Japanese Events

[Kakurin]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

As Russia gets bogged down in Ukraine, Japan renews its claims on the Kuril Islands. Abe had toned down the conflict in hopes of reaching an agreement. The current government has chosen a more aggressive stance.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/au.news...085429223.html

And now that Russia's terminated the peace negotiations, Japan's reverted back to calling the "Northern Territories" as being illegally occupied by Russia.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...box=1648712010

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

As Russia gets bogged down in Ukraine, Japan renews its claims on the Kuril Islands. Abe had toned down the conflict in hopes of reaching an agreement. The current government has chosen a more aggressive stance.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/au.news...085429223.html

Short of an invasion which is a very bad idea, I don't see how Japan is getting those islands back though.

[SeijiSensei]

Having just lost billions of dollars of taxpayers' money hosting the Summer Olympics, the LDP and its corporate friends now want the IOC to award the 2030 Winter Olympics to Sapporo where the Games were held in 1972.

Last week, Sapporo’s city legislature rejected a proposal to hold a city-wide referendum on the issue. Cities that have held public votes have usually turned down the proposal.

Sapporo officials say polling shows 52% support the bid, making a referendum unnecessary.

I've done polling; I'd never argue that a poll is a valid substitute for a referendum.

https://apnews.com/article/winter-ol...b86a23fec0a8a7

[GDB]

I'd also say 52% isn't even close to enough to declare a poll strong enough for anything.

[SeijiSensei]

Even with a sample of 1,000 the "margin of error" at 52% includes values below fifty percent. I doubt the sample was that large. If the result had been more lopsided, say 60-40 or better, arguing the poll had enough legitimacy to forego a referendum would be more plausible..

[mangamuscle]

Cancer Trial Delivers ‘Unheard-of' Result: Complete Remission for Everyone

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/heal...ryone/3721476/

Why do I post this news here when the trial was done in New York City? Simple, because if this means a cure for cancer (and by what the comments I have been reading, it might be, the only catch is that you need a immune system still working) this has HUGE implications for japan, whose leading cause of death is cancer (29% I think). If said people paid the $88,000 USD required for the treatment (probably less since japan will no doubt get a sizeable discount from big pharma) they will live longer and that means that japan's ratio of working vs elderly people will only get worse and this could happen in a few years time, no in one or more decades.

[SeijiSensei]

Hunters on the trail of a group of monkeys that have attacked and wounded nearly 50 people in western Japan have caught and killed one of them.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-japanese-city

[SeijiSensei]

Also, Japan now leads the world in the pace of COVID infections. Of course, it always those foreigners who pose the greatest threat.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Co...eopening-hopes

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Co...0-for-1st-time

[GDB]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Also, Japan now leads the world in the pace of COVID infections. Of course, it always those foreigners who pose the greatest threat.

The foreigners, 99% of whom, aren't allowed in.

[SeijiSensei]

Those monkeys are no laughing matter.

https://apnews.com/article/japan-mon...6fb43632d1353e

[AnimeFan188]

Shinzo Abe's Assassin Succeeds in Twisted Plot to Expose Japan’s Deep Ties with 'Cult'

"The shooting of ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has had unexpected political blowback. The killer attacked Abe not for his political beliefs, but because he wanted to take revenge upon the South Korea-based Unification Church—sometimes labeled a ‘cult’—which he blamed for ruining his family and his life.

Instead of rallying behind Abe, the Japanese people have followed the killer’s wishes and turned their attention to long-standing but little discussed links between the ruling party and the Moonies.

Tetsuya Yamagami told police that he had originally planned to assassinate Hak Ja Han Moon, the head of the church, which is known for holding mass weddings and backing right-wing politicians worldwide, but then decided to target Abe.

Before shooting Abe, he wrote a letter to a freelance journalist—obtained by The Daily Beast—explaining that he murdered Abe in order to expose the deep links between Japan’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and the Unification Church.

If that was his twisted aim, he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. The phrase, “After all, the Unification Church and the LDP are one and the same” is now trending in Japan. The Mainichi newspaper ran an editorial on July 27, “The LDP must clean up its ties to the Unification Church.”

The paper wrote, “Why did the Japanese government allow the Unification Church to change its name?... It is only natural that the Diet and the press should try to clarify the actual situation. Above all, the LDP should investigate its long history [with the group] explain it to the public, and liquidate the relationship.”

Not just in print and on the internet but in daily conversations, the Church and the LDP ties keep coming up."

See:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/shinzo...ication-church

[SeijiSensei]

Fascinating article. Worth the read.

[Yu Ominae]

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2...re-palace.html

Former Emperor Akihito is diagnosed with heart problems.

Last I checked, he's taking medication. No plans for him to stay at the hospital.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Yu Ominae

Last I checked, he's taking medication. No plans for him to stay at the hospital.

Pretty surprising given Japan's tendency to keep people hospitalized.

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/...nt/18faaea9-en

For acute care, patients remained in the hospital an average of sixteen days in 2019; the average length of stay for all patient care was 27 days.

Images

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[SeijiSensei]

[GDB]

Clearly this is the tourists' fault.

[SeijiSensei]

The Olympics bribery scandal continues to expand. Now publisher Kadokawa is in the prosecutors' lens.

Bribery allegations against a former Tokyo Olympics organizing committee member widened Tuesday as Japanese prosecutors “re-arrested” Haruyuki Takahashi in a case involving suspected payments from a publisher which became a sponsor for the Games.

The latest allegations center on 76 million yen ($540,000) Takahashi received from Tokyo-based publishing company Kadokawa, according to Tokyo District prosecutors. The sponsorship allowed Kadokawa, which also makes films and games, to publish programs and other books related to the Tokyo Olympics.

https://apnews.com/article/winter-ol...37c1d9c3dc60c9

[Magin]

Wow... just wow.

I think this qualifies as Pretty Damned Big- Kadokawa is one of the largest manga and light novel publishers in Japan.

So much corruption around the Olympics... I guess that it's a good thing japan is actually doing things to prosecute it? In the US, it would be "just another day of business"

[AnimeFan188]

Japan beefs up its Navy:

YouTube

https://youtu.be/fL1zcvOptw4

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[Yu Ominae]

A good CNA insider video that explains why not all Japanese are pleased with the LDP's plans to have a state funeral.