szero25 comments

Posted in: Governments ramp up demands for user info, Twitter warns See in context

Is this really news considering how many governments are also looking at implementing digital IDs? People need to wake up and refuse to be surveyed and silenced by governments and private organisations, discord between people should be free and open its messey but at least it's free and democratic.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: BOJ will not budge on easing to spur wage growth: deputy chief See in context

One, real inflation is higher than the stated rate of inflation. Two, wages will not increase to meet inflation as companies won't increases wages enough as they tighten their purse strings employees wages are likey to be the last thing they spend money on. Three, not much point in if you can't score a full time Job anyway if you have no job security and companies keep making dodgy short term contracts your not likely to be in a position to splash cash around. Four, yield curve control has been used by the BOJ for so long now if they try anything apart from it they will break the entire system. Japanese people per captia have more debt than Venezuela and no assets that hold value... don't need to be a genius to figure out how this ends.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Bank of Japan sticks to easing, raises inflation forecast See in context

This is folly, probably more indicative of Japan's complete incompetence at managing it own economy. They have duf their own grave with yield curve control and now are completely stuck. Wages won't rise because unless the goverment bumps it busines won't and if they do they may loose their competitive edge, that said if the yen remains this week they may have no choice. Just another example of the citizens getting screwed, taxed through the nose for healthcare and pension for the old golden generation at the expense of the youth. Not only do young people have no income no job stability and rubbish hours now they have the added tax of inflation, maybe if they incentivise workers with more money for more hours they might actually get better results instead of treating their workforce like slaves.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Tokyo June heatwave worst since 1875 as power supply creaks under strain See in context

Time to start those nuclear power stations shut in a panic?

That would require rational thinking, proper risk assessment and politicians willing to push forward and withstand the heat for the good of the country.

If anything, these 11 Years have shown us just how far Japan is from that.

Japan lives in its own dream land, in which political theater, fear mongering, overreacting and lack of political will to do what is right is the norm.

I mean, the Japanese reaction to nuclear power is just one of many panic/scandal/opportunistic reactions this country ALWAYS shows.

Turning back on the nuclear power stations would solve a big chunk of this problem, which was never resolved in these 11 years, since they just kept on pretending there was no problem without facing reality, and now that they have to face reality, lets, once again like 11 years ago, tell people to turn down their air-conditioning in an extremely warm summer and turn off their lights at night, which is really not solving any problem, but it games people the illusion of "doing something", just like border control, just like masking, just like most things that makes absolutely no sense in this country.

How dare you think for yourself and critically analyse the situation sir! Don't you know there is only room for group think here.

I was literally just talking to my wife about how there were very little repercussions for all the big wigs at tepco for fukushima and how it made the goverment actually have to be accountable for keeping many of the nuclear plants up to code as far as safety standards go.

Now we are in a situation where they claim its to expensive to bring a lot of them up to code or improve them, and some recommendations have been made to make newer safer reactors of even small modular reactors, but rather than actually take action in any way we are still sitting here with most of the reactors inactive and very little in regards to having them brought back online.

Again why do we have such a bloated goverment, full of useless corrupt beaurcrats who spend most of there time drinking with under-age girls instead of actually doing anything.

Smaller governments, less tax and more action please!

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Posted in: Djokovic repeats no vaccination stance as U.S. Open slips away See in context

Good on him, vaccine mandates make no sense and are unjustified. Wish more people would take a firmer stance and push back.

-2 ( +12 / -14 )

Posted in: Kishida plans reward points system to ease electricity bills See in context

Uh how about generate more affordable energy you morons?

What's next walk 3 hours to work and get $2 of your gas?

I see the pattern of thr japanese goverment treating their citizens as slaving peasnts continues and so does the pattern of the public electing the Muppets

24 ( +36 / -12 )

Posted in: Kishida, BOJ chief discuss rapid fall of yen See in context

No mention of yield curve control and the government buying bonds.... funny that.

How come all these articles never mention that this is a direct result of the government's fiscal policy.

Quick question if Japanese interest rates rise , and most house mortgages in japan are locked in at a rate of say %1.5 for 30 years (those on variable rates are pretty much screwed btw) who's going to wear the rate increase?

And as many other people have mentioned no real wages rise in god knows how long, backwards work systems rewarding seniority and cronyism over merit, increasing un-availability of full time work and revolving short term scam contracts that essentially creates a class of people working over fulltime and still below the poverty line.

