Daninthepan comments

Did it take them 8 months to arrest him? How many times has he done it since?

Those with permanent resident visas can pretty much do what they want without notifying immigration, except to leave Japan and retain your visa on return you need to apply for a re-entry permit.

Re-entry visas were phased out about 10 years ago. (As far as I know).

Good to see a country giving it a go rather than sticking with dogma. Personally ambivalent on the debate but, if your country needs it (and Japan doesn't), I'm big fan of try it, if it works good stuff, if not, tweak it, if still doesn't work, give it up.

"It's in my blood. Always has been. If I was told to go on a suicide mission, I would go," she said.

Don't tempt me.

A honey-trap gone wrong. They probably just intended to take his money but the violence escalated.

Wont anybody think of the testicles !!!

I'd rather not.

My lessons were bad but I can't see how it hindered my progress.

purchasing $325,000 worth of baseball cards

Man's ability to get addicted to dumb stuff will never run out.

A slap in the face to single mums all across the globe.

There is no way she will not be tormented and chased to the grave for the rest of her life by the ghosts of these tortured cats. This is Japan.

Hard to understand how anyone let alone a 61-year-old lady could push anyone out of a car while driving. Having said that, I'm so scared of my ex that if she told me to jump, I probably would.

Tragedy - poor kid. To have your life ruined by one person and be powerless to do anything about it until you've lost yours and all the lives of those around you are ruined because the few with the power to do something wouldn't listen/take action.

He's a monster but this shouldn't have been allowed to happen.

And no again.

No, no, no!

A survey by Ipsos MORI indicated that 55% of Japanese adults were neutral on commercial whaling, 14% opposed it, and only 11% supported it . Notably, the same survey found that "virtually nobody fears Japan's cultural identity would suffer greatly were whaling to stop."

Great picture by "witness/Kyodo"

I might frame that picture to remind me never to return home.

(My heart bleeds)

Why is politics the only job you don't have to have a clue what you are talking about in order to get the job?

Wearing a ring is one possibility.

he hopes to capture some "beautiful and unique" photos

0/2 there then.

made 8 million yen by reselling smartphones

Who's buying them?

Well done Mr. Nepalese man. You are lucky it was just a finger wound and I hope you recover physically and mentally quickly.

Hope he's okay. Pretty sure he didn't deserve a knife in the back.

@smithinjapan

All the points you make are valid, although relatively speaking i.e. in terms of other developed countries, Japan doesn't hold a candle to places like America, New Zealand, UK etc for DV although I don't know the stats for parricide, I feel Japan doesn't come out much worse if at all.

Do I think more could be done? Of course and the examples you gave resonate deeply.

Just to put some context here: my original message was in reply to a particularly tasteless comment which the admins have thankfully taken down. I have no issue with what smithinjapan is saying and agree there are structural failures in this society leading to some brutal, unnecessary outcomes.

Surely the story here is Shinkansen hits person, body part recovered. Not, trains delayed.

The famous Japanese saying is:

「富士山に二度登る馬鹿」

(Fujisan ni nido noboru baka)

It literally means "A fool climbs Mount Fuji twice."

Girls fallen by the wayside in a brutal education system that leaves you feeling inept and useless for any other station in life unless you can study and stay awake for 13 hours a day is a questionable collateral damage.

Sure, not all in this demographic choose this path, but if your only other choice is to marry an overworked, bullied ogre holding all the cards, it's not hard to see why many do.

Assuming they are not fake of any particular person (not clear in the article), who is the victim here?

One of the greatest feelings I ever had was getting up and walking out halfway through a group interview by an obnoxious Japanese boss asking odious personal questions to everyone in the group. It was the day before my wedding and all the other candidates around the table started saying "Good luck with the wedding, Dan..."

So, if you are a foreigner living in Japan, the laws in your country of citizenship will govern.

Worth pointing out that if you are a foreigner living in Japan for more than 5 years, you are considered a resident for tax purposes and are therefore liable for any inheritance you receive in your home country under the Japanese tax system. (Although you are allowed to reduce that amount by the amount you have already paid in your own country).