Steve Sin comments

Japan should carefully ponder why EU is seriously considering to give up DST.

More than anything else, it is stupid to introduce DST to NATION to host the Olympics in CITY(correctly speaking, including neighbouring prefectures).

Educator60,

Thanks for your comment but I still respectfully disagree. The question is what scenario is probable to enable drone delivery of newspaper.

This time Shindo 5 struck Sapporo, but local people still can get newspaper without any problem. If bigger earthquake hits Sapporo then infrastructure might be damaged, but in such a case Hokkaido Shimbun would not be able to print newspaper in the first instance....

So for me it is impossible to imagine the case where disaster hits Hokkaido, Hokkaido Shimbun can print the newspaper, but cannot convey it to local people.

Yubaru,

So what's your point? I know Okinawa has JSDF bases. Please educate me if you know more about the subject than I do.

Osaka_Doug,

If you are thinking that you could defend yourself by acting as if you were not a threat, I admire your simplicity. Wish I were able to live in such an easy world!

A mere advertisement. Most part of Hokkaido has resumed its operation back to normal. Local people already get news from TV and internet almost without restricting electricity usage.

Absurd. How do Okinawan think they can defend themselves from neighbours without the U.S. military base?

I don't understand why Japanese so aggressively oppose to just 2% raise. Japan boasts (still) top level of social security, debt mounts to circa 300% of GDP, and everyone doesn't want to lose national health insurance system. Everyone doesn't want to lose annuity either.

It's simply unfair to pass the burden to the young. It is evident that the elderly has received the most, and they have to pay for what they got. And indirect tax such as consumption tax is the best way to get money from all of the elderly.

I don't see why this claim is so provocative. China is intimidating Japanese territory, NK has not withdrawn its nuclear armamant, and Japan has to amend its constitution so as to deploy JSDF as it wants to. Timing couldn't be better, as China is now ready to make concession in view of prolonging trade war. Hat off to PM Abe!

This is really a balancing act in view of following geopolitical relationship.

For China, Japan is not important as China has the biggest market on its own. But China needs Japan to counter trade war with the US.

For Japan, China is extremely important as Japan gets revenue from trade and investment. China is the biggest partner in these fields.

For China, Japan is nothing but a obstacle under the umbrella of the US.

For Japan, China is a great threat: for the first time in its long history, China tries to transform itself from landpower to seapower.

China wants to, directly or indirectly, control Japan. Whether China uses honey or gall, the purpose is to influence Japan.

Japan wants to keep independent. Being under the auspices of the US, which is still a great power but not yet a superpower as it used to be, Japan needs to beef up diplomatic ties with China to contain Chinese influence, while not making China angry and at the same time not making the US angry.

This is the conundrum so hard to solve.

Kono: 47 regions a year

Predecessor Kishida: 51 regions in (roughly) 5 years - 10 regions a year

Wouldn't 5-hold increase be legitimate? I agree to increase the budget, but don't see the rationale.

It's easy to condemn surging Japanese defence budget, but it's important to realistically see that Japan needs to oversee China, whose military spending is expected to be still 4 times larger ($174.5 billion, evidence is as below). Furthermore, North Korea has not, and probably will not completely withdraw nuclear weapons.

Probably the easiest way for Japan to curtail military spending is to possess nuclear armaments - China and NK has it anyway - but such a radical method would cause a big national debate, conflict with neighbours, and even negotiation with the US.

I don't want arms race, but I don't want military imbalance much more.

China’s 2018 Military Budget: New Numbers, Old Worries @Diplomat_APAC http://thediplomat.com/2018/03/chinas-2018-military-budget-new-numbers-old-worries/

Talking about China, it supposedly urged local univ to "delay" symposium on comfort women issue in view of forthcoming high-level official meeting including possible currency swap.

I believe this well exemplifies how China treats comfort women issue. It is just one of the cards in Chinese hand to take advantage of Japan. As long as China wants to keep the card, any genuine apology or generous compensation won't make sense.

China ramps up charm offensive with Japan - https://www.ft.com/content/a23fc1d4-ab60-11e8-94bd-cba20d67390c via @FT

I'm living in, want to live in to say the least, a country with full democracy. If I want censorship around me, I will live elsewhere.