JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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U.S. Navy investigating how parts fell off aircraft near Atsugi
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Confrontation
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California court to decide if SeaWorld whales are illegal 'slaves'
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Kuroki reported pregnant 2 weeks after denying relationship with Akanishi
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- Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Kanto region
- RCS (RCSコーポレーション), Kanto
- Salary: ¥180,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month includes performance bonus
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- Assistant Language Teacher - TOKYO - late-March start
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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- Assistant Language Teacher - Kanagawa Prefecture - late-March start
- Interac, Kanagawa
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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timtak
He was fluent at Japanese but he behaved as if he were about to leave the country forever, leaving behind every kind of evidence: his clothes, shoes, blood, waist pouch (and hence waist size) fingerprints and, in the cistern, a stool (showing the food that he ate). He also had scars on his hands.
So, I am sure that the police have ruled out friends and family members, and people known to the victims. The police only need to meet suspects, and say "show me your palms" (let alone look at fingerprints).
Yet the crime bears the marks of a dispute: excessive violence to the victims, lack of interest in monetary gain, and lack of repitition as would be seen in a serial killer.
There were no repeat crimes of the same time, in Japan at least, so it seems unlikely we are looking at a pathological 'I get kicks from killing' serial killer.
He spent 8 hours going through the personal information of his victims and no one knows why. He left their bank book and seal untouched. He left all the credit cards at the scene. He left an envelope containing 60000 yen untouched. He removed no possessions (other than replacement clothes). And yet he went through all their personal information, methodically, going through it and then dumping it in the bath. He left the victims'most personal information - their cards - arranged methodically. He was well into information, and ice cream, amongst all that blood.
Posted in: Setagaya family murders remain unsolved after 11 years
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timtak
@darkbob The murderer did not use the Internet much and used only the mouse, not the keyboard, visiting sites that were in the favourites of the browser. He created a folder perhaps on the desktop. At one point he visitied a drama company that the family frequented/liked and may have tried to book tickets. At another time he clicked some links on the father's company home page to take him to a chemistry related university research centre site. In other words the sites probably have had less to do with the profile of the murderer than the profile of the father who was murdered. I thought initially that the murderer had used the Internet more, but anyway, the fact that he used it at all, the spending the whole night in the place eating ice cream while going through the information about the deceased suggested to me a person that lived in the information world, rather than in the real one. I.e. the murderer's behaviour struck me as being that of a major geek. The father was too having written a book chapter about the Internet and, reading the wikipedia article today, I see that the father had an Internet persona ("kotehan").
The police are flummoxed because it had all the marks of a hate crime but no hate was found. The best they could come up with was an inculcation with youths, including skateboarders, that used the adjascent park at night. The skateboarder theory is not bad because it might explain the "American sand" that was found in the murderers waist pouch - sand from the grip tape used on skateboards perhaps (Other theories include an abrasive used in the rinting industry, or someone who goes to American beaches). But even so, would a skateboarder stab a family to death because they had stopped him skateboarding in a park? So where is the hate? There were two geeks in the house that night and hate can develop online too.
It is true that an unidentified man (about 30 then, 40 now) had treatment at a station in Nikkou, and the possibility that it was the murderer has not been ruled out. In any event the murderer is very likely to have scars on his hand or hands to this day. Easy to spot. So, do you know a tall Japanese speaking guy who always wears gloves? Alas, in this weather, most people wear gloves.
@USNinJapan2 I think that the statute of limitations has been removed for murder. Yes, last year.
Posted in: Setagaya family murders remain unsolved after 11 years
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timtak
The murderer should have a visible scarring to his hand(s) after he fought with the father. He bled a lot at the scene. An unidentified man, possibly the murderer, recieved first aid Toubu Nikkou train station to a wound to his right hand so deep that one could see the bone. Those that know a half-European tallish Asian man, of about 175-185cm in height, largish 28cm feet, 30-40 years old with type A blood, might ask to read their palm or some other excuse to look at their hands. The police site in English, which is also calling for (past) owners of the dark purple-sleeved, light grey bodied sweat shirt to come forward http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/foreign/wanted/seijo/seijo.htm
Due to the apparent intensity of the murderers hatred, and yet the lack of someone that hated the family among the people with real-world connections to the family, and the use of the father computer at 10 am the next morning, and the fact that the father described himself as a "digital human" I thought that the murderer might have a online reason to hate the family. The murderers check of all personal information relating to the deceased (lining up all of their cards and identification papers) might also suggest a search for a password.
