SDCA comments

With the government planning to resort to tax hikes to fund the rise in defense spending

Please, no

citing a lack of evidence

If there was a lack of evidence, why did this case come out into the light to begin with?

@MiuraAnjin

not at all. I try to be a safe driver but I wouldn't consider myself to be slow either. What I also mean is driving on normal roads and not exclusively expressways. I will get some dirt bag showing up on my rear mirror tailgating, they will then change lanes by cutting someone off, speed up to the next car in front, rinse and repeat. They also are in a super hurry to get to a red light for some reason, they will sometimes pass me despite myself also going slightly above speed limit, floor it and slam the brakes at the red light ahead that showed no signs of changing. I don't understand these drivers mindsets sometime. Then again, apparently I live in a prefecture that continuously tries to battle to become 死亡事故ワースト１位 year after year so we have some crazy drivers here.

wallace, that's amazing. I need to learn how to keep my electricity bills low like you. I'll try the aircon method mentioned above with using a smart switch. I am also guilty of leaving it on because I saw the bills weren't all that crazy and since I am working from home most of the time and also need to keep my aquarium cool. Need to start penny pinching as much as possible though because other prices have gone up and I need to save as much as possible for retirement (they just announced on the news today that in 30 years our generation will be falling short of 180,000 annually in receivable pensions). Thanks LDP...

Where is the technology to stop dangerous tailgating which is a common behavior in Japan?

These people with small genitals think they are tough behind the wheel and I bet if you were to force them to pull over for a fight, they will bow and say sumimasen. Police need to step up against these people, I kid you not I run into at least one every other time I drive.

While I agree these should be implemented on vehicles for senior drivers, do they really need to be on every new car? I don't want to have to pay for a new system when this thing fails to pass shaken. Shaken is already expensive enough.

Out of curiosity, is it possible you never noticed the "弱冷車" sign on some cars?

I try to avoid that car at all costs but I'll try to check better next time.

JR has been cutting back on AC for the past 13 years during the summer since 3/11. Before that the trains used to be nice and frosty during the summers. I guess, at the time. A nuclear disaster was a good excuse to cut back on unnecessary electricity. Too bad the Japanese passengers don’t complain as there hasn’t been summer electricity supply issues for over a decade now.

that's right, I almost forgot. I still feel like some train lines within JR are using their A/C more optimally while the train I ride has it on fan mode lol. Eh, but I'm complaining too much. Hope we can all beat out this heat and that includes those over 70 Meiyouwenti!

A victory for Koike could help embattled Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida resist calls from within the LDP to step down as public support for him and his ruling group ebbs amid a political donations scandal.

darn, and I thought this was our chance at overthrowing the LDP along with Kishida-san but I guess people still don't vote in Tokyo and the usual people continue to vote LDP.

I don't know if this is just my train line but JR is cutting back on keeping these trains nice and cool. Can't stop sweating even though I'm not doing anything but riding the train today! And no I didn't ride the dreaded 弱冷 car. Stay safe everyone! Looks like summer is going to be harsh yet again this year!

Spot on kurisupisu

There should be help for family members taking on the financial burden of caring for the elderly.

This! My wife's mother takes "care" of her mother who is 88 and she is never home! It took some convincing to finally get them to take up one of those (day services) because I was starting to get worried about the state of the grandmother's health. There's nothing wrong with her organs or anything because her and her elder siblings seem to have super genes, but it is obvious that there is something wrong in the brain department and the mother who is never home doesn't seem to understand that this is likely an issue that didn't just start a few months ago when they came to live with us temporarily. She is never home to observe the behavior of what the grandma does all day which I got to do so during the time they were here. The grandma was eating cup noodles for lunch, tries to order KFC any chance she can get, barely drinking water, mostly sitting and watching tv all day with naps here and there, getting zero exercise even though she can still walk, not able to bathe on her own even though she is capable, has everyone do things for her even though she can do it herself and makes excuses that she can't do it, and yet the mother wonders why all of a sudden she's showing Alzheimer's like symptoms after living with us. I noticed the grandmother had been repeating the same thing over and over again years ago and didn't think much of it until I finally got to be around her, so I am positive it has been present throughout these years and it was just unnoticed.

