BertieWooster comments

Boeing again! Anyone who still has shares in this luckless airline should sell them fast!

Or, they could slash the number of government employees and cut useless public works projects. There are many ways to save money. A bit of austerity would work well!

Japan's criminal justice system is known for its high conviction rate, often exceeding 99%.

I thought it was "innocent until proven guilty." No?

Boeing . . .

Why are there massive tariffs only on rice? Japan should put tariffs on all foodstuffs coming into the country to encourage domestic production. Japan currently imports some 70% of its food. A very dangerous situation.

Boeing really aren’t doing too well recently, are they?

Roads should be so clearly marked that there shouldn't be any question about which way to go. There isn't time when you are driving to puzzle out anything that isn't completely obvious. It's got to be so clear that even if the driver's mind is only half way on the job, he or she gets it immediately.

And while they are about it, they need to do something about the dreadful chome/banchi system. Nobody understands it and even if it is on an electric pole and not obscured by an ad or a photo of a lost pet, it's so small as to be invisible to a driver.

The other downside about traffic lights is the enormous expense required to install and maintain them.

"Traffic lights may cost anywhere from $80,000 to more than $500,000 for purchase and installation. The annual power and regular maintenance cost an extra $5,000 to $10,000."

https://www.highwayherodrivingacademy.com/post/what-is-the-cost-of-a-traffic-light

Also, after a big typhoon in Okinawa, there is usually a power cut. Traffic lights are out with the power, but roundabouts are unaffected.

Japan has a lot to answer for!

The Abe government was totally useless at this critical time. At the beginning of the pandemic, there were no masks available. When this finally got sorted out and it was possible to get masks, at enormous public expense, Abe had these tiny, dirty and useless masks sent to each home in the country. The LDP has a lot to account for.

At many intersections, traffic lights could be replaced by roundabouts. They are much safer and much more economical.

While the U.S.A. blusters, bullies and encircles China with its bases, China mostly ignores the U.S.A. and carries on trading, raking in the profits, laughing all the way to the bank!

Starbucks? Are people actually going there and buying that garbage?

Apple will get AI. And when they do, be sure that it will work perfectly on all Apple devices. It takes time.

If someone is determined to kill, it's unlikely state violence is going to stop them. And retribution isn't going to make the victims happy in the long run.

That's so right. Corporal punishment isn't going to deter someone who's under the control of some part of their mind and retribution never makes anyone happy.

The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning has been spotted in the vicinity of Japan's easternmost island in the Pacific

So what?

The US has surrounded China with bases.

Why is "Ghibli" pronounced "jibli"? The "h" makes it a hard "g". "Spaghetti," isn't pronounced "spajetti," is it?

Such a pity that psychology and psychiatry can do little more than recognise the condition.

In the meantime, Trump is going to continue supplying Ukraine with arms?

Plenty of other countries. The U.K. is a good choice.

The first thing that got me interested in Japan about 50 years ago was a series of Kurosawa films that was shown at the university in London where I was studying. These were masterpieces, Rashomon, Yojimbo, Tsubaki Sanjuro, Akahige, and the magnificent Seven Samurai. If it hadn't been for these movies, I might not have come to Japan.

The Otoko wa tsurai yo! series and anything by Kurosawa and Itami Juzo. Wonderful movies!

Good to see that someone has some sense. Tariffs have nothing to do with defence spending.

So they want to have their cake and eat it!

Taxis are not easily available in Okinawa, at least not everywhere. Several times I've tried to call a taxi and been told that there are no available cars. Apparently there is a shortage of drivers.

The simplest way to do it is to have street names and house numbers, or distance markers. Like the rest of the planet. The chome/banchi system just doesn't work. And this Post Office grand plan will help deliveries, but it won't help people find their way around.

OK. Time to leave. Trump says it's not fair. He's right. What with huge weapons sales and free rent and support for their bases Japan has been ripped off by the U.S.A. right royally. And the US military constantly involved in hit and run, rape, fights and so forth. The US should pay their way or get out, preferably the latter.

The U.S.A., the world's greatest democracy?

This is sarcasm, right?

I cannot see Trump's reasoning behind this. He is making enemies. The foreign students at Harvard are future allies, ambassadors. If he wants to make America great again, he should be pulling in more foreign students, not shutting them out.