Asiaman7 comments

@MarkX

unfortunately only a small number of people are lucky enough to have received those pay increases. 

Actually, it’s worse than that. If a pay hike of 10,560 yen is 3.58% of a worker’s monthly wages, they make less than 300,000 ($2,060) a month, not factoring in semiannual bonuses.

The online survey conducted from late May to early June on 1,538 people by Kidsdoor also found that 85 percent of such households saw no wage increases this summer compared with the previous year.

Who to believe?

Last month, Reuters reported, “The final survey of 5,272 unions affiliated with Rengo showed an average pay hike of 3.58%, or 10,560 yen ($73.04) per month, the biggest increase since 3.9% seen in 1993.”

Of course, inflation-adjusted real wages in Japan have fallen for 15 straight months.

Japan’s great charms: Sumo, wadaiko (taiko drumming), onsens (hot springs), and exceptional food offerings.

This movie is fun, creative, wacky, cute, cerebral, and surprisingly deep.

”They’ve brought these figures to life with infectious energy and a knowing wink. ‘Barbie’ can be hysterically funny, with giant laugh-out-loud moments generously scattered throughout.” 3.5/4.0 stars — RogerEbert.com

Japan has argued that police interrogations in principle are recorded.

Yes, but in Japan …

(1) Attorneys are not allowed to attend interrogations. Counsel’s presence at interrogation rooms will help deter the investigative agencies from conducting illegal or unjustifiable interrogations, thereby reducing the risk of false confession.

(2) Exculpatory evidence — evidence that would exonerate the defendant of an alleged crime — may be withheld from the defense.

Barbie movie: tremendous fun, wacky, cerebral, deep. Highly recommended.

3.5/4.0 stars from RogerEbert.com

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/barbie-movie-review-2023

I was so surprised how uncompetitive Japan appeared in much of the game (especially the first 60 minutes) against Sweden, particularly compared to the U.S.

In its 2-1 loss to Sweden, Japan possessed the ball 51% of the time and had 11 total shots, 3 on target. In its 0-0 draw to Sweden lost 5-4 on penalty shots, the U.S. possessed the ball 58% of the time and had 21 total shots, 11 on target.

Hats off to Sweden!

One giant step: Moon race hots up

@dagon: Pointing out the error in the title is somehow "off topic".

”Hot up” is chiefly British English.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20up

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/hot-up

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/magazine/10wwln-safire-t.html

North Koreans must prioritise safeguarding propaganda

Propaganda is unfortunately everywhere.

U.S. residents tolerate repeated mass shootings because they have been brainwashed to believe that “a well regulated militia [is] necessary to the security of a free State” — like there are non-governmental militias out there protecting them from some real threat. 

Japanese seem to think that Japan is one of the few places that has four seasons. 

To the outsider, it’s all nonsense.

@Tamarama

This game was really, really dull until the penalty shootout, 

Terribly exciting from start to finish, in my opinion.

“USA pressured Sweden from the opening whistle and kept their foot on the gas, keeping possession and pinning Sweden back into deep areas. Trinity Rodman had her best game of the tournament, combining with the midfield and forcing the Sweden goalkeeper Zećira Musovic into several first-half saves. Musovic made 11 saves in total during the match, several of them sensational, to thwart a USA attack that finally had some life.” — The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/06/uswnt-womens-world-cup-2023-sweden-defeat-analysis-soccer

Does this article apply to us in Japan? — particularly when the programming on Netflix and Prime differs from that offered in the U.S. and most people might not have access to CBS and NBC.

In 2018, the team came under fire over a dangerous tackle 

More like a terribly dirty tackle of the opposing team’s quarterback from behind after the play was over in a deliberate attempt injure him. We later learned that this attack was instructed by the Nihon University coaches, two of whom were then fired. The injured quarterback required a month to recover from damage to ligaments in his back.

Video of the tackle: https://youtu.be/nKbLWcyQ_wo

Shipping EVs has become a growing problem.

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One hazard in lithium-ion batteries is "thermal runaway," a rapid and unstoppable increase in temperature that leads to fires in EVs that are hard to extinguish and can spontaneously reignite.

Fire extinguishing systems on the massive ships that haul cars weren't designed for those hotter fires, and shipping companies and regulators are scrambling to catch up, said Douglas Dillon, executive director of the Tri-state Maritime Safety Association that covers Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Exacerbating the risks is the business model used by the companies that includes tightly packed ships. Auto carriers like the burning ship are known as RoRos, which stands for roll-on/roll-off - the way cars are loaded and unloaded.

RoRos are like floating parking garages and can have a dozen or more decks carrying thousands of vehicles, industry officials said. Unlike parking lots, however, cars are parked bumper-to-bumper with as little as a foot or two of space overhead.

Firemen typically put out EV battery fires on roadsides by clearing the area around the burning vehicle and flooding the underside with water, something difficult to do on a RoRo, Dillon said.

"There's no way for a firefighter in protective gear to get to the location of a fire" on a ship, he said, adding the cramped conditions increase the danger getting trapped.

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— From “Focus: Ocean shippers playing catch up to electric vehicle fire risk,” https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ocean-shippers-playing-catch-up-electric-vehicle-fire-risk-2023-07-27/

This dynasty is older than Jesus. It would be a shame to dismantle such a historic tradition.

I don’t want my taxes paying for your “religion.”

I overestimated actually. Estimated wealth is ¥56 billion divided by 127 million people would work out at ¥440 per person.

I see that you included foreign residents in your calculation and the 1.6 million Japanese who have died since Japan’s population was 127 million. Would they realistically be expected to receive a payment?

