tegomas comments

They're sorry they got caught.

In order to move on, the parties need to come to terms with what happened in order to move on.

If Japan takes on Germany's example, then both China and Korea should accept and move on immediately in order to cooperate with one another so that Asia can prosper. Look how close the EU countries are.

The insane work regulations is one of the problems that is killing Japan. Companies can overwork their employees as there's 0 consequence and entirely free to do so. Meanwhile, employees get to spend less time with their families, leading to less people having babies, as they put their careers first, family second.

If Japan enforced good and solid work regulations when it came to overtime, you'd see a much more productive workforce, you'd have more people have the opportunity to create and raise families, the economy would go strong as more people contributed.

The situation now with the graying population is unsustainable. Japan must reform from within and become more progressive in many aspects, especially in the workforce. Otherwise, it'll continue to dwindle.

J-drama and manga fans are crying foul as this premise is a lot like “Poison Berry in My Brain” (Nonai Poison Berry)

Perhaps the crying fans should do some research and realize that there was a show once called Herman's Head that predates that.

"The two countries can't be compared"

Sure they can. The main difference between Germany and Japan is that Germany has owned up to its wrongdoing in combination with having worked together with its partners to elevate from the views and convictions it held during those times. Meanwhile, Japan is acting obtuse, and will continue to perpetuate the status quo in regards to its poor relationship with its neighbors by continuing to disregard, whitewash and deny its wide known history.

Right wing, nationalistic propaganda is doing nothing but damage to Japan. It's a very insular attitude to have in the 21st century. Japan needs an honest discourse within itself, by leading by example in its region.

Just like Germany did.

Because Japan was an aggressor. They instigated an attack against them when they attacked pearl harbor. When you align yourself with fascist states such as Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Nazi Germany, you're asking for trouble. I think the Japanese recognizes that they were at the wrong side of the war, so asking for an apology would seem that they did no wrong. It was a wake up call. Also, Japan has excellent relations with the United States today, so asking for an apology would not contribute to anything positive, so there's no reason to rock the boat.

You don't see Germany going around asking for apologizes, even after the fact that they lost two world wars.

The video is absolutely terrible. Just horrible.

There are reports that this took place 3rd of January, which explains why ISIS failed to produce proof of life of the pilot during the negotiations.

He was already dead.

Many Terrorist do 't come the ME, African Muslim, etc country. Many do hold European, US, Canadian or other citizenships though, they might even hold Japanese citizenship.

This is true. Terrorists are adapting. Ever since the London bombings, one of their main strategy has been to radicalize people from the countries they want to attack, and thereby cause mayhem by proxy. This was exactly the case what happened in France, and is the kind of terror that is the hardest to stop.

The terrorists main goal is to strike terror in the hearts of the Japanese. Making irrational decisions is playing into their hands. I hope Japan realizes it.

Unfortunately, this was expected. Goto's life came to an end when he was captured by the terrorists. It's a sad day today. May Kenji Goto rest in peace. I send my condolences to his family and friends.

Japan will not bow down to terrorists, and will do everything in its power to protect its people, and help aid against fighting the terrorists. These thugs want to anger us and taunt us to make irrational actions, but we will not succumb to their vile tactics. They will ultimately be defeated, because the world fronts are united to put a stop to them.

They're playing a losing game, and will ultimately fall.

The reason for the deadlock is because that Jordan has requested evidence of proof of life in order to continue with the negotiations. ISIS has repeatedly ignored this and has instead threatened to kill both hostages if they don't follow their demands. Jordan therefore responded that they will execute all prisoners related to ISIS if they kill the Jordanian hostage, so the ball is now on ISIS court.

Depending on what they do, Jordan will respond accordingly.

Considering that Wawrinka is ranked higher than Nishikori, the loss is nothing to be ashamed of.

Nishikori is still young, and has a bright future ahead of him.

ISIS is forcing Japan and Jordan to make a swap deal with them. Even though I'm against all sorts of deals with terrorists, I'm going to go ahead against my beliefs on this particular case.

The options on the table are indeed terrible, but I'm going to vouch for the one where the father of two gets to be reunited with his family.

I hate to say this, but they're dead.

ISIS is just taunting Japan and Abe with that demand. It's a sick joke to them. They know that Japan won't pay, so they just want to get the formalities out of the way to garner support for "their cause".

They're a sick, disgusting group of savages that the world would be much better without.

Anyone that's familiar with ISIS and Jihadi John know very well that these people mean business. There's nothing fake here. ISIS loves to edit their videos Hollywood style, but the atrocities committed on camera are very real.

I'm sad to say that they will come to realize this in a couple of days.

I love how these right wing fascists want to "correct" history to continue with their disgusting glorification of war criminals. It's just easier to manipulate the sheep that way.

Reality to Japan: History is history and must be taught fully, you can't whitewash it to your convenience.

This will totally make students more aware of their beautiful peaceful history and improve relations with China and Korea. Good Job, Abe!

....said no one, ever.**

WilliB

Did you actually bother to read the report?

