wasabizuki comments

The issue at the heart of the Yasukuni Shrine is the automatic assumption by Japan's neighbors that ministers visit the shrine to honor WWII war "criminals". If you as a JT reader think this way your perspective is grossly skewed.

To learn about the Yasukuni Shrine, please read the article on nippon.com that explains the origins of the shrine and why it has symbolism today.

http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a02402/

This is all politics.

Save all evidence of bribes? Does that include gift receipts for yo-kan and gift baskets?

They're just trying to attack the one leading successful division of Panasonic, most likely a case of attempted defamation of Japanese companies. I would not be surprised to hear of a competitor to the Panasonic Avionics in-flight system in coming months. They'll appear right as Panasonic's negative-sentiment takes a foothold thanks to the AP. Reminds me of Toyota's unintended acceleration case: The ruling? Driver Error. Too late, PR damage already done.

Isn't it ironic that many Taliban and al-qaeda leaders were either American born or american educated?

Pakistan is a beautiful country and I hope one day it can find peace.

the shrine has been there far before ww2 "criminals" were "enshrined" there.

It's like saying no US President can ever visit a "national" cemetery because it's buried full of soldiers who raped and killed thousands of civilians from all the past wars the country has fought. To the home country the honored are heroes and to the victim nations they were the devils and demons.

Bottom line is that they're all dead and to someone the deceased was a loved one who was a father, a son, a brother, a grandfather, or what have you.

China and Korea love to center in on the ww2 war criminals as if the shrine exists for them. China is just pissed they lost the first sino-japanese war when and korea is just always pissed for being in the shadow of Japan and won't admit that Japan annexing Korea from China was for the better.

only 12 compared to 15? wow, that's such huge news.

the word gangnam in itself sounds repulsive to me, as are his looks. I could care less about the stupid american hype over this performance. This just goes to show how K-pop and korean culture in general has trying too hard to be popular in order to raise their poor global reputation. I don't buy into it and only the shallow will.

@JeffLee, you think what you want, but it has nothing to do with jealousy. No pop singer in Japan would want to be world famous for the act that he puts on. It's a values thing. The Japanese simply have no taste for such things. You would never understand.

The truth of the matter is SK is continually trying to defame Japan to try and gain ground or get ahead in the global stage. Whether it's truth or lies, they use the media to spread Japanese resentment. There are increasingly more Koreans writing in the associated press than years past, and Korea is well known for its propaganda and libel cases. These pro-korean AP writers are using the english medium to spread their propaganda and defamation of Japan. The SK government, like most governments, are guilty of white-washing textbooks, but in that regards, I feel it IS necessary to do so, at least at the grade school "textbooks" level. It is inherently damaging and unproductive for an adolescent's mind-frame to be fed texts on war crimes, genocide, rape and pillage when they cannot think for themselves to know right from wrong. Wars are wrong, and peace is right is what needs to be taught to the youth who are at an impressionable age. In highschool, our teacher had us read a book called "Lost Names", an account of the occupation of Korea by Imperial Japan. It is written by a korean and translated into many languages. We also watched a film called Red Sorghum, a chinese film depicting the Imperial Japanese invasion of China. I learned of the atrocities by the imperial army and how it led to the United States choking off supplies to Japan in order to stunt their expanse in Asia (even though they were "allies" at the time). I learned that it was those events that led to the atomic bombing of Japan, a route chosen for many reasons including the showcasing of a weapon as well as minimizing casualties of a land invasion on both sides. None of that education bred any hatred toward the US, nor toward any of the countries the Imperial Army of Japan had invaded. I, like many Japanese, have been educated on Japan's war crimes, as well as many war crimes committed by the Nazi regime, and know the difference between an ethnic genocide and imperialism. Biological weapons (used in both WWI and WWII) were not taught in ANY grade-school textbook, be it the US or Japan. US textbooks don't teach about the 442nd Regiment either. Later in University did I learn more about the details and intricacies of war, but even still, many truths have gone untold as well as the reasons for which events played out as they did. For one to think they know and understand the whole truth is absurd. The Japanese are educated, not just in math/science/technology, but a great deal in arts, literature and history. One thing we AREN'T taught in grade school is hatred and racism, unlike the SK neighbors.To say that 99% of Japanese aren't aware of its past is beyond ignorance- it is an irrational, incompetent thing to say. Shame on those who try and spread false information.

