threedogs comments

Excellent Game! Anyone (smithinjapan specifically) who wants to whine on how America dominated needs to check their facts at none other than FIFA's own website calculating the statistics of the game. Japan possessed the ball for a longer time had more direct shots on goal than the US (only 1 more) so please enough with they hyperbole... http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/matches/round=255989/match=300144437/statistics.html Japan changed up their style to defend against what had been brutal lightning fast attacks that took down France (But even there the US looked out played) It went to PKs cause they were both evenly matched teams... Other sports can resort to other measures to resolve equally matched teams: extra innings, best out of series, or extra time but soccer requires an exorbitant of running that just can't be sustained for more than 2 hours... PKs aren't a crappy way to win it is an excellent way to win... Apply stupid principles of American football is moronic!!! Both teams played excellent and means it was close game now you are taking it to a level of mental skill and prowess. The final skill of being able to place the ball in the net when all the pressure is now in your head shows true sportsmanship. As a goalie for 30+ years I learned that the pressure was never on us cause any half decent player should have no trouble scoring with the limitations set to us must stay on the line and can't move until after they do. Our job is to psyche out the kicker and make them miss or kick it to us and that is exactly what Kaihori did...3 times Lloyd choked so hard she didn't even place the ball in the vicinity of the net. Winning a championship means bringing your A game until it is over.... and that includes the PK portion. Don't like it? Watch other sports their are plenty out there... Football/soccer fans don't need anymore armchair idiots commenting on a sport they have no idea what they are talking about. For the idiots crying on about the "dirty play"... need to read up on the rules... it was issued because the referee has to issue a card on a foul committed during what could be a scoring play. Iwanishi did in fact touch the ball and was going for it not Alex Morgan's legs it was a legitimate attempt that any given player would have attempted there was no high flaying leg obvious lifted up to trip...unfortunately because she didn't come away with the ball a card foul must be called and the fact that it could have been a scoring play a red is often issued though some think it should have been a yellow.... but there was Nothing dirty about it. Watch it for yourselves don't take my word http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkAOftIGDX0 Besides the US was given an excellent scoring opportunity (most professional soccer players will tell you a set penalty shot that close is much better opportunity than when Morgan was scrambling into penalty box on a fast breakaway with her weak foot required to make the shot... 5 times before when she had broke away before she came up empty handed so there is no saying she would've scored then had she not been fouled) and guess what again the US choked the opportunity... However I do have to give huge kudos of Abby who did go out here way to congratulate the Japan side before the official shaking of hands. Both teams played valiantly and showed excellent sportsmanship... Japan just had the mental prowess to pull it all together the US lost their composure when Japan rallied to tie the game in the overtime...

This vicious circle debate is never going to end because we all are flawed with confirmation bias. If I watch a person trip on the sidewalk I think to myself "Gosh that fellow is clumsy!", yet if it were I who had tripped I would be thinking, "Damn this sidewalk is uneven and dangerous someone should get this fixed" Winston Churchill said "History is written by the victors" I would go on to add that victors doesn't necessarily mean those who win in a war but rather a battle of ideas.... In Japan that means the idea that Japanese are misunderstood peace loving nation that was only doing what everyone else was... In the West the Japanese are a brutal and vicious people who hide their deep barbaric ways in their recent history of renouncing the right to wage war... Truth is both opinions are right just depends on where you profess them.

"here people in Hondori celebrate with lanterns at the fall of Nanking, while in Nanking some 20,000 people and by other estimates up to 300,000 were slaughtered..." It's East Wing gives a fair shake at Japan's own culpability in the war... and this has viewpoint has grown in the displays over the last 11 years I have lived in Hiroshima

While obviously biased the Peace Memorial Museum does paint Hiroshima as a crucial cog in the war machine of Japan's occupation of Korea and China... <Gasp> there is even a photograph of people in Hiroshima celebrating with lanterns at the fall of Nanjing... with the words <summarized since I don't have the photo I took in front of me to quote it word for word> the people of Hiroshima celebrated the fall of Nanking with lanterns in the while some 20,000 people and by other estimates up to 300,000 people were being slaughtered..." I did a double take and took a picture... The East Wing does a fair job showing the huge strategic target that Hiroshima was at the time and as well as the thought process and development of the bomb. Having visited both A Bomb museums Hiroshima does a fair job showing Japan's culpability in the war, especially considering this a Japanese museum on the war.

