JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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To be healthy, live in the big city
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Japan's nuclear safety standards flawed, says commission chief
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Teacher nabbed for using miror to peek up girl's skirt
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From carnivores to herbivores: how men are defined in Japan
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Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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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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- 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*
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- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
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tkoind2
AerosX. Why, when anyone critiques capitalism the first thing you lot jump to is communism. Let me clear this up for you friend. I AM NOT A COMMUNIST. Now can we move on with the discussion and talk about issues?
Capitalism is corporatism. The kind of rise up by your boot straps capitalism most people talk about has been dead since the great depression. Corporatism is the 21st century manifestation of capitalism.
Did capitalism work for a while? Yes, but the current form is unsustainable, thus you have growing gaps between rich and poor and global poverty over 40% of the people on the planet. Now the entire world more or less exists in capitalism, so how exactly does leaving out 40% + illustrate your claim of it raising everyone up.
When labor becomes a commodity there is price pressure. Downwards price pressure. Thus lost jobs in expensive labor markets replaced by cheap jobs in depressed places. In time all labor value diminishes and poverty rises with this outcome. People become frustrated and angry and you have outbursts of anger in the streets.
Further the current form of capitalism is unsustainable as resources and fuel diminish in availability.We already see this in the post 2008 jobless recoveries and in the decline of new job creation and the stagnation of economies like Japan and the collapse of debt in Europe. Capitalism is caving in on itself and riots are the least of our worries should this process continue.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
bass4funk.
Solving problems costs money. Whether we follow your idea of harder enforcement, or the more enlightened solution of addressing the root issues. The first step is to acknowledge this fact and be willing to spend money to solve problems.
Some examples.
Empowerment: Giving greater political and social infrastructure to communities to help solve problems and involve people in their own fate. Where this has been done, we have seen greater response by locals to control crime and gangs.
Microeconomic structures: This has been profoundly effective in the developing world to enable local people to launch businesses, achieve loans that empower job creation and local economic development. Apply this to our cities as well.
And there are innumerable other programs that have had outstanding traction around the world.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
Briet...
Capitalism is concentrating wealth in a tiny minority and leaving much of the rest of the world in poverty. Since globalization has made labor a commodity, it has even begun to impoverish the middle classes.
Yes poverty is relative. The poverty in Somalia and London would be different. But none the less a key factor in social and political investment of people. You clearly need a greater understanding of what constitute poverty in the first world. There are factors beyond food that people will rise up in protest over.
As for the Yakuza. I cannot speak to that as I do not have a foundation in their culture. I did not say ALL gangs come from poverty. Clearly there are exceptions and nothing is absolute. The world, friend, is colorful and not black and white. But the colors of the globe do include many examples where poverty and gang development are intimately tied. The US, S. America and many other places stand as key examples.
Most of the countries in question need to find ways to break the cycle of poverty. Job creation for starters. Better education and higher education opportunties.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
Bass4Funk. When will people learn that you cannot contain the violence of gangs and the associated social problems resulting from povery and disaffection? These problems ALWAYs spill out into the rest of society in the form of crime, corruption, expenses or other issues.
Until you learn to combat these issues at the root causes you cannot win. We need real solutions not short term ineffectual fixes.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
BreitbartVictorious
Aren't the problems obvious? Perhaps that is where the true roots rest. You have no idea and I imagine that the government is just as blind.
Poverty: World wide the greatest link to gang creation and violence, the greatest source of frustration and social unrest.
Unemployment or Underemployment: Legions in the developed world who wish to work viable jobs cannot. Rampant unemployment, and the often ignored underemployment lead to sustaining the cycle of poverty in these communities.
Lack of Opportunity: Many communities start off negatively with poor schools, poor education and little or no opportunities for families to raise the next generation out of the cycle of poverty. Leading to generation after generation of people stuck in a viscious cycle of decline.
" Much of the violence and mayhem was coordinated..." And if Facebook and Twitter are not there, do you really think this stops? People managed the Russian revolution without computers, cell phones, TV or even wide spread radio.
You accomplish nothing by violating the freedom of social networking. People are resourceful and smart and will simply find other means. Read history if you need examples.
"If anything it is the rioting hoodlums and criminal gangs who are nascent brownshirts, waiting for their Hitler." You cannot be serious. We have already seen and acknowledged a rise in right wing anti-immigration, anti-minority and racialist movements in the UK and all over Europe. These are your new Brown Shirts leveraging their hate to blame all of the social ills upon minorities. If anything the minorities in Europe are in danger of becoming the 21st centuries victims.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
KanoJones. Yes indeed. A true statement.
Posted in: The British government is considering giving police the power to use technology to control future unrest, by stopping rioters using Twitter, Facebook or BlackBerry Messenger to organize themselves. Would you support such measures?
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tkoind2
The further fact that you summarily dismiss the inhumane practices of restrictions upon political and religious freedom further indicates just how out of touch with modern values China is. The restriction of religious freedom is inhumane and unjust. People should have the right to believe in what they wish to believe in. And in my case, support for this human right is coming from a non-religious person who strongly believes that others must have the right to hold religous beliefs if they wish.
