JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- 秘書及び業務サポート
- 加治金属工業株式会社, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥4.0M / Year
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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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- ALT - Mie Prefecture - Yokkaichi City - June start
- NPO法人グローバル教育推進機構（GLAD), Mie
- Salary: ¥230,000 / Month For a full working month. Some months differ.
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serendipitous
I hope this 'artist' doesn't bring a new cookbook out!
Hannibal Lecter springs to mind.
Posted in: Man cooks, serves own genitals to 5 paying diners
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Franchesca
All murders could be considered 'brutal', but that word makes us think of torture and/or being hacked to death or burned or starved etc. The kids would probably not have realized what was going on and then would have just gradually fallen unconscious (just like going to sleep) as the fumes increased. Not that anyone can speak from experience of course, but it is said that this method is basically a painless way to die.
Posted in: Woman kills three children and herself in charcoal-burning murder-suicide
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serendipitous
Like it or not and understand it or not, the 'logic' behind killing your kids as well as yourself in Japan is so that you and them won't be a burden on anyone else. Whether that is a stupid reason or not (in our minds) is irrelevant, because that is the thinking behind it. We think it is the ultimate act of selfishness and cruelty but by ending one line of a family, it also eliminates any potential problems for the kids in the future. Not easy for most to understand but some still feel completely responsible for various kinds of problems or mistakes and are willing to terminate themselves and their offspring (i.e. any future generations) to avoid the (perceived) stigma they would carry with them if they continued to live. Quite scary but very interesting at the same time, if you really think about it hard.
Posted in: Woman kills three children and herself in charcoal-burning murder-suicide
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serendipitous
"Hashimoto reportedly became infuriated earlier this year after learning that a worker at a children's home threatened kids by showing them his tattoos."
Yes, the worker was stupid to do so and should be reprimanded, but to say all public workers who have tattoos are unsuitable for public office (and we're basically talking one or two here and there, rather than the beautiful full-body ones), is amazingly naive and time-wasting. If the worker had killed someone, would all public servants have to go to jail too? Hashimoto really is turning out to be an idiot of surprising proportions. Wasn't there a mayor or governor in Nagano or Gunma who banned public servants from having beards? These 'leading' public servants should focus on doing just that, serving the public.
After all, we pay their salaries, don't we?
Posted in: Hashimoto clashes with Osaka officials over tattoo survey
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Thunderbird2
Actually, Australia is about 25% smaller than Europe (the official definition of Europe anyway), but unfortunately most of the land is desert so the places where you can live comfortably Down Under are limited.
Posted in: Half of Australians want end to immigration: poll
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serendipitous
Have always wondered that.
Posted in: Bridgestone says it may be possible to derive rubber from dandelions
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Marriage isn't only about reproducing or "matching body parts". There are many heterosexual couples who almost never have sex anyway. There are many who marry in their fifties and can't physically give birth as well. Marriage is about two people who want to be together and, hopefully, love each other. Just because some heterosexuals can't understand how two men or two women could love each other and want to be "married", doesn't mean it is wrong and it certainly doesn't mean they have any right to criticize. Isn't marriage just a confirmation on paper officially recognizing that two people want to be together. Religion has nothing to do with it so please leave those fictional religious books out of it. They only cause more problems. Also, it is known that there are quite a few species that engage in same-sex activities (solely for enjoyment and obviously not for reproduction), not only humans. Get over it.
Posted in: Beat Takeshi compares same-sex marriage with bestiality
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Dentshop
People shouldn't be allowed to discriminate because we have slowly evolved over the past few tens of thousands of years and have become a bit smarter. So smart that we have learned that our natural instinct to discriminate against others who are different, for whatever reason, is actually wrong. And we are slowly learning that even though we might think we are better or more superior than others, we actually aren't. The ones who don't realize this and can't handle the idea tend to be the ones who discriminate against others. Simple really.
Posted in: Beat Takeshi compares same-sex marriage with bestiality
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serendipitous
If any country can do it, Japan can. Look at these big companies....already saying it's do-able and not whinging and moaning and complaining about it. They will find a way. One thing Japan is very good at. If they can succeed, it does make a poor argument for the necessity of restarting the nuclear power plants. Big money for the power plant operators to lose but that can't be helped and the public certainly won't have any sympathy for them.