@smithinjapan.. How could "Japan" have started this if it were buying if from Japanese private citizens? China started this row when it heard from Japan that there were precious minerals and resources and only then did it give a damn. Personally I feel it belongs to Taiwan, and that Taiwan is a sovereign nation in itself. China is being the bully, always has, for hundreds of years before Japan was known as Japan.

There are many suitable and unsuitable Japanese men and women. Some men have their issues and some women have theirs. If a woman thinks its up to the man to have a successful marriage, she'll be a batsuichi with a kid in no time. And Japanese women take the mother complex way too far. When these women have sons of their own they'll wonder why their sons have abandoned them for their girlfriends, never to write, call or check up on their well being .

Cleo is spot on - if a Japanese woman wants to choose a good mate, look at his father and mother's relationship. The way a father treats the mother is how the son will likely be. Not only that, but the sons of successful marriages will choose women that emulate similar characteristics as their mother. If you're meeting a mate at a gokon/nomikai you're already starting off on the wrong foot. Chances are people there are left overs or batsuichi that isn't suitable for marriage, let alone looking for a suitor who will take you and your child in. You're better off finding your true mate in a rock climbing class or aquatics center or even your place of work. An alcohol induced delusion is exactly that.

Btw, out of the Japanese guys I know, many of them fit the checklist minus the manga reading, and to some extent, the mother-respecting type who cherishes their mother (and father too). We're not talking about the Oedipus complex here. The problem is, many of the Japanese girls they meet are trash, lack respectable education, and are more concerned with "deai" and oshokujikai. They just want to live the good life and refuse to have children, jumping to a different man when times get tough. Japanese women think they have it bad, but in truth the men have it worse. A Japanese tv show for women actually had the right idea- its not about money, it's about worth, or kachi. The successful marriages are the ones where both genuinely feel they have the same kachi.

Is it just me or does the author try to insinuate that japan wasn't or isn't ready for any natural disaster ? The US wasn't ready for Katrina and certainly isn't prepared for the big earthquake due in the Los Angeles basin. Humans are amazingly resilient to catastrophes in that they pick themselves up and deal with the aftermath. It's not like the Japanese don't have seismographs and sensors to detect early warning signs. The important thing is to have evacuation measures for different levels of warnings instead of talking about how much economic loss there will be to a region when the worst case scenario arises.

The Koreans are very good at disguising And pretending to be Japanese. If you're a westerner you wouldn't or couldn't tell the difference unless you knew their names, which are also slightly different from japanese.

Chucky3176 - stop trying to portray 500 demonstrators as representatives of Japan. Korean tourist deface Japanese property when they visit, are known to be the cause of graffiti in many of their host nations, go on killing rampages on us university campuses. The lie to their business counterparts and say they are Japanese, stealing/borrowing the reputation of decades of hard working Japanese from the post ww2 era. You Koreans try to paint the Japanese as the same people who controlled your country when the truth of the matter is the current Japanese are peace loving people. Koreans and zainichi try to spur and instigate the Japanese and use words like samurai to paint a savage warrior image of Japan without understanding what samurai class really even means. The current generation of Japanese have pride and our proud of the people of Japan who rebuilt the country after ww2. At least Japan doesn't teach racism in elementary comics and picture books, something Korea is notorious and well documented for. I have some Korean friends but I've stopped buying Korean products or eating at korean restaurants completely. I cannot pay someone money who in the back of their minds are thinking "stupid inferior japanese.". I even know of white Americans who in the US will enter a sushi restaurant and test the host and observe the workers and determine if they are Korean or not and when they learn they are Korean walk out of the restaurant immediately. There's something to be said if even Caucasians are looking for a genuine Japanese eatery. You can't copy the Japanese essence of politeness, it's picked up and taught through experience at early age in life, right about when their Korean counterparts are learning racism and hatred of the Japanese (and to some extent the us and china). There's a reason why countries have the reputations that they did/do.