Political restrictions have a long standing name. It is called totalitarianism, something China remains true to. Why? Because the government is afraid of the people who may decide to invoke that right to have greater freedom from a repressive government.
Again you invoke Japan's imperialism as a justification for China's imperialism. Thank you for once again proving my piont that China's intentions are militant and expansionistic and thus a threat to peace in Asia. I love it when an adversary proves my point so well. Well done.
As for the Uyghurs. These Sufi Muslims have long been noted for their peaceful culture. Now while there has been some uprising in recent years, it is largely in response to Han expansionism and their repression of Uyghur culture. The only people in the world who buy in that the Uyghurs are Islamist terrorists, are the Chinease propagandists. The rest of the world recognizes the plight of the Uyghurs along side other ethnic minorities repressed by Chinese totalitarianism.
So point made friend. China, modeled after 18th, 19th and 20th century examples of expansionism that you provided, is indeed a danger to the peace, prosperity and authonomy of Asia. China is dangerous and must be contained
Posted in: Geopolitics and the modernization of the armed forces of China
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tkoind2
" Call it China's version of the Monroe Doctrine. Strong countries have been known to act like this, think the USA..."
The Monroe Doctrine is a long outdated concept. As should be rational nations bullying other nations and inspiring potential arms races that rob societies of money better suited to energy, the environment and care of their citizens. Just because something was the case in the past, does not rationalize or justify it in the future. This thinking lacks forward vision.
Under your logic, I should envoke the policies of Gengis Khan and advocate an expansionst policy that would engulf and subserviate China. This makes no more rational sense than your invoking the Monroe Doctrine. Do please update your arguments to the 21st and not long past centuries.
Taiwan. Again you envoke an unsavory past of Japan's expansionism. Are you trying to argue that China's policies are out of revenge or based upon miliary imperialism? Because if you are, then I would agree and argue that you have well proven my point that China's military development represents a real and dangerous threat to Asia. The only thing tactful in China's policy for Taiwan is that her leaders have the good sense not to incite a war with Taiwan's ally the US should China elect a less "tactful" approach to threating a sovereign state.
" Chinese citizens DO have restrictions on political and religious freedom, but certainly NOT individual freedoms." Spoken like a true apologist. I think you need ask the ethnic minorities of China how much individual freedom they have when their local culture, belief systems and economic powers are subjugated by the Han majority in China. Or ask the Uyghurs about the infringements upon their right to carry out their cultural practices or to actually have autonomy in the place China promised they would have it. .
Posted in: Geopolitics and the modernization of the armed forces of China
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tkoind2
" Stop the dependence on welfare and create more jobs/opportunities for Brits and not the hoards of radical immigrants."
I see the rise of the right wing anti-multiculturalists is very real. Please do refer back to Germany in 1936 for reference to how that kind of thinking often works out.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
So is there a simple one sentence answer to these problems. No. But it is quite clear that one must address the root issues to avoid the type of violence we have seen. twitter and facebook don't enter into it beyond their role as networking tools. Something people managed to organize without in past riots, leaving us sure that such restrictions will accomplish nothing. Do remember riots happened before facebook, before the internet and before telephones. The PM is being escapist in his hope that such restrictions will accomplish anything other than violating civil freedom.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
BreitbartVictorious
The answer is clearly not repression of individual liberties. This is not and has never been an effective solution to social upheaval. Check your history and you will find that in most cases repression results in greater social discontent and fuels opposition.
Now, if you are looking for solutions I suggest you put aside things like twitter and facebook and look to the roots of problems. The US and UK share one key set of factors on this topic. And those revolve around the disaffection of portions of society, often along the lines of poverty and sometimes along the lines of race. It is often in these communities where jobs, education and opportunities are scarce that we see the rise of gangs and we see the rise of rioting.
The implications are clear that we must begin to address the root causes in order to keep social anger and outrage from festering. The kind of rage we saw in the UK recently does not magically appear because of facebook. It appears because there are seething issues that inspire anger, frustration and outrage in communities.
While in the best cases this anger appears to the public in the form of activism and protests, these often illustrate only a port of the community. Those not empowered or inspired to political activism may turn to solving their own problems through anti-social means such as gangs, crime and violence. Add to that poor policing practices and ineffective social policy and you have a recipie for violence on both sides.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
Really Mushroomcloudmaster.
Is it propaganda that China has been bullying the Philippines and Japan over territories?
Is it propaganda that they interfere with Taiwan's autonomy?
Is it propaganda that China restricts political, religious and individual freedom?
How about the occupation of Tibet, is that propaganda too? Or the repression of the Uyghurs in a zone that is supposed to be autonimous.
Come back to the debate table when you can refute the points. It is easy to say "propaganda" but a heck of a lot harder to refute actual points that make China a worry for Asia. Her military will help back her policies and there are many policies that we do not want to see imposed upon Asia. So... debate me if you can.
