JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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1
Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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Confrontation
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3
U.S. Navy investigating how parts fell off aircraft near Atsugi
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4
California court to decide if SeaWorld whales are illegal 'slaves'
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5
Kuroki reported pregnant 2 weeks after denying relationship with Akanishi
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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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- Assistant Language Teacher - TOKYO - late-March start
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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- Assistant Language Teacher - Kanagawa Prefecture - late-March start
- Interac, Kanagawa
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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LFRAgain
Kim Jong-Il's death changes little. Jong-Un's going to be a puppet and mouthpiece for an entrenched and thoroughly paranoid military leadership. Everything will be business as usual, I suspect.
Posted in: N Korea's Kim Jong-Un secretly visited Japan as child
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LFRAgain
Did you read the article?
Posted in: McDonald's tries to usurp KFC as Japan's Christmas chicken king
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LFRAgain
Tim Bedwell,
Yes, on innumerable levels.
Let's see if I can put this in a way that leave little room for misunderstanding:
Japan ALREADY paid South Korea as per negotiated treaty in 1965.
It was South Korea that insisted the details of that payment, including how much, how it would be spent, and the provision that responsibility for any and all future compensation claims fall solely upon the South Korean government, be kept secret.
Seriously, how else can this possibly be spelled out more simply?
Tell you what. Let's say you shoplift from a local store. Let's say you get caught and are forced to give back the stolen goods, and pay a fine for your crime. Let's also say you sit down with the owner of the store and work out a written, signed agreement that states if you do those two things, you're off the hook for good. And let's say you do those two things, give back the stolen goods and pay the fine.
Now, let's say 50 years down the line the owner's son suddenly approaches you and says, "Hey, we want you to pay a fine for the wrong you did to our store 50 years ago."
So, are you going to pay it?
And are you going to pay it when you've got a signed receipt that shows you already did?
Why not? After all, as you say, it won't really hurt to pay again, will it?
In some -- no, make that most -- places in the world, the word for the above scenario is "extortion."
Posted in: Lee urges compensation for sex slaves; Noda says issue is settled
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LFRAgain
What?! Banks breaking the rules in order to squeeze out even greater profits in an economy crippled by, well, greedy banks? Say it ain't so!
Posted in: Citigroup, UBS penalised for interest rate manipulation
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LFRAgain
No, no sex slaves were individually compensated. But then again, neither were those countless million other Koreans who suffered at the hands of the Japanese occupation of the peninsula. Yet, we don't hear anything about compensating them, do we? Which, quite honestly, is a pretty serious F.U. in the face of a lot of Koreans who were killed by the occupying Japanese. Where's their political mouthpiece hammering away at Japan for compensation?
For Japan to acquiesce to this shakedown would be to effectively open up Japan to individual claims from anyone on the Korean peninsula, indeed anyone on earth. That's just not how things work in this world of ours.
Above all else and regarless of any wholely contrived humanitarian stances on the subject, issues of compensation - better known in international legal circles as "reparations" - were settled almost half a decade ago in the 1965 Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea.
In that treaty, the government of South Korea agreed upon receiving some $800 million ($5.46 billion in modern dollars when adjusted for inflation) in grants and soft loans to never again seek from Japan compensation on either a government or individual basis.
Furthermore, in documents from that same period, South Korea stated explicitly that it would address all issues of individual compensation to any South Koreans who came forward with claims. It doesn't get much clearer than this.
This bid to wring money out of Japan is a little more than political stunt to lend legitimacy to a South Korean leadership looking to keep the public distracted from more pressing matters. Nothing guarantees a few more years in office than to stoke the flames of nationalism in the face of slights, perceived or real.
Using the women who were abused by Japanese troops during to war to perpetuate this dog and pony show should shame the South Korean leadership to its very core. And yet, it keeps coming back with demands for compensation that not a legal jurisdiction in the world would declare valid.
Posted in: Lee urges compensation for sex slaves; Noda says issue is settled
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LFRAgain
Cleo,
Nice post at Dec. 14, 12:25PM.
While I admit that Frungy's "Lord of the Flies" scenario is certainly a possiblity (anything's a possiblity), I agree that bullies, by and large, aren't being mean just for the sake of meaness. There's usually an underlying motivation for just the reason you pointed out -- lack of positive reinforcement somewhere in their lives.
Running into the classroom and terrifying a bunch of kids, then capping it off by attacking one of them is an anger and frustration I can definitely identify with as a parent. I'd be hard pressed to not take matters into my own hands in the absence of an visible steps being taken by the school to protect my child from bullying.
But the adage still holds true that you can catch far more flies with sugar than with vinegar.