Forcing prisoners to stand with broken legs, forcing them to be awake for 180 hours straight is not torture to you?

To even justify that kind of treatment is sickening, and just goes to show how some people are cold hearted.

WilliB

Japan's bureaucrats have buried their heads so far in the sand that the country is heading towards a catastrophe at full speed. Having a complacent attitude towards solving the population decline is going to crush the Japan pretty hard in the future, so it's very important that it consider ALL options in order to stop the decline. I'm not saying that they should open their borders wide open, but they should definitely make it easier for foreigners to transfer over to Japan and have a more inclusive attitude towards the people that want to help Japan. Let's face it, the country is in decline, and nothing's going to change that if Japan's going to have a reactionary stance about it.

How would anyone approach the subject in a school? Hmm? Would you sit your 12 year olds down and tell them that their grandfathers or great grandfathers carried out some of the most vile acts seen during the early 20th century? That they were stupid for fighting for and believing in a living god? That they were so evil they deserved to have the atomic bombs dropped on them? How can you look a child in the eye and tell him or her that?

Why is that so bad? By understanding your history, you'll get an accurate picture of what actually took place during those horrible times.

I found something interesting on on the internet from a German person:

I went to school in Germany for 13 years and I can tell you that nowadays they tell you everything about WWII and the Holocaust. In the last 2 years before our Abitur (German High School diploma) we talked about it so much that many students actually got annoyed with it. The good news: Not only did we speak about faults and horrifying actions, we also discussed psychological aspects and reasons. We read Günter Grass none stop and tried to figure out why it happened, and how to catch it if history repeats itsself. To sum it up: Instead of just going over the facts out Gymnasium teachers made sure that we truly understood what happened (as far as that is even possible today). We really learned something.

Now, imagine if that was Japan. I'm sure you'd see much more transparency and understanding than what we're seeing today.

Imagine if these eastern asian countries had a strong and vigorous relationship with each other. That's what they should strive for, as it would not only benifit themselves, but also the entire planet.

I agree that Japan needs to be much more transparent with their history and acknowledge the fact that they did terrible things back in the day, instead of seeing the apologetic attitude we're accustomed to. By taking the higher ground, it shows that Japan has evolved to something much greater.

Germany is a perfect example of this. They've acknowledged their history, and made amends for it along time ago. Now, they're the strongest country in Europe, with strong ties everywhere. By taking the higher ground, it made Germany prosper its relationship with its neighbours. That's what I'd love Japan to do as well. A strong relationship between the eastern asian countries is only benefitial to the world. I hope that Japan can make that jump someday so that its neighbours can put it past them and look ahead to the future.

The representatives really must not want the games in Tokyo, because no one will consider Tokyo when these ignorant and insensitive remarks continue to be thrown out. The values and spirit of the games are antithetical to what Tokyo is currently displaying.

These politicians should really take a 101 in manners and cultural understanding.

This happens all the time in high profile matches in Europe. Still, doesn't excuse the fact that it's a problem and that FIFA needs to examine, but I'm afraid that this complaint will fall on deaf ears.

The guys are so close to secure the WC spot, and I'm certain that they can do it.

It's a shame that Japan has such a bad relationship to its east asian neighbours. Politics aside, this is pretty bad display by both China and South Korea, but the history and saving face mentality between the Asian countries really is doing no one any good. Everyone's acting stubborn.

Politicians, grown men in power, leading their countries, and acting like children in a sandbox.

No one is officially recorded as having died as a direct result of the nuclear disaster.

Radiation is a slow killer. It usually takes several years before people succumb to diseases directly affected by radiation.

Unfortunately, psychology (shinrigaku) is stigmatized in Japan. Therapy is non-existent, so a lot of people that could use some help in that department aren't recieving it. It's a shame really, since in a high tension society such as Japan, where expectations are high and norms are rigid, many people are prone to fall victim to a low psychological state.

It's just sad to see people, especially kids, being tormented within without anyone to turn and talk to. This is one of the few problems within Japanese society that I sincerely hope will change.

I like how Leo is politely trying to avoid eye-contact with his teen-heartthrob era weirdo fans living 20 years in the past.

indeed, i just love the way he cringes away from the teeny heartthrob pictures the fans are holding.

Uhh...who cares? Sure, there's a risk with excessive tanning, but that holds true for everything.

smithinjapan "I think you've fallen of your chair and hit your hit. They are the least offensive team (therefore being quite offending), but that doesn't therefore make them the most defensive."

Poor wording perhaps, but I honestly think they are one of the most, if not the most defensive team this wc. I've seen all the games thus far, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not wrong here. Their ultra tight defense in combination with their lack of offensive power makes them, in my book, just that.

It's not the most enjoyable way to play football (which was my point to begin with), but it's a very important strategy against offensive powers greater than your own. Not a pretty sight, but Japan is playing very smart.

Japan is the most defensive team in the world cup. Taking that into account, of course it's not going to be the prettiest game ever played.