Shumatsu_Samurai's past comments

  • 4

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    40 times and nobody noticed or said anything?

    No, the article was clear - lots of pupils saw it happen. But bullies aren't stupid, they don't bully their victims in sight of teachers. I went to a good school, but there was still bullying and I don't think any of the kids not directly involved ever told a teacher about what happened. If the victim said nothing (and a teacher didn't happen to walk by) then the staff didn't know about it, save for the fact the bullied kid might not have been very popular.

    Posted in: 3 school bullies sent to child consultation center following suicide of victim

  • 2

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    Surely they can track this nut down through his/her IP address.

    There are plenty of ways to fake/hide your IP address. If someone has created a death threat video, they've thought about what they were doing.

    Maybe he/she was being bullied. That's one way to get some attention.

    Could be. Or could be a horrible person that has imagined some reason to scare people like this.

    Posted in: Death threat posted on YouTube against Akita students, teachers

  • 0

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    Why is everyone blaming the victims? Maybe they were surprised by the bear, which was hungry, angry or confused, and had no time to respond. Or maybe, like how many people would react, they panicked and didn't stick to their plan for if they encountered a bear.

    And since when are the police routinely trained in anti-bear techniques?!

    Posted in: Mountain search party attacked by bear; missing man found dead

  • 4

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    If I thought someone was going to make a false apology, I would have challenged them at the meeting to retract what they said previously and ask them to confirm what they really happened. If they refused to do so, they would be exposed even further as to what they believed in.

    Of course it's up to them, and they shouldn't be criticised for deciding it was going to be a waste of time. But personally I would have gone through with it, if only to put the guy on the spot.

    Posted in: Korean 'comfort women' cancel meeting with Hashimoto

  • 1

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    I'm for innocent until proven guilty, in all circumstances. But in a situation like this, it's very hard to prove guilt. Most people deliberately avoid looking at what others are doing on the metro, so it's unlikely there will be witnesses. Plus it's hard to see anything when it's packed. It's sort of understandable that society is going to want to come down on the victim's side.

    Of course, it is also true that people shouldn't be locked up because they've been unable to prove their innocence. I'm just pointing out that the price of innocent people walking free is that guilty people can get away with it too. There was a time when people complained that gropers got off too frequently because it was enough for them to deny it and there was usually no independent witness.

    Posted in: Guilty and never proven innocent – every male train rider's nightmare in Japan

  • 0

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    An offer to apologize is not an apology.

    I think that's sort of the point, he is offering to apologise to the people concerned personally. That's a lot harder than making an apology without having to look someone in the eye.

    We will have to see if the meeting takes place, as these people might understandably say they don't want to see him, although I hope they would.

    Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

  • 8

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    I know about Unit 731, but if I had seen the numbers on a plane I doubt I would have paid any attention unless someone had pointed it out. You don't always look around for things like that, especially when it comes to very every day things like numbers. And numbers are every day things, unlike Nazi swastikas.

    This is, I think, an example of over-sensitivity, possibly mixed with a desire from some to see insult where there is none because it suits their political views.

    Posted in: S Korean media slam Abe's 731 jet photo

  • 11

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    Give the Okinawans their independence

    And who would guarantee Okinawans their independence? If China thought about trying to challenge Japan's control of Okinawa, it would be even more likely to try to annex it if large powers like Japan and a superpower (i.e. the USA) were no longer going to protect it.

    Posted in: China should reconsider who owns Okinawa: People's Daily

  • 4

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    They have to maintain the subway lines, this is probably done between the last train of the day and the first of the next day hence 24-hour operation is very difficult to achieve.

    Yup, the Tokyo subway isn't unusual in that it closes at night. Both the London Undergound and Paris Metro close during the night.

    Article Unavailable

  • 5

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    Presumably "open" means "not fully closed". I agree, a sensible decision to continue with the journey.

    Posted in: JR East train travels 48 kms with door open

  • 0

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    65 people isn't that much, even for an initial department, when you consider the huge size of the trade pact that could be agreed. It's not just the negotiators but policy people, junior members, lawyers, support staff, etc.

