Samit Basu comments

@MilesTeg

So a whopping 0.008% at Yasukuni were dumb, misguided Koreans. And?

Actually they were illegally conscripted soldiers and forced laborers.

@OssanJapan

South Korea is "showing interest"

Well, it's Yoon alone who's showing interest while the supermajority of Korean public are against it. And each one of Yoon's stunts simply cost him votes that leads to his inevitable impeachment.

This is why Japan will not have peace; Japanese rightwingers don't want peace.

But the sad thing is that Japan is falling way way behind China and Korea in arms race, and are poorly trained compared even to the PLA.

The US should have also closed the Yasukuni Shrine to prevent the worship of 13 A-class war criminals.

Unfortunately the US understanding of Japanese culture was severely lacking at that time, and now Japan's rightwingers go to Yasukuni to worship Tojo Hideki and Co instead.

@Agent_Neo

I wonder why 100% of Koreans do not oppose the release of Japan's treated water. Isn't there enough anti-Japanese education?

There are always traitors among general population, like Yoon.

China has the sovereign right to test all incoming Japanese seafood.

War time memory is alive and well in the US; this is the reason why non-Citizen Arabs weren't interned in the US in the aftermath of 9/11, because of the painful memory of the Japanese American internment which the US issued an official state apology and compensations for. While Arab American citizens couldn't be interned, non-Citizen Arabs(green card holders and students) could have been legally interned but the US chose not to.

Unfortunately, the same doesn't hold true for Japan, and Japanese students don't understand why the rest of Asia hates Japan so much.

@Agent_Neo

 it seems that they will not get much support from the public this time.

Fukushima radioactive waste water release is a winning issue for the Democratic party that will help to extend their supermajority in the next election.

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/27/1184267924/japan-south-korea-fukushima-nuclear-wastewater

According to a recent joint survey by South Korea's Hankook Ilbo and Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspapers, 84% of South Koreans disapproved of the release.

@konjo4u

China says their radioactive water is safer, even though it is more radioactive? That is nuts.

Chinese waste water is free of plutonium, cesium, strontium, ALPS processed Fukushima radioactive waste water is not.

This is why Fukushima radioactive waste water must not be released into sea, but evaporated to ensure no heavy radioactive element is released into nature.

It's not the tritium that's not the problem, but plutonium, cesium, strontium, etc.

@OssanJapan

The days of North Korea and China leading South Korea by the nose to suit themselves is over.

Things are looking extremely bad for Yoon's party in next year's general election.

Yoon's famed advisor leaked the ruling party's internal poll that the ruling party stand to lose 10 seats in next year's election minimum, and may actually fall below the impeachment blocking threshold. At which point the Democratic Party will impeach Yoon and force a new presidential election to take over the presidency.

The ruling party's former leader ousted by Yoon loyalists is saying the same thing on same day, that according to numbers he saw, the ruling party will fall below 100 seats out of 300 total, leading to Yoon's impeachment.

When asked which party they wish to see win the election, voters are responding 55% for the Democratic party, 35% for Yoon's party. Korean voters are tired of Yoon and want him gone ASAP.

When the Democratic party retakes the presidency, it's back to pre-2022, that is an all-out diplomatic war between Korea and Japan.

To be honest, Iran does have sovereign right to sell "legal" weapons, which is anything but the nuclear, chemical, or biological, and rockets and artillery shells fall in legal weapons category.

https://trendeconomy.com/data/h2/Japan/0301

Top export destinations of "Live fish." from Japan in 2022:

Korea with a share of 56% (78 million US$)

Other Asia, nes with a share of 8.2% (11.2 million US$)

China with a share of 7.7% (10.6 million US$)

USA with a share of 4.93% (6.79 million US$)

Indonesia with a share of 3.87% (5.33 million US$)

Vietnam with a share of 3.03% (4.16 million US$)

Thailand with a share of 2.44% (3.36 million US$)

United Kingdom with a share of 2.24% (3.08 million US$)

Netherlands with a share of 2.21% (3.04 million US$)

Germany with a share of 2.13% (2.93 million US$)

As long as Korea doesn't lift its ban, and not even Yoon can do it because that's an impeachment worthy crime in Korea, Japan's fish export won't recover.