Seems like whoever made news of these hackings wanted to call out apple devices specifically. Now who would want to defame apple? Hrmmm

Must be a deliberate attack against Sony being a Japanese company. It's either that the hackers are sympathetic to Sony's rival or bitter at them for being Sony. That they targeted Chinese and Taiwanese server accounts will narrow it down. There is a trace to everything.

@wakarimasen:

what tech lead are you talking about?

UHDTV is a Japanese tech invention. Panasonic JVC has the lead.

It's time Japan supported herself instead of the two Koreas. She needs to fix her country before she can make amends with her neighbors. Judging by the quality of Japanese Olympians, I would say Japan needs an all female political party. The men always disappoint, while the women always inspire us. Japan needs a compassionate empress.

Still, even if she did apologize on the behalf of all Japanese, the apology will be considered insufficient and insincere since it doesn't come from a Japanese man, and even if it is a male it would still not be considered official just like the last 10 times an apology was issued. Only this time Japan has said enough is enough, you continue to try to defame our sincere efforts to positively improve and contribute to the international community, we won't "loan"/ donate to you trillions of yen you never plan on repaying.

What will it take? Thousands of Japanese elementary school children to apologize for their parents? "please forgive our great grand parent's past misdeeds. Please don't teach racism in your school textbooks. Please don't breed our future enemies!"

@sir_edgar

Repeatedly denying the fact Japan has formally apologized . Selective memory Yakuza and prostitution Trying to defame post war Japan's good will toward humanity by erecting korean monuments in the USA to make Americans dislike Japan. Their tactics to raise their reputation is to lower Japan's. Increasing amount of bullying by Korean kids against Japanese in schools with high Korean population in the united states no less, especially new jersey. Massage/sex parlors/restaurants with names that start with "tokyo" Extortion of trillions of yen in the form of economic aid, yet none goes to the people nor the surviving "comfort" women. Remember,many Japanese are descendants of the baekje driven out of the three kingdoms, so they are outcasts/refugees. Many of the imperial family's motives for invading Korea and china were based on that originating groups' political views from the three kingdoms era. Wakoku was the land of slave dogs in the eyes of china and Korea, always has, always will. Defacing/graffiti/etching into monuments, shrines and temples by Korean teens on field trips to Japan. Written in Korean saying "die Japanese" Teaching kids racism and who to hate through comics and school textbooks This is an answer to what Japan "hates" about Korea, in terms of what koreans are currently doing and saying about Japan. Ask an Ainu and they'll say for invading and taking over Japan.

It's Korea's tactics to have selective memory and to disregard any of the official apologies that came before.

Korea is king at propaganda, anyone who doesn't see through it is being brainwashed by the press. It's starting to infiltrate into the American press, with many koreans working at CNN and other news/propaganda machines. They are at work in Japan as well.

All of this is in reaction to their poor score in the Global Reputation Index and the only way they think they can increase their reputation is to put down Japan's. Its the typical scenario of kids fighting where one has to put down the other to make themselves feel better, but when in fact it is hurting their reputation even more. The newest 2011-2012 index doesn't show improvement for Korea, but Japan continues to excel on that front. I wonder why this is so? Koreans are notorious for defamation suits because they understand it very well - it is one of their tools. Truly educated people see through their tactic of defamation and when korean's cry libel it is rather hypocritical.

