Posted in: Record number of online casino users detected by Japan police in 2024 See in context
"Gambling is illegal in Japan even if an online casino is operating legally overseas."
Doesn't seem all that illegal at the boat or horse races, and aren't they building a casino in Osaka? Nothing quite says the hypocrisy of it all here like gambling, except maybe prostitution.
0 ( +7 / -7 )
Posted in: All-Japan Taekwondo Championships to be held in Tokyo this weekend See in context
Japantime: "This is a Korean sport. In Japan other martial arts are more popular."
Ah, yes... when not doing as well in something it's "not our concern" despite the event being held here. Just enjoy it, or don't bother at all -- don't come on here and play sour grapes.
In any case, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, and Karate are all just different schools of the same thing. It's a school that makes the sport, not the name. There are schools of karate in Japan that are closer to Tae Kwon Do than what people may consider to be "karate", and vice-versa. "Shorin-Ryu" in Okinawa, for example, uses the same name and similar styles as Shaorin Kung Fu in China. "Uechi-Ryu" is the same as Fujian Province's Kung Fu, etc.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan in contact with U.S. over tariffs; says it will respond appropriately See in context
Yup, Hayashi will say Japan always stands strong and will do what's best for Japan, then he'll turn around and further beg Trump to let Japan be an exception.
-7 ( +6 / -13 )
Posted in: Cupid's arrows now flying in both directions, as Valentine's Day in Japan undergoes 'major changes' See in context
"So it would seem then that as more Japanese females become aware that the common Valentine's Day practice in foreign countries calls for males to present chocolates and other gifts to females, a gradual shift in this direction may now be occurring."
If only people realized the day is actually supposed to celebrate love and good will towards each other, and learn the history of the day instead of abiding by a chocolate company's campaign, who knows?
4 ( +9 / -5 )
Posted in: Japan seeks exemption from U.S. steel, aluminum tariffs See in context
What a bunch of crybabies. Once again begging to be exempt and to be an exception. What are they giving in return because bending over?
-4 ( +1 / -5 )
Posted in: Brother of N Korea abductee Megumi Yokota hails 1st Ishiba-Trump summit See in context
Dude, Trump's not going to help! And if he says he will all Kim needs to do is praise him and he'll further allow Kim to expand his nuclear program.
0 ( +8 / -8 )
Posted in: Chelsea star Sam Kerr's 'stupid and white' remark was 'hostile': prosecutors See in context
Tough one. Well, not really, but I mean calling someone "white" isn't all that big of an insult, same as if you called a person "black". Now, if you said "stupid and N - word", then absolutely. Still, though, it was racially tinged, and despite being not such a slander she intended it to be, it seems. So, yeah, charge her for it.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan's Supreme Court overturns man's acquittal for fatal 2015 hit-and-run See in context
OssanAmerica: "Sometimes Japan's justice system simply boggles the mind."
For once, we're in agreement. I cannot BELIEVE they acquitted him because he "only stopped for a minute", seeming to not at all take into account the guy rushed there after hitting a kid to buy something to hide the smell of alcohol on his breath. Unbelievable!! The Tokyo High Court is probably full of people who drink and drive so they were sympathetic.
-7 ( +1 / -8 )
Posted in: Federal judge blocks Elon Musk's DOGE from accessing sensitive US Treasury Department material See in context
I like how JD Vance has called for the fired racist kid to be rehired, despite the kid in question saying "Promote Indian Hate" or whatever it was, and Vance's wife being Indian. I am sure he must go home proudly to his wife and kids and say, "Guess what I did today, guys!"
0 ( +3 / -3 )
Posted in: Over 40% of Japanese want to use original family names at work after marriage See in context
My wife legally changed her surname to my family name and the very minute she did, City Hall staff called out her new name and ALL heads within hearing distance turned to see who had the Japanese first name and foreign surname. THAT is definitely one reason why some people want to keep their original names in many aspects of life, at least when married to a foreigner. In fact, for a long time I insisted she didn't change it. Some crazy family stuff on her side, though, led to her legally changing it.
She still uses her original name at work and for some other purposes, though not legal purposes.
-3 ( +1 / -4 )
Posted in: Man stabs himself after fatally stabbing wife See in context
Sigh... Another family murder. As I have said with the near-daily reports of moms killing their kids, and then usually failing when trying to kill themselves, please START with yourself and leave the others out of it, if you really must go there at all. Seek help first, please.
-14 ( +7 / -21 )
Posted in: Man arrested for killing pigeon See in context
"The suspect had posted multiple videos of animal abuse on X since May 2023, with police receiving more than 100 reports and several animal welfare groups filing complaints."