Posted in: Setagaya family murders remain unsolved after 11 years
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timtak
Isn't the "White" family insulting to blacks? The men are either dogs or black. This structure presents being black as being being like a dog.
The adverts are very down on men too of course. Simone De Beauvoir wrote "The Second Sex" for women in the West, where being a woman is to be weird and not quite part of "mankind." The reverse is true here in Japan. Where is Simon DeTanaka?
Having said that, perhaps because I do feel like I am seen as a dog, and find the ads very moving.
Posted in: Softbank to release record-long TV ad featuring 'White Family'
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timtak
Trexmaxytime is very right that this is a hellishly, viciously, tragically, painfully sad day for the kid who wil be ripped apart and generally unable to live any sort of life, I am willing to bet, but JT readers vote Trexmaxytime down.
Wow. Father estranged children in Japan go on to lead very normal lives. Not so in the US where fatherlessness is associated with crime, alcoholism, and drug addiction. But in Japan, there are far fewer and few negatives to fatherlessness.
Japanese mothers are role models, unlike their western sisters. Children without fathers don't do so badly in Japan. There is a reversal. Children who are given in custody to fathers in the US fair fairly well. Children in Japan who are given in custody to mothers fair fairly well.
This girl would have grown up to be like a Western child given to the custody of a father. But now, at nine and and very un western, she is going to be really really ****** up.
And the folks on JT vote down comments saying "sad day for the child." Sad, sad, tear your heart out of your chest, sad, day for the child.
Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother
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timtak
Ouch. I hope so too.
Posted in: Newborn girl left at Chiba nursery
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timtak
If a restaurant uses $100 cash in had to purchase steak one month, and then switches to purchasing beefburgers at $20 the next, then that reduction in self-investment, will free up $80 dollars of capital that can be distributed to the shareholders. The business has not made any money, and would not have to pay any tax. The shareholders might and so, generally, will Yahoo shareholders but, seen the same way as a reduction in self-investment, Yahoo will not have made any money and will not have to pay tax.
Posted in: Yahoo! might trim stake in Alibaba
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timtak
The Japanese family is different. It could be argued to be working better than Western versions with lower divorce and single parent rates. Applying the Hague treaty to the domestic situation would have negative impacts on the Japanese system. Japanese get married to have children, rather to have tru-luv-foreva. If they could have children even after divorce then there would be considerably less of an incentive to remain married, in a similar way in which perhaps the "sexual revolution" ("sexual liberation") impacted negatively upon the Western marriage. The Japanese need to work out a way of applying the Hague treaty and dual parentage in those cases where one parent is from another culture. This is going to be difficult since estranged Japanese parents are going to want to be treated in the same way as American ones.
Posted in: Clinton urges Japan to take action on child abduction issue
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timtak
It is at least not uncommon Japanese. From the photo it seems that Kouda was holding her abdomen as she said it and perhaps added the "okana" to add to physical reality of it all. Another possibility is that "Onaka" usually means stomach, and while it is does in fact mean a non specific abdominal location, the use of a word may draw attention away from the dreaded womb, which is as taboo in Japan as male sex organs are in Western culture. I.e. It may be that the use of "onaka" euphamises (?) cutifies the truth. And Kouda is queen of sexy cute.
Posted in: Kumi Koda announces pregnancy to fans during performance
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timtak
I am inclined to think that the islands are Chinese because I don't think that imperial Japan can go around planting its flag on "terra nullis" and have Chinese agree that that act makes the islands Japanese. From a Chinese point of view it probably just makes the Japanese greedy. That international law allows "terra nullis" claiming is more of a product of the fact that a lot of imperialists (Westerners) wrote the international laws in support of their frequent claiming.
The other source of Japan's claim on the Islands is a treaty with China in which it ceded Taiwan and associated Islands but that treaty was from a Chinese point of view, made under duress, and may not have included the senkaku's.
On the other hand, possession is important, and Japan has possessed the islands for a considerable lenght of time. They should have put people on them a long time ago and kept them there.
The scariest part for me is that so few out of China can see any sense in their point of view, when it seems to me that the Chinese have a point. There does not seem to be any dialogue, just sabre rattling, and that is really scary.
Posted in: China sends patrol ship to disputed waters
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timtak
It is a crime or misdemenour to allow a minor under your parental supervision or direction (kantoku) to drink without attempting to stop them. The punishment is the lowest under Japanese law: a fine or forgeiture (karyou) of up to 10,000 yen.
