Zybster comments

Hindsight is 20/20.

It’s easy for everyone to yell at the cops AFTER the fact. Right there, they had just another case when somebody tried to get way without paying. Oh, yes, the police officers were supposed to pay for this guy. Right, because it’s his responsibility to feed all the poor and the homeless.

This time it ended in a tragic way, and the guy chose this way. However, think of the cops BEFORE the incident, and the day before, and the week before. Another and another case of people trying to ditch the joint without paying. Think what they saw at that time, not what you are seeing now. It’s not normal for people to decide to die because they haven’t paid 500 yen. Why should this time end up in such a way? With such a mentality, you can’t ever arrest or warn anybody because they just might commit suicide.

Reading the article it sounds like he got fired and the Carps position is just a consolation for the old age. However, why did this article fail to mention that in order to sign with the Carps, he turned down the 4 times bigger offer from a Major League team? He wasn't cut off, he made the choice.

“Japanese society is very unique. It is a society with strict rules that are not always obvious to visitors,” said Jessada Nanthachaiporn, the chief consul,

You may want to notice that this time the advice is given not by the Japanese Bureau of Tourism or something, but by foreigners to their countrymen. The expression "unique", the advice to stop before the zebra crossing and all other things are said by the consul to other Thai people. Could it be that compared to Thai people, the Japanese follow the rules more often, even if it's not what may happen in your own country?

Disillusioned, in general understanding the word "church" is related to the Christianity. In this case it is Tenri-kyo, a new religion based on Shintoism. The place of worship for Shinto believers is called in English a "shrine". However, the building that caught fire is not a shrine in a traditional sense. The English word has no appropriate word for the building for Tenri-kyo, thus it's called "a religious facility."

Besides, here they are talking about a "residence", which in any case shouldn't be called "church", regardless of what religion it might be.

The scammer first called the person ”なんて野郎め” and then "ひとでなし." It seems the second word was translated as "brute."

For a 16 years old girl to be experimenting with death is a sign that somebody failed in their job. Could have been the mother who expected only the best grades. Could have been the father, could have been the school, could have been all and everybody around. She has not become such a criminal by herself, but she was pushed into such a state by everybody who did not do their responsibilities. She will be punished, but is she the only one who deserves punishment?

task force’s objectives are to block supplies of the drugs, which currently are not illegal

If they are not illegal, why would they try to do anything? First change the law! The role of the police is to make sure the law is obeyed, not to make new laws.

Next they will come after me because I am taking a walk in a place they don't want me to?

And even if he's getting a fat pay for those commercials, what's wrong with an actor acting for money?

Lies, damn lies, and statistics... In 2009 86% supported the death penalty? Maybe, maybe not, depending on how you ask the question. On the other hand, "the public is asked to make an informed choice on the death penalty," that's rigging it the other way. You "inform" the respondents about "the cruelty and inhumanity of the death penalty" and then you ask whether they support it? No way they will say to your face they support it.

Some people have their clear opinion , but many people here don't think much about the death penalty. They start thinking when they are approached and asked a question. How you frame the question will largely influence the answer. You can't give a real explanation in 15 minutes on the deterrence power (or its lack), on the mental state of the sentenced, on the desire of the public for "justice", on the feelings of the families of the victims, on the need of the public to feel that the justice is done - it's too deep to cover in 15 min. In the limited time the "information" becomes "persuasion," either way you may go.

You want the real informed answers? Bring the topic to TV, to schools, to daily newspapers, show those people BEFORE the crime, explain what really happened on the scene, show how they were interrogated, show how they live in the prison, show how the families of the victims feel, show how the people from the neighborhoods feel: and then you can talk about "informed decision."

I would like to see the questions themselves. The answer "No" to a question like "Do you think DPJ is strong enough to lead the country" does not say anything about the support or its lack.

And you thought the "rice made in Okayama" is really from Okayama? The mislabeling applies to rice as well. Fukushima radiation, here we come!

Tessa, "baka yaroo" usually means "stupid," with strong undertones of "F you", as Yubaro was saying. He was saying this when asked "do you any words for your son?"

While what he was doing is laudable, I guess, it seems he forgot to tell the taxman that he's making some money on it: "Press reports said Kuroda had helped arrange sex among about 1,000 men and 350 women, mostly in their mid-60s, earning some 30 million yen as commission in breach of Japanese prostitution laws."

And the cops just wanted a piece of the pie for themselves as well.

ControlFreak, while there is no mention of the dad, there is also nothing to suggest that he "just walked away." There are many, many possible reasons for the parents not to live together, so unless you have some specific details, you can't presume anything.

And that's another proof that we need to stop treating teenagers as children. They are not. We should realize that they are both capable and they should be made responsible.

As long as we treat teenagers as children, they will behave as such. Once we treat them as adults, giving them both rights and responsibilities, they will act as adults.

