Simon Foston comments

Meanwhile the Trump administration is coming out with this kind of thing:

The White House deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, called out what he termed Zelenskyy’s “impertinence” and described the showdown as “one of the great moments in the history of American diplomacy”.

“Millions of American hearts swelled with overflowing pride today to watch President Trump put Zelenskyy in his place,” Miller said, without elaborating on what public opinion information he had to justify that belief.

It sounds like stuff they'd write in Pravda about Stalin in 1938.

Aoi AzuuriToday  06:32 pm JST

Despite heavy national burden like welfare countries and largest tax revenue, this 2025 draft budget what drastic reducing medical spending will more deprive opportunities of necessary treatments from many patients and more deteriorate conditions of care workers is still inhumane.

There seems to be quite a lot of unecessary treatment going on too, e.g. for people who go to the doctor's whenever they catch a cold. I don't suppose doctors running private practices mind that too much because they get the money whether it's necessary or not.

HopeSpringsEternalToday  12:40 pm JST

...so it now seems very likely Zelenskyy might have to step down.

Why, is that what they're saying in Ukraine? Or is it being fed to the MAGA echo chamber by the FSB and pro-Kremlin online troll farms?

bass4funkToday  07:40 am JST

That’s what you should be asking.

You love to declare no one dictates to you what to say. I'm not interested in what anyone says I should ask.

bass4funkToday  07:19 am JST

.. if Zelenskyy doesn’t like the deal, Trump can walk away, this guy wants to piss off the man that is trying to help him...

Help him with what, exactly? Agreeing to everything that Putin wants?

SpeedFeb. 28  11:10 pm JST

Jesus, talk about the need to drain the swamp. Maybe we need another McArthur to come in and put everyone in their places.

Actually he kind of already did that and this is what Japan's ended up with. Shinzo Abe would never have been prime minister if someone hadn't decided his grandfather was too useful to keep locked up or have hanged.

sakurasukiToday  07:03 am JST

Since no single majority, so compromise after compromise being made. Previously, no one care about opposition.

That's what should happen, really. Legislators should be ready to put aside silly abstractions like party politics and support whatever policy they feel is best for their constituents no matter which party it comes from.

JJEToday  06:24 am JST

Now he has to rely on the EU crowd. 

Could hardly be worse than trying to rely on a US administration that's in the pocket of his enemies.

Shortly before the meeting ended, Trump offered, “This is going to be great television.”

Sounds like that's all he really wanted - something for the MAGA yahoos to whoop and cheer at, and like loyal bootlickers I bet they all will.

The three parties aim to reduce annual medical expenses, with a target of 4 trillion yen as requested by the JIP. They also plan to make sure that the next fiscal year's budget reflects their agreement, allowing it to be implemented promptly before the end of March.

I wonder how much money is being used to pay doctors to see people who don't really need treatment. For instance, anyone who goes to the doctor every time they have a cold.

HopeSpringsEternalToday  11:48 am JST

Trump's working hard to achieve Peace, not re-litigate the FAILED past.

A bit like Neville Chamberlain, then.

Tomoko Yoshino, head of the country's largest labor union Rengo, which is the biggest organizational supporter of both the CDPJ and fellow opposition Democratic Party for the People, called in her address for both parties to cooperate in the upper house election.

Naive. If they could cooperate they wouldn't have split into separate parties.

Simple. Do their policies, right-wing or left-wing or whatever, create more and better employment opportunities, improve essential services like healthcare, public transport and education, make communities safer through effective law enforcement and establish mutually beneficial relationships with other countries. Judge them on their results.

BlacklabelToday  10:18 am JST

The “resistance” is so off balance from having to react to every single thing every single day that they can’t get organized on any critical issues not get any footing.

That's hardly out of the ordinary after an election defeat and there's not a whole lot they can do anyway, so it's not really a big achievement for your -um, team. What matters is if they manage to pull themselves together by the time more elections come around.

Anyway, When they all loose their jobs, I don't want to hear them cry. It's direct insubordination. 

How? I thought Musk was just an advisor to the President with no actual power to make decisions or give orders.

According to a filing signed by Joshua Fisher, director of the office of administration at the White House, Musk can only advise Trump and communicate the president’s directives.

“Like other senior White House advisers, Mr Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself,” it said.

So where does the President stand on all this? He seems to be a bit AWOL on the issue.

BorisMToday  01:17 pm JST

But really, what are the consequences of failing them? No more promotions? Getting transferred to some meaningless position in an undesirable location?

Don't those sound bad enough to you?