According to a television report, the lady was so drunk that she was unable to walk to Mr. Uchishiba's room, where he carried (piggy back) her.
Mrs Dewi Sukarno has drawn controversy for defending Mr. Uchishiba on her blog. According to Dewi Sukarno's blog, the staff of the izakaya said that Mr.Uchishiba warned the lady (presumably not to drink), that she was not that drunk in the restaurant, and that she had lost her keys. Dewi Fuujin reports the latter fact (if fact) as if it stood in Mr. Uchishiba's favour but obviously it could implicate that the lady had no intention of going to Mr. Uchishiba's room.
Seperate from any rape charge, adults that have sex with minors (under 20) would appear to be in danger of being accused of falling foul of regional ordinance which forbid acts of "lewd conduct" (inkou) such as sex with minors where, accoring to a wikipedia quoted high court case, in the absense of a romantic relationship, the adult unfairly uses the minor's immaturity to seduce, pressurise, trouble or decieve the minor into having sex for the sake of the adult's sexual gratification. Such ordinances prohibiting "lewd conduct" exist in all prefectures other than Ishikawa and Mie, where there may be city-wide laws. http://www.geocities.co.jp/WallStreet-Stock/5556/jourei.html
Posted in: Olympic judo gold medalist arrested on suspicion of raping teenage girl
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timtak
I firmly support the Japanese goverment's mundane use of government funds to protect a local industry against terrorists --people who use violence to affect their political ends. Whaling is just one of the industries that the Japanese government is sponsoring in the region. It happens to be so good, so laudable, that even PETA approved of it, over the alternatives. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nihonbunka/5241931323/
Posted in: Japan using quake disaster budget for whaling aid
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timtak
Who did Kiyotake want to be coach? I want Ochiai.
Posted in: Yomiuri Giants file Y100 mil libel suit against former executive
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timtak
This article and the comments goes to show at least that there is interest in WWII internment camps. There were lots of internment camps in Japan and none of them are open as 'dark tourism' attractions. Camp Fukuoka 17 in Oomuta about which books have been written, does not even have a plaque. There is an opportunity for rememberance, regret, reconcilliation, to present views of the past, and make money for a depressed region.
Posted in: Japanese return to Canada's WWII internment camps
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timtak
This article is very one-sided. For the other side Pultizer Prizer winner John Toland's "Infamy: pearl harbor and its aftermath" is recommended. I have not read it. The Amazon reviews are good.
Posted in: Did FDR conceal Pearl Harbor intelligence about Japanese attack?
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timtak
@CrazyJoe Thank you for pointing out that there is no criminal penalty downloaders. But then, as a civil servant, I avoid non-penalised criminal too.
Hulu has at last come on line in Japan (hulu.jp). Its stocks are very limited, but it does at last provide a legal way of downloading English language movies and soaps including Walking Dead for 1500 yen a month. I find that I used to get out a DVD just in case I wanted to watch something before going to bed. Now I think I can probably find something on Hulu if I am desperate so I save 1500 yen a month on DVD rental fees. These arrests may result in big boost for Hulu subscriptions, and perhaps an increase in Hulu stock, I hope.
Posted in: 30 arrested for illegally sharing manga, music, movies, TV shows online
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timtak
"This is an in English news site so comparisons to home countries are inevitable, and healthy. " If I were to to post statistics comparing the rate of knifings in Japan and "home countries", my comment would be removed as off topic.
Posted in: 8-yr-old girl stabbed by man while walking home from school in Matsudo
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timtak
If Woodford things that someone is going to put a hostile bid in, does this mean that the shares are going to be going up?
Posted in: Woodford ramps up campaign to oust Olympus board
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timtak
Very sad but "scum"? Is there any chance that the mother was suffering from post natal depression after the birth of her younger child? The younger child was 11 months old. There is an attempt to create a law in Texas to drastically reduce punishments to mothers who commit infanticide in such cases within 12 months of birth. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-m-appel/when-infanticide-isnt-murb279703.html "Should jurors conclude that a mother's "judgment was impaired as a result of the effects of giving birth or the effects of lactation following the birth," they would be permitted to convict her of the crime of infanticide. Unlike murder, which is a capital offense in Texas, the felony of infanticide would carry a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment."
Posted in: Oita woman arrested for allegedly beating 4-year-old son to death
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timtak
I wonder if the victims of the crime that was committed this year can sue the police for facilitating it.
Posted in: Evidence misfiled for 12 years may have allowed killer to walk free