Sofa_king comments

Because previously it was thought that volcanoes should really only erupt during office hours?

I can't wait to see the multiple choice questions on the "morals" test that will inevitably follow.

I want to see it even more now that I'm not allowed to.

Smart move Sony!

"But the move has fanned suspicions that LDP bigwigs want to avoid the foreign press, which is generally considered more probing than its sometimes-tame Japanese counterpart."

Pretty sure that's supposed to read as "sometimes-lame".

"Do or do not, there is no try. " - Yoda

Who cares about phones. That's not why Google has edged past Apple.

Google has broadened it's reach into all sorts of new areas - glass, self driving cars, A.I., to name a few. Apple makes some pretty cool stuff but as a company, there's no comparison.

Glad to hear the teachers are busy. It'd be nice to hear they are being productive as well though!

Let them have their crappy beach. Plenty more beach houses just up the road by kamakura, by enoshima, in chigasaki etc.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Tuesday that Hyakuta, a noted right-wing novelist, was entitled to his opinions.

Yes, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

But that's not what this is. This is a nonsense claim that directly contradicts well established facts.

This fear of tattoos is just a symptom of the wider problem of organised crime in Japan. Reduce crime sydicate influence and activities - the stigma around tattoos would evaporate.

"Of the 5,111 companies surveyed, 4,189 or 82% were flagged for violations, Fuji TV reported. The ministry said it surveyed companies with a high turnover rate of young employees, in collaboration with Hello Work government employment offices."

So 80% of companies with a high staff turnover are breaking the law. Interesting, but not really surprising. I wonder what ratio of all companies are.

They're already doing such a great job of keeping important things out of the news though..

I propose 'hard-biz' year round: stop fiddling with the air con remote and fussing with your lap blankets and get some bloody work done!

I'm sure she'll go down in history as one if the greats.

Not.

Congrats all the same, that's six more than I've got!

"Many are still unable to return to areas within 20 kilometers of the power station"

Still?! It's going to be a while yet.. A long while.

"Off to never-never land"

The tattoo ban affects way more non gang affiliated people than it does gang members. And it's particularly difficult for tourists who don't know their way around as well as the locals.

A lot could be done done to crack down on gang activities in Japan. Banning tattoos in certain places is yet another example of a token gesture while sweeping the underlying problem under the rug.

Passing the buck in the extreme! Develop a failsafe system for correctly identifying your patients. Getting this much right is a fundamental.

The leaks they're worried about aren't the ones to the ocean, they're the ones that go to the press.

Those in power know that if they made politics relevant and accessible to younger urban voters they would be out on their ears.

...and somewhere in Sagamihara tonight there is a judge getting home with a stomach full of lobster and saké courtesy of NHK.

"Bullies will be required to take classes in separate classrooms."

An excellent idea. Countless students remove themselves from school and deny themselves an education because they simply can't face the bullies. Get the bullies out of the picture somewhat and allow all students a fair go at school.

Um, are they saying that since people bought some drinks un-refrigerated that they must have drunk them at room temperature as well?! That's a bit of a leap there..

Outrageous decision. It's slightly better than what usually happens i.e blaming the victim for allowing himself to be bullied, but responsibility here lies squarely at the feet of the school. They were supposed to be the adults in charge and they should have suspended, expelled or otherwise removed the bullies so the victim could attend classes. They let this happen and they sat on their hands while one of their students felt so marginalised that he couldn't even face going to school. And for over a year.

Now the bullies' parents get fined, they go home and bully their kids and the bullies go out and find a new target. Nobody wins.

I'm tired of this 3 arrows nonsense. It's as if all he needs to do is pull back the string, take aim and voila! Never mind that the 'targets' are multi faceted polyhedrons, and never mind he doesn't have a clear shot at half the 'faces' or aspects of the targets. This hand waving explanation about a bow-and-arrow underscores the fact that these are aspirations rather than specific policies he's talking about.

Maybe Abe could start doing some Usain Bolt style poses in parliament to make his bow-and-arrow analogy a little clearer.

"this water contamination isn't high enough to cause any major concerns."

While it sounds positively delicious that really isn't the issue. It's this constant bungling and revising of results (up, of course) that is maddening.

200 billion. That sounds like a lot of money.

I wonder what it would be as a percentage of the total aid money so far.

Not that misappropriation of funds is ever right, but it would matter somewhat if it was, say, 3% rather than 30%.

""No Country for Poor People." nice. I think I am the only one who got this joke. "

I think you're the only person who thinks you're the only person who got that joke.

Anyway, the whole bloody thing's a joke. I hope the international media gets onto this and it recieves the outrage it deserves.