JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Core Developer - コアディベロッパー
- Midokura Japan K.K. - ミドクラジャパン株式会社, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥4.0M ~ ¥10.0M / Year Negotiable
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- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
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- Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Kanto region
- RCS (RCSコーポレーション), Kanto
- Salary: ¥180,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month includes performance bonus
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FreeInJapan
Uh, actually Eiddie Murphy was a negotiator in "Metro"...
Posted in: Ryoko Yonekura takes a bullet in 'The Negotiator'
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FreeInJapan
Notginger, that's what the MUI is for (Multilingual User Interface).
Posted in: Microsoft streamlines Windows 7 options
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FreeInJapan
From Wikipedia:
In Japan, airsoft guns are legal, but may not shoot with a muzzle energy above 0.98 joules. Legal requirements are set on airsoft model manufacturers to prevent any possibility of a replica weapon being converted into an actual firearm. Standards include (but are not limited to) use of low-melting point metals and non-ballistic plastics in structural components and incompatibility of mechanical components with actual firearm components and mechanisms. The overall litmus test used by the Japanese National Police Authority is whether the replica weapon can be made to chamber and fire an actual round of ammunition. These standards have proven successful within Japan, as it has been found that criminal elements discovered that it is significantly easier to purchase an actual illegal weapon in comparison to modifying a comparatively fragile replica into a functional firearm. Due to this reality, most crimes involving a threat of physical violence are often perpetrated with edged weapons, as firearms seen in public are (by default) believed to be toys by the public at large.
I've only been able to play once so far here in Japan, but even at 0.98 joules it can definitely sting and as one poster commented already it can actually break skin, as in leaves a scratch and a bit of a welt. If it truly was a modified airgun that was used then I'd have a hard time believing that the injuries were life-threatening...
Posted in: Man shoots woman and her father in Tochigi
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FreeInJapan
Man, this article made my day!! I mean, all I can say to you US Military bashers is.... BWAHAHAHAHAHA!! Enjoy the process of trying to justify this j-knucklehead's actions, haven't seen anything convincing so far.
Good on this young Marine, it just goes to show you how much dicipline the Marines instill in them when going through basic. I also think it's worth noting, just to rub it in the US bashers faces as well, that since the new carrier arrived at Yokosuka Naval Base I can't recall once incident being reported in the news. Shocker huh? Hahahahahaha....
Posted in: Man arrested for assaulting U.S. Marine in Kanagawa
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FreeInJapan
Well, considering that I've heard nothing but good things (even from the Pre Beta!) from people trying Windows 7 Beta so far, I'm looking forward to loading it up tonight and finally seeing for myself! FYI, after the initial problems with Microsoft's servers being overloaded they've resolved the issue as of this morning and you can now download your copy of the Public Beta and get a Product Key.
Also, for anyone experiencing issues with Vista, I highly recommend going to www.maximumpc.com and going through some of the Vista customization tutorials. It's ok if you're just a regular user, they are very detailed, go step-by-step and explaing pretty much everything and why you're doing it. Give it a shot and I'll bet your Vista experience gets better.
Posted in: Windows 7 beta available worldwide
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FreeInJapan
Not related??? That's just stupid... I guess the J-cops think the rash of Taxi robberies has been caused by one person then? I already knew it but this just confirms the J-cops won't be solving most of these cases anytime soon.
Ok, it's not related, it's just "inspired by"...
Posted in: Two men rob Osaka taxi driver
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FreeInJapan
Even though the Windows 7 pre-beta and beta's have been leaked in bitTorrent for weeks now, I've been waiting for this to see if people have had any issues... hear nothing but good things so far and looking forward to trying this out.
Looks like I've got something to geek out on over the long weekend...
Posted in: Windows 7 beta available worldwide
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FreeInJapan
Just a quick point, but other information I've read on this says they propose to give ¥12,000 per family member, plus an additional ¥8,000 proposed for dependents aged 18 and younger, or over 60 years of age (if I recall correctly).
Granted, I agree that this money could be better spent... but on the other hand I'm not one to turn down money (especially since it's money I've already paid in taxes), and if I recieve ¥12,000 per family member plus and additional ¥8,000 for each kid then I'm looking at a decent chunk of change. Of course I'll be packing some of that away in savings but it will also provide a little extra spending money as well.
Posted in: What do you think of the government's plan to give a Y12,000 cash handout to members of the public in an effort to stimulate the economy?