So... they've tolerated it for two years? Please please please let this man go to prison for at least a couple of years, and PLEASE while in there let the other prisoners treat him like he did the animals, each and every single minute of his life there.
-4 ( +2 / -6 )
Posted in: Inside buildings, there are some areas with high radiation levels where workers can be easily contaminated, but people can work safely if proper measures are taken. See in context
And when they start getting various cancers a few years down the road there will be a different president of the plant saying he is not responsible for what his predecessor said or did, and that anyway there's no proof the cancers are caused by exposure at the plant. If both excuses fail, which they won't, they can just say, "Well, the person/people obvious won't working responsibly!"
-6 ( +3 / -9 )
Posted in: Baseball star Ohtani’s ex-interpreter sentenced to nearly 5 years in sports betting case See in context
Stewart Gale: "He should have committed this crime in Japan, he’d be out on a suspended sentence right now."
If he were a politician, celebrity, or CEO (or all three), I'd agree, but he DID commit this heinous act against Shohei Ohtani, so he might have actually gotten the death penalty here.
-10 ( +6 / -16 )
Posted in: Ishiba heads to U.S. for Trump summit See in context
Ishiba is going to try his hardest and Trump will just nod his head while he thinks about golf and McDonald's. Then Trump will say, "How much are you going to give us?" and Ishiba will write a blank check with our taxes.
Trump does not respect Japan or its leaders one iota. He knows that he can force them to bow down on hands and knees just by saying so. He respects whom he regards as "strong men" and he has never thought a Japanese leader was one of them. He'll get Ishiba's name wrong while Ishiba smiles and nods, and he'll say that Japan has greed to buy trillions of $US in old military weaponry that the US couldn't make work properly. Ishiba will then take the stage to talk about the importance of the alliance, and Trump will get bored and walk away, with the news cutting to something else.
-8 ( +3 / -11 )
Posted in: 1 person dead and 5 wounded in shooting at Ohio cosmetics warehouse See in context
And? Just another day in 'Merka. When they ban guns and this kind of thing happens, I might start to care.
-1 ( +6 / -7 )
Posted in: Voter who passed on Ichiro for Hall of Fame still a mystery after 321 of 394 ballots released See in context
Great player in a number of respects, but a very arrogant person, at least in his early years abroad. HIs teammates thought so as well and said as much. I have no doubt he wants to have a drink with the person who didn't vote for him because he's incredulous at the fact and would like to brag about himself and lord over said person.
Still, he deserves to be inducted in the Hall of Fame for his playing, bottom line.
-4 ( +0 / -4 )
Posted in: Tourists in Kyoto cause chaos at railway crossing near Fushimi Inari Taisha See in context
gsa: "This is more another proof of incompetent Japanese officials failing to provide working solutions to the increased tourism."
BINGO! And of course, foreign tourists are the popular scapegoats. I think every sentence related to foreign tourism here and in Japanese news should start with, "Foreign tourists, who brought in ¥3 Trillion (or however much it was) last year alone..."
OssanAmerica: "Looking at that video I don't see many (if any) American looking (sic) tourists."
What do Americans look like, pres tel? Never seen any Asian Americans before? or are they all white or black in your mind? Once again, as a poster pointed out above, Ossan:
"No matter how hard you try, you're not Japanese."
-9 ( +4 / -13 )
Posted in: Japan Today Spotlight looks at the Fuji TV scandal See in context
No... they are NOT looking at the scandal... they are looking at how to spin it so it's less of one, and how to "Promise to be transparent", and maybe even change their name, so they can continue to go unchecked. How's Johnny's new company doing, by the way? Still suffering?
-4 ( +2 / -6 )
Posted in: Man acquitted of 1966 murders seeks over ¥200 mil in compensation See in context
I'd say ¥200M is not near enough. He should be getting ¥200B, easily. It's not about what he could have earned during the time spent behind bars, but the man literally lost his sanity, his youth, and almost literally his life -- and literally MOST of it. NONE of that can be gotten back with any amount of money, but if a system that is so corrupt is made to pay so much, it might cease to be quite as corrupt, at least openly.
Sadly, I doubt the guy will see ¥2,000,000, let alone the ¥200M he's asking for. The court will make excuses and say those who framed him are dead and can't be held accountable, etc.
-2 ( +1 / -3 )
Posted in: Japan to halt funding for U.N. women's rights panel over call to end male-only imperial succession See in context
"Japan on Wednesday said it will freeze voluntary funding for a United Nations’ women’s rights panel that called for an end to the country's male-only imperial succession rule."
Nothing quite like doubling down on how outdated the practice and the nation is, and why it ranks dead last in gender equality among more than 100 nations. I'm only surprised the didn't turn around after their threat and ask for UNESCO world heritage status for the Imperial Male-only system.