    Posted in: Abe launches TPP task force

  • 1

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    I really don't understand these "acid attacks" in Asia. Where do you even buy that stuff??

    There was an acid attack in the UK not so long ago. And as Cos said, you can buy liquids that will burn skin from the supermarket.

    Posted in: Woman's face burned with alkaline solution in store attack

  • 0

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    Japan should sign a disclaimer

    Why? No one else is. The point of trade negotiations is that countries negotiate over what will and will not be covered by the trade pact. All the parties will have areas they want to protect, Japan will not be the only exception.

    Posted in: Japan's ambassador urges U.S. to endorse Japan's TPP bid

  • 2

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    I know there are literally hundreds if not thousands of famers down where I live that are against Abe and TPP because of fears over their potentially losing income and their livelihoods... I'll bet none of them were asked their opinions.

    Maybe they were asked their opinion but non-farmers, who outnumber them far more, were supportive of the TPP because they're tired of the farming lobby jacking up their prices and holding the country back. Ever thought of that?

    Posted in: Abe's TPP gambit pays off, for now

  • 4

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    sounds interesting, is it fastest in the world?

    I'm more interested in the train service that has the fastest average speed - some trains have high top speeds but rarely hit it.

    Posted in: Bullet train starts running at 320 kph on Tohoku Shinkansen route

  • 2

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    On the other hand their are younger, unemployed, people what will never work

    kimuzukashiiiii is correct. The vast majority of young people want to work. And let's not forget there are older people who retire the second they are able to and then never do anything except enjoy themselves. That's fine, but older people shouldn't be made out to all be selfless martyrs. They also tend to be the most conservative people in the country, people who constantly hold political reform back by thinking change automatically = bad.

    My view is that society should respect their elders and seek to learn from them. But a country must do what is best for future generations, rather than pander to a class that world-wide holds pretty much all the assets and cash. People say "what about the old" and I would say "what about the young who have all the debt and poor/uncertain job prospects". I'm not saying I support hyper-inflation, but I think a disproportionate amount of time is spent worrying about that sector of society that needs the least help - compared to the young, anyway.

    Posted in: Japan's silver savers will bear the brunt of 'Abenomics'

  • -3

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    I don't agree with the death penalty, but I'm not buying this "Japan is wrong because it sees the justice system as a means of revenge, not justice". I would say that in most countries around the world, even many of those that have got rid of the death penalty, it's common for people to equate "justice" and "revenge".

    Also, it's quite legitimate to argue that the death penalty is justified as a means of preventing dangerous people from harming society again. Weighed against that is the need to ensure that people aren't wrongly convicted, of course. But that doesn't mean the initial argument that the death penalty might be a good idea is invalid.

    I would also argue that the "death penalty isn't a deterrent" argument isn't all that helpful, given that many people say prison doesn't work either. But we're not going to get rid of long prison sentences or prison altogether, are we? The community needs to feel safe, even if criminals aren't being rehabilitated. Is that justice, or actually a cruel and unusual punishment?

    Posted in: Survey shows 85.2% of Japanese in favor of death penalty

  • 11

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    Happy birthday!

    does it suck to be 53 and still the prince and not the king?

    I'm sure he treasures the extra time he has to spend with his family. Few people would want to see their parent(s) die just so that they could have more work to do.

    Posted in: Crown prince marks 53rd birthday

  • 4

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    smith, regardless of Abe's position, it is the case that China manipulates the teaching of history and uses territorial disputes to rally domestic support. I would also point out that whilst many Japanese don't know the full details of what Japan did in the past, they're generally aware and aren't supportive of that. Contrast that to China and how most people think Mao Zedong was one of China's great leaders. Even the government still maintains that he was "70% good".

    Posted in: China slams Abe over comments in Washington Post

  • -1

    Shumatsu_Samurai

    I should point out that this article is wrong about Japan being the only G8 country not to allow joint custody (also known as "shared residence"). This is very rare in the UK, and a judge will almost always order children live with one parent - usually the mother. There have been terrible arguments over access to children when mothers have not allowed it, and courts are still reluctant to jail mothers who don't comply with their orders to allow the father to have access to their children.

    Posted in: Japan expected to ratify Hague Convention on child abduction

View all