Posted in: Charges filed against man for punching schoolboy during class
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LFRAgain
Ideally, this sounds like a great idea, but then again, it would mean a whole lot of military personnel sudddenly without jobs landing on a U.S. economy still struggling against a 8.6% unemployment. Not good for the U.S. economy since the military has for all intents and purposes become a significant employer in its own right.
While I can understand the need to save money, it still doesn't bode well for American policy makers to renege on promises made to a staunch ally.
Posted in: U.S. Congress cuts funds to move Marines from Okinawa to Guam
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LFRAgain
If you ban guns and take the $4.7 billion saved in estimated direct costs (medical care, mental health, emergency transport, police, criminal justice and lost taxes) associated with gun-related murders, along with the additional $20 to $100 billion saved in insurance payouts and use that to expand education and employment opportunities, two factors that study after study after study have linked directly to the very violent crime rates that provoke some Americans to believe they need guns to protect themselves, then you wouldn't need private ownership.
Posted in: Police kill gunman shooting at cars in Hollywood
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LFRAgain
Noliving,
So, even acknowledging that Americans have a propensity for violence, you would argue in favor of making sure everyone had unfettered access to one of the most efficent ways of meting out that violence?
That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
You are correct in that murder rates in the U.S. have been dropping steadily from all-time-highs in the 1970s to levels not seen since the 1960s, the fact still remains to support your position with crime stats that do indeed show a drop in murder rates, suggesting perhaps a kinder and gentler America, that same FBI stats that track murder rates also show that violent crime rates have not fallen nearly as fast. In 160, the violent crime rate was 160.9, and maxed out at 758.2 in 1991 in what must have been a terrifying year to be an American, despite the ready availability of guns, and had dropped down to a rate of 429.4 in 2009, a rate still more than double that in the 1960s.
I wouldn't count on Americans soon shedding their propensity to hurt their neighbors just yet.
Meanwhile, on average, some 9,400 Americans have been murdered every year for the past decade, and that number actually spiked past the 10,000 mark for three years continuously from 2005 to 2007. And we're just talking about illegal killings, and not accidental or justifiable homicide.
These murders represent more than half of all types of murders committed in the U.S., -- that includes stabbing, choking, poisoning, blugeoning, pushing out a window, striking with a car, et cetera.
While many gun proponents tend to lean heavily on the, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people" argument, the data shows very clearly that guns are by far the preferred method for murdering someone, overtaking *all other methods of killing by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The 10,225 gun murders in 2006 represented more than 60% of all murders committed. That' s nearly two-thirds.
Gun may not kill people, but people who want to see a life snuffed out know perfectly well that guns are by far the best way to do so, as amply demonstrated by this nutter in Hollywood who committed suicide by cop.
Posted in: Police kill gunman shooting at cars in Hollywood
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LFRAgain
It also bears noting that being respected and being feared are not even remotely similar concepts.
Punching, kicking, shooting, or otherwise inflicting bodily harm on a child, even if that child may very well be lacking in manners is excessive and wholly inappropriate in all but the most extreme of circumstances. And even then, probably not. To call smacking around a child "discipline" is not discipline at all, but rather the last resort of an adult incapable of managing his or her own anger and/or frustration.
Which, needless to say, calls into question who was being more immature here, the child who chased his ball into a neighbor's yard, or the supposedly more mature adult deserving of respect who has flipped his lid and KICKED a child half his size in the face, presumably for not saying, "Please" when he did so?
Posted in: 49-year-old man kicks 9-year-old boy in face, breaking his nose
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LFRAgain
Virtuoso,
You're absolutely correct. I incorrectly ascribed those numbers to 2010, when in fact they are from 2002. The data was found at multiple sources, including http://www.gunpolicy.org and the UN's WHO webpage concerning domestic (as opposed to war-related) violence in nations around the world. Thanks for pointing out my error.
Posted in: Police oppose proposals to liberalize Japan's gun laws
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LFRAgain
First off, there is absolutely no need whatsoever for the general population of Japan to be walking around with firearms. None at all.
With one of the lowest violent crime rates in the world (pooh-pooh that statement all you like, but the stats still stand up to scrutiny, even allowing for the most liberal interpretation of the data) there's no practical need for firearms for -- ahem -- self defense in a modern Japanese society that saw only 47 criminal related gun homicides last year, versus 9,369 in the same year in the poster child for insane guns laws, the USA. I'm good with that number, thank you very much.
As for paranoia-fueled silliness of feeling in danger in a country with one of the lowest crimes rates of ALL TYPES in the world, a gun won't address those fears nearly as well as a good therapist.
With that said, according to the article, it doesn't seem like there's any real push to make handguns more accessible to people like the 16-year-old boy who thought it would be keen to slash and stab a 15-year-old and 8-year-old girl over at the Crime section. The focus seems to be on making the process of acquiring a shotgun or hunting rifle easier.
