Latest 15 of 68 Total Comments Show All

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  Apsara at 02:18 PM JST - 20th November

  I think his points are valid, it's just the way he phrased them and who he said them to. Doctors need criticising here in Japan, the whole health system needs an overhaul, and tiptoeing around the feelings of thin-skinned physicians isn't going to get that done.

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  nutsagain at 03:02 PM JST - 20th November

  Aspra: I think you've summed it up pretty well...

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  smithinjapan at 03:52 PM JST - 20th November

  kinniku: "As for why he backtracked, possibly he realized that this was not true of all the parents in the room and he wanted them to know that he knew this."

  You mean in the middle of his comment he suddenly realized what he said might not be true? So much for your comments on the man's convictions! I know enough Japanese to know that he talks down to whosoever is questioning him when he can't answer, and that, while the translation is not perfect, it DOES at length show that many of Aso's statements are vague enough to include those meanings as possibilities; which in turn means, again, he does not speak in a clear cut manner at all. Add to that all the 'nantonaku' vague modifiers/answers and you've got a PM who really doesn't speak that well at all. Oh, and should we get into how the man cannot even properly read his own native tongue?? The guy makes kanji mistakes at the junior highschool level! Finally, when it comes to the tax breaks he promised, the guy can't decide what to do himself, so he fobs it off to the prefectural governments with no plans at all and no indication of whom they should give the breaks to, how much, etc. And you guys are seriously asking if someone else would be a better leader?

  Look, I'll admit that in part I'm just playing devil's advocate here and going out of my way to point out Aso's flaws; but the fact is that it's simple because he has so many, and so yes, in answer to some questions above, there ARE better people than Aso to rule the country.

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  kinniku at 03:53 PM JST - 20th November

  Apsara (sorry I got your name wrong before),

  Good points, except that these were probably the only 'stages' from which he could have raised these points. He certainly would be waiting a long time to have an opportunity to meet with the 'Association of Lousy Parents' and 'The Committee for Useless Physicians'.

  At least it got the comments out in the open and were made by someone who could be easily quoted. Hopefully it gets people thinking about medical care and educational issues, especially in the big cities.

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  ptolemy at 04:20 PM JST - 20th November

  That is why Aso is my favorite comedian. LDP = Laughs Daily from PM

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  pathat at 04:44 PM JST - 20th November

  I guess Aso will keep his job long enough to meet Pres.-elect Obama as counterparts after next Jan. 20, but it won't be by much.

  I've thought it bad for 8 years that Americans have had to put up with George W. Bush. Well, Japan gets the equivalent or worse in its PMs about once a year with people like Obuchi, Mori, Abe, Fukuda, and Aso.

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  wibble at 05:38 PM JST - 20th November

  Please let him be charachteristic enough to creat polarisation. I don't care if he's bad (but would prefer good obviousy) but something other than down the middle wobbly.

  Polarisation causes debate. Debate makes people think about issues. Polarisation allows politicians and parties to campaing for wider diverse strategies and policies to counter each other. This leads to change.

  I don't agree with the outgoing US administration, but one thing I will say for Bush is that his strong and outspoken views and decisions have caused debate and given rise to the opportunity for change.

  Parties endlessly pursuing the middle vote ends in stagnation and failure for all.

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  nutsagain at 05:52 PM JST - 20th November

  pathat: Huh? Mori was beyond stupid, beyond moronic, just the pits as a leader. Worse, he's still cavorting the globe on taxpayers' dough talking about things he knows little about. Please, put Mori at the head of that list of numbskulls.

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  mael at 06:46 PM JST - 20th November

  Yes, I think most doctors are on another planet more and more these days. Of course PM Aso was right about saying they are out of touch in whatever words he chose.

  My children rarely go to hospital and on the rare occasions I take them I try hard to ensure I am using the doctors for advice and it is I who decides the treatment after understanding what the situation is.

  Living in Japan where the doctors are typically inept has encouraged me to find out how to deal with injuries and ailments as they arise. Unfortunately the parents around me are almost entirely unable to understand even the basic principles of good health through maintaining a robust immune system. Too bad for them. It's a real shame to see about half the kids with something wrong with them. Only a few manage to fix themselves due to the presence of pathogenic medication.

  Too many memories of incorrect diagnosis and the misery caused through incompetent doctors and drugs which merely mask the symptoms but do nothing for the underlying disease has created a situation where one can look after the health of you and yours and have a chance at remaining viable or go with the doctors and their regime of drugs and face near-certain chronic symptoms which will fester and worsen.

  But the parents are doubtless to blame as they seem to have been encouraged successfully to listen to the doctors and have removed themselves from being responsible for the family's health. This only makes the doctors feel (and act) even more like gods.

  The doctor I use is a rare kettle of fish. He sits the parents down and explains the situation. Then he prescribes the minimum of drugs and explains what might arise during the eradication of the dis-ease. Unfortunately he won't last forever and there's no one else in these parts I can trust.

  Good on Aso for saying what is patently obvious. Incompetent doctors and ignorant parents make for great profits for the pharmaceutical business of peddling chronic ill health to ensure increasing profits.

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  kinniku at 07:34 PM JST - 20th November

  smithinjapan,

  You mean in the middle of his comment he suddenly realized what he said might not be true? So much for your comments on the man's convictions!

  Not exactly, as I wrote above and as you even quoted:

  "As for why he backtracked, possibly he realized that this was not true of all the parents in the room **and **he wanted them to know that he knew this."

  He did not retracked what he said, he merely qualified it. So, as to his conictions in this matter, I stand by my opinion. As to the content of what he said, I agree with it. Now that you know he didn't say 'mothers', but said parents what do you think of the content of what Aso said?

  As to your other comments about Aso, particularly his poor attitude when he has been questioned by reporters, I agree with what you have written. In general the attitudes of the politicians is not respectful to their constituents in general. However, this article is not about a mandate of Aso. It is about these particular comments and that is what I have been commenting about.

  I agree there are much better people in Japan than Aso to lead Japan. However, his comments at these two events are not reasons wht this is so.

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  kinniku at 07:40 PM JST - 20th November

  smithinjapan,

  In case you are curious, by "backtrack" I was not intending to mean "backdown". I am sure you have said something and then qualified it to make sure you didn't hurt the feelings of the listener. I think that is what he did.

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  TokyoVP at 09:48 PM JST - 20th November

  Aso, after another tough day in the media, has a scotch-induced dream:

  Aso: Grandpa, tell me story...I can't sleep!

  Yoshida: There, there, Taro-kun...I will tell you a bed-time story.

  Yoshida: Taro-kun, there once was a Emperor, but he had no clothes...

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  romulus3 at 10:53 PM JST - 20th November

  Aso, after another tough day in the media, has a scotch-induced dream:

  Aso: Grandpa, tell me story...I can't sleep!

  Yoshida: There, there, Taro-kun...I will tell you a bed-time story.

  Yoshida: Taro-kun, there once was a Emperor, but he had no clothes...

  WTF?

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  browny1 at 06:17 PM JST - 21st November

  Aso's comments simply show his background.

  Privileged upbringing, doing & saying what he wants. He has continuously displayed an air of arrogance. He knows little of tact, humility and sense of the situation. His speaking his mind is NOT strength of character, but a masquerade. Any fool can mouth opinions loudly and directly.

  Irregardless of the reality of doctors mindset, he'd do well not to tar "many" with the same brush.

  Closer to reality would be if had substituted "politicians" for doctors in his blabbers.

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  helloklitty at 08:23 PM JST - 21st November

  Although Prime Minister Aso was born with a silver chopstick in his mouth, it did not make his tongue silver.

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