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FreeInJapan
I remember an article almost exactly like this either earlier this year or late last year... I wonder if it was the same guy. One would think Denny's would learn their lesson by now, and ask someone to pay up much earlier than 12 hours later! =P
Posted in: Man arrested for refusing to pay bill after dining at Denny's for 12 hours
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FreeInJapan
My guess is he felt the 15 hours was enough time for the alchohol to get out of his system. What a loser...
Posted in: Man turns himself in after hitting woman with car in Aichi
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FreeInJapan
Not only did he go after something so ugly as her, he PAID to go after something so ugly as her!!! Jeez, with such bad judgement, it makes you wonder how badly Yokohama's local government is spending money on other things!!
Posted in: Yokohama mayor sued by ex-hostess for ending relationship
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FreeInJapan
Not clearly stated but think it's pretty obvious that he was likely drunk at the time of the accident. His strategy was likely to turn himself in well after it's possible to prove he had been drinking and driving. What a punk.
Posted in: Man dies in hit and run in Kochi; driver turns himself in
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FreeInJapan
What kind of sick bastard shoots a kid, let alone shoots an 8 year old in the face while dressed as Santa!!???!! I want to say more on this... but find myself at a loss for words...
Posted in: Man in Santa suit kills 8, then himself in California
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FreeInJapan
Let's not forget the ever-so-common "bait-and-hook" conn that many women (and yes, sometimes men) use when looking to tie a husband into married "bliss"... i.e. the all too commmon scenario of having an incredible girlfriend who absolutely loves to have sex, try new things, etc., only to become no longer interested in doing such things after tying the knot. Especially after they have children. When life turns into "Go to work, come straight home, don't get to do things you enjoy unless it's free, and no, you're not getting any" is it any surprise that some become attracted to the allure of an extra marital affair?
I think some posters are all too eager to point the finger at men as being "hardwired pigs" but are in complete denial that the wife could also contribute to driving the husband to look elsewhere. The same can be said for a husband that doesn't pay attention to his wife, driving her to look for affection elsewhere. Does that mean that women are hardwired to have an affair if they don't get the "princess treatment"?
Posted in: Monogamy vs a bit on the side: What makes a person promiscuous?
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FreeInJapan
@Dogdog - no, not calling disturbance of my TV viewing a capital offence (then again, maybe depends on the show =D), was just trying to put the noise into context. How about the fact that it would also regularly wake us up as well? It gets fairly annoying when you have to constantly put small children back to sleep because a bunch of punks can't think of better ways to spend their free time. As far as your "at worst" comment, many of these little fools don't just stop at disturbing the neighborhoods and traffic... quite a few of them also like to lash out by mugging people on the streets at night, vandalizing property, etc. To think otherwise is just wishful thinking, maybe it's best if you go put your head back in the sand.
@nandakandamanda - thanks for elaborating, you made some very good points. I have to say though that choosing to ignore the problem will never solve anything, just allow it to grow even more rampant (and also result in a death as may be the case with this 17 year old). Traffic accidents can be caused by their antics on the street as well, and in most cases there is not that much traffic on the road after midnight so I think the risk of an accident being caused by a police chase would be rather limited. The police could always back off if the chase becomes too dangerous and starts endangering the public, which is regularly done by cops in the states. At least by then they would have descriptions of the vehicles, individuals involved and a plate number they can hopefully use to track them down later.
As for not wanting to mark the youths for life with a criminal record, well that's not really feasible either, is it? Imagine if they applied that logic to anyone who broke the law... "Well, if we arrest this guy he'll probably lose his job, and possibly his family will leave him, so we'll let it slide. I'm sure he'll eventually figure out it's not good to drink and drive." Also, if they're arrested as a youth, it goes in a Juvenile record and would not actually affect them in adult life. Perhaps if some of these knuckleheads have their lives ruined by the poor choices they've made, others will start seeing that maybe this route isn't so "cool" after all. The contacts could be made via other, more positive groups that could be established and promote better behavior and morals rather than making it a point to cause others frustration. Maybe the J-gov could implement some of these kinds of groups for younsters along with the "Morals education" (insert sarcasm).