These sound like the actions of an increasingly deranged megalomaniac given free rein to indulge all of his lunatic fantasies. I imagine the usual bootlickers and sycophants will be cheering and applauding no matter what, though.

stormcrowToday  07:50 am JST

She was probably murdered in cold blood like her children had been and Hamas is trying to hide it.

Hamas said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. I think that if this is true and the bodies of the children have been returned, a post mortem will prove it. If Hamas were lying a post mortem will prove that too. Why would they return the bodies if they were trying to hide anything? I can't quite figure that one out.

tamanegiToday  08:11 am JST

Do something for yourself Japan! These are your people.

It's not really obvious what the government can or will do. They don't have much to threaten with, offering incentives or concessions will make them look weak, and it would be far too embarrassing to admit that the remaining abductees probably are dead because of the way they keep promising to get them back home alive.

robroymcFeb. 20  10:57 pm JST

Trump is the USA leader. Japan has every right to disagree with him, as does Europe. So just cut off ties with the USA and tell them to take back their military.

Sounds good to me.

Trump isn’t in the business of being taken advantage of

No? He's doing a fine job of making it look as if Putin owns him.

...and he is 100% going to do what is in the interests of his country. 

He's going to do whatever's in the interests of himself and his billionaire backers. as well as despots and autocrats who no one can hold accountable for giving him what he wants in return.

bass4funkToday  07:57 pm JST

"Point of fact, a majority of Americans did not vote for Trump."

Wrong

Is it? How?

"The felon in the White House got less than 50% of the popular vote. "

Not sure why the left

There's not much anyone can do about your failure to comprehend things, or stop dribbling on about "the left."

continues to peddle this debunked myth constantly. 

Trump got 49.8% of the popular vote and the voter turnout was only 63.9%. Therefore a majority of Americans either did not vote for Trump or they just didn't bother to vote at all. Is that not correct?

Fighto!Today  11:09 am JST

Keep bombing them and targeting the general areas where Hamas vermin are operating, until there are no more.

Right, because that tactic always works, doesn't it. Wait a minute, though - bombing British cities didn't do the Germans much good in 1940, flattening Japan didn't seem to discourage the Japanese until the atomic bombs were dropped, and I'm pretty sure the USAF did a number on North Vietnam too. Look how that turned out.

On considered reflection then, I think it's a dumb idea and it'll only breed more terrorism.

YeahRightToday  09:10 am JST

And some people think that Hamas are the good guys! Unbelievable! Israel is a much better country than I am (not that I'm a country, but you get what I mean.).

So you don't believe what Hamas said about the hostages getting killed by Israeli airstrikes, then? Although isn't it at least a possibility given the way the IDF have been obliterating Gaza and killing just about everyone indiscriminately?

TobleroneToday  09:23 am JST

A whole lot more than was happening with the previous administration! Progress - Well done!

A bunch of men sitting around a table talking about stuff is not progress. Achieving tangible results is progress.

bass4funkToday  08:23 am JST

Sorry, but it is true, I’m more concerned with my country and I’m not wrong or shy to say that, nor am I apologetic. It’s sad, it’s heartbreaking, but in the end, it’s not my problem.

Yet you support your government's messing around in Ukraine instead of focusing on the everyday problems in your country that the voters actually elected that government to fix?

falseflagsteveFeb. 15  07:12 pm JST

Simon Foston

where there’s a will there’s a way as my dear old gran used to say.

Did she now. I assume she was a law enforcement professional who knew what she was talking about when it comes to this kind of issue then.

boToday  07:57 am JST

Japan has the right system in place , we need big profits for big industry to stay alive !

What do you suggest they do with the profits. They don't seem to be doing anyone much good at the moment.

TamaramaToday  06:56 am JST

"Adultery should be a crime."

But the Japanese don't think so, and this is their country and culture.

Perhaps it's being implied that adultery should be illegal everywhere, not only Japan.

falseflagsteveToday  12:00 am JST

Adultery should be a crime.

No, only an action that causes tangible and demonstrable loss of or damage to life, health or property should be a crime. Such a law would be totally unenforcable given the amount of offenders there would be that would need to be prosecuted, tried and convicted, including I daresay quite a few police officers, prosecutors and judges.

Anyone who cheats on their partner is despicable and cannot be trusted in any aspect of their lives.

Do you think being "despicable" should be a crime too? For all you know, you have friends or colleagues you've always trusted impliciltly and you have no idea that they're carrying on behind their partners' backs.

falseflagsteveToday  06:50 pm JST

Ban gambling along with pornography and make the world a better and safer place especially for women and the children.

How do you suppose they could find the time, the money and the manpower to enforce such bans?