The mother (now 60) leaves to go to work around 6:00 am, starts her job at 8:30 am (needs to be there earlier for some reason, from what I hear they still do 朝礼 or morning assembly and ラジオ体操 or morning stretch) and comes home at around 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm. Her job is at a relatively known company, pretty big in size, and yet she is being treated like a slave. I even saw how much she was making when applying for a new apartment and it is just laughable. I kept telling her that she should consult with someone higher up and tell them that she has someone to care for and will need to get off at 定時 or (on time) to which she is always hesitant to do so, saying things like her colleagues who are similar in age are on the same boat and they still come to work and stay long hours because 周りに迷惑かけたくない or (don't want to be a nuisance to other around me). But her kacho is having a field day everyday by coming to work when he feels like it, taking days off out of no-where, only person in that group who works from home, doesn't do much work and is essentially acting like he's typing or doing something, shopping on Rakuten during work hours, etc.

So my point is, I am almost positive there are many others out there who are in a similar situation (as stated above where there are colleagues in a similar position) as my wife's mother who are essentially allowing their parents to co-habit with them and are not able to care for them due to the madness that is the working culture. We need a good work life balance culture for full-time employees implemented in Japan to help not only families caring for elders, but also those caring for their children (especially those with both parents working). If you are not in a manager position, you should not have to work long hours, and if a company that employs thousands of employees can't manage to keep afloat just because you aren't working overtime, there is obviously workplace inefficiencies that can be addressed to reduce this.

Working part-time is no longer an option since cost of living is now unbearable, and day care/ short stay services aren't exactly a great solution either since they are abusing caregivers which will likely lead to lowered quality services.

Companies need to stop taking advantage of the 我慢社会 or society of patience and the しょうがない attitudes of the loyal Japanese workers.

Oh how I wish prices for EV olive oil come down. Praying that the droughts in Spain are no longer a problem and hope the crops will replenish soon.

I have a 2,000 yen and 2 dollar bill kept in my wallet at all times as a good luck charm. Love the designs on both of these. As for the new bank notes, the only thing I see off about these are the numbers and how they are oversized and the fonts are a bit questionable. And I agree with the statements above and that I hope machines accept these new bank notes, otherwise I won't be able to order ramen with those kenbaikis that only accept cash.

don't every look at the base salary 基本給 or you'll cry. Just try to come to terms with 差引支給合計 and you'll be less likely to experience anxiety.

The thing is, everyone was taught to suck it up and not talk back to superiors who are clearly abusing them. My wife's mother comes home every day complaining and whining about her Kacho and from what I am hearing, the dude would be fired at any competent company in the US. She had her annual interview with her Bucho not that long ago and I gave her the advice to let the Bucho know how drained her line has been thanks to an abusive Kacho, to which she ended up not saying much at all.

Gaman can only keep you afloat for so long, if you over due it, it will lead to horrible thoughts and is not good for your well-being. Make sure to point out things that are obviously bad (with common sense) and try to keep your work-place safe for everyone. Though I don't recommend being a whiny little baby which has been a recent trend in the US making work unbearable over there. Just keep some common sense.

Errr, been trying to save up for a trip to Europe as a long overdue honey moon but this isn't helping! Also what is up with the prices of EV olive oil!? Is this a worldwide issue or is it because of the expensive import prices?

Politicians are ignorant to see that by utilizing AI in such a manner, they are implying that an AI can do their job for them hence they are not needed. So why re-elect them?

Judging by the picture, she seems like a genuinely nice lady and it is sad to hear stories like this where people work so hard to save up and build their dreams only to have it tramped by a cause that has nothing to do with them as an individual.

Miyabe, 50, a 25-year resident of Japan

Losing your business because your business model is putrid is one thing, but losing your business because you were born in a country where geo-political ties are tense is another thing. She's been living here for 25 years now, treat her like a Japanese citizen already! She has nothing to do with Putin's regime.

Refusing to pay pension shouldn't be a crime to begin with. Why do they require you to pay for it even on unemployment?