The koban parking lot, where the car in question was parked, is not in front of the koban but on the windowless side, so it is in the blind spot. The police officers would not be able to see it unless they intentionally went out.

There are no "tablet wars". The war has been won (by Apple) and it's over. This is just a struggle for survival.

This poll was conducted among the readers of a magazine, not on a national scale. The magazine serves the mostly female audience, not a general population. The main content of the magazine is gossip, so the audience is, naturally, interested in gossip and other topics that are larger than life.

The results of this "survey" conducted among this audience tell you absolutely nothing about the attitudes that the "Japanese people" have regarding the marriage, just about the attitudes that gossip-liking women have regarding marriage. And I can't help feeling that for many of them their "opinion" is just a way of justifying to themselves why they are still single, and to others, why they feel that their own marriage is not the story of a prince and a princess.

probably was well deserved too.

Got any special info on that? There are high school kids who are just a menace. But there are lots of high school kids just minding their own business. This article says nothing on what they did before the attack, so there is no need to accuse the students of anything.

Lots of guessing here. Yes, it IS possible that she didn't want to slow down, that she was reckless etc., but it's NOT what the article says. All we know is that "They believe the girl couldn’t slow down in time." The reasons? Many possible ones, but nothing that WE would know about. It's so easy to blame others when we have no idea about the situation.

Now Abe is blasted for using the U.S-Japan alliance for protection. If Abe decides to prepare Japan for real self-defense, he will be blasted for "militarization and nationalism." Some people want to have it both ways.

If you ask this questions at a place where people are able to afford both the time and extra money to watch Premium TV, these are the answers you get. Go to different places and you'll get different answers.

I got no problems with Freddie and the rest, but the choice of the place of the questionnaire = the choice of the answers. He is NOT the most popular Western musician among the people I hang out with.

Some of you are mentioning words you "often hear." That's not the target of the survey, they are talking about "favorite words."

smithinjapan, if you notice that the top word has 76 votes out of 1400 respondents, then I don't think they were given any list. Otherwise, the response rate would have been higher.

If you think that the survey was done at the end of December, "thank you" may have been the most common word. If they asked the same question in mid-April, "ganbatte" could appear here. But, right now it does not.

What problem is Japan facing now? Is it the lack of working people or is it the lack of work places? If Japan needs more working people, of course "allowing" women to work is a great solution. However, at present Japan seems to be undergoing stagnation of economy and, as a result, increasing unemployment. Having more and more women work is not the solution to the present problems.

These three kids certainly lacked manners and/or education, but such people don't fall off trees. They are a products of the society, and more specifically, they are a product of some adults: parents or teachers who did not fulfil their roles. You need to blame the adults who raised such kids as well!

all the sources = all the sides

I am not supporting NUCLEAR power, I don't say "we need nuclear reactors." However, getting rid of something as necessary as electricity source BEFORE finding a substitute seems just plain stupid. It's easy to get rid of the reactors, but are they already making sure there will be enough electricity that will not cost half of a monthly salary? If not, then all the sources are just playing election games and making the population suffer.

Tokyokawasaki, I am not supporting suicide, not at all. I am just against blaming everything on the person, while, as you're saying, there should be a support system in the society. However, in this particular society there is no such support system, so you got those high rates. Heck, going to a psychologist or a psychiatrist in this country is considered a stigma and a sign that you're crazy. So, nobody goes anywhere, and people who are in need of help from others are not getting any help. You're right, we can blame it on the society, on the government, on everybody around.

At the end the lonely and depressed people are still very lonely and very depressed. And there is nobody to help them. From here it's very easy to conclude that "if nobody cares about me, maybe I'm not needed here" and they do whatever: hang themselves, jump in front of the train etc. "If I'm nobody and nobody cares about me, why should I care about anybody?"

Tokyokawasaki, do you think the guy just woke up and thought "Oh, I'm bored, let's do something dumb" and just killed himself? The decision to commit a suicide is never an easy one, and for many different people there are different reasons. Standing outside it's easy to say "but there are other ways to solve your problem", but those inside those problems just can't see them.

When you are so depressed that actually death may seem like a good solution, it may mean that the so called "logical thinking" is not working anymore. It is selfish to try to protect yourself from pain and problems? Can anybody take away their problems? If they are lucky to have such people around, maybe their lives may not need to be wasted. But how can you call somebody "selfish" if they have nobody to count on? If they see their problems as too big for themselves and they got nobody to share them with, death suddenly becomes not such a bad solution.

Not everybody is lucky enough to have the strength to see through their problems. And if I can't help the person, I certainly have no right to criticize this person.

The tricky expression here is "in the right way." That "right way" will change depending on the needs of the Chinese leadership, so practically speaking Japan has no chance to satisfy China. The CCP needs an external "enemy" so that everything they do will be shown as the "defense of the motherland." With the moving target Japan will never have a chance to do it "the right way", so they'll be always an "enemy of the Chinese people." How convenient.