Zarusoba comments

“Child pornography” is now more correctly referred to as child abuse material.

‘Child abuse material is distinct from other forms of pornography because there’s no way that the subject can give consent.

Flippantly referring to it as “child porn” makes Japan Today look dated.

The George Harrison film "Brazil" back in the late eighties really saw the way things were going - anyone who disagrees with the government is labled a terrorist.

Yes, although Brazil (1985) is a Terry Gilliam film. The director is recognised as the author of a movie.

@gaijinfo Although it's true that all species go extinct eventually, the current mass extinction is caused by humans. Therefore, it is our responsibility to prevent it from getting any worse. Even selfish, anthropocentric people like yourself should realise that humans need biodiversity to survive on this planet.

@magic d Although the hypocrisy around Japan's whaling program is frustrating, it should be noted that not all whale species are threatened or endangered. The minke whales which are the main target of whaling are not hreatened or endangered.

My country, Australia, is vehemently anti-whaling, yet we have the worst record for extinct species in the world. So having the meeting here would be no less hypocritical.

The world is overpopulated.

Every year, there is less drinkable water, less arable land, fewer fish in the ocean and more carbon in the atmosphere.

Depopulation is a good thing.

The Nexus One (cheesy name) ships with only a 4GB Micro SD card. Not enough, but Google probably thinks their customers will store everything in the cloud.

The interface is quite ugly and the phone has no multitouch. Can't find any environmental specs on it whereas Apple has switched to recyclables and has phased out many of the harmful chemicals.

Anyways, I can't afford a "superphone". I use an iPod touch, which runs the iPhone OS. With all new media, most of what's available is mediocre and the App Store is no exception. I have a few excellent apps, such as the Japanese app by codefromtokyo, and that's all I need.

Tuna raised like chickens or cows? Hell, chickens and cows shouldn't be raised like chickens and cows. tuna must swim continuously at up to 80 kph to absorb oxygen through their gills. So they can't be raised like chickens, crammed in tiny cages 40 to a square metre.

Very well said!

On the opposite spectrum, some Western nations have implemented laws enshrining the "rights of animals" , such as Spain. I think there is a movement to ban zoos there and in other countries.

I guess that excludes bullfights...

All cultures are "speciesist": we favour some animals over others. Australians decry Japanese whaling, yet shark meat can be found on many a dinner plate, despite the fact that many species of shark are endangered.

Hindus venerate the cow, but when it comes to chickens, anything goes.

If you come from a developed nation, look no further than the factory farms which supply your local supermarket to find conditions far worse than those found in these zoos.

"They are just animals" is not exclusive to Japan. According to the Christians, God gave us dominion over the animals.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" - Mahatma Gandhi

Why don't you post some photos of Hokkaido's inhumane bear parks, where the animals are tortured for the amusement of the perverse visitors?

Enjoy the adoration while it lasts, kids.

What about the "waribashi" disposable chopsticks issue? Most of those things are made in China, a country which suffers from deforestation and drought. Meanwhile, Japan's domestic forests are sick, waiting to be thinned.

Ask people to BYO chopsticks and you'll find out what they really think of "mottainai".

Human over-population is destroying the Earth.

We cannot keep promoting reproduction as as way of caring for the elderly.

We need to look to robotics as a new way of caring for the elderly.

Increased demand for meat is not the cause, but it is a contributing factor.

Farm animal population growth is now increasing faster than human population growth. Farm animals eat one third of the world's grain. Animal husbandry is a hungry, thirsty, polluting infficient industry.

Feed the people, not the farm animals.

Every time Australia exports one kilo of beef, that's another 15,000 litres of virtual water leaving the world's driest inhabited continent.

There's also that thing called Peak Oil, which should put self-sufficiency high on everyone's priority list.

According to the UN, global meat consumption is set to double by 2050. That means that farm animal population growth is rising faster than human population growth.

The negative environmental impacts of the meat boom are numerous: excessive water usage, water pollution, methane emissions and deforestation.

Excessive meat consumption also increases the risk of cancer and other serious illness.

Add to this the inhumane treatment of factory farmed animals, and you can see why a dramatic decrease in meat consumption is the best thing that could happen to any developed country.