Young Japanese people need to start standing up on mass, organise for better pay, call you management team out, demand better working conditions or threaten to change jobs and don't be afraid of the consequences, the population is ageing the workforce participation is dropping and you deserve better.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

Posted in: Keio University and Fujitsu demonstrate tech to streamline management of digital identity data for student services See in context

Ugh digital identity... social credit linked to cbdc. .. thanks but no thanks.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: No need to stop social activities with Omicron: COVID adviser See in context

Can we ditch the masks too please?

Pointless wearing them unless the fully seal around your face and have a properly rated particle filter anyway.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

Posted in: Lineup for end-of-year Kohaku song contest 2021 revealed See in context

Boring!

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Posted in: What event did you hate most in elementary school? Survey asks Japanese adults See in context

Sports day... what a joke sports days in Japan have nothing to do with it. Synchronized marching whilst carrying flags is not sports its simply a way to reinforce conformity, the only sport that actually gets done is the rely.

The whole thing is just another big excercise on crushing individually in Japan an enforcing coherence to the group.

Everyone in Japan knows that schools are a joke students that go through them hate them teachers that work there get driven onto the ground and all the staff at the boards of education are only interested in carrier progression and sucking up to their bosses. Add to that the useless and incompetent ministry of education its a miracle there are not more students and teachers complaining about it.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Unemployment benefits for millions expire as Trump rages See in context

I find it odd that at no point does this article point out that the bill was over 5000 pages long and included clauses that were snuck in that had nothing to do with relief such as "violating copyright laws with unauthorized online streaming will become a felony punishable by five years in prison for first offenses" not to mention more tax breaks for larger companies that have already had relief.

I wish people would be more pragmatic on these issue, yes trump is a moron but he actually has a valid point, the people should be getting more money and clauses shouldn't be thrown into the bill to simply help out interest groups and big business.

17 ( +27 / -10 )

Posted in: Is home life in Japan that different from your home country? See in context

Lol how about some actual real tips.

Tone down the Japanophile behaviour (avoid being the person who thinks everything in Japan is remarkable and tries overly hard to fit in, agrees with everything and eventually burns out due to taking on too many tasks and gets frustrated when you can't be Japanese or treated like a Japanese person no matter how good you Keigo is)

Use your Gaijin powers wisely - foreigners often get away with some things Japanese people wouldn't be able to because of the perception that they don't know or understand things, don't be the person who is loud and obnoxious on public transport but rather speak up at meetings etc about things that everyone else is thinking but are to afraid to say anything about)

Explore - if you live in the city go to the country and vice versa, visit a ryokan go hiking, chances are your only in Japan for 1-3 years so make the most of it.

Don't feel obligated to go to nomikais or if you do go don't drink yourself silly. I think after the first 2-3 work drinks i went to i realised they weren't for me, its just my opinion but i am happy to meet work colleagues but having managers and other senior staff there really kills the mood, no one relaxes and it just turns into an ass kissing exercise.

If you work as a teacher try and teach your students critical thinking skills and different perspectives, most of the time the Gaijin is somewhat of a token figure but that gives students the ability to learn that differences are not a bad thing and new perspectives and views can help make them more robust people.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Posted in: Gov't holds annual disaster drill amid pandemic See in context

Is it just me or do they look like the puppets from Thunderbirds.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Posted in: How possible successors stack up if Abe resigns See in context

Aso . . . You must be kidding the guy doesn't open his mouth for more than four seconds without putting his own foot in it.

Why would anyone vote for these old cronies part of the same dodgey cabinet that has been responsible for several different scandals.

A bigger question is why you would vote for someone who is nearly 80 and incompetent, you wouldn't let your 80 year old parents or grandparents tell you how to run your life but you will let them run a country, half of them probably don't even know how to you use a smartphone properly.

You can't feel anything else but disheartened when you look at Japanese politics, its the same old club of scumbags that push for policies that benefit themselves or their big businesses counterparts.

They should clear the whole diet and start again.

15 ( +18 / -3 )

Posted in: U.S. cuts WHO ties over virus; takes action over Hong Kong See in context

Taking Donald out of the equation.

Surely it is pretty obvious to most people at this point that the WHO is in China's pocket.

Whether or not they manipulated information about the Corona Virus, preventing Taiwan from participating fully in the WHO during a crisis period when they obviously had something to contribute isn't in the world's best interest.

Its not just the US that's pointed out the current issues with China and the WHO.

The UK and Australia as well as other European countries have also pushed for an inquiry into China's handeling of the outbreak and ultimately how the information was reported to the WHO and the rest of the world.

I thinks its important to separate the actual politics from the person, i don't particularly like Donald Trump but at the same time that doesn't mean everything that he does is wrong simply by association.

The whole world is looking on at what is happening in Hong Kong and whilst no one wants to see open conflict it is also equally true that no one wants to see the majority Democratic population suppressed under a totalitarian régime.

