle this by the ICJ. But do you want to?

But Japan already doesn't have it! w And bringing up the ICJ is just more transparently hypocritical silliness, since Japan refuses to refer the matter of the Diaoyu Islands to that vaunted body.

"Japan has asked South Korea THREE times to settle this dispute at the ICJ. All three times South Korea has refused. So just exactly what part of "international law" are they citing that supports their position?"

This might not sound so hypocritical and self-serving if Japan were to volunteer to take the matter of the Senkakus and the Kuriles to the ICJ. But don't hold your breath, www

"The way in which chikan incidents are treated trivially in Japan"

One of the many effective ways to keep crime statistics down in Japan.

"Whey they do the same against Mao, I may start paying attention to what they say."

That's a strange thing to say. You seem to be implying that it is hypocritical for the Chinese to take Japan to task when their own tyrants have also committed brutal acts, but what do Mao's, or any other Chinese despot's, crimes against the Chinese people have to do with JAPAN's crimes against China? One does not cancel out the other. If you want the Chinese to ignore Japan's crimes against China until after all those internal issues have been resolved, you are essentially asking them to never bring them up at all. So does this "logic" also work in reverse when the Japanese complain about foreign governments?

"those ridiculous comfort women statues that seem to be creeping up all over the world"

Do you ever wonder why it seems to be the world vs. Japan on this issue?

"Red sun with beams is such a beautiful traditional Japanese art"

The Nazi swastika flag is also a very attractive and eye-catching design. It's a damn shame they can't use it any more, eh?

*These casks are used for shipping and storing spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants. Kobe Steel was the first Japanese manufacturer, in 1981, to begin manufacturing large-sized forged casks.*

"Forged" is right.

"South Korea and Japan have signed an agreement ending this Comfort Women issue permanently in 2015. Japan has fulfilled it's end of the bargain. Either South Korea stands by it's international agreements or it has zero credibility as a nation."

These statues are not put up by the SK government. What people do with private donations in other countries is not the SK government's concern. On the contrary, it's Osaka and by extension, Japan, that's losing face -- big time -- in the international arena by making this petty, small-minded behavior.

In the US new books and documentaries are continually produced to make certain no one forgets the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII ; you don't see Americans getting up in in arms to protest this "deliberate prolonging" of a shameful episode.

"Fallen or jumped" over a four-meter fence? Japanese police doing a fine job.

Keeping the stats low, that is.

"Then how come the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are justifiable when only a few of the Japanese top brass started WWII?"

We'll get back to you when a few of the North Korean top brass start the next WW.

Schopenhauer: "Isn't this an embarrassing matter to bring it up for Koreans themselves?"

Nope. Do you think the Armenians and the Jews should be embarrassed to talk about the genocidal massacres perpetrated against them by the Turks and the Germans? Japan is the perpetrator of this crime, and the shame rightly belongs to Japan. Stop trying to shame the victims into silence.

"Korea, stop playing the victim card! It's starting to make you look pathetic"

Sorry, but these days it's looking more and more like it's Japan that's trying to play the victim. Of Korea's alleged lies and distortions of history, that is. And of course, the supposed innate criminality of Zainichi Koreans. Pathetic? Yeah, I'd say so.

So for the Japanese, a foreign actor playing a Japanese characters is not an issue if the actor is white, but it is a problem if the actor is black (or Chinese/Korean)? Reminds me of how Japanese characters in manga are so often -- usually -- outfitted with incongruous caucasian features while Korean characters -- even within the same panels -- have been drawn with exaggerated Asian features, yet it's always rationalized away in ways that don't involve racism, prejudice, and delusion.

Blame the foreigner. Yup, everything's normal in the land of Nichimoto.

And, the saddest thing is, in his mind, this is the truth.

Well, perhaps not. It could be that he knows he is propagating a lie, but continues to do it on the theory that "A lie repeated endlessly becomes..." -- you know the rest. In fact, I suspect this is probably not a rare thing in Japan, where beautiful packaging is what REALLY matters.

"It is none of the world's business what Japan teaches Japanese children in Japan"

Because this stuff worked out so well before, right.

And by the same token, I guess it's none of Japan's business what other countries teach their children... so let's hear no more stupid complaints about how other countries are brainwashing their kids to hate Japan in history classes, hmm?

Why would Mr. Abe need to apologize? It was the US that forced Japan into defending herself with proactive, preemptive self-defense, everybody knows that. Everybody in Japan, at least.

Whom he does not think were criminals

Just a user: mind reading again?

What, it isn't obvious to you? Then you're one of a TINY, willfully blind minority. Or one of the bigger weeaboo minority that will excuse anything Japan does, just because it's Japan.

So it was all extra service in consideration of foreigners' tastes? -- What a load of BS. They did it without being asked, and never gave patrons a choice by simply putting extra wasabi on the side instead of hiding it in the sushi. It shouldn't even be necessary to refute this transparent lie, but I guess some people are bound and determined to see this in a positive light / defend Japan.

Why would anyone approve a poison-filled site for a market in the first place? Something definitely smells "fishy".

Schopenhauer : China and Korea are rewriting histories to their advantages

Rather an ironic claim, considering that when it comes to the business of History Beautification in modern Asia, Japan led the way and reset the bar. If you haven't had the good fortune to see that photo of Meiji emperor before and after Beautification, at a time when most Chinese and Koreans had never even heard of touching up photos, I recommend you check it out -- it's enlightening as well as very amusing.

Somehow, this sounds way more "only in Japan" than most of those wacky inventions and gadgets.

MrBum : Abe... How on earth is this bonehead the leader of this country?

There must be lots more like him in the country.

Beer4me:

"Tech stolen from the Japanese"

Prove it, or it's just more knee-slap BS. And as we all know, Japan is full of pakuri products that started out as copies of American and European originals. Maybe "Stuff Japan stole from the West" needs to be said more often.

Christopher Glen: Warm words? Why should there be any?

That may depend on how well THEIR palms are greased; where bribery is established practice, bribery scandals can be fixed with more bribery.

tinawatanabe said: Most workers were Japanese, Koreans (who were Japanese at that time) joined later. Those workers are under pension program.

Exactly. As sure as the Korean "Comfort Women/Underage Girls" were professional whores who were paid better than Imperial Japanese officers.

“By wearing this mask, we become invincible."

Sounds like too much anime-watching, even for Japan. Anyway, "The Tatemae Girls" would be a more descriptive name for this group, methinks.

I'll wait for the steak-and-potato-tasting fork.

Oy, so it's the Koreans again?^^ Overtly racist people SHOULD be made to pay the consequences, and they would be, in most western European countries for example; the fact that these "cockroach"-yelling Japanese aren't, does not speak well for Japan on the international stage. In fact, it makes Japan look downright underdeveloped.

Once an animal has been shot with tranquilizer, isn't it the practice to follow at a discreet distance until it passes out on its own? Why try to capture it with a bunch of inept men and cause even more panic?

...the classy thing for Japan to do would be to remain apologetic...

The smart thing is not to expect Japan to be classy on this issue.

Mike3113King: "Here in Hawaii, we have thousands of Korean Bars that are begging for Japanese to spend there money and buy them a drinkie. Maybe they developed this skill during the war?"

Maybe they learned this skill during the war from the Japanese, their s̶e̶l̶f̶-̶d̶e̶l̶u̶d̶e̶d̶ self-claimed 'betters', eh?