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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Hikozaemon
bibric - do you accept that Dokdo is disputed?
This whole dispute is a result of the Korean government run nationalist education system teaching Koreans that these rocks are the birthplace of Japanese aggression in Asia and need to be defended. This latest flare up is about Japanese teachers teaching that the islands are disputed and what the Japanese position is. I am not under any kind of impression that Korean schools teach that Dokdo is "disputed" and that Japan has any kind of legitimate position. That is why these people get so hysterical - because they do not know ALL the facts about Dokdo.
Japanese are not well informed about Takeshima, but I think that Japanese understand Korea's position better than Koreans understand Japan's position. And that makes people in Japan, ignorant as they are, better informed about Dokdo than people in Korea are. A real shame - this is a pointless dispute.
Peace
Posted in: S Korea reportedly plans to build hotel on disputed islets
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Hikozaemon
1) Those who say that Japan would react the same if Korea did what Japan is doing... Korea IS doing what Japan is doing - they are both claiming a piece of territory that the other thinks is theirs. Takeshima is just like Okinawa to the Japanese government, just like Dokdo is Jeju to many Koreans. What BOTH sides need to do is acknowledge that the dispute exists and de-escalate.
2) Takeshima was not taken by force, and not taken during the colonization of Korea. It was taken prior to that. The excuse many Koreans make for not resisting is saying that Korea at that time was already so undermined and weakened that it was unable to stand up for itself and protest and it would of were it able. But facts remain, whatever the internal situation of Korea in 1904, it was still a sovereign independent country (not under Japanese colonization) and it made no complaint when Japan formally annexed Takeshima.
3) The island was not "returned to Korea" after WWII. All of Korea's territories were liberated by the US and Russia. The US used Takeshima as a bombing range, and it always sought the permission of Japan for doing so. Korean protesters at the US use of the island as a bombing range were accidentally killed by the US - which was blamed on the US and Japan for ignoring Korea's sovereignty and those people became seen as martyrs.
4) The only country to have exercised force or acted aggressively over Takeshima at any time in history was Korea in 1952 when it deployed paratroopers ("police") on the rocks while their status was still under dispute.
5) Contrast Korea's handling of Dokdo and Japan's handling of the Senkakus. Japan keeps people off those rocks, including Japanese right wingers - it actively tries to de-escalate the dispute. Imagine of the SDF put paratroopers and a hotel on them - all the needless aggravation. Korea should be following Japan's example, acknowledge the dispute and get people off the rocks.
6) The reaction to all this has been hysterical as usual. Unfortunately, instead of setting themselves on fire and lopping their own body parts off, right wingers have taken to displays of animal abuse in front of the embassy in Seoul, all for a teacher's guide that mentions in the context of saying there is a dispute, what Japan's position on Takeshima is; http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=isNiMhNMHU8
7) As usual, this dispute is pure hysteria - schoolchildren being egged on to draw anti-Japanese nationalist propaganda, cutting of school ties, riots and property damage. Not all Koreans are like this, but those that are need to grow up. Both sides have a "right" to be angry, but fortunately many on both sides exercise better self control.
Finally, still credit to president Lee - he told his cabinet not to exploit the issue, which they certainly could do, and Roh would have done. Fortunately for him, there are enough nationalist scumbags in his country to get upset and take the heat off him for the beef issue.
Rather than escalating provocation on the Korean side (what the Japanese government did with its teaching guides was not provocation, building a hotel is), both sides should be stepping back and looking at how this can be used to foster friendship and cooperation - why not allow visa free access and tourism from people from both countries, and make the waters around it a joint economic zone? Or if their claim is so solid, go to international arbitration and be done with it. This is just childish and pointless.
Peace
Posted in: S Korea reportedly plans to build hotel on disputed islets
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Hikozaemon
I want one - and as a Softbank subscriber since the J-Phone days, the way Masayoshi Son has turned the unit around since Borderphone's disasterous expedition in Japan is inspiring.
All the anti-softbankers, who do you like then, Docomo???
I get the thing with the features - Yes the iPhone has a great screen that you can play recorded, converted, and transfered videos on - but most good Japanese mobiles can receive digital tv straight off, and people do use it on long commutes, or to watch sports while working late.
Also, sha-mails (texts with photo attachments) are huge in Japan, that and emoticons are the basic way people mail each other - lack of texting shows the Amero-centrism of the handset, the only market where texting has never caught on. Fair enough for America, but stupid for the rest of the world, for a feature that shouldn't have been that hard to include.
The camera is a bit lame too - most mobiles now have cameras that are basically full spec digital cameras, and shoot good video too. The camera on the iPhone is 8 years out of date by spec.