The so called western democracies we have across the world may not be perfect but they at least try to enshrine the ideas of freedom of expression and thought, introducing laws that make it a crime to mock the national anthem or the government or enforcing a social credit system onto a population isn't a society people want to live in its an Orwellian nightmare come to life.

-8 ( +5 / -13 )

Posted in: Survey ranks the most desirable neighborhoods to live in Kansai region See in context

I actually quite like Tennoji, I think being close to the red light district and love hotels actually keeps the place a bit grounded.

The zoo however is pretty terrible no one wants to go see animals in a concrete wall to wall prison.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Parents' lawsuit accuses Japan of double standard on child 'abductions' See in context

However, you should have wised up prior to marrying a Japanese; that's their culture and if you don't like/agree with the way they do divorces, then don't marry don't have kids. Simples.

It makes me laugh that you think you can just use the culture card as a justification for any sort of behaviour.

By that same argument female genital mutilation would be acceptable because its a cultural occurrence or not allowing women to have an education or get a drivers license

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Two fathers in Europe demand action against Japan over parental child abduction See in context

@Minami Smith

I don't think anyone would disagree with Wives leaving abusive and violent husbands. However i do believed this issue is not about that particular situation its specifically to do with Wives essentially kidnapping children with no warning or explanation to their partners, it does happen and there are a myriad examples of it online.

Whether it is to do with the couple not properly discussing the issue or simply the wife wanting to get back at the husband.

It shouldn't be acceptable for either parent to just up and leave with the kids to another country with no warning and then bar the other parent from seeing or communicating with their children for the rest of their lives.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Japanese firms slowly moving away from old recruitment, pay practices See in context

 I need to work for the first 3 months at ¥1200/hour, or ALL new hires have to start at the same salary, even we are doing different jobs and have different levels/years of experience. NONSENSE.

Yeah the concept that if you move to or start at a new company that you must then start from the bottom is absurd. Again you can't hope to compete on a world stage nor breed innovation with that kind of system.

Motohiro Morishima, professor at Gakushuin University, noting that the younger people tend to place more emphasis on work-life balance than older generations.

I love it how the older generations claim young people put more emphasis on work life balance. I think it would be more realistic to say that more women are entering the workforce and more men want to actually spend time raising their children and letting their wives have meaningful work lives as well compared to the previous generation that expected all child rearing to be done by the female.

Its not selfish to demand reasonable work hours and pay based on the work you do.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Japanese firms slowly moving away from old recruitment, pay practices See in context

"In a company, not everyone is a cleanup hitter. We need to make sure that those who may not stand out but still contribute to the company are rewarded with pay rises,"

Yeah what about all the managers in Japan that simply order all of their staff to do the work, stay longer at work which means the staff stay longer and also drag people out drinking after work. From my experience all seniority based pay does is increase the prestige and pay of a position whilst relinquishing all of the work to other people.

continuing to request a uniform monthly base pay hike for all workers, seeking a 4 percent increase, while calling for efforts to tackle what it considers the more urgent issue of resolving the wage disparity between regular and nonregular workers as well as between small and large firms.

I would agree that the minimum wage needs to rise across the board as well as well as the abolishment of sham contracting that sees people never hired in a fulltime capacity.

Unions in Japan need to be far more militant in pushing for changes but at the same time there seems to be a disconnect in the legal system that prevents people from taking legitimate strike action. Recently employees from the Japan Construction and Transport Solidarity Union – Kansai Ready Mix Concrete Branch were arrested for taking part in a strike for better pay and conditions.

The government can't on one hand call for reform and then allow people to be arrested on the other hand for pushing for that same reform.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Posted in: Plain Japanese key to inclusive, multicultural Japan See in context

Japan is becoming just like any other country. Losing their national identity. I didn’t come to live/work in Japan to have Japanese dumbed down to me because I look like a “foreigner”

Based on my experience most Japanese people under the age of 40 see Keigo as more of a hindrance more than anything else.

Making Japanese simple and less formal is better for everyone, most of the honorifics and politeness seems to me to be a way a enforcing hierarchies and ones position which should be less strict in this day and age anyway.

The idea that somone automatically gains respect based of their age position or gender is antiquated in my opinion, respect is something that is earned not given by default.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Posted in: Body confidence and body positivity in Japan See in context

Is it better to be too fat or too thin?

A majority of the time the response from health professionals and regular people would be too thin.

Fat shaming seems to be a hot topic at the moment and I am not exactly certain why its become taboo to tell people who are overweight or obese that it is in fact unhealthy, speaking as somone who had an unhealthy diet and was overweight for most of their teen years I would not promote it as something to be proud of it was bad for my physical and mental health.

