Dave Fair comments

JapantimeToday 07:15 am JST

I wonder what country she is from. It sounds like she is a drug user that overdosed on her drugs

the woman was found unconscious at around 6:40 a.m. Saturday, I'm assuming August 12th. Nothing says she had overdosed on the day of her arrest on July 6th or afterwards or that she was under the influence of a drug at any time. Are you also insiuating that this woman must be a foreigner because only they would use illegal drugs and Japaneses would not?

Maybe it's just me but being detained over a month for violation of the Stimulant Drugs Control Act seems excessive and may have more to do with her death than the drugs she was accused of possessing. Just been in Japan 30 years and have read enough stories of what detainees endure during their detentions/interrogations (confession extractions). Seems that an independent body should be conducting an investigation in such a case, not a potential participant in the death.

Hayashi was quoted by police as saying she hated her husband and mother-in-law because of their attitude toward her mother.

Maybe the police when reporting this story to the media could go one tiny itsy bitsy step further and tell us what hating her husband and mother-in-law had to do with trying to murder her 2 year-old daughter! Because that is the very first question that comes to mind for ANYONE reading this story. Another possible reason to that question is the patrolmen on scene never questioned the motive or had forgotten to ask, either equally perplexing!

I get the feeling the dog escaped rather than be around this miserable excuse of a man! Imagine what happens to it when the cops aren't around! As a dog owner I have little patience for animal abuse. When you are raised without kindness and a gentleness, one tends to be void of compassion and empathy.

In cases where people report that they are still being stalked, police will recommend offenders receive voluntary counseling at medical facilities or face arrest.

Why not have the Diet enact a law that allows the police to get a court order to attach a GPS location device, ie ankle bracelet, in cases where stalkers do not stop, a 3-strike rule per-say. The stalker is warned that if the behavior does nor cease that a court order will be sought to attach a GPS location device on their person and that a system will alert the police if they enter into an established perimeter of the victim, their residence, place of employment, etc. as requested.

The police can additionally provide the victim, completely voluntarily, a GPS device that can be carried say on a key chain for example so that the system could alert officers to respond if the victim and stalker are in close proximity to one another outside the established zones.

This would let the stalker know that the police know where that individual is at all times and allow a rapid response by police if a violation occurs. In addition it might give some comfort to the victim knowing that the stalker is being monitored.

桜川雪July 28 12:52 pm JST

I don't get why parents without any visitation or custody should have to pay child support. If the other parent denies them access to their child, they should then be denied access to their money.

I think there is a very valid reason for adopting this and would in a way give the J-gov a little bit of cover, well better than they are currently viewed on the subject. I would make an exception where there is reasonable and substantiated evidence, not just claims, the parent seeking soul custody has been a victim and or children in some manner. If a parent asks the court to have soul custody and NO visitation rights what-so-ever then they must waive any spousal and child support or any other compensation.

I mean if the courts are going to soul custody without visitation rights then let that be the consequence. Maybe that would deter some, maybe not all that many but at least that's NOT going to be a second stab in the back for the parent who is on the losing end of the ruling.

englisc aspyrgendToday 07:27 am JST

He will still only be 49, perhaps a longer sentence so there is little of his life left on release would get the message across both to him and any wannabe copycats.

unfortunately he is beyond reform and prison life will only make him more jaded and spiteful than he already is! And as far as others are concerned, this story won't reach those others who may follow down this destructive path as they have no interest in what's happening around them to read the news and instead live in their own tiny little self indulgent universe!

During the trial, Hattori told the court he was so shocked when he learned that his girlfriend had married someone else only six months after they broke up that he decided to carry out the attack so he could end his life by receiving the death penalty

Had I been the judge in the case I would have factored that heavily into my decision and instead given him life in prison and away from the rest of society whom he obviously finds a joke! Well, 23 years ought to give him something to laugh about ya think!

She has now deprived her own 2 siblings from being able to not only see one another but the younger one from seeing her father as well. This NEVER ends well and permanently scars both children. These children will grow up one day and Ai Fukuhara will have to answer to both of them for what she has done, their own mother who is responsible for protecting them.

It seems a lot of people either slept through or skipped history classes or just didn't give a ****! If you have even just a slight recollection of recent history you would recall what happened to those who appease and capitulate to tyrants the likes of Hitler and surely the Europeans should be the last to forget the millions who perished due to the barbaric ambitions of a man who even took his own life rather than to surrender, to admit defeat and to negotiate a peaceful end to a war he himself started.