The appeal for me is the ease of internet connection, the nice screen, and the music player capability - most Japanese phones have MP3 players but require conversion of all files through copyright protection software that is simply too much of a pain to use. I guess we can choose now between a Japanese phone/tv/text/camera, or an American phone/internet/PDA/mp3 player. I think I will get one of these, but it will be nice when someone offers the complete package - the Koreans seem to be doing the best job of that at the moment. It will be interesting to see what Japanese handset makers, Sharp in particular, do to respond.
Peace
Posted in: Japan cautious in iPhone's bid for world dominance
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Hikozaemon
I guess that actually, this is a golden opportunity for Japan Today to claim Mainichi's readership - if you guys can get Ryan Connel in (which I doubt you can pay, but if you could), it would be a serious opportunity for Japan Today to make a play at toppling the Japan Times.
But I would suggest looking at redoing the layout first, seriously. I guess that at least if Ryan wrote on Japan Today, there would be as many people here sticking up for him as detracting him - hell, it would attract Japanese readers (even if mostly angry ones with torches and pitchforks). Worth considering.
Peace
Posted in: What do you think of the Mainichi's decision to cease publishing its WaiWai tabloid tidbits section on its English online site following complaints that it portrays Japanese society in a negative light to the world?
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Hikozaemon
Hisashiburi, I just saw this today. WTF? I saw some of these campaigners against WaiWai on YouTube a few days ago but thought little of it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPX1t9MGnmk
I'm assuming that it is these people (in this case railing against WaiWai as part of a broader campaign against Soka Gakkai, who of course run Mainichi) that got it taken off.
The offending articles are translations, and NOBODY reading the articles in English takes them seriously - at least any more than Japanese readers take the weeklies seriously.
The question is, how would these people react to Japanese press being prohibited from broadcasting vulgar foreign news? Imagine all the tv specials that would be cut from production! You could take off Sanma's shows... How about Japanese porn? I mean, it is the only porn you find anywhere in Asia - if they are worried about Japan's image as vulgar, they could start there, rather than with an entertaining newspaper translation column.
It sounds like Ryan Connel is going to get his arse kicked by Mainichi for this, even though they have known about his column and backed him for 10 years now - I mean, he has even published books on his very funny translations. I guess Mainichi figured it was in a lose lose position and decided to cut and run, but this is just ridiculous.
Part of me wants to boycott Mainichi in protest (I read most of my English Japan news from there) but that would just get the rest of their English news department laid off - which after this is probably what they want. Japan times perhaps?
No offense JT, but I've given up - I find the new layout of this site too much of a pain to use. But this is just ridiculous. Well, if Mainichi did this in reaction to a tirade of idiots who don't understand how the articles were translated or read, perhaps a tirade of English speaking idiots telling Mainichi what a complete arse they look as a result of this is what's called for.
This is a real sad day for English news in Japan - and a sharp reminder to sites like Japan Today that offer English serious and light news that the rug can be pulled on them at any time (as I recall, Japan Today itself has shown many of the offending articles that Mainichi is asking search engines to remove, plus of course it used to have the Shukan Post Watcher corner). Better be careful - I wouldn't be surprised if this site gets targetted next.
Peace
Posted in: What do you think of the Mainichi's decision to cease publishing its WaiWai tabloid tidbits section on its English online site following complaints that it portrays Japanese society in a negative light to the world?
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Hikozaemon
Nessie, respectfully, I have to disagree. There is no quality I find more attractive in a member of the opposite sex than bitterness.
Peace
Posted in: Foreign women in Japan sometimes remark how hard it is to get a date with foreign men. What are your views on this?
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Hikozaemon
northlondon - have you tried looking beyond inflatable varieties?
Posted in: Foreign women in Japan sometimes remark how hard it is to get a date with foreign men. What are your views on this?
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Hikozaemon
TheguyNextdoor - usually when you ask a group of people to raise their hands if they think that their wives are submissive, you would expect the response to be one of stoney fearful silence, hence proving the rhetorical nature of my suggestion. I would challenge anyone who is married that would agree with the generalization made by Azrael that Japanese culture expects women to be submissive.
In fact, I would dare even the most progressive of stay at home Swedish fathers if they would go so far as to allow their wives to deny them access to their own bank accounts and happily live on a budget of $30 a week for lunch meals, being expected to produce receipts, as is not uncommon for many salarimen in Japan. Women in Japan rule the roost - propaganda to the opposite effect is a combination of wishful thinking by henpecked salarimen confirming the preheld prejudices of a handful of ignorant gaijins that Japan is a samurai shogun seppuku beat your wife kind of culture.
Peace
Posted in: Foreign women in Japan sometimes remark how hard it is to get a date with foreign men. What are your views on this?
