Dogdog said...

Dogdog at 12:33 PM JST - 20th December

I'm going to continue to eat Thai rice, poisoned or not, rather than buy the local stuff.

Luckily a lot of Indians live around my area and I can get good Indian and Pakistan long grained Basmati and even short grained Bangladesh Basmati rice, which has to be the tastiest…

Posted in Carcinogenic toxin detected in imported Thai rice at 12:33 PM JST - 20th December
Dogdog at 11:58 AM JST - 20th December

But the Japanese whilst enjoying cheap imports won't sell any of their now over priced good will they?

Don't worry about that, Japan will get around that one with unfair trade practices such as invisible government subsidies for exports or subsidising the price of an export good by pricing the…

Posted in Japanese consumers enjoy benefits of strong yen at 11:58 AM JST - 20th December
Dogdog at 11:46 AM JST - 20th December

The problem of housing for low paid workers should have never been left to Japan Inc in the first place. The state should have taxed these companies more in the good times and used that money to build public housing, whose tenancy wasn't dependent on working for a specific comapny.…

Posted in Firms to get subsidies for allowing sacked temp workers to stay in apartments at 11:46 AM JST - 20th December
Dogdog at 11:40 AM JST - 20th December

in line with Japan’s obligation to import a certain amount of rice each year under a World Trade Organization ‘‘minimum access’’ deal.

Says everything that needs to be said about the Japan's FTA. An FTA is defined as an agreement between participating parties where 93% of goods between them will…

Posted in Carcinogenic toxin detected in imported Thai rice at 11:40 AM JST - 20th December
Dogdog at 10:33 PM JST - 19th December

I would rather bet on the Kiwi. The Kiwi can rebound much faster.

Agreed, as long as NZ can get its deficit in order, which it hasn't since the mid-90s

Posted in BOJ cuts key interest rate to 0.1% to try and boost Japan's economy at 10:33 PM JST - 19th December
Dogdog at 04:32 PM JST - 19th December

The BOJ is shooting on blanks, every national banks nightmare. Its only other valid option is to lower interest rates from 0.1% to 0.05%. During the good years, 2004-08, the BOJ should have raised interest rates to a steady 1.5% or 2.5%. Then they would have had something to play…

Posted in BOJ cuts key interest rate to 0.1% to try and boost Japan's economy at 04:32 PM JST - 19th December
Dogdog at 11:40 AM JST - 19th December

Why aren't the police chasing up the buyers as well

They'd probably end up arresting their own.

Posted in JR conductor arrested after assaulting high school girl in toilet near station in Shiga at 11:40 AM JST - 19th December
Dogdog at 11:30 AM JST - 19th December

>

We'd certainly benefit from having some extra labour out here on environmental projects

There's plenty of skilled landless Chinese farmers at the moment, who would gladly returm to their lost profession, if given a chance. No need to train those boys, from my observation of Japanese farming, they could…

Posted in Gov't plans to recruit urban youths to work in rural areas at 11:30 AM JST - 19th December
Dogdog at 11:16 AM JST - 19th December

These would be non-japanese nurses are allowed to sit the Japanese nursing exam once every four years. So after studying for a year, often at their own expense, if they fail the exam, they are not allowed to retake it for another 4 years.

Pleeaazzze give me from this 'nobility…

Posted in Filipino caregivers, nurses to face language hurdles in Japan at 11:16 AM JST - 19th December
Dogdog at 11:04 AM JST - 19th December

Sounds like the Cultural Revolution Version 2008.

My thoughts exactly. I wonder if Chairman Kunio could write them a little red book of quotes to help the new pioneers on their way, 'if it moves, hang it'. 'If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be…

Posted in Gov't plans to recruit urban youths to work in rural areas at 11:04 AM JST - 19th December