KazukoHarmony comments

Unfortunately it looks like Sweden were the stronger team

Why would that be “unfortunate.”

In fact, Sweden was the stronger team. Indeed, Sweden was the stronger team.

The most recent tiara, crafted for Aiko’s cousin Princess Kako in 2013, cost 27.93 million yen, and the 2010 piece made for then-princess Mako was 28.56 million yen, so if a tiara were to be made for Aiko, it likely would be of a similar cost.

Nice of the Imperial Household Agency to want to appear to be considerate of hard economic times. But wasn’t the economy worse in 2010 (Lehman Shock Recovery) and 2013 (Earthquake & Tsunami Recovery)?

Los Angeles is the only host city that realized a profit from the games, mostly because the required infrastructure already existed, according to “The Economics of Hosting the Olympic Games” by the Council on Foreign Relations.

Tokyo has all that new infrastructure created for the 2020/2021 games. Since the city did not get much benefit from those games, perhaps it should launch a “low-cost, for-profit bid.”

If we can virtually guarantee a profit, I would support a bid. But only if a profit would be nearly certain.

By abducting her 4-year-old son, Ms. Fukuhara has essentially abandoned her 7-year-old daughter in Taiwan. And I doubt she adequately thought this through to realize that consequence.

Fukuhara was basically raised to play table tennis. She always had a temper and didn’t handle stress well.

She was raised in an environment that tolerated her poor behavior, and she likely did not receive an education that stimulated introspection.

As a result, we now have a 34-year-old “adult” behaving badly.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has set tackling the declining births as one of his top policy goals and pledged to secure annual funding of about 3.5 trillion yen ($25.2 billion) over the next three years.

Experts say the proposed low-birth measures are mostly additional funding for existing ones and don’t address underlying problems.

If the experts are correct, that’s 3.5 trillion yen down the drain each of the next three years.

"The scarcity of female engineers is absolutely unnatural when you consider that women account for half of society," said Mitsubishi Heavy human resources official Minoru Taniura.

The scarcity of female engineers seems rather natural to me when, only 30 years ago, companies like Mitsubishi Heavy would not hire women for career-track jobs because those companies felt women were more likely to quit working after having children.

Taniura-san obviously doesn’t know the company history!

This ruling also implies that male bodied people should be permitted to use female area in the onsens.

Most women in Japan would likely not be comfortable in a hot spring with a naked unfamiliar transgender woman (born male).

Stupid kid, but he's a kid.

Exactly. And that is what we should keep in mind.

How many of us engaged in ridiculously moronic behavior as teens? That’s generally what teens do; they often behave poorly.

Answer: Education, mentoring, coaching

Very perceptive comment, @sakurasuki!

Just remember that person who carried that crime on July last year, he never at law enforcement list at all. He just remained quiet, until he really carried attack. 

On the other hand innocent lawful people that show their dissent will be subject for more scrutiny and being followed as if they are real criminal, even they don't have any intent at all.

Is Yoyogi best served by having five adjacent stadiums/grounds? I don’t think so.

The land currently has two Jingu stadiums, a rugby stadium, and a rubber-ball baseball ground located adjacent to the new National Stadium. Those “three stadiums + rubber-ball baseball ground” will become one stadium, bringing the area total to two. Open space will increase from 21% to 44%, greenery percentage will increase from 25% to 30%. And the vista of the ginkgo-lined street will be preserved for the formation of a shady green pedestrian space.

Sure, the wealthy users of the Gaien Tennis Club may not be happy for the temporary construction around them. But Tokyoites overall benefit.

Review the plan yourself: https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/english/topics/2023/documents/0206_01_01b.pdf

The decision came as Nissan tries**** to gain more independence from Renault, which currently holds an over 40 percent stake in the Japanese company.

The departure of Gupta, announced earlier this month, surprised many in the industry as he was seen as a candidate for future Nissan CEO. Infighting among its executives is said to be behind his decision to leave the company.