-5 ( +9 / -14 )
Posted in: New Yokohama ordinance to ban smoking in public parks from April See in context
Hahaha... right. And under any "no smoking" sign outside if you take a pic you'll find people smoking, and/or at least cigarette butts. How are you going to enforce it? If you give them the "verbal warning" first and they tell you off, what will you do?
If you want to get serious about this, you need to go Sinapore-style. Absolutely no BS. A cop sees someone not obeying and it's a first-time ¥500,000 fine. Second time is double plus potential jail time. This time is up to a few years in jail. Until then, the wishful thinking approach will work as well as it did previously when Tokyo tried it's ¥1000 fine thing that not a single person likely paid, if approached at all.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: It is premature to give digital textbooks an official textbook status at this point when it has not been verified whether they are at least as good as paper textbooks. See in context
He's just saying this because they don't have a solid way yet to charge the same amount or more for said books. How about someone let him know that he can give students a code, paid for, that will allow them access to said books for a limited amount of time, and that must be renewed and repaid after a certain time. I have no doubt after hearing that that suddenly digital textbooks will be okay.
-1 ( +0 / -1 )
Posted in: We are in a crisis situation with infections occurring successively in the same areas and are concerned about the impact on egg prices. See in context
All those chickens being culled... so... were the factory farms worth it?
-2 ( +2 / -4 )
Posted in: Climate change cooks up Japanese 'cabbage shock' See in context
Cabbage salad.... never has something been more overrated. Now, I like cabbage -- it's a champion when it comes to vegetables you bought and then forgot in the fridge, and outlasts its leafy brethren. But up to ¥400 for a cabbage? Why? I would MUCH rather have a REAL salad at a restaurant than some thinly sliced cabbage with mayonnaise on top.
-3 ( +5 / -8 )
Posted in: Osaka woman causes 8 separate traffic accidents in 35 minutes See in context
Saki Endo: "I dislike the irreverence of this writing style, she could have killed someone. Would we be having quotes like "Yo dude that's how I play Mario Kart!" if someone had been due to her reckless actions?"
You ever stop to think that the "irreverent style" of writing is due to the fact that the author KNOWS no one was killed and no one even severely injured?
-6 ( +1 / -7 )
Posted in: Trump invited to Hiroshima for 80th anniversary of atomic bombing See in context
It would be SUCH a mistake to have him there. He'd make it all about themselves with comments like, "Hiroshima certainly has suffered. But of course, I know about suffering as well. I was attacked by all sorts of fake news and witch hunts the likes of which no one has seen. So maybe I've suffered more, actually. No one has been attacked like Trump has, let me tell you, and no one has persevered like Trump, either.
-2 ( +1 / -3 )
Posted in: 'Japan First' mindset key for Ishiba in dealing with Trump: president's ex-adviser See in context
"It doesn't help to have a Japanese prime minister who is going to kowtow to the president,"
Ah, but he will, Mr. Machida. He most certainly will. Any Japanese leader who stood up to Trump would immediately find Trump just leaving and going to deal with China and a leader he respects as a "strongman", or with Putin in Russia. Unfortunately for us, Trump does not respect Japan or its leaders. You could see that clearly when he left Abe in the sandtrap while golfing so that he could go talk to someone he was actually interested in -- Matsuyama.
-4 ( +2 / -6 )
Posted in: U.N. standard to feature Japan's volunteer probation officer system See in context
When I read this type of article it always reminds me of when I quit a job in the past and in my final few weeks after giving notice I would train people to take my role. I would teach them things and often understand the mistakes I had made in not necessarily doing what I was teaching the people what they should do. It also reminds me of how Hong Kong uses the "Octopus" system for transportation (magnetic cards instead of cash), as did Korea (not Octopus in that case), but how despite it being Japanese tech in the machinery they were still using cash and paper cards at home for another 10 years.
What I'm getting at is, practice what you preach, preferably before preaching.
-3 ( +1 / -4 )
Posted in: Japan-funded education centers in Russia may terminate as ties sour See in context
Japan will remove all sanctions in lock-step with the US once Trump takes office.
-7 ( +5 / -12 )
It's ok, actually easy to criticize, but how can the system be made more consistent?
Posted in: Djokovic calls for overhaul of 'unfair' anti-doping system
Posted in: Two men arrested over theft of 1,200 meters of copper cable
Posted in: Two men arrested over theft of 1,200 meters of copper cable
You can see the cable here. It looks like it was cut into 6m lengths, and is some kind of…
Posted in: Two men arrested over theft of 1,200 meters of copper cable