Posted in: Geopolitics and the modernization of the armed forces of China
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tkoind2
"China’s military modernization is natural and not based on confrontation and intimidating neighbors."
Where has this writter been the last couple years? How did he miss China's attempts at intimidation of the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan and other Asian states over territories China claims, but everyone else disputes?
I am sick to death of China apologists who ignore the rising threat that China's policies pose to Asian security. The risk of a new arms race alone in Asia should be raising great concern.
Now it is easy to say that the US is the bad guy that China needs to fear, yet China's epic growth is largely dependent upon money coming from US consumers and US and wester firms investing in and developing China's economy. Why would these heavily invested states want to have any conflict with China. The analysis of this article completely fails to take that consideration into account.
I often feel that watching China in 2011 is like watching Germany in the mid 1930's. A state with territorial aspirations that will put conflict on the horizon with many neighboring states. A state buidling a military at astounding speeds with no immediate threat to warrant such development. A state willing to bully states that do not comply with their wishes. And a state that has extensive repressive policies at home with very real threats to any form of dissent or opposition.
We should be careful in our economic support for China as we may well be building a new Frankenstein's monster. And we should not take China's military rise lightly. For those of us who lived through one cold war, we do not wish to see another. Especially one that is led by a state with so much capacity to bully Asia and to repress her own population. China is the only real and present danger in Asia.
Posted in: Geopolitics and the modernization of the armed forces of China
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tkoind2
The US has utterly failed to deal with gang violence. Only a brain dead conservative PM would resort to importing an American cop to deal with rioting which had little or nothing to do with the kind of gangs the US cop would be familiar with.
I am with the UK police on this one. This is a bad move.
Sometimes I wonder if all the right wing conservatives were fed the same lead filled baby formula to create the kind of backwards thinking these guys seem to be so keen on no matter where in the world they come from.
Posted in: British PM clashes with police over 'zero tolerance' strategy, hiring U.S. cop
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tkoind2
Censorship and control of private media is a violation of rights. Will they restrict all cell phones? As I am sure cell phones were equally instrumental in organizing rioters. Or TV whose coverage likely encouraged others to join?
The US has already been down this road with things like our Patriot Act in restricting civil liberties in the interest of security. Benjamin Franklin warned us over 200 years ago that those willing to give up liberty for security deserve neither.
This is a knee jert reaction and a distraction from the real issues. If the UK and other nations wish to prevent this kind of problem in the future, they should try to address the issues that give rise to this much public outrage and anger. But that would require real work, which few politicians are ready to do. It is much easier to scapegoat something and try to pretent to be solving problems rather than actually trying to do so.
Posted in: The British government is considering giving police the power to use technology to control future unrest, by stopping rioters using Twitter, Facebook or BlackBerry Messenger to organize themselves. Would you support such measures?
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tkoind2
Another uninspired loser to take on the role of revolving door PM. This guy will just tax the hell out of us and feed his big biz and big govt. handlers all the money rather than doing anything good with it.
Japan is seriously in need a leader who is not beige, corrupt, pointless and clueless. Noda fails on all these fronts. Another boring beige inept bureaucrat to fill the office until they toss him out too.
Japanese governement, shame on you for failing your people.
Posted in: PM contender Noda urges national unity government
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tkoind2
Asagao "I think we can all agree from these posts that China could easily defeat Japan and then go on and defeat USA."
Dream on. How many propaganda posters does China have on this site? Just read these guys....
Adamwesti same for you mate.
At least the propaganda posters here are honest about China's obviously negative intentions.
The fact is, China is more likely to implode on itself with internal strife and the collapse of her bubble economy than she is to dominate anyone. Too much of your population are still repressed rural peasants who don't like your practices any more than the rest of us do.
And there there is the young affluent generation who are smart enough to know that a militant China would cut into their profit margins and increasingly western lifestyles. Since they have the keys to all the money coming into China, they have the key to keep militarism at bay too.
Posted in: Defense chief questions why China needs aircraft carrier
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tkoind2
Chinese aggressive ambitions will be met with strong resistance in Asia and by Asia's partners. So why waste your time with a course that will inevitably fail and cause more harm to China than good?
Posted in: Defense chief questions why China needs aircraft carrier
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tkoind2
And then there is Japan who won't yield their islands, natural resource and fishing zones to you. But one weak carrier will not help you since Japan has a pretty good navy and air force and the support of the US Navy.
Next the the Philippines who you also seem to claim territory from. No single carrier will help you out there either. The US and others will certainly defend the Philippines in any conflict you initiate.
Posted in: Defense chief questions why China needs aircraft carrier
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tkoind2
Asagao. Another propagand post.. Exactly what is China defending against? Your main enemies seem to be powers that do not have navies at all. For example.
Old men and working Uyghurs in Kashgar. How many have you wrongly imprisoned for "terrorism" charges?
And then there are all those extremely dangerous monks and devout Buddhists in Tibet. Wouldn't want that message of peace to spread to the Han would you? So repress and threaten harmless monks. I guess a carrier would be less than useful in such a waterless place.
Posted in: Defense chief questions why China needs aircraft carrier