But how can Japan help, deliver weapons to Taiwan?

If it's about financial or moral support, forget it.

@smithinjapan

If it doesn't paint Japan in a good light

Which is sad, because Oppenheimer is being called Nolan's best film to date.

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/oppenheimer-best-film-century-paul-schrader-1235672941/

‘Oppenheimer’ Is the ‘Best’ and ‘Most Important Film of This Century,’ Raves Paul Schrader: ‘This One Blows the Door Off the Hinges’

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/oppenheimer-review-the-best-film-christopher-nolans-ever-made

‘Oppenheimer’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Devastating, Explosive Magnum Opus

The three-hour biopic about the so-called father of the atomic bomb is a technical, visual, and storytelling achievement. It’s also the best film of both Nolan’s career and 2023.

Things are not looking good for Toyota in the long term.

The US EV market share in 1st half of 2023.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/07/ev-sales-hyundai-overtakes-gm-but-teslas-us-dominance-continues.html

1) Tesla 336,892 259,790 30%

2) Hyundai-Kia 38,457 34,518 11%

3) General Motors 36,322 7,820 365%

4) Volkswagen 26,538 12,424 114%

5) Ford 25,709 22,979 12%

Hyundai is no. 2 even though it's the only EV vendor out of top 5 to NOT benefit from the $7,500 federal EV tax credit due to the wording of the Inflation Reduction Act that restricts EVs assembled in the US, Canada, and Mexico to benefit even though the KORUS FTA is supposed to treat Korean automakers the same as US domestic automakers in terms of benefits. Hyundai manages to hold onto its US EV market share through sheer competitiveness of its product without the $7,500 federal tax credit, where Hyundai EVs are frequently rated to be superior to Teslas by auto journalists.

So when Hyundai's US EV plants are set to go online in 2025, Hyundai's US EV market share is expected to explode.

Now, where are the Japanese in the US EV market share ranking? Well they don't rank at all, making US press to ask if the Japanese have given up on the US market as they will have no future 10 years from today. And that indeed appears to be the case with Mazda.

https://thedriven.io/2023/08/02/mazda-in-reverse-gear-as-it-discontinues-ev-in-favour-of-hybrids/

Mazda in reverse gear as it discontinues EV in favour of hybrids

Japanese automaker Mazda is discontinuing the MX-30 electric SUV in the United States, less than two years after the company launched the electric crossover with only a 35.5kWh battery.

So unpopular has the Mazda MX-30 EV been, that it appears only to have been sold in California and saw only 66 units sold so far this year.

@sakurasuki

Discussing about what? China?

Normally it's about weapons purchase due to Saudi desire to diversity from "unreliable" (from Saudi perspective) US, except that there is nothing for Saudi to buy from Japan.

@Rodney

Aren’t we threatening them.

Japan is the weakest country among North Korea's immediate neighbors, so threatening Japan carries the least amount of risk for North Korea.

This is why North Korea's missiles always fly toward Japan, but not toward to China and the ROK.

@deanzaZZR

What does India produce that Japanese consumers want?

Curry powder? Duh.

Oh never mind, the WTO kosher ban is from Chiba to Aomori, not Ibaraki to Aomori.

@sakurasuki

using WTO as their tools.

WTO guarantees that all countries can choose to ban Japanese food imports sourced from Ibaraki to Aomori prefecture indefinitely.

Japan's only chance in reversing this ban is if the other country expands its food import ban beyond Ibaraki-Aomori line. But as long as the ban stays within Ibaraki-Aomori, the ban is kosher with the WTO.

@OssanJapan

 North Korea will use the WWIII scenario to invade South Korea.