Whoa... can't wait to hear the spin on this from around the world. On top of the media circus of the royal wedding, wow!

@smithinjapan like a teacherscrime section and gaijincrime section if they did that what would that leave for the regular crime section

Afraid we are only go see more of this... secure jobs are going the way of the dinosaur. The Japanese have unfortunately adopted the American business model... It's all about the bottom line.

I just want to know which tea the Tea Party serves cause you know living here in Japan I get tired of the same old green tea... are they going to serve some Darjeeling or a good Orange Pekoe or maybe a vintage Pu'er cause I'd be down... but I personally like my tea loose... bags are for posers so I'm not sure....

Well just goes to show that Canada doesn't dominate all aspects of Ice Hockey...Kudos JAPAN! Go figure one of the most brutal and contact oriented events of all the Paralympics (even more than Murderball) and it was won by a nation not necessarily for their size or aggressive behavior. Caught a little on late night news the other night...almost as exciting to watch as real hockey if not a little more knowing it is being done by almost exclusively upper body strength.

Or at least the ones who have lived here for awhile....

Most Americans who've been long time residents here in Japan, whether that be on the mainland or on Okinawa empathize with Oshiro-san's plight and Okinawans in general (from the conservative text books white washing what IPJ actually did... to having 10% of available land in Okinawa used by the US which accounts of 75% of the land used in all of Japan, more than half of all military personnel stationed there & yet only be .6% of Japan's actual land mass is quite unfair...)

However from the military perspective, the COs are "fighting the battle with the resources they have been given" they need to train and prepare... they have no control over where they do it but are told to do it and are held accountable when they don't even more so when they lose men in women in battle because they weren't properly trained.

Unfortunately for all most of the bases ended up in Okinawa since it was under US control until 1971...it is easier to set up bases when you control the government. Every side approaches this problem with what is in their best interest. However Americans are at least more realistic, than the empty promises of Hatoyama who is making it harder for all sides, raising false hopes when he all he really doing is trying to gain political capital by standing up to the US, when all the experts know it is not within his ability to really change much in the realignment only delay the and tweak the inevitable. The longer he stalls the more difficult he is going to make it for any party to get anything which they are after. As focused as the US is on their view, the US does recognizes the need to move as the sensitivities controls of restricted flight hours established out of concerns of the local public hinders overall operations. The native Okinawas want what was once there land as Oshiro-san passionately pointed out. And Japan wants the US security protection with as little burden to the "true" Japan as possible...Oshiro-san is very right and in part I feel some of the anger that comes across as anti-American is maybe meant to be directed the central government. It has had racist policies that effectively treats its minorities as 2nd class citizens (If US had given Okinawa back when it ended its occupation of the mainland, Okinawans might have been suffering the same plight as the thousands of 3rd and 4th generation of ethinic Koreans and Chinese born and raise here in Japan that still don't even have voting rights. The point is if the Okinawans don't make a big stink with the US who, as bad as we may be in some respects, we are much better at listening to local concerns than the central government. If the Okinawans don't protest against the Americans then the issue will be buried in the Japanese press, people's pensions will be held up and mayors will be bought off. So please let's be real...Americans may not share the same exact goals as Okinawans but we sure aren't your enemy.

Not a huge fan of Bush... but people please be happy he is gone and throwing a baseball in Tokyo has little effect on the world at large!

I'm not so sure Japan is so wise to switch to a jury system judging by the range of ignorant judgments being passed based on so little information...this is a JT story which often leaves more for the imagination than facts for the head.

Truly a tragic situation albeit all too familiar in today's world, the reason it makes news is that it happened in a modern developed society (which I'm betting is happening more than anyone would care to admit.) Punishment should be handed out...but let's face this is a very imperfect world...the same people calling for heads are inadvertently supporting the system that creates these tragedies

Should we also lock up the parents who allow/overlook their children to indulge in 援助交際(enjokousai), or how about drugs...what about parents who introduce their kids to drugs, or aid in their acquisition. Why not stop there how about those who force their kids to quit school and start a "normal" job...In a materialistic/capitalist society sex, good times and eventually tragedy sells (why else is this article here)...

