Thursday February 16, 2012

herefornow's past comments

  • 0

    herefornow

    Doesn't Japan have hundreds of uninhabited islands? Why not just convert one of those -- one furthest away from any land mass -- into a massive diposal site? That way they could build the right kind of facility to do it properly, not ask 43 prefectures unprepared to handle radioactive waste. Is Japan deliberately trying to make sure no one feels safe living or visiting anywhere in the country?

    Posted in: Hosono asks 43 prefectures to take debris from Tohoku

  • -1

    herefornow

    Overall the Japanese are not a greedy or selfish people and they care what others think of them but I think in some perverse way they feel they're owed a couple of indescretions and this is one of them.

    Wurthington -- really? Then how do you explain that Japan has almost singlehandedly caused the decline of many tuna species around the world to such dangerous levels? Oh, that's right, consuming 80% of the yearly catch of bluefin tuna for example is not "selfish or greedy", just an "indescretion" right? Afterall, Japan is special and its culture must be respected by the rest of the world, no matter the consequences. Stop kidding yourself. Japan, due to its inward focus, and arrogance, doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks, and will continue to have as many indescretions as their wealth will allow them. They have made a science of snubbing their nose at international opinion, and this year's whale hunt is just another example.

    Posted in: NZ, Australia condemn Japan's plan to go ahead with whaling

  • -1

    herefornow

    It’s time, said Sen Bob Casey, a Democrat, to “let the officials in China know that there are consequences to cheating.”

    Absolutely. Two decades of unfair competition and meaningless promises to do something about the value of the yuan is enough evidence that it is time to play hardball.

    Posted in: U.S. Senate weighs bill to punish China for undervaluing currency

  • -1

    herefornow

    Good on ESPN. His is certainly entitled to his opinion, as is every citizen. But, as a commercial entity, with corporate sponsors, ESPN has the right to distance themselves from his views. Plain and simple.

    Posted in: ESPN pulls NFL song after Hitler analogy

  • 0

    herefornow

    Finally, the recognition by TEPCO that the old adage "We have seen the enemy, and it is us", is once again true in Japan. Ignorence is not bliss. In fact it is going to cost Japan trillions to cover the expense of looking the other way for all this time when it came to nuclear safety, and quite possibly push Japan into an even steeper decline than it was already staring at.

    Posted in: TEPCO report faults operating manual; disputes hydrogen explosion

  • -1

    herefornow

    Appearances are important.

    Farmboy -- exactly. Japan has no idea how to deal with all the consequences of this disaster, so all they can do is utter platitudes and make worthless promises. Why anyone stakes their health and future by hoping for a better outcome is simply ignoring decades of history. They have mishandled every crisis potentially treatening the people's health -- hepatitis, asbestos, etc. -- since the end of the war. This is just following the same script. But on a much bigger and more dangerous scale.

    Posted in: Radioactive ash causes Kashiwa incinerators to shut down

  • 4

    herefornow

    “It’s unbelievable that this can happen in a democratic country, even though there was no evidence.”

    This quote makes me sick. Ozawa has done his darndest over the last two decades to eliminate any real form of democracy in Japan. He wants a country ruled by a political elite who don't answer in the slightest to the people and are mostly consumed by raising funds from Japan Inc. to feather their own personal nests. His arrogance is almost immeasurable.

    Posted in: Ozawa says aides' convictions 'unbelievable' in a democracy

  • -2

    herefornow

    Hmm, don't japanese cigarette vending machines been requiring the use of a taspo card for a few years now? Don't think those cards are issued to people under the age of 20.

    It's Me -- Hmm, could it be that you are missing a kep oint here? Taspo cards or not, having cigarette machines on virtually very corner of Japan, and all the wide-spots in- between the corners -- sends the wrong message to young people. Basically it provides "free" advertising for a product which everyone knows is highly dangerous to your health. And sends the subliminal message that the society/government condone it, since it is logical to assume that they would be removed if they were dangerous, right? Japan has been described as a dinasour as it pertains to tobacco, and it continues to be so. Taspo is just PR.

    Posted in: Cigarette vending machines banned in England

  • -2

    herefornow

    The man can do nothing on his own, and tries to play both sides to his advantage.

    smithinjapan -- absolutely. Karzai has no real plan or strategy other than to stay in office as long as he can to enrich himself and his family/friends off the U.S. largesse. He's as big a snake and double-dealer as the ISI guys are.

    Posted in: Afghan leader gives up trying to talk to Taliban

  • -1

    herefornow

    Based on my ten years in Japan, I have many Filipino friends there. I hope and pray all their families are OK.