It's no secret there are many Korean prostitutes outside of Korea in sex parlors with the name Tokyo massage or something eluding to the notion that it may be Japanese. Korea was already a ravaged country under China and Japan did much to bring infrastructure to it. The ties between Japan and Korea go back before 600AD when Japan was still WA and before the Korean-descendents renamed it Yamato and used the Shinto religion for their purpose.

The truth is, the imperial family of Japan should be the ones who apologizes to Korea and could have saved the innocent Japanese populous from the ongoing hatred and shame that they must now carry simply for having been born "Japanese". Instead, the emperor saved his own behind and used scape goats to free him and his family from any wrongdoing. If the current emperor has any moral decency, he should apologize for his family's use of the imperial army for their past beefs with the Goguryeon, Baeke, Silla etc. Knowing their imperial family's bloodline, I know that won't happen as they are Korean descendents who themselves feel are entitled elite. Make no mistake, the Japanese governments after WWII HAVE APOLOGIZED repeatedly, more or less as a test to see if they even knew about the events of WWII. Like most people in the world, the Japanese do not dwell on their shame or talk about it, but it is VERY WELL understood by EACH Japanese citizen.. Those who are clueless are not educated citizens - they've led sheltered lives. Ask any college student in Japan and they know why the atomic bomb was dropped on them. What they don't know is why the Emperor and his military (family) aides had such ambition to conquer asia - which is a direct result of the strife that was bred from the wars and defectors from the Three Kingdoms.

40 year old women should not let their guard down in thinking that boyfriends/husbands 10 years their junior aren't juggling them with a younger 'pichi pichi' girl.

Being in my early 30s, I remember a time in my late twenties when older women seemed more attractive than the girls of the same age. It really depends on the individual male and female's values and how they were raised of course, but if anything, the japanese media is what portrays "Japanese" men as feminine and is trying to convince Japanese women that young men (usually Korean) are hunks. This is undeniably an agenda of the press, but I won't get into that. Those here who REALLY believe that "Japanese" men are impotent are brainwashed by television and media news that wants you to think that way and maybe they just want to believe that to give themselves a false sense of confidence.

I happen to know many girly men and manly women and vice versa. I know 40+ year olds who can run a marathon much less kick the crap out of a 20 year old kid. The spectrum of types of people are so vast it comes down to what is right for you. When I reached 30 I did suddenly think that a 36 year old woman was too old for me, particularly because I was thinking about the health of a woman's eggs and viability for childbirth as they reached 40. While many men don't speak about this concern openly, there is a biological mechanism which determines fitness that is at work in the sub-conscience. The same goes for women, who find young men's biological fitness an 'important' factor, but the 40 year old 'cougars' are not likely thinking for the sake of offspring and more so for sexual needs and 'trophy' bf/husbands (same with the sugar daddy men, it goes both ways). The opposite can be said about young women who date older men, like Ueto Aya for instance, who (for some reason or another) find older men more stable, loyal, and settled down and often times go for the ones with money who can provide for their offspring. The key in that situation is finding a 'fit' older man. Younger women can come off as far less mature and have their priorities in the "wrong" place, but essentially what matters is finding the right mate who are spiritually/physiologically at the same stage in their lives with the same goals ( to start a family for instance ).

I don't see a problem in older women marrying younger men, but to characterize older men in their 40s as impotent and feminine is simply a rant by unsatisfied or undesirable women who end up being sugar-mommies to their bfs. There is also the flip-side where married men feel their wives don't desire them anymore because they begin to call them PAPA instead of ANATA.