At the end of the day people need to eat healthy foods and excercise there are no shortcuts or simple answers and losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is something that is different for each person.

I am not sure whether or not i would consider Japan's weight classifications necessarily wrong but rather question why western society in general has such lax standards, 53% of Australian's are considered to be overweight but rather than telling people they need to eat better and excercise we seem to be sending the message that its fine to be overweight or obese as long as you are happy and just forget about of the health implications that go along with that.

My wife is Japanese and weighs 38kg, she eats healthy food and doesn't have an eating disorder and whilst i think she should do more exercise I would still prefer her to be underweight than over.

We live in an age of excesses and its easy to fall into a habit of doing everything to excess, maybe instead of promoting body images we should be promoting self regulation in people giving them better skills to manage their own weight and health.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Posted in: Why do Japanese make fewer charitable donations than people in other countries? See in context

@PacificWest

No wonder, that place is toxic and overrun by anti-Japanese activists.

This site isn't overrun by anti-japanese activists, stop confusing legitimate problems and arguments with anti-japanese notions many people here live in Japan or have Japanese spouses. Just because they make negative comments it doesn't mean that hate Japan it just means that Japan like many other countries has problems it needs to fix and like many other countries it likes to ignore them rather then fix them.

I think its pretty hard to be generous on your average salary mans wage and try to raise a family at the same time, its probably more related to inequality and a lack of income then a cheapness in the population.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: An interview with #KuToo founder Yumi Ishikawa See in context

My wife started working for a major Japanese hotel chain the other day and she was told she wasn't allowed to wear pants and flat shoes and instead had to wear high heels and a skirt as well as about another 100 stupid rules.

Anyone who thinks Japanese society is becoming more open and progressive only has to walk into any professional workplace and realise that its just lip service.

People keep asking why She is moving to Australia instead of settling in Japan doesn't take a genius to figure that one out, only a fool would stay in a country with backward rules and obvious sexism in the workforce.

12 ( +16 / -4 )

Posted in: Journalist Ito says she was 'desperate to protect' herself from rape See in context

Having seen the documentary on Her story and watched her have to painfully retell the series of events I'm not sure how many people could believe that she would go to the trouble of making this all up to end up public shamed and shunned, its an incredibly difficult task questioning the backwards systems in Japan but also questioning somone in a position of power.

Beiing married to a Japanese women now I often wonder if people realise how difficult it is for women to even raise such issues, not only is there the stigma still attached to it in Japan but you get stupid old men banding together to defend the actions of other equally stupid old men in an attempt to cover up their own guilt with claims of chivalry, when in fact they are the lowest of low.

I don't know what i would do if one of those scum buckets ever pulled something like that on my wife or my daughter but I think people can at least take hope that women in Japan are now making themselves heard on a world wide scale that this sort of behavior particularly by people in.positions of power is completely unacceptable.

I hope the guys career is destroyed its the least he deserves.

15 ( +16 / -1 )

Posted in: Osaka to host 2025 World Expo See in context

If a picture says a thousand words then the opening one is saying some pretty strong words about the old boys club that is Japanese hierarchy.

A room full of ignorant old conservative men celebrating something that's going to entrench their positions and make them more money.

Now i remember why i wanted to leave Japan.

Isn't that the same mayor that banned people from working in local government if they had tattoos?

Wonder if he will ban foreigners with tattoos from attending as well.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

Posted in: 'Undokai': Behind the scenes of a Japanese primary school sport day See in context

Yeah my experiance of junior high sports days was kids marching in military synchronization whilst carrying flags, it made me feel very uncomfortable.

The military uses drill as a tool to condition soldiers into taking orders, why its practiced at Junior High Schools is beyond me, and a lot of the sporting events were more like gag events. It felt like to me it was just another way to indoctrinate values and behavious into students.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Naomi Osaka wins U.S. Open after Serena Williams penalized a game See in context

What pathetic behavior by Serena talk about a bad loser.

Congratulations to Naomi for a fantastic effort and she should be proud that she played so well in spite of a hostile crowd, she Doesnt need to appologise for anything!

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Posted in: Akita Prefecture may be glimpse of Japan's graying future See in context

No surprises here you reap what you sow.

No jobs available, the ones that are would be for companies where the management is basically stuck on and still has pig headed and backwards attitudes to work and promotion. Still don't understand how the government keeps complaining on one hand about the declining birth rate and then introduces stupid bills that allow 100 hours of overtime a month and don't provide enough child care to keep up with demand.

You want people to have kids then provide them with a lifestyle conducive to it.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

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