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Hikozaemon
Hands up who is married to a Japanese wife, and thinks that Japanese women are submissive.
I think it is simple - a large proportion of foreign women come to Japan interested in the culture, but with such a slew of racial prejudices and stereotypes against Asian guys that they make up excuses to avoid that, and get bitter at the more open minded gaijin guys who "get stuck in", as it were.
I know plenty of couples, married and not, of gaijin girls and Japanese guys, that are in solid, normal loving relationships which do not involve tying up, beatings, child kidnappings, or being forced to walk 3 metres behind. I think the problem is that so many gaijin women are so delicate - they don't want to eat raw fish, they don't want to go to onsens and be naked, they don't want to go into restaurants with no English menus. They just want to hang out with their Nova friends, go to Karaoke, and have a stale, safe "cultural" experience. That's not to say that plenty of gaijin guys don't come here with the wrong attitude too, but given the relatively miniscule size of the euro-gaijin community Tokyo, it seems ridiculous to have any expectations of the social life within that 20,000 person english speaking town of gaijins within Tokyo, or even more ridiculously small english speaking communities in other cities. It is like going to Bhutan and complaining at how hard it is to get a white man. If that is all you are after, don't come.
Peace
Posted in: Foreign women in Japan sometimes remark how hard it is to get a date with foreign men. What are your views on this?
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Hikozaemon
adaydream - are you suggesting that Bush have America attack Myanmar?
Peace
Posted in: Bush says world should condemn Myanmar's handling of cyclone
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Hikozaemon
I am disturbed that this took place in the "wee hours", when I assume there thus needed to be some kind of mass urinal evacuation...
Peace
Posted in: Four found dead after inhaling lethal gas made from detergent in Takayama
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Hikozaemon
If you could find no other reason to fire him, I would say that 170,000 porn site views in a month could be seen as constructive sexual harassment of IT staff...
Peace
Posted in: Civil servant demoted for accessing porn sites 780,000 times during office hours
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Hikozaemon
yadayada, when are we going to hear WHO is releasing the iPhone and WHEN?! Last we heard, Softbank and DoCoMo were negotiating with Apple late last year for an Ocotber-ish 2008 release, but nothing has come up since then.
Yes, I know that the negotiations are secret, yes, I know that Apple is using the pressure of the other competing bid to extract special conditions and so on, but it's may now and I find it hard to believe if there is no announcement soon that the phone can be made Japan ready and released within the year if it takes much more than a month longer to decide.
I want Softbank to get this (do you hear me Apple) - they are more innovative, more customer friendly, and Son is a visionary, an Apple kind of person. Yes, Docomo has a bigger war chest, but in the end of the day, it would not help Apple's brand image to be associated with Docomo, whereas it quite suits that of Softbank.
It is good to see Softbank active in the market like this, but will Apple please hurry up so I can read a story that the iPhone will be released by Softbank in whatever month.
Peace
Posted in: Softbank aims to raise stake to 40% in Chinese Internet company
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Hikozaemon
redacted - I don't see that I've been contradicted. I said that the plan they had "went into action" the day of the attacks. That Bush had an anti-Iraq agenda was clear before that, but remember that in 2000 he campaigned on a "more humble" foreign policy than the more interventionist approach of Clinton. His "humble" foreign policy was a major plank of his campaign and election. The 911 attacks "changed the reality" that the US was safe from terrorist attack and this was the justification for the need to combate rogue states that support terrorism, as it as put.
Bush gave no kind of indication that he was planning a ten year 150,000 troop commitment to a war in Iraq in 2000, even though he made his dislike of Saddam and desire to undermine his regime clear.
The actual plan to do this invasion and nationwide occupation when into effect on the day of the attacks. Bush and his closest advisors backed this up in the book "Plan of Attack".
The irony of this whole unveiling is that the Israelis demonstrated in Syria EXACTLY what the US should have done in DPRK under Clinton, and then again under Bush. The Syrian reactor was meant to be a near replica of Yongbong - but the Americans were too scared to do anything about it. And now we are dealing with a nuclear North Korea as a result.
I don't know the point of raising this in negotiations either - the North Koreans will simply use this as more fuel for their blusterous "we are a nuclear power so respect us" campaign.
Thank heavens that at least the Israelis have the guts to do what is necessary to stop nations like these getting the bomb - done in a single day, no (important) casualties, a complete success. What in hell was the US doing going into occupy an already crippled and powerless Iraq when North Korea and Iran are making nukes to give them geopolitical leverage that not even the US can rebalance once they are armed?