As totalitarian as it sounds why not require a parent license, most of the world requires licenses to get married, drive a car, teach, practice medicine...(though it would never happen here where the government is begging women whom are of child bearing age to produce more children) ...I can't say it would stop these tragedies but it sure couldn't hurt improving these tragic situations

And when was the last time the US launched a ballistic (not anti ballistic missile)in a test? And when has the US ever launched any ballistic or anit ballistic missile in a test over another sovereign territory without their express permission?

Nigel Boy: You get no argument from me on that point...but again you still haven't ever addressed the issue of how Japan can nor how that would work for cooperative relations with South Korea, NK and China...last time Koizumi then later Abe tried to skirt Article 9 the country went into a conniption fit...needless to say Fukuda and Aso haven't bothered

My whole point is the USS George Washington's home port is Japan because the Japanese want air superiority in this region...as an island nation it is prudent and inline with the US's general military strategy this be achieved by naval air power. Yes there is Air Force in Yokata, Kadena and Misawa but the overall superiority Japan has is based on Naval and Marine Forces here.

Re-read my posts I did touch on it, Japan is a democratic government...the US is here by obligation, if the citizens of Yokohama doesn't want them there then they know how to get rid of it take it up with the central government...or better yet put someone office that agrees with their view...alas it appears their viewpoint is a minority so far... You are so high on your horse to be bothered to address you own fallacies of logic (just because they have been used in other operations does not negate their primary operation is a deterent)...second your understanding of carrier strategy rules is...20th century, actually read something about carriers before you start spouting off "rules". Of course if China was to build one it would be deployed to the South China Sea, or to protect their oil interest in the Middle East because the 1300 short range fighters and 600 bombers can easily make the trip across the Sea of Japan, if the US is going to assist in the defense of Japan it makes more sense to do it with a carrier group that is flexible and a difficult target rather than a fixed base such as Misawa. Bottom line is China by sheer numbers is the dominant air power in Asia. http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/default.asp

A whole another can of worms which you did mention was Taiwan which if you weren't aware Japan has signed a mutual defense agreement of Taiwan from the mainland on Oct 29, 2005 (argued in both Koreas and China as a back door rearmament of Japan)...so the point of Chinese forces being directed to Taiwan is moot anyway since an attack by the PRC on Taiwan would be the equivalent of attacking Japan under current defense agreements between the US, Japan and Taiwan.

Fine don't trust an unclassified source but fairly accurate...that's your perogative...but arguing from theories pulled from your oh so infallible logic shows your ignorance to the issue of military power in this region. Do you actually know how many members their are in the SDF with out googling it (which by the way is inaccurate I checked)...yeah I didn't so. Stop theorizing and actually study the issue...but then again that would require you to see the ugly reality of Japan.

Kijimuna: awesome post! My SDF girlfriend wanted to billy club her senseless

earthcreature...are you serious?... the US military is here by invitation of the government of Japan whom reserve the right to kick them out at anytime by virtue of the bilateral agreement signed in 2006...half of the US military here couldn't be more pleased with that choice ...but most of the posters here actually live in reality… so why don't you let us adults continue our discussion without these ludicrous posts

Nigel boy...I didn't realize you were such a Pentagon strategist...while I agree that you may be fairly close on your general assumptions: a large part of the US's military's motivation in stationing in Yokosuka is financially motivated... and most all "Operations" that actually get press are (OTHNTDWEA) as you coined. However you make a serious logical fallacy... cum hoc ergo propter hoc To conclude that placing a carrier group in Japan (densely populated area as let’s face it there are no ports in rural areas equipped to handle a ship the size of carrier) is nothing more than war mongering move to save money then by your logic a football coach could conclude that because all the goals were scored by the right forward in a football match that that the left forward is or will not be needed or for that matter the left midfielder even (for the sake analogy) since they only touched the ball a couple of times. An aircraft is naval battle group which most all modern navies are organized around...from submarines to destroyers. The placement in Japan is essentially because unlike the US Atlantic allies which have their own carriers and corresponding battle groups and facilities to accommodate US carriers (FYI more Atlantic based carriers support the US exploits in the Middle East than the sole carrier here in Japan) for port calls and minor repairs with capable militaries that Japan by law does and can not have....(one could argue does have it… save the carrier…and in that case they may be right… but by virtue of appearances Japan can not have any deterrent/offensive form of military) So if the US is in a bi-lateral defense agreement then it seems that the US has to supply the bulk of the hardware…since Japan can’t, whether that be the actual reality or not. And you may wish to double check you stats on whether China who do[es]n't own one"...oh they own one, bought Varyag from the Ukraine though it is debated in intelligence circles as to whether this is to used as model to build more or is to actually to be outfitted is a matter of debate... http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/cv-phase-2.htm

