JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
-
- 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
-
- FT English Teachers for Kids - Osaka
- Kohgakusha Co., Ltd. （株式会社興学社）, Osaka
- Salary: ¥255,000 ~ ¥275,000 / Month Travel Expenses, Encouragement of Japanese learning*
-
- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
![[Shibaura] EL Shibaura](http://www.realestate.co.jp/rej/image/70/32601-58x58-c.png)
0
sfjp330
The U.S. and western intervention in Libya is grossly hypocritical. It's that such double standards are an integral part of a mechanism of global power and domination that stifles hopes of any credible international system of human rights protection. The humanitarian intervention, such as in Libya, is certainly not based on feasibility or the degree of suffering or repression, but on whether the regime carrying it out is a reliable ally or not. For U.S. and Europe, intervention in the Libyan conflict offers both the chance to put themselves to secure their oil interests in a deeply uncertain environment.
Posted in: Pulled from drain pipe, Gadhafi was shown no mercy
0
sfjp330
ExportExpertOct. 26, 2011 - 12:50PM JST Mazda might not be the top auto maker in Japan but they sure as hell beat Ford and al other U.S. brands hands down.
Ford made $1.6 billion in profit for the third quarter. Their stocks are solid. Ford must be doing something right. Not much can be said of Mazda's lack of profit.
Posted in: Mazda to unveil concept car at Tokyo Motor Show
-2
sfjp330
If they make it perform as well as it looks, they may have a hit. Some how when it comes to the Mazda final product, the execution is usually lacking.
Posted in: Mazda to unveil concept car at Tokyo Motor Show
3
sfjp330
It's always possible that Malaysian police forc planted evidence to convict her. You have 700 people on death row in Malaysia. How many really got fair trial?
Briton sentenced to death for drug trafficking is freed by Malaysian court after eight years in jail. In 2008, Chan King Yu , a British national was release from jail in Malaysia. The country's highest court overturned his death sentence for drug trafficking A British national sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Malaysia has been freed after the country's highest court found police fabricated evidence against him. A three-judge panel at the Federal Court of Appeal released Chan King Yu, who was arrested eight years ago after police claimed to have found 9kg of methamphetamines in his Kuala Lumpur hotel room.
Mr Chan is from Hong Kong and holds a British passport.
He was sentenced to death by the High Court in 2002 after his arrest during a business trip. He has always maintained his innocence. Judge Yusoff told the court: 'I'm of the view ... there is a clear fabrication of evidence.' Mr Chan's lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, argued that police framed his client by breaking into his room and planting three cylinders containing the drug. The court ruled Mr Chan should be acquitted as it was unclear whether he knew the methamphetamines were in his room.
The judges also said previous court decisions failed to take into account discrepancies in witness testimony. They said unlawful hearsay should not have been allowed as evidence. After the acquittal, police refused to comment. The court found Malaysian police had fabricated evidence
Mr Chan's lawyer called for a review of the death penalty, which is mandatory for drug trafficking in Malaysia, saying: 'You know we can easily make a mistake.' Legal campaign group Reprieve, which worked on the case, welcomed the decision. It's truly unbelievable that he should spend six years on death row for such heinous police misconduct.
'That we see misconduct and mistakes in countries around the world, from Malaysia to the USA, shows that as long as there is potential for human error in a legal system, we will continue to see miscarriages of justice like that suffered by Chan.'To have ended capital punishment in the UK is not enough; unless the death penalty is abolished around the world, it is only a matter of time before we are talking about an innocent Briton being executed.'
Source: en.wikipedia.org/.../Malaysianlock-updetaineeabusescandal
Posted in: Japanese woman sentenced to death in Malaysia for drug smuggling
0
sfjp330
spudmanOct. 26, 2011 - 07:29AM JST. No, offense means the illegal act, the act of a crime does not depend on a conviction. The sentence depends on conviction. Most definitely not the first time she was a drug mule.
Where is your evidence on "illegal act" from six prior flights?
Posted in: Japanese woman sentenced to death in Malaysia for drug smuggling
0
sfjp330
spudman Oct. 26, 2011 - 05:46AM JST. She had done this series of flights six previous times. Not a first offense.
Not the first offense? Offense means prior conviction and how many conviction did she have? She can take many flights as she wants and are not considered offense, but a suspecion. Point is, is this the first time she was caught?
Posted in: Japanese woman sentenced to death in Malaysia for drug smuggling
0
sfjp330
It is quite possible that the monetary Euros union will not be sustainable. Some countries that discover themselves to be in difficulty may cancel their membership and re-establish an independent currency and an inflationary monetary policy. The example of Ireland’s departure from the sterling currency area suggests that leaving a currency union is beneficial, rather than joining one.