Posted in: Gov't unveils power-saving plan to avoid blackouts for summer
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PIty, because such an accord would be another big step in getting Japan and South Korea closer and on friendlier terms. Culturally, the change in relations in the past ten years (since the Japan/Korea World Cup in 2002) has been amazing. The comfort women issue is of course a big issue but it shouldn't prevent new accords like this. They need to look to the future, not dwell on the past forever. As I've mentioned before, no amount of compensation or apologizing could be agreed upon anyway and, according to the 1965 agreement, the issue was settled financially but SK didn't distribute much of the money, apparently.
Posted in: S Korea suspends first military accords with Japan
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Thunderbird2
Was just thinking the same thing? I can't believe there are still "elephant hunting expeditions" going on in Africa! Un-f-ing-believable! Was the Spanish king looking to have some new, fresh ivory items made? Or do they just make exceptions if you have enough money and happen to be a king? Your turn Cleo.
Posted in: Tensions rise over British queen's regal jubilee lunch guest list
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Disillusioned
Try $500K not $50K!!
Posted in: Two men steal Y49 million diamond ring from De Beers boutique at Nagoya department store
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American Devil
Same in most developed countries I think.
Posted in: TEPCO posts Y781.6 bil full-year net loss
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serendipitous
Oh Elbuda. It is serendipitous! Anyway, we have learned that the Harley was inside a container that floated far away. Containers do float just under the surface of the water so are often a hazard to ships. There are thousands floating around the oceans of the world apparently (most having fallen off ships in rough weather etc.).
Posted in: Harley-Davidson restoration project stirs admiration in Japanese Internet community
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serendipitous
If, as some are writing here, pedestrian crossings in Japan have no meaning and it is basically an unwritten rule that pedestrians are supposed to wait for no vehicles to be around (and not vice versa where vehicles are supposed to make sure no pedestrians are around), then according to that logic, the kid is at fault here, right? Sounds like it's time to make it an enforceable rule that all vehicles have to slow down to 20 or 30km/h before any pedestrian crossing that doesn't have traffic lights. The police (government) would make a fortune out of it and many lives would be saved.
Posted in: 8-year-old girl killed by bus; driver arrested
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serendipitous
Thanks for clarifying disillusioned but where does it mention anything in the JT article about the bike being in a container?!
Posted in: Harley-Davidson restoration project stirs admiration in Japanese Internet community
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serendipitous
Not saying the driver isn't to blame but kids shouldn't ride skateboards across pedestrian crossings, especially not 8 year-olds. If the kid did ride onto the crossing without stopping, I can see how such an accident could easily happen. Having said that, I also notice that many cars don't seem to slow down or stop at pedestrian crossings.
Posted in: 8-year-old girl killed by bus; driver arrested
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serendipitous
Never knew a Harley could float....let alone float 4,000 miles! Something fishy here.
Posted in: Harley-Davidson restoration project stirs admiration in Japanese Internet community
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serendipitous
Of course they should leave. Or, if not now, when? In 50 years? 100? The time is now, even though it is a scary idea for many, because most of us haven't known Okinawa without a US presence. I've said it before and I'll say it again, China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea will become friendlier WITHOUT this incessant and irritating military presence installed by a country thousands of miles away. As would the Middle East without US troops in Saudi Arabia. Are they really part of the problem or the solution? You can't maintain peace with force forever. Why hasn't the US learned this yet after all its military disasters in so many countries around the globe? Talk. Learn languages and cultures. Obama knows this but I fear his hands are tied by his dodgy, trigger-happy military advisers.
Posted in: Would you like to see all U.S. military forces removed from Okinawa?
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serendipitous
A bit of a sensationalist article. Those first two paragraphs are over the top. "Stupefyingly hot summer" and "...temptation to set the aircon to deep freeze" and "above 40 degrees". Yes, it'll be hot and humid as usual, but it's rarely 40 in Tokyo and companies in Japan have always liked setting the aircon temperature to 28 degrees, hardly "deep freeze". This will bring out Japan's creative minds to find ways to avoid having to use any nuclear power plants. That is a good thing. I reckon Japan is up to the challenge.
Posted in: Crisis-hit Japan debates shift to renewable energy