Tim Sullivan comments

He loves these foreign trips that most people here can't afford now. Please emigrate permanently so we don't have to see you again.

I want you to look more deeply into your own feelings and think about what drove you to kill three people

He will have plenty of time to do that.

A slasher video with a bear like the one in "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey" would be a lot more effective IMO. I am sure an underemployed English teacher would be grateful for the chance to put on a bear costume for a few thousand yen.

The LDP is looking for ways to hold on to power when they get rid of Kishida. How about a gay PM?

Japan is now an officially corrupt country. Kickbacks are legal, folks!

Note that this was announced one day AFTER the Tokyo elections.

Koike is projected to win a third term, according to NHK -- what a surprise. Anyone who wants change in this country had better emigrate.

"I just haven’t seen enough of her, we haven’t. I don’t know what her angle is."

We'll soon find out as Joe is going to bow out soon. At least she hasn't got dementia (could be Parkinson's).

Charisma Man has never had this kind of problem -- life is short, enjoy it while you can!

Better than jumping in front of a rush-hour train, traumatizing the driver and making everyone late for work. Some people are so selfish.

If I weren't disenfranchised, I would vote for the Joker because he wants to legalize polygamy.

It's more about many choosing to worship money and focus upon the self.

"Worship" money? Most people in Japan are just struggling to survive. And who doesn't focus on themselves?

It won't make any difference. They are all useless.

I wonder if Koike is really 71?

I have my doubts. She allegedly lies about a lot of things.

Rising stock prices won't help much when poverty stalks the land. I never thought when I moved here in the 80s that Japan would become a poor country, but the economic decline here is becoming increasingly obvious.

The weak currency is one sign of the Japanese economy's inexorable descent into third-world status. A bit disconcerting for those of us who moved here decades ago when Japan was the richest country in the world. But we can now enjoy a cheap retirement if we saved enough money in the good times and didn't make any bad financial moves like getting divorced from our Japanese partners.

The debate has revealed the cruel truth that Biden is the president with no clothes. I want to know who is responsible for perpetrating the lie of this presidency to America and the world. Perhaps CNN can help us with that one.

Biden was even worse than I'd expected -- it was pitifully bad.

Makes me want to move to China, This is a stinging reminder that Japan hasn't made any progress since the Sony Walkman circa 1982. The LDP-led system kills any initiative or creativity.

That's a bit harsh, Roger. Japan may be in terminal decline, but it doesn't have labor camps.

If you fail, it's your own fault -- that's capitalism.

You won't be lonely if you're rich, but watch out for the gold diggers!

That would require communism. Maybe Japan should give it a try -- I think most people here aren't that ambitious.

During the weeklong tour, they will attend a luncheon with the royal family and a state banquet hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

Among other scheduled official events are a visit to the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, also on Tuesday, and a formal dinner at the Guildhall in the City of London on Wednesday.

Would be great if they could visit a pub as well.

I hope their Imperial Majesties have a wonderful trip. They will need plenty of yen though.

One of the LDP's promises from 1998 sounds like a parody from the Rising Wasabi:

"The second pillar is a set of measures to enhance living space. In implementation of the Plan to Double the Size of Living Space aimed at enabling the people to have more affordable and rewarding lifestyles, we will vigorously promote investment, including by taking advantage of private sector involvement, to double the amount of housing space and other high-quality living space".

https://japan.kantei.go.jp/souri/981204policy-speech.html

Wouldn't it be great if Kishida closed half of the government ministries like Milei did in Argentina? The LDP could be reborn as the Libertarian Democratic Party. But we all know real change isn't possible with this kind of leadership. Japan is fading away into irrelevance.

Otsukaresama, Kishida-san, Your secret plan to make Japan a third-world country again is making progress!

Taxing dead people is stupid -- we pay enough tax as it is while we are on this planet. I have no intention of making a will. I'll leave my heirs to deal with the financial mess as I beam down on them from heaven...

I've been telling my Japanese friends for some time now that they need to hedge against a weakening yen by owning US tech shares, gold, US dollars (160 yen looks likely today). They are so trusting after a lifetime of brainwashing and think everything will work out in the end. The brutal truth is that the Japanese government doesn't care and is not going to help them.

Kishida is a lame duck. Please go on another pointless foreign trip and don't bother coming back. I'd rather have Dr Nakamats as PM. He's a youthful 96 and has a great poster for the Tokyo election.

WGAS? This is only news in a "gakureki shakai" like Japan. I am sure Koike is innocent, but this story reminds me of some of the eikaiwa schools I worked in when I first landed on these shores back in the early 80s. You only needed to photocopy a university diploma, add your name, and copy it again. I remember a Polish guy who got a job that way.