Sam Watters comments

Where in Hokkaido? I live in Hokkaido and have heard….nor felt, thank god….anything.

Was Ai Fukuhara a guest speaker?

@Bob Fosse. You beat me to it! Perhaps it’s time to have a “summit” for foreign men who have their children taken from them by Japanese women.

My university scheduled its monthly staff meetings to be on Premium Friday stating that after the meeting would be a great time to go out for a drink. True story.

I really think the ISPS could have found a much more qualified….and far less expensive….person to talk about “sports,” “community” and, most of all, philanthropy!

The amount of energy expended over a minuscule yet vocal (and some would say “obnoxious) part of our society just boggles the mind.

"Barbie", which stars Margot Robbie in the title role, recently grossed $800 million in global box office, helped in part by a viral "Barbenheimer" meme that paired the film with a biopic of nuclear bomb scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer that opened at the same time

Am I reading this right? Did the author suggest that this “Barbenheimer” meme was a significant reason that the Barbie movie grossed over three quarters of a billion dollars? And if so, why? I saw the rather weak meme…Barbie in the car with a guy against a background of fire….and while I figured out the reference (I am old and know some history), I doubt many young Japanese people could and certainly do not understand how it would compel people to see what is most likely going to be a silly movie…

If you stole my MyNumber card right now and even if you rightly guessed my PIN, you would at best be able to get a some forms from the convenience store machine such as a 住民票. So you would know my address. Oh no, it's the end of the world!

It might be when someone gets a hold of your personal information and uses it to obtain a credit card and runs up a lot of debt or perpetrates some other form of ID theft. Jesus, David, relax! Few people are saying scrap the system; most of us are just against the pre-set date for implementation made by Taro Konno and his ilk before the bugs are worked out. Obviously My Number will be a part of our future but it needs some work before it is.

There have been, what, a few thousand data breaches amongst the tens of millions of cards issued? It’s no big deal.

Except when you are one of those few thousand and you have lost money or worse and then it is a big deal.

Strange, awkward photo…

If the customer followed the clerk to the back of the store, then the customer is at fault. If the clerk dragged the customer to the back room….highly unlikely….then the clerk is to blame.

I have yet to see the Japanese government do anything that was efficiently well-run, not rife with corruption and prone to gaffes and leaks. Now this same gaggle of bumbling fools want to decide when I can access my money! Nooooo waaaaaay!

Can I get some dressing for that word salad?

Shouldn’t the main charge be kidnapping?

Many of the same people riled up by trans using public restrooms were also offended back when women were given separate train cars in the morning.

Also, it’s not necessarily the men who are riled up. It’s the women who are getting riled. The men are just protecting the women against certain men who want to impose their will on women in the name of inclusion.

Many of the same people riled up by trans using public restrooms were also offended back when women were given separate train cars in the morning.

Total nonsense.

When I was three years old and wanted to have chocolate cake and soda for breakfast and my parents objected, I accused them of “hating”me. Unfortunately so many “activists” associated with the trans movement have around the same reasoning ability as I did when I was three. Every time they don’t get their way about anything, they cry “racist,” “bigot,” “hate” or “phobic.” Whatever….You cannot become a women by simply identifying as one any more than one can change their race or age by wishing to be something they are not. Men do not menstruate, men do not give birth to babies and no amount of foot-stomping will change that. Should a person who was born a man be allowed to live as a woman? To the point that it does not infringe on the rights of others, namely women, yes. But women have a right to enter a restroom or locker room, etc. and do their business without a biological male present. The number of assaults on women in these places by men dressed as women is increasing. This fact cannot be intelligently denied but is often emotionally protested. Please note that I directed my ire at“activists.” I believe the vast majority of transgender people simply wish to live their lives as the gender they choose but also realize that others also have rights. “Yuko” is one example. Yuko is a biological man who lives as a woman and is accepted in our circle for the person and friend Yuko is. Yuko never uses the men’s restroom as Yuko does not feel comfortable undressing in the presence of men but Yuko does not use the women’s restroom, either, as Yuko understands that other women are not comfortable with a biological male in this particular place. I believe the majority of trans people are like Yuko; they just want to live their lives but also have a healthy respect for the rights of others. Perhaps certain “activists” and potential sexual predators should take note.

The video doesn’t lie: We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your children.

https://youtu.be/xm08CkYoL2U

I don’t know if Tom Bach is aware of this continued saga of fraud and villainy tarnishing the good name of the Olympics, but he will by the time he arises in the morning. Article forwarded to a good friend who knows him well

I’m sure he does and equally sure he doesn’t care as long as the money train keeps rolling. His greatest frustration now is that the Chinese….er…I mean…the Japanese (remember that gaffe?) might not take the Winter Olympics in a few years because of all the corruption that is coming to light.

Lake Shikotsuko which is In Hokkaido in between Chitose and Tomakomai. Gorgeous lake with cold, clean water! Enjoy swimming, kayaking and fishing! Be sure to enjoy a nice trout meal while there!

No country steals information like China. Period.

I would march, too, if it meant getting some food and not being shot.

"There were dozens of fintech start-ups when I entered university, but many have disappeared over the past two years after the government tightened rules governing the sector," she said.

Communistic economies in a nutshell. I sincerely feel for these young people.

The man has:

Banned a lovable cartoon character because he was butthurt people likened their faces.

Made a female tennis player disappear because she accused a right hand cabinet member of sexual harassment.

Changed the ending of Fight Club, where it cuts to black, and says "the terrorist plan didn't work, and the police promptly arrested everyone involved."

Controlled the entirety of the internet, and everything anyone ever does on it.

Forced people into extremely low standard-of-living covid shacks where people were locked inside for weeks on end.

Excellent post! All true!

Of course bureaucrats are satisfied with their jobs! Nice pay, every national holiday plus weekends off! Every department is overstaffed which makes it easy to take extra personal days off ( which many of them do). The office closes at 5:00pm sharp and little is done after that.

Legal sanctions are never apportioned due to the severity of the crime, but the socioeconomic influence of the criminal.

Very well put!

Like so many have wisely pointed out, there are many, many obstacles that need to crossed before young people even begin to think about having children. In addition to the ones already mentioned I would add (1) the government’s endless catering to the elderly and (2) the expectation of the women to look after the parents in their old age, The former is relatively easier to solve than the latter but I doubt the government has the will to attempt either.

Please note that less than 24 hours ago there was an article on this website in which the Chinese were asking for talks that could lead to increased peace and stability. Now the CCP is making threats. Take note: the CCP cannot be trusted.

There are few things in Japan that can be described as “ efficient.” My Number is just another level of bureaucracy to inflate employment numbers as well as increase government control over your personal information…..information that will be made available to friends of said government. I will believe the streamline argument when I hear that government departments that were supposed be replaced by My Number are phased out and citizens given a tax break. I won’t hold my breath.

This is typical of Japan in regard to crisis: little ability to predict and prepare for danger and then massive over-reaction when danger occurs.

Will these new laws apply to both men and women? How about foreigners? I just completed my divorce from a woman that makes the devil look like a saint. You would not believe how lopsided the rulings were. Laws were flat-out ignored when they favored me and news laws and interpretations were created when they benefited her. If you are a foreign man and married to a Japanese woman, you will get ZERO support from the Japanese court system. Take any “improvement” from the Japanese family courts with a grain of salt.