    Posted in: Typhoons leave 55 dead, hundreds trapped on roofs in Philippines

  • -1

    herefornow

    was quoted as telling police that he was drunk and doesn’t remember anything,

    The standard excuse in Japan. Some things never change.

    Posted in: Anna Tsuchiya's husband arrested for assault, property damage

  • -2

    herefornow

    as they disregard many of the causes that led to this unfavorable situation. This amount should be enough to be invested in the other segments of the industrial and economic life of Japan in order to solve those problems that created this situation. This money could have been used better.

    The Munya Times -- absolutely. Proves conclusively that Japanese politicians and bureaucrats have no real ability to control their own economy, so they have to resort to these kinds of wasteful and largely inefficient measures to try to prop-up the large exporters. Get the money out of the Japan Post savings accounts, and into consumer spending, and the exchange rate becomes a non-issue since domestic demand increases. But, that can't happen, since the government needs to borrow those funds to pay for its other spending. Japanese economy is just spinning its wheels.

    Posted in: Japan to boost currency intervention war chest by Y15 trillion

  • -2

    herefornow

    Went there every Saturday morning for over ten years to do my weekly shopping. In fact, going there with my teen-age kids while they were here was a ritual -- the start of our "Family Day" together. Really sad news. I would not have survived my time in Japan without National Azabu.

    Posted in: After a half-century in Hiroo, National Azabu to close Oct 31

  • -2

    herefornow

    in a country where farmers—especially of rice—enjoy generous government support.

    Wow, talk about an understatement. I would say paying rice farmers subsidies, plus imposing tariffs in excess of 700% would qualify as "generous government support". Amazing that SK was able to face a similar problem and solve it, so they are now a party to mant FTO's. But not good old Japan. Galapagos lives on.

    Article Unavailable

  • -2

    herefornow

    “I think there’s going to be a lot of fans who would look forward to that kind of matchup - Ichiro vs. Matsui,” he said.

    Yup, the ever gullible but fiercely patriotic Japanese fans will rush out to see a "matchup" of two .270 hitters.

    Posted in: Mariners, Athletics to open 2012 season at Tokyo Dome

  • -1

    herefornow

    the tax rates in japan are not excessive by global standards. so there is no reason for all of this whining.

    ubikwit -- nonsense. Japan's effective corporate tax rate, at roughly 40%, is right at the top among the major economies, and much higher than that in places like Singapore, HK, etc. In fact, the government had recognized this and was preparing to lower it by an initial 5% before Tohoku/Fukushima. And if you don't think that's important to

    keep abreast of developments that might have an impact on my future here.

    then you have become too inward focused like many Japanese. Japan is bleeding direct foreign investment, which directly impacts jobs here and Japan's future competitive position. And, you are also ignoring the fact that the consumption tax will certainly double within the next few years. When that happens, along with the ten year increase in the income tax, your overall tax rate in Japan will be extremely high.

    Posted in: Gov't, DPJ settle on tax increase plan

  • -2

    herefornow

    Selfishly, I'm just glad I don't have to worry about any of this anymore and feel very sorry for those of you that do. Hope this is a sign of real progress for you all.

    Posted in: TEPCO says temperature of No. 2 reactor has dropped below 100 degrees C

  • -2

    herefornow

    Like JK said, 4 years ago they "stole" a draw from Canada, now they're upset to get one.

    calm down -- you beat me to it. This quote is one of the best rationalizations I've read in quite a while. The record for both tournaments will show Japan with NO WINS and last in their group -- again. Supposed progress and moral victories are not enough to consider his reign a success. If he used those words in NZ to describe their team, he'd be laughed out of the country. I know Japan is a process-driven country, but results are what ultimately matter.

    Posted in: Japan rugby coach Kirwan wants time to consider future role

  • -2

    herefornow

    I own a Mazda3. Great car.

    Posted in: Mazda launches revamped Axela

  • -1

    herefornow

    This disaster is spelling disaster for the rest of us. What a sad turn of events ... raise taxes, spread the irradiated food around the country, contaminated soil a burden for all. What is going on!?

    jforce -- this just dawned on you? Folks who understand how Japan operates knew this sort of scenario was inevitable from the very beginning of this whole nuclear catastrophe. It is classic Japan Inc. -- a knee-jerk reaction based on a complete lack of knowing any other way to deal with a crisis. This is only month seven of at least a decade-long debacle.

    Posted in: Gov't faced with decontaminating millions of cubic meters of soil in 4 prefectures

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