JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Financial Advisor
- Select Asset Management KK, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥100,000 ~ ¥999,999 Paid Training Commission Based
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- Corporate Business English Trainers
- ACT Systems, Inc.（株式会社アクト・システムズ）, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥269,500 ~ ¥280,000 / Month
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- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
I agree. This is not such a big deal.
Exactly. I feel that Japan just has too many rules in general and yet, despite how safe the country is, posters on this site seem to always be clamoring for more.
Posted in: Police, in a first, charge teen for using cell phone while cycling
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Wow, that was fast.
Posted in: Reconstruction minister resigns over offensive remarks; Hirano takes over
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Maybe he was looking to get some better living facilities in jail.
Posted in: Female quake shelter volunteer injured in attempted rape in Miyagi
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
I've never really thought of ponds as being dangerous myself. They are for swimming in, no?
Posted in: 3 children drown in pond in Hyogo
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Unfortunately, many Americans feel that selfishness is a virtue.
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Big Pharma is truly evil. They charge too much for the drugs people really do need and spend their profits on ads trying to convince people to buy other drugs they don't need. Plus, they fight against medical marijuana, because people could then grow their own medicine.
Posted in: Lilly pitches plan to overcome key patent losses with eye to China, Japan
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Nothing disrespectful at about my comment, simply observant. And yes, sure, Japan has many much more positive things to it than suicide. In fact, every other part of it's culture is more positive. That doesn't mean suicide isn't a part of it's culture as well.
How many times over the years have we seen stories about people atoning for mistakes by killing themselves, or killing themselves to protest something? LOTS. Don't know where you're from, but I never see that kind of stuff in my own culture. Japan is the country that gave us the words harakiri and seppuku. Traditionally, suicide has been considered a brave thing to do in Japan, not a shameful one.
That doesn't mean I'm wrong.
Posted in: Woman living in Fukushima shelter burns herself to death in apparent suicide
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Isn't that part of Japanese culture? When the going gets tough, commit suicide.
Posted in: Woman living in Fukushima shelter burns herself to death in apparent suicide
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
War is big business.
Posted in: White House unveils retooled plan to hunt al-Qaida
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Being a native English speaker is just one requirement.
Posted in: Hundreds of thousands strike in UK over pension cuts
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
If the chestnut fits.
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Gotta love revisionist history.
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Maybe that is your point, but it wasn't mine. My point was that America,as the poster boy for unbridled capitalism, has a huge underclass. Wealth accumulates at the top of a capitalist society and therefore some socialized mechanisms for taking care of the poor and, yes, redistribution of some wealth through taxes is a good thing.
I would not agree with your uber-simplistic statement that America's wealth is higher due to a certain level of economic freedom. I would say it more has something to do with a long history of stolen land, slave labor, colonialism, predatory economic policies, military hegemony, etc....
I'm not anti-business, but I do feel that it often brings out the worst in people due to greed and a lack of self-restraint.
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
If everyone on the train was packing, someone could have shot this kid before he attacked the other one. More guns = more safety.
Or maybe not.
Posted in: Youth held for slashing 14-year-old passenger on Yamanashi train
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
That doesn't make any sense to me and has nothing to do with anything I've said.
As far as why relative wealth is higher, as I've said it's a separate issue. Ever think of sticking to the point?
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Mexicans come to America to work cheaply because the relative wealth of America is higher. Has nothing to do with social mobility.
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
No, I strongly suspect that I work much less hard than my great-grandparents did and enjoy a much higher standard of living because the relative wealth of the country has risen. As far as as relative socio-economic position, I wouldn't know. Where do Nebraskan farmers rate on that scale? Anyways, even if true. It's just anecdotal bollocks. Do the research, as I said. You are not going to find one study on the subject saying America has a high degree of social mobility. Overwhelmingly, the children of the rich stay rich and the children of the poor stay poor.
America being a relatively wealthy country is a different subject and is true for reasons very different from a lack of social mobility and an inherent inequality in it's socio-economic system.
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Yeah, so did I. So what? Growing up there doesn't equal "doing the research."
Also, I might point out, lots of people immigrating to America is not proof of great social mobility in America. People are simply moving from countries where the average level of wealth is much lower. As you said something to the effect earlier, a poor person in America is much better off than a poor person in many, many other countries.
And are you really scared of the "social engineering" bogeyman? Plenty of things are socialized in America and other wealthy countries. I assume you are not against taxes completely, only when they help someone who is poor or otherwise disadvantaged?
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
Maybe it's you that needs to do the research.
The idea that America's system is fair and that anybody can be a success if they just work hard enough is a national myth, and a self-serving one at that. There is much less social mobility than people like to think and being poor is seen as a character flaw.
Posted in: Senate Republicans block hearing on free trade
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Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land
I believe they are Hmong.
Posted in: The plane from Minneapolis to Tokyo was packed, and I was thinking, ‘That’s great. People are coming to Japan.’ Then we arrived at Narita and about 30 people got off the plane. The rest went on to Vietnam.