Posted in: Youth found dead in vacant lot in Shizuoka; police suspect bike gang involvement
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FreeInJapan
@ jipster - Ain't that the truth! lol
@ nandakandamanda - so if not lazyiness, then what? Fear maybe? I personally used to witness these "gangs" of bozo's running amok down route 16 in Yokosuka every single night, at around the same time. I couldn't even hear the TV over the noise, and I lived on the 9th floor. Would also watch from my balcony as they would weave recklessly around the road (including in front of oncoming traffic), surround cars, and block the intersections to stop traffic. I also watched one night as a J-cop vehicle drove down the road than ran in front of my building (which was horizontal to 16) following them until they were almost to the point of meeting up at the intersection. Once the J-cops realized they were about to meet, they stopped, pulled an illegal u-turn and hauled butt outta there. Oh, and by the way, the intersection the bozo's so loved to block, was right in front of a Koban.
As for the youth himself... yes, it's sad that someone so young has lost his life to violence. But then again, you live by the sword you die by the sword. He put himself in that situation, no one else. And before someone tries to slam that comment, try to remember that plenty of people grow up in harsh environments and manage to get themselves out, so don't cry calling for pitty over someone that didn't try hard enough.
Posted in: Youth found dead in vacant lot in Shizuoka; police suspect bike gang involvement
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FreeInJapan
So if the police are barred from going in after them, send in the Military! Totally agree with their right to protest, but only to a point... rioting on this level takes it way too far, especially when you start attacking your own who had nothing to do with what happened. Agree with above, jailtime for a whole lot of punks. Even better, jail time with hard labor to repair all the damage.
Posted in: Riots spread in 2 Greek cities after teen killed
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FreeInJapan
As for punishment fitting the crime, I pose this argument: These men went after CHILDREN, for the simple fact that they were supposedly paid to do it by people who didn't agree with a woman's right to receive an education. Just the fact that they are willing to carry out such an attack on a child, let alone do it for MONEY, tells me that they are too dangerous to be allowed to carry out the remainder of their lives (be it in or out of Prison). They will not show remorse, they will not repent, as a matter of fact I propose that should they wind up only going to Prison the likely scenario will be they will then have the chance to possibly spread their hate to other willing minds (i.e. other inmates) who may or may not be getting out of that prison and carry on the cycle. Not to mention the COST of feeding and clothing them, health care and such, the burden of which falls to the taxpayers of that country. insert sarcasm Sounds like a fair deal to me! Maim and kill, and then retire on the public's bill!! end sarcasm
As a father, I cannot see any excuse for mercy to be shown to any individual that harms a child, be it my child or someone else's. Doesn't matter what country, it's a heinous act that deserves a harsh punishment. In this man's mind, there is no defense nor reason to have mercy on such an animal. If someone defends that person's right to live, then they feel the way about same about child murderers and such. If you can live with that, great for you, sweet dreams.
Posted in: Afghan teacher wants acid thrown on her attackers
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FreeInJapan
@smithinjapan - First off, I never stated they did something to me personally, but am going to assume you mean to speak of the person doing the actual hanging never having something done to them by the CRIMINALS being hanged.
I find it funny how you stick to they "eye for an eye" reference instead of referring to it as justice. In reference to your statement of "If you, for example, were to hang them, then who gets to hang you?" - If I were to apply your warped logic to all criminal acts, well, then I would have to ask myself "Well, if he puts this person in prison then who gets to put HIM in prison?" That kind of logic, I actually do have a problem understanding. I do however, agree with you on one point... the victims SHOULD have the first chance at throwing the acid. It's totally their right.
Personally, I fully believe that the throwing of the acid would help to set an example and the hangings would serve to remove at least SOME of the radical lunatics running around and make the world just that little bit safer. I believe that, using this route, justice would indeed be served and have yet to see anything from you that remotely comes close to changing my mind (and I'm apparently not alone). Realize this, there's a battle going on between one side that does not have rules, and the other side that is restricted by rules. I'm not by any means saying that we should throw out all laws, but I personally don't believe it's the wrong way to go if we start using an escalation of force and dole out some harsh punishments as deterents. It would in no way resolve things quickly, and would most definitely get ugly, but it's already ugly and getting worse. Sometimes the Ends justifies the Means.
Moderator: Readers, please focus your comments on the story, not at each other.
Posted in: Afghan teacher wants acid thrown on her attackers
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FreeInJapan
@Nippon5 - Well said!
@smithinjapan - I believe Sarge read the article just fine and happens to agree (pretty clearly stated in his post), as do I. "Having them hung is a bit much" you say? I suppose you're all for suspended sentences for people who kill their children as well, huh?
Posted in: Afghan teacher wants acid thrown on her attackers