Kim has no death wish, because that's the fastest way to commit suicide. The North Korean nukes are to deter the ROK's preemptive invasion of North Korea.

https://breakingdefense.com/2023/07/hanwha-defeats-rheinmetall-for-5-7-billion-aussie-infantry-fighting-vehicle-deal/

Hanwha defeats Rheinmetall for $5-7 billion Aussie infantry fighting vehicle deal - Breaking Defense

SYDNEY — Australia moved to further cement its increasingly close ties with South Korea, awarding artillery giant Hanwha a $5-7 billion AUD ($3.38 billion US) contract for infantry fighting vehicles meant to replace the country’s ancient M113 fleet.

Why steal them? I wouldn't eat them even if given to me for free, seeing they are from Fukushima.

@factchecker

Zero mention of this on NHK tonight. Guess Japan aren't in it so they couldn't be bothered.

Japan is competing. The first match is on Saturday against Zambia.

Australia and New Zealand are too far away from major population centers to sell tickets.

Interesting, a Japanese diplomat was attacked in Portland the liberal heaven and not some rural area?

In case you don't get the context, Oregon is a liberal city mashed together with Trump-voting red state conservatives put together that tend to elect liberals due to Portland's population advantages.

Oregon rural voters are so furious they want to leave Oregon to join Idaho.

Every country should do this. A blanket total ban of seafood import from Japan is the best solution, but since that’s not possible(WTO allows a partioa ban from Aomori to Iwate prefecture) require radiation testing on all Japanese seafood in order to deter seafood importers from importing from Japan and look for alternative sources, preferrably from the Atlantic ocean.

The reason for this is that lots of Fukushima area seafood is shipped to other prefectures to be labeled as having caught from there to bypass the import ban.

@EFD

Mazdas are fun to drive and very reliable. 

But Mazda makes the worst EVs around, worse than even the Chinese EVs.

 but they design such enjoyable cars, I think that there is a place for them in the market.

The US government is jacking up the emissions standard to choke ICE vehicles out of market. Japanese automaker's days are numbered, the sole exception being Honda which decided to adopt a foreign EV platform(GM/LG Ultium) to transition to EV rapidly.

Yes, it's not a total ICE ban in the US like the EU's ban, but the US is trying to drive ICE vehicles out of existence by raising the cost of making them above that of an EV.

https://electrek.co/2023/07/11/ev-laggards-toyota-stellantis-oppose-proposed-emissions-rules/

EV laggards Toyota and Stellantis complain about proposed EPA emissions rules

Toyota and Stellantis, two of the world’s largest automakers with a history of opposing an all-electric future, filed complaints with the US government as the EPA finalizes its 2027-2032 proposed emissions standards to slash air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/04/12/biden-auto-emissions-rules-climate/

Biden to remake U.S. auto industry with toughest emissions limits ever

Proposed rules could lead to 67 percent of all car and truck sales being EVs by 2032, EPA says, but some automakers are wary of the timeline

A total ban on import of Japanese seafood is the only way to restore consumer faith in local fish markets.

As long as Japanese imports are allowed, there will be doubts lingering in the minds of local Hong Kong consumers and this destroys fish market.

Too late. First Mitsubishi, Next is Mazda. Japan's auto industry will be mostly gone by 2040.

We are talking 450 mile range mass-market EVs from Hyundai/Kia by 2025. There is no way Japanese can catch up to this.

https://www.verdict.co.uk/mitsubishi-motors-halts-production-as-sales-plummet/

Mitsubishi Motors halts production in China as sales plummet

Mitsubishi's case demonstrates Japanese automakers are failing to keep up with China’s rapid electric vehicle transition.

Japanese car manufacturer, Mitsubishi Motors has halted production in China indefinitely. The announcement came after Mitsubishi said it planed to cut staff following plummeting sales.

The Japanese car manufacturing market is failing to keep pace with China’s rapid electric vehicle (EV) transition.

The chief executive of Mazda, Masahiro Moro previously warned that heightened competition in the largest global EV market would mean “only the strongest will survive”, according to the Financial Times.

And Japantoday deleted this news link the other day.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews/a44287146/hyundai-ioniq-5-n-drive-nurburgring-autobahn/

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Is the Best Performance EV We've Driven

We drive a prototype of Hyundai’s game-changing performance EV at the Nürburgring and the Autobahn.