"Nissan is always plagued with scandals," said a 73-year-old shareholder from Tokyo who attended the annual meeting. "I wonder if its corporate governance is really functioning."

Gives credence to Ghosn’s claim of Nissan “weaponizing the legal system to change management.”

Pull-and-pray is what it is desigend for. 

Perhaps “oops” is what it’s designed for.

Title: Male nurse arrested

Police in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, have arrested a 25-year-old male nurse 

Why is the nurse’s gender of importance? If the nurse were not male, would it be mentioned?

…. reporting that a man was "brandishing a knife" inside a train …

This report was apparently exaggerated. The man was not holding or waving any knives in an aggressive or excited way, according to the report. So he likely wasn’t “brandishing” anything.

I greatly sympathize with Ghosn for the abuse he and Greg Kelly (and their wives) clearly endured in the government’s last-ditch effort to prevent a foreign entity from taking a controlling stake in one of Japan’s Big Three automakers.

He was such a pushover they called Biden a liar

A pushover who does not want to appear to be a pushover is still a pushover. The U.S. got what they wanted.

Just what the LDP fears — the Japanese public realizing that Kishida is a pushover because the military expansion the public doesn’t want was pushed on them by the Americans.

Why the spin?

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Headline: Wages finally rising in Japan

Article: … a government survey of companies with five or more employees found real wages fell 3% from a year earlier in April, marking the 13th straight month of declines.

Why should JR, a private company, subsidize visitor travel?

AGREE!

Should visitors pay less for taxis? How about meals?

John-SanToday  07:55 am JST

It was because of the poor pronouncation by the Americans that turned Hiroshima into two names. 

John-san, the word “Hiroshima” often comes out of the mouths of native Japanese stressed two different ways.

girl_in_tokyoToday  07:58 am JST

This just tells me you really, really want to ride in a crowded train carriage with women. That's not suss at all.

It is “suss” for a woman to ride in a women-only train carriage?

"There can be no discrimination that is just," the group said in a statement this week, …

Women-only train carriages?

Title: Golden Week holiday crowds up 95% in Japan’s major cities

Crowds in 95 percent of major cities in Japan during the Golden Week holiday period increased from a year ago

Title issues. Crowds were not up 95%. Crowds increased — perhaps 1%, 2%, 3%, etc. — in 95% of major cities.

Moderator: Thanks for pointing that out. The headline has been corrected.

Of the 53 percent in favor (of amending Article 9), 75 percent cited the changing global security environment including North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, Chinese military expansion and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

I’m not sure I want to support those who profit from military expansion, i.e., those who benefit from fear, apprehension, suspicion, and anxiety over North Korea and China.

There's actually 13 people in the photo .

5 people can be seen wearing masks.

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Actually 12 in the photo.

Four clearly wearing masks. Five clearly not.

Oh, look what COVID has done to us! A segment celebrates those fearfully clutching to their masks. A segment celebrates those carefreely returning to life without.

She is one of a small group of young women being offered mentoring and money by the Murakami Family Foundation to help break into a political scene that remains utterly dominated by men.

Perhaps it might be better to target women in the 40-65 age group for mentoring. Voters likely select candidates who have similar values. In Japan, the median age is nearly 50. The median voter age is likely around 60.

Logic and common sense always wins in the end. 

Japan is about to explode with tourists! We need it that’s for sure!

We need an explosion of tourists??? Having traveled to a number of cities throughout Japan over the past month, I would argue that we already have plenty.

Kindergarten operating hours are from 10-15 or 9-17

That child is far too young for kindergarten, which educates children from age 3. Newborns to pre-school aged children (basically ages 0 to 6) can be placed in daycare.

Biden opponents

Cheer more guns, less choice

I cheer “No thank you.”

DeSantis has sought to transform Florida into a laboratory of conservative policy -- easing restrictions on guns, tightening access to abortion, …

More guns, less choice. No thank you.