But the idea that more guns will naturally lead to more efficient protection of crops is ridiculous, just as the NPA rightly points out. There are countless other effective ways to protect crops from wildlife that don't involve guns, and the claim by Dai-Nippon Ryoyukai that animal damage will increase is simply unsupported.
Posted in: Police oppose proposals to liberalize Japan's gun laws
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LFRAgain
I doubt this very sincerely.
Posted in: Honda employee cited for breaking Alabama immigration law
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LFRAgain
Also, it should go without saying that it's patently absurd to genuinely believe North Korea would have openly and brazenly held the Japanese national soccer team against their will, a la abduction, in full view of the world. The North Korean leadership is loopy, yes. But not that loopy.
Posted in: Diet debates circumstances of Japan's soccer loss to N Korea
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LFRAgain
The issue of being harrassed at an airport wasn't what was being discussed in the Diet. Excuses for why the national team lost a soccer match were being offered instead. On taxpayers' time. Not quite the same things.
Posted in: Diet debates circumstances of Japan's soccer loss to N Korea
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LFRAgain
SmithInJapan is absolutely correct. It's utterly asinine that taxpayers yen are being wasted on a debate in the highest government forum on a subject as innocuous as a soccer match.
The Japanese national team is not an extention of Japanese poitical will.
Nor is it to be used to allow asshat Nationalists to live vicariously through sports victories in the absence of apparently preferred military confrontations.
It's a soccer team, for Pete's sake. And the lost match has no place being debated in the Diet.
Coach Zaccheroni made the professional and mature decision in not squandering the health of his players on what was essentially a useless match against a largely irrelevant opponent. He gave all of his players an opportunity to aquire some seasoning against more serious teams, and in the end came back with a healthy, albeit heavily inconvenienced, squad.
Kudos to Zak for not giving in to the childish whinging of Japanese nationalists.
Posted in: Diet debates circumstances of Japan's soccer loss to N Korea
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LFRAgain
There isn't too much about the subject that can't be found in books.
Posted in: Female manager of gentlemen's 'snack club' stabbed to death
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LFRAgain
NetNinja,
Ummm... No. A snack bar is an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages and, well, snacks, to patrons. You're confusing the term with "Gentlemen's Snack Club," which is more closely associated with Hostess Clubs. Why the writer decided to contrive a decription that is sure to cause confusion is beyond me, but there you go.
The snack bars I go to on occasion are plenty of fun. Everything's above board and there's very little sorrow or misery involved (except maybe when the tab comes at the end of the night).
You just did. By proclaiming women who work at snacks of being "guilty" of some as-yet undefined crime, you suggest the reasonable expectation of punishment.
You stretch that thinly veiled attack with a claim that the customers who patronize Hostess Clubs are somehow being "preyed" upon. These men are under no illusions of what they are paying for -- or at least they shouldn't be. If they really are coming into these places with a genuine expectation that paying for booze and conversation will somehow lead to them, err... not being lonely anymore, then these mens' problems lie far deeper than their inabiltiy to exert control over their "little head." As evidenced by the man who murdered the bar manager in Kanazawa.
Posted in: Female manager of gentlemen's 'snack club' stabbed to death
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LFRAgain
I think some women players might take issue with statement. And I would have to agree with them.
Also, there are plenty of Japanese male athletes out there who are more than physically up to the task of competing against the international peers, despite height, a truth borne out when one considers Japan has finished among the top ten teams in the world four times over the last decade in World League play. They have the ability, but it just isn't focused correctly, IMHO.
Even if your assertion that women just aren't as competitive as men was valid, all things being equal, your other claim of Japanese players being physically incapable of competing against "foreign" players doesn't explain why the Japan women's team ranks 4th in the world, ahead of taller and physically more imposing teams like Germany, Cuba, and Poland.
Physicality isn't the issue with the men's team. Coaching and training are.
Posted in: Men's Volleyball World Cup - Day 1 results
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LFRAgain
I'm sad to say I can't disagree with this. They've sucked since I started watching them in competition some 10 years ago, and there seems to be no hope of them ever getting better. Their games are always disappointing for me.
With that said, men's volleyball in general is disappointing. The rallies and back-row defense that make women's games so thrilling to watch have all but disappeared in men's, where a possession results in an all-but-guaranteed score. Pass, set, smash. Pass, set, smash. Pass, set, smash. It's boring as hell to watch at the men's level of competition. The men's net height needs to be raised to reflect the taller and more athletic players that currently populate the sport .
Posted in: Men's Volleyball World Cup - Day 1 results