YeahRight comments

500 cases in a city with a population of over 9 million. Yeah. That's a real crisis.

As an expatriate from the US, I find the worse thing to be all the mess you have to go through to even get a ballot. My Japanese wife and children are automatically sent postcards whenever an election is approaching detailing voting stations and early voting systems. I quit voting several years ago because it is just too difficult to keep up with when elections are held. Things may have changed since then, but in the past you had to send in a request for a ballot, wait for the ballot to come, and then send it back. That takes time, not to mention postage costs. The US could learn something from the way Japanese do voter registration.

Many Japanese experts say testing is not for everyone and should be conducted selectively in an attempt to save hospital beds for those who really need them. “Tests are primarily for people who are suspected of having the virus, and should be based on clinical judgment by doctors,” said Shigeru Omi, a former World Health Organization public health expert who is on the government-commissioned panel.

Finally, a hint of sanity.

In another social media outcry, Japanese women took to Twitter to demand the right to wear glasses to work in November, after reports employers were imposing bans.

What? Employers are imposing bans on wearing glasses? So they want them to not be able to see? I don't see any need for high heels for women or suits and ties for men, but glasses are essential for many people. Is this real, or did Japan Today take a line from The Rising Wasabi?

@Euro Dude

I can't speak for Luddite, but as for me, yes. If one of my parents, or forbid it, one of my children succumbed to Corona or any other infectious disease, I would most definitely take that into consideration when planning the funeral. No one in our immediately family is particularly religious, so we don't have to worry about including a Buddhist or Christian or other priest. Personally, I believe this will turn out to be much ado about nothing, but I agree with Luddite. I doubt that the deceased would want others to become infected. (That idiot who went out drinking after learning he was infected and eventually died notwithstanding. Most people wouldn't want to do that to others.)

Just get TESTED!! Testing is the only answer! Just get TESTED!!!

Oh, and be sure to buy lots of toilet paper, instant ramen, feminine products, masks, and hand sanitizer for the coming lock down.

I feel so sad for Prime Minister Abe...

Said no one ever.

Too bad the quality hasn't gone up...

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to see the Olympics for what they are: a total waste of time, money, and other resources.

What about personal tax grace period?

What Michael Machida said. I would have said it, but he beat me to it.

It was downright criminal that it was allowed to dock to begin with. And then to not let it leave? Outrageous. Of course it should have been allowed to leave. To allow a known contagion into dock was stupid at best.

Sounds good. Wish it was available where I live (Iwate).

Yeah, so I am sure I will got a lot of negatives on my comment, or even have TPTB take it down, but seeing as how most experts question the utility of professionally made masks, I don't think I would trust one made by a 13 year old girl. Not to mention, neither her, nor the governor are shown wearing the masks in the photo. Good intentions, good on her. But I don't think this is really something to celebrate.

Let the negatives begin!

I was scheduled to go to the Tokyo area this weekend to see my lovely daughter's university graduation. I was looking forward to a nice three- day weekend. Unfortunately, the graduation ceremony was cancelled, so I won't be going. I'll stay here in Iwate (which has yet to register its first case of Corona - other than the beer).

 But if you feel that as a foreigner you are ok in Japan without any assistance from your countries authorities then no harm in staying here.

I've never felt that the US embassy would help me with anything, so yeah, I'm good here in Japan.

Don't blame US President Trump, blame China and the stupid decision makers to allow the ship docking at Yokohama and all of the tourism supporters.

This. They should have just turned the Diamond Princess away, perhaps giving them a generous amount of food and medicine.

I don't do sports so much, but I occasionally perform in local theater. There is nothing like having an audience. Dress rehearsals and such are great, but to hear the reaction from a live audience is tremendous. My guess is that it is the same for athletes. Without a live audience, something will definitely be lost. If you can't have spectators in the stands, on the bleachers, filling the seats, whatever, I think it much better to cancel or postpone. (I'm looking at you, IOC and the Tokyo Olympics Committee.)

I live in Iwate, thankfully inland, so no tsunami here, but my house was damaged by the earthquake.

More so, my soul is damaged every time I think of those who were lost.

But the greatest thing is the spirit of the Japanese people who live around me. They gave me great hope for recovery, and they, and I, will do everything we can to continue that recovery, despite all the hindrances that PM Abe puts in front of us. Think of all that money that went to the Olympics that might be cancelled that could have instead been used for recovery. Absolutely sickening.

Luckily, it is the Japanese people, not the Japanese government, that is strong enough to bring us forward to recovery.

Why Mori was ever appointed is beyond my ability to comprehend. He has always been hated by the public. He had a short and unpopular tenure as prime minister. His ego is bigger than that of either President Trump or Prime Minister Abe. He should have been sent out to pasture long ago.

And cancel the damn Olympics!

I don't know why the media keep putting the adjective "democratic" in front of the noun "socialist" when referring to Senator Sanders. A socialist is a socialist, which is only one step away from being a communist, which Senator Sanders pretty much is, if you look at his collective works.

Not that former Vice President Biden is much better with all the corruption that lays in his wake.

I desperately want someone other than President Trump to become president, but the Democratic Party has offered no one that can garner the support needed to do so.

I have been shopping and going out as usual, but not to help businesses so much as I refuse to panic after something that is not worth panicking over.

I'm shocked! Shocked, I say! Shocked that a dictator would make it "legal" for him to become dictator for life!

Just legalize it and it won't be a crime, violent or nonviolent.

Ya think?

The wearing of masks is not a good idea at all. Most who put them on do not use them as they are to be used. They leave gaps open or just not even cover the nose where most of breathing takes place. I've seen people just hang them on their chins. It's almost a fashion statement. I see kids wearing them. How are they supposed to develop natural immunity if they aren't exposed? And that's assuming the masks are used properly. Even if used "properly," it is my opinion that they only prolong the inevitable. They are useless at best, a downright menace to health at worst.

Seems to me that President Trump is helped by his impeachment. He will not be "convicted" or removed from office by the Senate unless there is a lot more evidence out there than has been released thus far. This will only embolden his supporters, cast doubt upon the Democrats' reason for impeaching him, and lead to a resounding reelection.

Please tell me that I am wrong. I am no supporter of President Trump's policies. But I don't think what he has supposedly done meets the definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors." I didn't think it when it happened to President Clinton. I didn't think it when some were calling for the impeachment of President Obama.

Reality, people. Forget the removal by impeachment. If the Democrats really want him out, they should focus on offering a decent candidate for President this year. So far, I have found none among them. So, as usual, if I vote (very unlikely) it will almost surely be for the Libertarian Party candidate.

We all have to die of something. Why not radiation poisoning?

So we are supposed to believe that making prices artificially higher will help boost consumption? Look at my user name.

Can we volunteer to be surveyed?

"The number of foreign residents in Japan has increased in recent years but their ratio to the total population is still low, standing at below 2.0 percent, according to justice ministry data."

I remember when it passed the 1% mark.

A candidate for this year's Darwin Award.