but let's say for the sake of argument they don't and have no attention to own one...their there are several other reasons the Japanese feel the need to hire the US mercenaries China’s defense spending has increase 17% and that is what they admit… http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK307417

any Sinologist will tell you that figure is 1/3 of their actual spending…so depending on how you rate militaries (is the EU a nation) they are #2 or #3 I would beg to offer that the reason the carriers have never been used in any conflict with regard to Japan’s defense is because of the simple fact that they are here…but I too would be making the same logically fallacy of cum hoc ergo propter hoc. But seeing how the government of Japan hasn’t seemed to ask the US Government to leave and the citizens haven’t installed a government that will… I would wager a bet that the reality of the situation, while yours is definitely has merit, based more on mine than yours

I won't be so harsh as Molenir, but obviously Martee's strong suit is not a grasp of physics or science for that matter...biofuels may be effective at powering small vehicles or even public buses but to power a 100,000 ton displaced weight ship carrying 85 aircraft and 5,700 personnel among numerous types of equipment at 30 knots is just not feasible... as nuclear powered they don't have to refuel for 20+ years, do you know how many Iowa farms(now that the US is forced to buy American, sorry Brazil) that would take to fuel it for just one cruise.

As for nigelboy and all those other posters that lump anyone who supports a very valid and good point that isn't anti-American as "tiring ...red, white, and blue flag waving patriots [whom]completely miss the mark" obviously like I previously stated are too idealistic to note the absurdity of their logic...Yes in a perfect world nuclear power would be isolated from large population centers...heck we wouldn't even need it, much less the need for militaries.

Goto's issue is with nuclear power in general, but finds it easier to get press attention and stir up sympathy if he focuses on the US carrier than the attrocious nuclear safety record here in Japan, as I stated before the Japanese are more concerned with the bottom line than enviromental concerns (just look at how they have concreted over nature). Moving US bases is a very expensive endeavor and takes time (they just negotiated this issue back in 2006 with regard to Okinawa and Astsugi: it won't be complete until 2014) worse Japan gets stuck with a large portion of the bill part of the security arrangement whereas if they leave the US where they are the US picks up most of the bill...ergo the heart of the debate of whether the US should be here at all.

As to the idea to move the power plants away from the areas where they are supposedly supplying the power, while logistically more feasible and should be considered in any future projects is still ignoring the facts...the plants are already there; as are the support bases for the carrier...Japan has limited funds with what it can re build and do over,...duh?...for people who like to ridicule the IQ level of others who don't share your political agenda you sure seem void of any ability to actually think out a problem to result.

Funny... as far as I know Japan is a democratically elected government...if the "people" don't want the US military here then it would go to reason that they would put a government in power that would end this so called hugely unpopular US-Japan alliance. How all "these citizens" who are supposedly against the US presence fail to do just that is even funnier. In fact, a year ago, in Iwakuni, a city only 45km SW of Hiroshima, the citizens booted out the mayor who took an anti-military stance for his city and stood up to the National Government requiring them to enlarge the small base there for the re alignment of US forces in Japan. Maybe they're not happy but damn… they much prefer the money coming from the central government than to actually attempt to do something about the US presence there. They saw beyond all the hyperbole of an increased US military presence causing a crime spree in their city and decided that being ￥100 billion in debt with all future central governnment realignment subsidies blocked and really no hope of creating alternative revenue was actually the real issue and much more pressing than proving to Japan that they don't need the US military. I'm sure there are plenty citizens here who prefer to have the US out but as for the alternative... as the saying goes they rather deal with the devil they know....

