jamplass comments

This sentence is quite common. Kill somebody unrelated to you and get life in prison or the death penalty. Kill members of your own family and get 30 years or less. This multiple murderer should never be able to see the light of day.

I don’t necessarily believe in the death penalty, but 20 years for cold blooded murder? How is this justice?

Scientists have already confirmed the leakage poses little or no effect on the environment. or seafood. Japan should retaliate by banning some of the cheap Chinese junk that’s being imported until the communist party decides to play nice. In the meantime, thousands of wealthy Chinese citizens are emigrating to Japan, which is safer and has a healthier environment. https://www.npr.org/2024/01/17/1221849861/china-japan-immigration

Three years prison time for vehicular manslaughter seems reasonable and he’s already served a big chunk of that, suffered while incarcerated and compensated the victim’s family. The bottom line however, is that Japan can’t afford to continue to make this a thorn in relations with the US. There are larger more important geopolitical issues at stake (China, Taiwan, North Korea, etc). Alkonis will likely be pardoned by Biden and released in short order.

Concern noted. Get back to living on your island paradises and enjoying generous kickbacks from China.

Why the cynicism? Why not take tourists’ positive comments on face value? Sure it’s boring but Japanese TV isn’t made for foreigners who live in Japan.

This is all about politics. Not science. By any measure China is far more polluted than Japan, spewing enormous waste into the ocean and the air. Chinese consumers don’t deserve to eat Japanese seafood until they decide to overthrow their communist authoritarian dictatorship.

Many Japanese need to be educated about how defense and deterrence works in the age of powerful and aggressive neighbors, namely China and Russia. These countries have shown they will push their nationalist agendas to the extent that existing borders between countries are practically meaningless.

The J-authorities won't be satisfied until all passengers are wrapped in plastic from head to toe, with tiny holes for breathing only.

Korea is an hour flight away. Is this what the world has come to? pretty sad.

This is not news, but I’m hungry.

Neckties will never happen although just find a job where you don’t have to wear them. Leave people with tattoos alone, It’s a personal choice, Personally I’m tired of the beige coats now popular. Glad it’s warming up so ai don’t have to see them. Is J-pop a fashion item? Can it disappear forever?

It was likely just an innocent mistake-- it's doubtful that 7-11 wants to wade into the swamp of international politics. That said, maybe 7-11 in Japan can make up the fines by selling "Free Taiwán" t-shirts and other accessories. I hear they make excellent gifts.

Not really news, but just think of all the times Doc Perve got away with it! And "upskirt" should not even be an adjective.

this is not news. It is in fact so irrelevant to anybody on the planet (or should be) and has no redeeming cultural significance whatsoever. Make it stop. Please.

Perhaps the bad behavior by the police gets more media scrutiny because the public has higher expectations of these people? They are supposed to protect us, not sexually harrass us. Is it fair to expect that police officers have a higher moral compass than the rest of us? That said, practically every Japanese is expected to be married to their work, and law enforcement is probably one of the more stressfull jobs. It's not an excuse, but I think our men and women in blue probably don't have enough time off to be normal human beings, not unlike the rest of the country.

Including "hobbies" are sometimes OK on a resume. However, it's fair game to ask in the interview "so what is it about ____idol that inspires you?". Chances are the candidate will say some inane comment about their "cuteness" which is utterly uninspired and boring. Fail.

To those of you who think this kind of skimpy attire is a good idea, how would you feel about your own wife/daughter/sister/mother wearing this to work and having to bend over as she serves a customer? Not so sexy now me thinks...

A very interesting post. Makes my wonder why I still choose to live here. Oh, that's right I have a great job. In my research I've looked at the issues of language proficiency and more friends. In most countries the better you speak the language the more local friends you have. This isn't necessarily the case for Japan. More important is intimacy, Most Japanese will not let strangers in, and as gaijin, we are lots stranger than the average Japanese. Most Japanese do not disclosure much personal information, which is practically a requirement for friendships and becoming closer to other people. The bottom line is that Japanese have a hard time developing new friendships with even other Japanese, let alone someone coming from a different country and culture.

Shouldn't the question be "why do Westerners need to hear 'I love you' all the time?" Is it that they are so insecure or mistrustful that their partner might suddenly stop loving them? Sounds a bit immature, regardless of cultural differences.

I wonder if George even aware that what he's stumping isn't even real beer. Oh well what's the difference--he's getting paid a princely sum. And only Japanese people will see it anyway...wrong!

Most of them, but when the media shoves them down our throats it's hard to ignore sometimes. Particularly gag-worthy as of latel are Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. My eyes usually just glaze over when I read the names of Japanese celebrities because I have no idea who they are.

I wonder how brainwashed certain people have become over the whole whaling issue. So far, if the whales being hunted are not on the endangered list and the IWC allows this practice then Japan has the legal right do keep doing what it's doing. I know, it really sucks. But for Sea Shephard to continue its current rendegade activites it's only going to escalate into further violence and injury. Those of you who happily donate money to them will be indirectly responsible for this violence.

I'm glad the embassy will have nothing to do with NHK, hopefully for a while. These right-wing nut jobs who deny Nanjin and think that the sex slaves were not forced need to be put out to pasture. The problem is they are powerful and still in high positions and can at least indirectly influence the rest of the ignorant public, including students who know little or nothing about this period of history. It's no wonder China and Korea are up in arms over this. If this were Germans denying the Halocaust they would not only lose their jobs but be criminally prosecuted.

Well, it's understandable. Koreans and Chinese diplomats have the expectation that they should receive some sort of apology at every encounter they have with Japanese. This is not only limited to diplomats. I knew Korean students who said they couldn't be friends with Japanese unless they had a deep understanding of the history of Japan's oppressive occupation of Korea. Good luck with making new friends....

The guy isn't totally pampered. Sure he gets chocolate, but if the couple have dinner and later need to visit a hotel it's more than likely he will be paying the bill.

This article reads like an advertisement for Hulu--how about some balanced reporting? I signed up with Hulu last year, looked at what they had to offer and cancelled my subscription. I now have VPN so going to try Hulu US or Netflix.

People turn up their noses at Sutaba because they are the biggest chain and it reeks of a monopoly. But they are the only chain in Japan that is entirely non-smoking. They also tend to have larger stores, comfy chairs, and I would say a pretty decent drink selection.

I have asked my 18-19 year old Japanese students this question over the years: Do you consider yourselves adults? And invariably they say "no". They are not in any hurry to grow up, vote, make other big decisions or even that eager to consume alcohol. Is this in line with the rest of the (Western) world? No, but I'm not sure it should be either. However, come their 20th birthday, they had better start acting like an adult or at least be ready to accept more responsibility in their lives.

"Being a middle school student must be hard. You’re not quite an adult but you’re definitely not a child either." How long has this journalist been in Japan? I ask my 18 & 19 year old university students if they think they are an adult, and the vast majority of them say "no". I'm glad the kids spoke up in this case.