To those of you who say the Ukrainians ought to negotiate, that NATO and others who are assisting Ukraine militarily and/or financially ought to cease thereby forcing Ukraine into a surrender agreement, NOT a peace agreement as we know how fond Putin is of peace, go back and read about PM Neville Chamberlain and his policy of 'appeasement', read the Munich Agreement made between the United Kingdom, the French Republic, and Fascist Italy and Hitler in 1938 and how well that worked out for the UK, France and Italy or the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 also known as the Nazi-Soviet Pact, the diplomatic arrangement included a 10-year non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union and where that got the Soviet Union when the shoe was on the other foot and it was invaded by a foreign aggressor.

“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” - British statesman Winston Churchill

Project 5150 NumbskullToday 08:10 am JST

Ukraine is just defending its country m, as any of us would do if someone invaded our home!

It's extremely naive to still continue to believe this false narrative that sweet innocent Ukraine did absolutely nothing to encourage the invasion of their country.

As one of those people you say is "extremely naive to still believe this false narrative...", I would just like to know what Ukraine had done to "encourage the invasion of their country." Being naive as I apparently am, I'm curious what a country that isn't using force in any way, isn't acting aggressively towards, isn't actively or covertly trying to overthrow the leadership, the government or try to interfere in the stability of either deserves to be wiped off the planet as Putin has tried to do to Ukraine, not once but twice. And if your argument is that Ukraine had been pursuing NATO membership PRIOR to Russia's invasion of Crimea then what's your rational for Russia not invading Sweden or Finland when they were seeking membership, before Finland signed the NATO Accession Protocols? Both countries announced their intention to join NATO as a result of Russia invading Ukraine. Why didn't Russia at least get troops on their sovereign territory to block their NATO membership as under NATO charter, no country may join NATO that is in a military conflict and is the only reason stopping Ukraine from becoming a member? Being so naive apparently, I'm just looking for enlightenment.

While Putin is busy using drones and cruise missiles to destroy grain facilities and port infrastructure to support grain shipments as well as civilian housing complexes, train stations, schools and shopping malls Ukraine is targeting Russia's ammunition and fuel storage facilities and military sites. For those above who claim both sides are equivalent and are at fault lets be clear about one thing, Ukraine did not start this war nor did it provoke Russia! The Russian army invaded the soverign territory of Ukraine and lets be clear, this is Putin's war and history will call it just that. So what would you do if someone rushed onto your property, shot and killed your family members and intended to take over your house and land. Now, how would you feel if your friends and neighbors were to ask you to stop this nonsense, to make peace with these invaders, to let them have that parcel of land they had ILLEGALLY occupied and claimed for their own? What message are we sending to these invaders, to the world? What does it say about our neighbors who we had trusted and relied on in time of need that they now abandon you in this great adversity and struggle to exist?

starpunkToday 01:40 pm JST

And if I recall correctly, a Soviet robot lander brought back a moon sample in 1969, just before Apollo 11 landed the first people on the moon.

It was called Luna 15 and took place at the same time as the Apollo 11. It was thought to be a last ditch effort by the Soviet Union to return a lunar sample before the United States but due to technical problems, the mission failed and Luna 15 crashed on the lunar surface.

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1969-058A

starpunkToday 01:40 pm JST

And if I recall correctly, a Soviet robot lander brought back a moon sample in 1969, just before Apollo 11 landed the first people on the moon.

It was called Luna 15 and took place at the same time as the Apollo 11. It was thought to be a last ditch effort by the Soviet Union to return a lunar sample before the United States but due to technical problems, the mission failed and Luna 15 crashed on the lunar surface.

one_consciousnessToday 03:51 pm JST

Why was there water set high enough to scold?!

Isn't one of the first rules of having children in a home turning down the hot water (28°C–30°C).

Is that not a thing in Japan?

It is a thing in Japan, as in any society in the world. I think you are not understanding that this particular 25-year-old so-called man is not on the same morality level as 99.999% of humanity and the fact that the mother of the 3-year old "..*had consulted the local government in May of that year and alleged her boyfriend had been abusive to the child, but the city's consultation center concluded that the situation at the time did not warrant implementing protective measures.**" *seems to indicate that this IMHO murder had a penchant for torturing this little boy and in this particular case, torturing the boy to death. Seems that not only did the mother fail to protect her son, the city's consultation center did as well.

