taikan said...

taikan at 12:11 AM JST - 4th August

In many countries, the presiding judge is able to set the schedule for a trial, thus making it possible to determine with great precision exactly how long a trial will be. That doesn't mean that it is a "show" trial, but it does force each side to decide what evidence…

Posted in Lay jury trial gets under way; reluctance to participate high at 12:11 AM JST - 4th August
taikan at 06:32 AM JST - 25th July

Ambassadors can be very important, and the fact that Reagan allowed Mansfield, a Democrat, to stay on as Ambassador does not detract from that point. Reagan did so because (1) prior to serving in the Senate and then being appointed as Ambassador, Mansfield had been a professor of Far Eastern…

Posted in Roos wants to strengthen 'special bond' as next envoy to Japan at 06:32 AM JST - 25th July
taikan at 10:55 PM JST - 21st July

Every president has always reserved some of his ambasadorships as political chips to reward top fund raisers.

That's true, but those appointments usually are limited to countries where the US does not anticipate having any significant issues arise. Given the likelihood of a new administration in Japan, the actions of…

Posted in Hearing to mull John Roos' nomination as envoy to Japan set for Thursday at 10:55 PM JST - 21st July
taikan at 05:57 AM JST - 13th June

Americans tend to patronize large chain stores and service businesses than the Japanese do. Although the people who started those large chains were entrepreneurs, the people who manage those stores today are not. On the other hand, Japan is full of small, neighborhood stores and service businesses, each of which…

Posted in Where are all the entrepreneurs? at 05:57 AM JST - 13th June
taikan at 01:03 PM JST - 19th May

why would you want a vehicle that conveys you at walking pace?

A Segway can go up to 12.5 miles per hour, which equates to a mile every 4 minutes and 48 seconds. Most people can't even run, much less walk, that fast.

Posted in Segway Japan seeking to expand sales of 2-wheeled electric vehicles at 01:03 PM JST - 19th May
taikan at 05:04 AM JST - 12th May

It's a solution in search of a problem.

It also is likely to lead to claims of unfair trials because of artificial time constraints that will be placed on trials in order to avoid forcing lay jurors to spend "too much" time in court. As a result, defense attorneys will…

Posted in Many people are expressing concern about the lay jury system which starts on May 21. What do you think about it? at 05:04 AM JST - 12th May
taikan at 02:33 AM JST - 21st April

Laws such as this are common. Experience with the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in the US indicates that the extent to which the Japanese law is successful will depend on the extent to which foreign governments have assets in Japan that are subject to seizure in order to pay a…

Posted in Diet enacts law to enable suits in Japan against foreign gov'ts at 02:33 AM JST - 21st April
taikan at 09:25 AM JST - 7th April

In the US at least, sexual harassment is a subset of discrimination based on sex (gender). Gender discrimination in the workplace became illegal in the US in 1964 upon passage of the Civil Rights Act. Sexual harassment was not illegal until 1986, when the Supreme Court said that it constituted…

Posted in Dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace at 09:25 AM JST - 7th April
taikan at 06:47 AM JST - 7th April

Yanai's suggested solution (reduction of the consumption tax) assumes that consumers would use the savings to spend more. However, in the absence of some sort of supporting data, it makes no sense to assume that reducing the consumption tax would eliminate or even significantly reduce people's worry about the future.…

Posted in Japan's richest man calls goverment policy 'superficial' at 06:47 AM JST - 7th April
taikan at 05:16 AM JST - 4th March

The waiting lines at the airport are not that significant a problem, because they are no worse than waiting lines at airports in other countries. However, I frequently am asked by friends who are planning a trip to Japan what there is to see outside of Tokyo and Kyoto. If…

Posted in Gov't seeks faster entry procedures for foreigners at airports at 05:16 AM JST - 4th March