And you chose not to include future annual Imperial Household Agency budgets, maintenance costs, and security expenses, all rising at a current inflationary rate exceeding 2%.

Interesting math.

Here's an idea: why not completely dismantle the imperial family system, and all royalty around the world, to help the people of those countries in the hard economic times?

Imagine how many mouths we could feed and electricity bills we could pay if we shared their money among the people?

100% Agree!

And Tokyo’s Imperial Palace would make a great Central Park.

A bit of that land is already accessible, but having the whole lot would be more just.

Wei “chose to turn his back on his newly adopted country” for greed.

Jinchao Wei, 22, and Wenheng Zhao, 26, are naturalized American citizens who were born in China …

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-03/doj-thursday-announcement

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Unfortunately, among certain individuals, greed appears to trump everything.

Being born in any country should be an automatic right to citizenship. Period!

Disagree. Why should any country burden its societal infrastructure with the influx of outsiders who travel pregnant solely to give birth and attain citizenship — i.e., birth tourism.

In 2015 alone, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided groups in Southern California that charged Chinese women up to $60,000, promising to help with their visas, travel, and lodging at “maternity hotels” so their children could become U.S. citizens.

Birthright citizenship is too frequently abused.

The approval of Daichirona …

Kinda rhymes with “My Sharona.”

Oh, my! This article is missing the below key information:

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Toyota also benefited from a weaker yen. The Japanese currency fell about 8 yen against the U.S. dollar during the year through June, according to Bank of Japan data, amid the widening interest rate differential between Japan and the United States.

Every 1-yen fall against the dollar boosts the automaker's operating profits by 45 billion yen, Toyota says.

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So nearly 400 billion yen of the 600 billon yen increase in profits was attributed to yen depreciation.

And after she threw the mic, her song vocals strangely continued through the speakers. Perhaps the concertgoer was troubled to be paying for lip-syncing.

“Cardi B Throwing Mic at Fan Sparks Unexpected Debate about Lip-Syncing,” https://www.newsweek.com/card-b-throwing-mic-fan-sparks-lip-syncing-debate-social-media-1816262

The Summary Report (Pacific War) of the United States Strategic Bombing Survey, published in 1946 concluded that Japan would have surrendered before November 1 without the atomic bombs and without the Soviet entry into the war.

There’s no question that the massive firebombing campaign was far more destructive than the atomic bombs.

The Summary Report did conclude, as you mention, that “in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war.”

But it also asserts that the atomic bombs sped up the surrender: “By using the urgency brought about through fear of further atomic bombing attacks, the Prime Minister found it possible to bring the Emperor directly into the discussions of the Potsdam terms.”

Time to drop a truth bomb. Japan was on its knees and wanted to surrender, 

After the Hiroshima attack, the majority of Japan’s supreme war council refused to accept the Potsdam Declaration, i.e., the terms for unconditional surrender.

After the Nagasaki bombing and just hours before Emperor Hirohito’s noontime radio broadcast announcing the Japanese surrender, a military coup was attempted, during which the rebels seized control of the Imperial Palace and burned Prime Minister Suzuki’s residence.

You are telling only part of the story. Oppenheimer was an advocate of the A-bombs use up to Hiroshima. But after the results of Hiroshima were known, and the second one was dropped on Nagasaki Oppenheimer completely reversed his position and became vocal against the use of A-bombs. 

“But I am not confident, as of today, that a better course was then open.”

Did you see the date of the CBS News interview with Oppenheimer? 1965. That’s 20 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Nothing in this world justifies to evaporate 2 cities full of innocent people..

Be careful what you wish for.

The impact of the massive firebombing campaign and atomic bombs was that Japan surrendered in August. If Japan didn’t surrender in August, the Soviets would have invaded. And the Americans would then have invaded too, and Japan would have been carved up — just like Germany and the Korean Peninsula eventually were. And the other thing that would have happened is that millions of Japanese would have starved to death that winter — because surrendering in August gave MacArthur time to come in with his occupation forces and feed Japan.

Yes, nuclear weapons are awful, but most of Japan’s residents would have had a radically different future if those bombs had not been used and the nation had not resultantly surrendered in August.

And after she threw the mic, her song vocals strangely continued through the speakers. Perhaps the concertgoer was troubled to be paying for lip-syncing.

https://www.newsweek.com/card-b-throwing-mic-fan-sparks-lip-syncing-debate-social-media-1816262

Many U.S. polls have indicated that some in the country believe the nuclear attacks on Japan were necessary to end the war.

Oppenheimer, himself, felt that way, didn’t he?

“The war had started in ‘39. It’d seen the death of tens of millions. It’d seen brutality and degradation, which had no place in the middle of the 20th century. And the ending of the war by this means, certainly cruel, was not undertaken lightly. But I am not confident, as of today, that a better course was then open.” -- J. Robert Oppenheimer, CBS News interview, 1965, when asked whether dropping the bomb on Japan was necessary

Shohei Ohtani homered on the first pitch he faced in Friday night's game between the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays

Including the game score somewhere in this article would be nice, don't you think?

Nikki Haley’s call for mental competency tests for politicians older than 75 is starting to appear wiser with the recent mental stumbles by McConnell, Feinstein, and Biden.

The 51-year-old former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador appears to be one of the few level-headed candidates for U.S. president.

I have doubts that he can take care of children.

He apparently has had no issues raising his 7-year-old daughter. I find it sad that this mother has heartlessly separated the siblings.