Japan space agency rocket explodes during engine test

Please fix the title JT, it is totally misleading. The engine was not attatched to the rocket structure, it was attached to an engine testing platform so no, no rocket exploded nor was any rocket body damaged since no rocket was present during the engine test.

U.N. human rights group to probe Johnny's agency sex abuse scandal

Seems that a different agency, maybe like the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, ought to be all over this, not a United Nations group?

The company set up an external special probe team to look into alleged sexual abuse by the founder and compile measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents

Again, maybe any probes into the alleged abuse ought to be conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, not the company accused of the alleged crimes? Of course I'm no expert but the fox investigating the chick coop raid seems fishy ya think?

literally no shame or empathy, zilch! This is where Ken Saitō, the Minister of Justice could have stepped in behind the scenes and put an end to this tragic saga.

The high court said there was a strong possibility that five pieces of blood-stained clothing that Hakamata allegedly wore during the incident had been planted by investigators.....

Seems the conclusion by the Tokyo High Court that evidence had been planted by investigators is just too much for prosecutors to bear, the greatest insult and must not be allowed to stand. Pride at the expense of justice and decency, what a shame Ministry of Justice!

this situation reminds me of a movie from decades ago, set in a small beach community called Amity Island. The story goes something like the police chief exposed a danger that existed off their beaches but the self-denying mayor was steadfast in cashing in on the tourist dollar in order to fill the towns coffers as a predator snatched the lives of those very tourists and those of that community. Nothing to be concerned about, go in the water and enjoy yourselves!

The man suffered minor injuries to his head, police said,.....

he suffered minor injuries which begs the question, why is this a national news story? Do you get the feeling stories like this are published in the "Crime" section or any section for that matter to give us a feeling of safety and harmony? Because if this is the worst national incident to happen on Saturday then I'm sleeping like a baby tonight without one eye open!

Until April 2022, welfare officials visited Arata’s home once a month and contacted his mother by phone. They claim that nothing suspicious was observed during the monthly visits.

Seems a monthly visit was a very poor choice. By the information above this mother should have been visited at least on a weekly basis and given some form of support.

Is it me or do most nursing home employees accused of assault on residents tend to be male?

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda has been taking a neutral stance on the yen's fall of late, calling it "positive for some sectors but negative for others."

Bank of Japan Governor Ueda left out one group that maybe maters the most, the heavy burden that has fallen across the citizens of Japan who are seeing costs rise on nearly everything from food, fuel, electricity bills and everything else needed by a household which in the end may come back to bite corporate profits and the economy when people start tightening their purse strings as a result!

The recruit told police,,,,,,,,,,

Seems odd that this investigation is not being spearheaded by the GSDF which undoubtedly has a criminal investigation division as well as it's own military court and is more familiar with military protocol and procedures than the local police or the National Police Agency.

"illegal stimulants", "suspicious powders" seems a slight bit vague! Are the Chiba Prefecture Police and Tokyo Customs unable to determine what specific "illegal stimulants" and "suspicious powders" they seized and are charging the accused with or is this information considered sensitive and being withheld?

he admitted hitting and kicking his brother in the head multiple times between October 2022 and April 26.

something tells me that that statement is slightly off the mark as that would be one lo.....ng, drawn-out beating!

Japan will do nothing that jeopardizes it's negotiations with Russia over the return of the islands of Habomai, Shikotan, Kunashiri and Etorofu in the northern territories. Sad fact of the matter is as long as Putin is in power that is NEVER going to happen, no matter how much seafood the Japanese import!

Why no mention of the woman's injuries? I mean, if the police were called there must have been something that required medical attention, a hospital visit with injuries requiring a certain period of recovery or at least bruising of some sort that supports an assult. It's strange that this wasn't even mentioned in the story.

"51-year-old man arrested for allegedly paying minor for sex"

is this really newsworthy at a national level?

The Metropolitan Police Department said it will review the ruling before deciding how to respond.

We all know how the MPD and Prosecutors Office will respond, by filing an appeal which will be far more expensive for the tax payers than to just accept the decision and take steps to prevent future reccurances.

Court orders retrial of 1966 quadruple murder case

unfortunately for this 87 year old the final result of any retrial will happen long after his passing as the prosecutors will appeal any favorable verdict to him up the judiciary chain, which will be slow walked and dragged out at every level.