My advice is to follow your heart, not an age gauge. I married my wife of the same age whom I've known since I was 7 years old, grew up with, parted ways with and was re-united with after college. I will never consider her old because she is the same age as me, as I never consider myself 'old'. While she does call me 'PAPA' sometimes now that we have a baby girl, she still also calls me by my name followed with -chan, a form of adoration that is both genuine and innocent like when we were children. And while there are times I am saddened by the notion that my wife will likely live to attend my funeral, it comforts me to know that she can be comforted by our children and grandchildren that leaves progeny behind that confirms that we had existed and loved each other (aside from providing for just my wife and child, I feel it is my duty to help raise my children to the point when they have their own). She also makes me eat healthy to help prolong my life too. It especially comforts my wife that she has known me for 25+ years, what I looked like as a kid and how I was as a young boy growing up that shaped me into the man I am today. There is no mystery about me to her, no hidden past that she needs to dig out or doesn't want to know. Through my experience, I've found happiness knowing my wife has been a part of my journey of Life ever since childhood, and that beauty and passionate love is not for just a fleeting moment like the sakura. The problem with many older people looking for young love is that they are trying to kid themselves and do things that make them feel young, when it should really be that they seek someone to grow old together with.

Recycling is far far better than mining more and causing environmental catastrophes. We have to start somewhere, and what not better than an automobile manufacturer whose principles are for the betterment of society while knowing the exact processes to undo what they've developed. Perhaps they can't re-use it for the same purpose, but at least it's not sitting in a dump site laying to waste. Eventually these rare earth metals will be increasingly mined in other parts of the world including the US, Vietnam, afghanistan or perhaps the sea bed. Advancing recycling processes across the world would greatly reduce the need to, though every nation with ore deposits and strains will likely mine and exploit it for the sake of its economy while balancing recycling efforts and preserving reserves for future generations. Humans need to be responsible for their own sake.

It's too bad Iran is no longer the majestic and beautiful Persia. I really wish the best for the people of Iran. Until all other countries of the world get rid of their nuclear power plants, warheads and submarines, Iran has just as much a right to have nuclear capabilities to support its growth and protect its sovereignty like any other nation around it.

What pisses me off is the "global watchdogs" that try to end good relations between countries to suit their purpose. They know they are starving the Asian countries of oil by imposing sanctions.

I'm personally sick of the IOS/Android OS interface.

The Windows tiles and layered presentation is far better than the IOS/Android icon presentation. Microsoft just needs a few iterations and tweaks to the OS and it's APP content and they will be fine. They should work with Sony to create a true premium tablet with lighter hardware.

Far from over. Mobile device hardware doesn't even come CLOSE to current desktop quad core architecture. The IPAD is simply a window into the internet and the interface is mediocre at best. Typing on an ipad is ridiculously difficult, and it's still too heavy to comfortably hold while lying down.

I have both the ipad2 and ipad3, and the ipad3's network connectivity issues needs to be addressed. With Steve Jobs out of the picture, Apple's woes are only beginning. They've lost the edge. The retina laptop just came out and perhaps that is the best personal computing machine available. Windows laptops have touchscreens in place of Apple's track pad. But these devices cannot allow people to use the "computer" as tools since REAL work on a PC still requires a keyboard and mouse. Most people use the ipad and tablets for email, net browsing and watching youtube. It is not a personal computer form-factor that can render 3D, write essays and documents, do video editing, or mix music on.

Defamation based on a lie should be a punishable offense, usatoday and all the major us news stations should pay fines for crap like toyota prius sudden acceleration propaganda. everyone knows it was a ploy, and the person who started it should be jailed.

His punishment should be letting anyone who wants to be able to take a "stab" at him. He didn't want to die, he just wanted to kill someone.

If he escaped injury, what was he recovering from? shock?

Are they still going to use Japanese screen technology or did they finally reverse engineer it? Either way, it's all advertising, apple products are like Samsung products.

@farmboy ? How are the two related being 200 years apart?

I wonder if George friedmans 'the next 100 years' has anything to do with this. It could have planted a seed or inception into the minds of the current power players. Though I doubt anyone from/in Japan has read it. They're too busy watching dramas and comedy shows.

So it was an American who leaked the info right?

Japan already has advanced alternative energy production but it's being held back by the powes that be. Shame since its already proven solar energy technology has surpassed nuclear energy efficiency. Even that news is being obscured.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericagies/2011/07/07/renewable-energy-production-surpasses-nuclear-in-u-s-2/