So I find the comments posted by idealist Japan apologists who tend to forget world history prior to 1945(Japanese are extremely militaristic ...60+ years of renouncing war doesn't make them into purveyors of peace, just look at their school system)and can't see the forest for the trees extremely naïve... (i.e. Japan can't have a military that would serve as deterrent, much less build its own carrier, article 9 makes that crystal clear; so far no one in Japan is willing to risk amending that...Its also the last thing its friendly and unfriendly neighbors would want. Even crazy North Korea would rather deal with the US's "unsafe warships" than risk a Japanese build up [think otherwise then you aren't paying attention or reading the papers],...and the plain and simple fact: it is still a dog eat dog world; especially in Asia, thinking Japan can maintain its economic influence and be a guiding light of peaceful coexistence without a military deterrent is utterly ridiculous)

The simple point is the US has no conventional carriers left to protect this region...protecting Japan and its common interests and the US forces here requires an aircraft carrier. Japan is in no position to dictate how the US maintains is part of the protective arrangement...it can, however suggest and encourage actions...and in most cases the US will accommodate, as they have until the USS Kitty Hawk was decommisioned, as the US needs Japan as much as Japan needs the US but... alas the US has NO more conventional carriers...they are too costly to maintain and much more prone to "disasters." ...End of argument unless someone can post a “realistic” alternative.

As for a potential target...good luck!...they are most defended property in the history of warfare...any enemy of Japan or the US for that matter would have better chance of killing the Emperor than hitting the USS George Washington with a strike that would actually cause a radiation leak affecting Tokyo...please be realistic!

Shame really... whether Japan qualifies as homogeneous or mostly homogeneous...From a purely biological perspective....purity of line leads to a lot of genetically inherited defects...just ask any veterinarian...mixed breeds make the best pets and usually have the least health or behavorial problems... maybe this may be the reason behind all these recent accounts of senseless violence (this is not to say it doesn't happen elsewhere...) on the part of the Japanese...they are overbred???

Moderator can you edit out all these ad hominem attacks. They are at best offering very little in the way of intelligent discussion to the information disclosed in the article, at worst it is an infantile pissing contest between people who need to find a more appropriate forum.

Moderator: Better still, you take the lead and get the discussion back on a more mature level.

hairforest is right Japan should step up to the plate and join the nations of superpowers and renounce article 9. It is a joke that they are a pacifist nation anyway as they consistently rate in the top 3-5(depending on which year you look at) for Defense Expenditure for the last 10 years. The ability to make foreign policy decisions independent of the US with specific regards to North Korea would serve their interests best, since the abduction issue still has not been resolved. However, I don't believe that by renouncing article 9, that the bases would necessarily close. They would in all likelihood be re-aligned much in what is already planned for in 2016. Much like the US presence in Europe. The problem of your paradox is not whether the Japanese could or would do this; but rather whether their neighbors would tolerate their return to a normal military status. Especially with their immediate neighbors' (specifically Korea and China) recent violent nationalist tendencies that have sprung up over the last few years. The US presence assures its neighbors that Japan will itself not fall into that same trap of emotional nationalism and do something stupid.

As much as you US bashers like to spew invective of the "US empire and imperialism" your remembrance of history is short sighted. We are no angels and far from perfect in our past exploits and current support of authoritarian regimes; but we respect to any other empire in the history of the world: British, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Sultanate, Persian, Greek and etc. we have by far the best track record of peacefully returning sovereignty and maintaining a laissez-faire influence over the nations we "colonize" Yes it is so far from ideal, however our "cultural imperialism" over the world is the best thing we got in a "dog eat dog" world of imperfection, even with Bush's failed policies of the last 7 years.

Industrial accidents happen and at least the US military reports them. There may be a lot of other incidents that don't ever get reported. Their reporting of problems are not immediate or as transparent as say the public would like; partly because of the classified nature of operating procedures and equipment used in the military. But I dare say it is far better than any private corporation or any other foreign government in reporting problems or accidents. If anything the private sector far less transparent or upfront about mishaps than the US military. Especially here in Japan, which has a tendency to cover up mishaps until they can't anymore. Look at the Snow Brand foods fiasco, or worse the town of Minamata cases of mercury poisoning. What it that took some 10 years from the discovery of the cause until the government admitted the source was from Chisso. (We are still learning of extent of the cover up 40 years after the fact).

Considering how minor the amount was leaked it is amazing this made the paper at all.

Sarge said best "Nothing to see here...Move along!"