In theory, a Euros currency union can offer economic benefits, but only under fortunate circumstances. The lack of exchange rates removes a very effective mechanism for adjusting imbalances between countries that can arise from differential shocks to their economies. History demonstrates that well-chosen devaluations can help an economy out of difficulties and UK should retain this option.
Posted in: Japan urges Europe to close debt deal
0
sfjp330
Why in the world do U.S. still need huge amount of troops in Germany and Japan? It is funny when people talk about U.S. pulling out of Afghanistan or Iraq, because U.S. never even pulled out of Germany or Japan after World War II. Once the U.S. military gets boots on the ground somewhere, they very rarely ever leave. Look, it is about time that nations like Japan and Germany learned to defend themselves. Nobody is going to invade them any time soon. Everyone knows they are protected by U.S. nuclear unbrella. So why do U.S.have to station so many troops in both countries? The U.S. military is spread so thin right now that they could not even respond adequately if a real threat did emerge. Trying to be the police of the world is not only incredibly costly, it is also strategic suicide. What possible justification could there possibly be for having U.S. troops in 130 different nations?
Posted in: Panetta says it is critical for Japan to press ahead with Futenma relocation
0
sfjp330
People make mistakes by greed. Sure, she broke the law. she was caught carrying 3.5 kilos that is worth around $200K on the streets. In most western countries, the sentence ranges from 5-10 years, depending on any prior conviction. She needs to serve time in jail, but a death penalty for probably a first time offense? Malaysian law is primitive by other countries standards.
Posted in: Japanese woman sentenced to death in Malaysia for drug smuggling
-2
sfjp330
Mongolia is such an inland country. How did these people learned to become expert in sailing and navigating the ocean? If the boat was 12 meters long, it must've carried 20-30 troops per ship. And what was the reason to invade Japan?
Posted in: Remains of 13th-century Mongolian warship found off Nagasaki Pref
0
sfjp330
Compare to 20-30 years ago, all major auto manufacturer made substantial progess in safety. The body is more rigid, less rollover, ABS and disc brakes, air bags, wider tires, etc. On the average, men are generally taller and heavier, and most interior car designs are made for the comfort of the average male or tall female.
Posted in: Male-minded safety puts female drivers at risk: study
-1
sfjp330
sunhawkOct. 25, 2011 - 08:00AM JST. actually its rather cheap by comparison for the united states to have its military in japan versus say germany. the treaty has it so the government of japan provides for the costs of the installations and also provides a large japanese civilian work force on the bases to run things.
Japan is trustworthy. Time has changed where Japan and U.S. has to revise the article 9 agreement and add more responsibility on Japan. Japan currently pays meager one percent of their GNP in defense, and they needs to provide greater shares in the cost to upgrade their defense. U.S. discount rate is not substainable.
ben4short...I wish U.S. can close all the bases, but realistically, U.S. is still a deterrant, but they can reduce the number of troops and negotiate with all the allie in the region to develop effective Pacific regional defense, similar to NATO which would bring down the cost.
Posted in: Tough talk
0
sfjp330
ben4shortOct. 25, 2011 - 07:26AM JST. Go home, Panetta, and take all your lackeys with ya.
How ungrateful. Then Japan should assume all of the defense cost. If this happens the defense cost for Japan will increase 10 percent a year for many decades. This would be great for U.S. taxpayer if they no longer have to pay for the bulk of the cost on Japan defense. Let Japan pay on its own.
Posted in: Tough talk
1
sfjp330
It doesn’t matter what kind of political or economic system a country has, what matters is that it has to have checks and balances. Pure democracy doesn’t work because people often aren’t educated enough about what they’re voting on and do stupid things, Pure capitalism doesn’t work either because some people are greedy and create monopolies, pay their workers almost nothing, and basically lie and cheat to get ahead. Without checks and balances you end up with people like Bernard Madoff. This is why the U.S. isn’t a pure democracy and practices a modified form of capitalism. And pure capitalism has never worked. That’s why child laborers died in factories and the workers formed unions so they wouldn’t have to work 12 hours shifts for barely enough money to eat.
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
0
sfjp330
globalwatcher Oct. 22, 2011 - 05:43AM JST. After moving US troops to Guam, how are these local Okinawans going to do for survival including people working for the bases, restaurant, bar owners?
Same way Philippines revived Subic Bay after U.S. left. In 1991, the Philippine Senate rejected the renewal of the US Military Bases Agreement, forcing the closure of the Subic Bay naval base. Over 47,000 Philipinos lost their job after the closure of U.S. military base in Philippines. Subic Bay was once the site of one of the largest US naval bases in foreign territory. Today, as a significant economic center and there has been significant transformation of Subic Bay from a naval base into a special economic zone.