This single minded incompetence by Bush will be responsible for the next 30 years of conflict in the Gulf (and by extension Lebanon) and in North East Asia. He has sustained Kim Jong Il's rule over North Korea, and meanwhile in a cave in western Afghanistan, somebody is still making home movies....
Even if you classify Iraq as a victory, surely for everything else sacrificed to achieve that goal, it has to be judged to be at best a Phyrric one?
Peace
Posted in: N Korea helped Syria's secret nuclear programs: White House
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Hikozaemon
Check this out - some people run their car for free on this kind of stuff: http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=CsUgM8Mi3J0
Posted in: More gas stations to sell biogasoline
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Hikozaemon
oldguo - so you accept that the Chinese government is lying when it says that the Dalai Lama is a separatist?
Peace
Posted in: Komura urges China to come clean on Tibet
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Hikozaemon
What bugs me about the invasion of Iraq is not the invasion itself - I can see plenty of merits for the regime change there. And it is not the waste of American lives implementing that policy - the US people voted for Bush to make those decisions as to where to sacrifice Americans, and the US people voted again to endorse his spending of US military lives in Iraq when they reelected him, as is their right.
My problem is the statement of principle angle. Bush advisors have not hidden the fact that the plan to invade Iraq went into action the day of the 9-11 attacks. The WMD justification was used no doubt due to a confidence that that was one of many things that the Iraqis were doing, and more importantly because it provided the most robust justification for military action under international law.
And if the US wants to enforce international law, then great.
Problem is that, as Tony Blair himself pointed out to Bush, if WMD was going to be the great justification, there were far more certain, and just as nasty violators out there. North Korea was openly violating its NPT inspection oblgiations and years later tested a bomb. Iran soon started doing the same thing.
The problem is not that US intelligence on Iran, Syria or North Korea is faulty. The problem is that because Bush chose not to be open about his own motivations for sending young Americans to "get Saddam" - which probably extended not very far beyond wanting to do the Saudis a favor and getting payback for the assassination attempt on his father, he set a moral standard that the US, by not taking action in much higher priority cases going on at the same time, was never going to be able to meet, and after Iraq, would never be able to make up for with any credibility.
We are in this mess because Bush didn't care what justification he used to go after Saddam - he picked a good looking excuse from a hat, sent Americans to die, and because of the results of that carelesness, North Korea has a bomb, Iran will soon have a bomb, and the US is and will remain in no position to do anything more about this situation than complain. And that will be the legacy of his presidency.
Peace
Posted in: N Korea helped Syria's secret nuclear programs: White House
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Hikozaemon
The US made it clear when it decided to invade Iraq that stopping rogue nations developing WMDs was not really a top priority.
Peace
Posted in: N Korea helped Syria's secret nuclear programs: White House
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Hikozaemon
So let's see - Tokyo school girls are prostitutes, salaryman Dads all bang their secretaries (of course, they ALL have secretaries...), Japanese don't feel nearly guilty enough about sex, listen to too much drug induced rap music, cats are marrying dogs. This country is in a state of anarchy.
And the prescription is starting at home and reinforcing by social groups, schools, volunteer and religious groups and so on....
Ahh yes, Japan isn't nearly religious enough. All of these lost souls running around in a state of heathenous anarchy.
Well, how many people have lost a wallet, or a valuable belonging on public transport and had it returned or handed in to lost and found, or had friends who have had this happen. I have never heard of it happening in any other country - even ones with a much greater awareness of "moral" values imparted through the mechanisms suggested. How many people here have had their homes burglarized, or know friends who have had their homes invaded by strangers?
I'll agree that like anywhere else, there is always room for tightening things up, but in terms of a "don't do unto others" and consideration of fellow citizens, I don't think I've lived anywhere with higher standards of public morality. Just because Japanese aren't religiously educated to feel guilty about sex, and they tolerate vices like gambling, tobacco and alcohol more than elsewhere, and these contradict judeo-islamo-christian morality I don't think means that we can straight up say that this society is heading to hell in a handbasket.
Peace
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Hikozaemon
Triple888 - I disagree.
1) I think that China generally has one of the most individualistic cultures in Asia 2) China went through a 20 year long process of destroying its traditions and culture (superstition and feudalism as it was seen)
Yet, judging simply by the scale of participation nationalist demonstrations seem to draw, it seems easy to conclude that it is far and away more nationalistic than Japan at least, and I would guess many other parts of Asia also.
My take is that the communists substituted nationalism for those traditions that they campaigned to wipe out - loyalty to the nation and the CCP and not to old fashioned superstitions that held China back and allowed it to be bullied for centuries by foreign powers. I think nationalism seems to have been instilled in the place of all those traditions and culture that the communists systematically wiped out.
Peace
Posted in: China urges 'calm' as anti-Western protests continue