You may feel less connected as a Japanese person with others abroad because of cultural differences, however, you will generally find more welcoming and engaging people in other countries than you will in Japan which has created a society that doesn't allow for much communication outside of work and home. I'm sure you will find more non-Japanese in Japan that feel lonely due to how hard it is to get these Japanese people to come out of their shell and in their comfort zone around you. Not to mention most Japanese conceal their actual personality/ identity and basically act "polite/ tate-mae" or "different from home/ a bit exaggerating/ fake" towards others who are outside their comfort zone.

Okay? So what can 40 billion yen (approx. 256 mil USD as of 6/4) do for the economy? This can't even fund a new stadium nowadays. I can agree with this statement from happyhere:

Peanuts.

A big reason tourists love Japan is the incredible infrastructure they use to get around. This costs way more than the fare they pay. Let them contribute like everyone who lives here.

Would like to see the profit margins with expenditures included for infrastructure upkeep, etc. Otherwise this news means nothing to me. This was expected anyways with higher prices and added tax towards tourists.

I like the picture, is he trying to throw a cut fastball? Lots of investment going towards data centers for AI which means Nvidia is looking good.

If you approach someone in Japan for directions you'll likely get some form of help, and many times they will go above and beyond by taking you there despite going off their original path. However, if you do not ask for help and you fall down in the middle of a train station, people will either ignore or watch you from afar. This is likely do to the introverted mindset of many who won't bring up the courage to be the first one to take action. When one person goes to help someone, then you will see others follow suit.

Also keep in mind that Japan has many sagi (scams) where people will take advantage of kind Japanese people. You see this sometimes at train stations where college kids walk up to random people and ask for train ticket money. These types of incidents lose trust in the general public, and most Japanese citizens just want to mind their own business throughout the day and enjoy the peace and serenity of having the same daily routine with no sudden changes. That is why they tend to not want to get involved in situations involving helping others because they do not want to either get scammed, or have to go to the police station.

As for the lack of volunteering, I'm sure many Japanese would love to do volunteer work, it's just that they don't have time to take care of themselves so how would they have time to volunteer?

"If they turn out to be cutting-edge weapons from other countries or unmanned reconnaissance planes ... they can be a serious threat to our country's security," Asakawa added.

If that's the case, then we are already too late. Just team up with the US and have them look into this so that we may allocate our resources elsewhere.

Just received a notice in the mail stating anyone who owns a petrol or diesel car will have to pay an additional 15% in vehicle tax in my prefecture in order to save the environment. What kind of nonsense is this? It is far more eco friendly that I keep my car well maintained for it's entire lifespan than for me to take it to the junk yard and go out and buy an overpriced RC car that still has no charging network in Japan. Eventually when my car does die, I will consider getting myself a solar roof and an EV if the infrastructure is there and it is affordable, but at the moment a PHEV seems to be the better option.

We already see sunken wooden ships preserving for centuries under water with low levels of oxygen. I'm curious how serviceable this is going to be given the conditions of space.

I wonder if their wives are the ones waiting for them to get ready before going out lol. Been using cleansers, toners, and moisturizers for many years because of my zit face. Recently incorporated UV and yes, I 100% agree with BigP and that it is vital.

Okay good. Now that's one less thing to worry about when it's time for me to bring up a child. At least we are getting on track.

I like hearing about advancements like this, especially coming from Japan. It seems we are getting closer to a brighter future for those with visual impairment and it is a good feeling knowing that if this happens to me, there are solutions out there!

tourism is saving the economy.

Is it though?

That happened to me when I first came to Japan. I didn’t know the system and got dinged for that, but I found that information out later. I never, ever walk into any police station unless I absolutely have to. If I get a ticket, I got immediately to the conbini and pay it.

Interesting, never knew this and I'll keep it in mind next time. Points haunt you for several years unfortunately. My boss at my previous job had me drive to a train station which apparently didn't allow non-commercial drivers to pass through and I got ticketed and pointed for it. Till this day this guy's mistake is haunting me by making me go to the dreaded driver's license center every time I need to re-new my license and take a stupid 2 hour course.