Posted in: Tokyo putting pressure on Okinawa ahead of Panetta's visit
1
sfjp330
Great opportunity for the U.S. to reduce this expensive commitment in Japan that just stretches to thin. There is no need for U.S. to protect Japan. They can protect themselves. Why should U.S. drain treasury and overstretch military protecting societies who spend far less on their defense than U.S. spend on their defense. It makes no sense. How memory is so short sighted by the Japanese and how unappreciated the U.S. forces are. Less than two years ago, Hatoyama's government wanted U.S. military outside of Okinawa. They were against having any U.S. troops in Japan. Slightly over a year ago, thousands of labor unionists, pacifists, environmentalists, students and residents marched through central Tokyo and Okinawa, yelling slogans and calling for an end to the U.S. troop presence. Then, PM Hatoyama has repeatedly postponed his decision on the pact with members of his own government divided on how to proceed. Hatoyama wanted new directions in the relations with U.S. Japan said "We don't need Futenma base", and "We refuse new Henoko base'. Most Japanese people and their goverment wanted the base moved out of Japan entirely. This is the right time for U.S. to leave Japan and let them handle their defense alone.
Posted in: Okinawa noise pollution trial begins with 22,000 plaintiffs
1
sfjp330
yabits Oct. 22, 2011 - 12:55AM JST What was felt was that the old system would lose legitimacy and fall away of its own accord the more that a greater number of Poles came to see that they could build a better system that wasn't so tied to the Soviet one. Actually, since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Poles have elected communists and socialists to hold office as well as free-market advocates.
Communism is simply a political and economic system in which the party in power controls the means of production. There is no such thing as communal ownership. Ownership implies control, so if you don’t control something you don’t own it. If you are a poor citizen who lives in a hut you don’t own anything because you can’t control it. Who controls the means of production in Communism? The people in charge, the people in power.
Both Communism and Democracy have good and bad attributes and both are amoral. Neither one is inherently good or bad in it’s own right. It’s important to note that Democracy, despite how it is championed around the world, without some kind of Constitution and/or laws to protect the rights and liberty of the people, can ever help keep the people free. Communism is in direct conflict with freedom because the people in power exert control over the means of production. How can anyone be free if those in power can seize the things you own, even if it done for the good of the people?
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
1
sfjp330
yabits Oct. 21, 2011 - 06:01AM JST. We're talking about more democracy in the workplace and in the economic sphere. Germany is far more capitalist and competitive, and they exercise much more democracy in the workplace -- with higher union representation and also employee representation on the executive board. There are abundant examples of companies run more according to democratic principles, especially with regards to salaries and bonuses.
Democracy about people representing the people? Wrong, that is a republic, like what the U.S. was originally set up as, but no longer is. Government control of economy not present under democracy? When the majority of people, or their so called “representatives”, decide that something should be done by government then the government starts controlling it. Most “democracies” all over the world have a large part of their economy controlled by the government. Try to name one democracy today that doesn’t control the economy?
Democracy has nothing to do with government control of the economy. Democracy is all about voting with the majority winning. Democracy is amoral, meaning it isn’t good or bad on it’s own, it’s just a political system where things are determined by votes. Democracy doesn’t grant, support, or want freedom or equal rights; it’s people who want those things Democracy doesn’t give or preserve liberties, only the law can do that – which is most often done via a Constitution. People heap praise on democracy when they should be praising the Constitution and laws that protect the natural rights of the citizens. Democracy doesn’t bring freedom to the people, it only brings a vote. Only law protecting the rights of the citizens can bring freedom.
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
0
sfjp330
FadamorOct. 21, 2011 - 12:59AM JST. After WWI (in which Japan was on the side of the Allies), Japan increased its expansionist policies.
This is not correct. The expansion started 13 years earlier. The expansion policies by Japan actually started in 1904-05 with the Japan-Russian war, in which Japan won. Japan purchased battleships from England to win over Russian Navy. In 1905, Japan invaded and started colonization of Korea that lasted until 1945.
Posted in: South Korea urges Japanese leaders not to forget history
2
sfjp330
FadamorOct. 20, 2011 - 03:23AM JST. Sounds like Japan is correct on this issue, and that South Korea took the money that had already been paid by Japan for the victims and spent it on other things. Now they want to get paid AGAIN! South Korea is the one forgetting it's history, not Japan.
In 1965, Japan asked Korea to show the concrete number of conscripted workers and soldiers, dead and injured and how much unpaid wages were. They asked to "show the evidences and they would pay". Korea agreed and investigated them. What I want to clarify here is that KOREA DIDN'T CLAIM the compensation for the war time prostitutes. Why didn't they? It's because there was no abducted prostitute. Nobody said at the time in Korea, those prostitutes were abducted. Everyone knew there were many women who were so poor that they sold themselves to live and the Japan army didn't have to abduct Chosun women. There were many Chosun volunteers for Japan army at the time. Therefore Koreans didn't claim it at that time.
Posted in: South Korea urges Japanese leaders not to forget history