Japan

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:26 am

Note that the "requests" for businesses to close during the pandemic were just that. Officially, Japan never forced any business to close. They could have said, OK, no bailout, we'll just stay open.

In fact, I think that's what probably happened, since the article says "her business saw its revenue dive 80 percent in April and 70 percent in May".

So business was down, but they were apparently still doing business during those months since they had some revenue, albeit less than usual.

shuize · Post by **shuize** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:07 am

I seem to recall the Osaka red light “restaurant” association issuing a mandatory “voluntarily” closure order.

Not the government, but I would be at all surprised if the government told the association, “You need to make this happen.”

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 9:14 am

What power does this restaurant association have exactly?

Some kind of Japanese Better Business Bureau?

shuize · Post by **shuize** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:31 am

This will probably come as surprise, but I don’t think the Osaka red light district’s “restaurants” are really “restaurants” after all. (Ha! Ha!)

But I’ve heard, in order to play by the rules, there is actually some sort of snack item (senbei crackers, I think) given as soon as the customer goes upstairs. What happens between the “waitress” and the customer is between two consenting adults caught up in the heat of the moment. The crackers just happen to be really expensive. (Ha! Ha!)

As to what authority the association has over members, I don’t know exactly. But apparently it’s enough to make a mandatory “voluntary” shut down order stick. I suspect they are self-governing and have the power to expel “restaurants” from their specially approved historic “restaurant” association.* No doubt the mafia is also involved.

Speaking of mafia, I also heard there’s always mafia muscle within earshot whenever the girls are upstairs with customers.

* I walked through the area with a friend once years ago. It really is very traditional looking. Had a few drinks in a bar in the neighborhood and talked to the mama-san and an old guy who were happy to talk about how things worked—the sources for a lot of my information above— we even talked to some of the real mama-san managers sitting out in front of the “restaurants.” The working girls “waitresses” were often sitting just a few feet away. They were very attractive. Not at all what I thought brothel prostitutes “waitresses” would look like. But I didn’t order any senbei. I was married at the time and I am rather foolishly faithful.

ed · Post by ed » Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:05 pm

shuize wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:31 am This will probably come as surprise, but I don’t think the Osaka red light district’s “restaurants” are really “restaurants” after all. (Ha! Ha!)

But I’ve heard, in order to play by the rules, there is actually some sort of snack item (senbei crackers, I think) given as soon as the customer goes upstairs. What happens between the “waitress” and the customer is between two consenting adults caught up in the heat of the moment. The crackers just happen to be really expensive. (Ha! Ha!)

snip

Students. Please listen up.

I am providing you with an example of what we call in the legal profession "Nervous laughter". I have highlighted the examples for those on the short bus.

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:28 pm

Well, as long as they are only paying for the crackers, what's the problem?

This is how it's done in Japan.

Gambling is theoretically illegal too, but there's pachinko parlors. They don't give you cash if you win, but only "prizes" which can be resold for cash at a separate "shop" a few meters away.

shuize · Post by **shuize** » Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:30 pm

ed wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:05 pm
shuize wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:31 am This will probably come as surprise, but I don’t think the Osaka red light district’s “restaurants” are really “restaurants” after all. (Ha! Ha!)

But I’ve heard, in order to play by the rules, there is actually some sort of snack item (senbei crackers, I think) given as soon as the customer goes upstairs. What happens between the “waitress” and the customer is between two consenting adults caught up in the heat of the moment. The crackers just happen to be really expensive. (Ha! Ha!)

snip
Students. Please listen up.

I am providing you with an example of what we call in the legal profession "Nervous laughter". I have highlighted the examples for those on the short bus.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 1:20 am

Kono tells all Japan government offices to quit 'hanko' stamps

Reform minister demands explanations from stragglers

TOKYO -- Japan's minister for administrative reform on Thursday ordered all national government offices to stop requiring hanko stamps on official documents as a rule.

These stamps are used widely across Japan by government agencies, businesses and individuals in lieu of signatures. But their use has been a major obstacle to the spread of digital forms and teleworking, an issue only highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Minister Taro Kono, in a letter distributed by the Cabinet Office, told each ministry to respond as to whether they will scrap requirements for a hanko seal, consider ending the requirement or consider continuing the use of the seals.

Those that continue requiring hanko seals on any forms will need to explain the decision by the end of September.

Digitizing the government is one of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's top policy priorities. Kono had called for abolishing hanko-stamping requirements in a cabinet-level meeting on Thursday.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Japan- ... nko-stamps

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:59 am

Sadako Yamamura's First Victim

– J.D.

shuize · Post by **shuize** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:13 am

Doctor X wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:59 am Sadako Yamamura's First Victim

– J.D.

I don't follow the Japanese entertainment industry very closely, but my girlfriend tells me this is a big deal.

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:27 am

Very sad and hard to understand. She has two kids, one of which is less than a year old.

shuize · Post by **shuize** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:29 pm

Anaxagoras wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:27 am Very sad and hard to understand. She has two kids, one of which is less than a year old.

My guess is post-partum depression.

My ex-wife never really got over it.

Well, she never got over it until she moved back with her parents and they finally told her to get off her ass and go to work.*

* It doesn't bother me as much as it used to. But I can still get pissed off when I remember how her family, especially my ex-mother-in-law, thought I was the biggest asshole on the planet for suggesting my ex- might benefit by getting out of the house and working part-time a couple days a week. No, better that she throw away our family's future together so that my ex- can now work a shitty full-time job in a elderly care center with several days a week involving hard overnight shifts for crappy pay -- a large percentage of which I'm sure gets handed over to my ex-mother-in-law.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:47 pm

Japan logs sharp rise in renewable energy output amid pandemic

Renewable energy production spiked so dramatically in the first half of 2020 that its contribution to Japan’s overall energy generation is currently in line with the government’s 2030 target, new preliminary figures show.

But one of the factors behind the rapid rise in the proportion of renewable power generation is that overall energy production in the first six months of the year fell due to a decline in demand brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Experts said if the trend continues, it could kick-start debate over whether the government should raise its target for renewable energy, given the various efforts already being made around Japan to convert to renewable sources.

Renewable energy accounted for 23.1 percent of Japan’s total energy generation mix in the first half of 2020, according to provisional figures compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The government had set a target of it reaching between 22 to 24 percent by fiscal 2030.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13759257

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:50 pm

I'd be more interested in how much fossil fuel consumption was reduced.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sun Oct 04, 2020 1:38 am

Suga takes flak for keeping government critics off science panel

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga faced backlash Friday after he decided not to appoint academics who have been critical of the nation’s security and anti-conspiracy legislation to a science council that makes policy recommendations to the government.

Takaaki Kajita, 61, who was selected Thursday to head the Science Council of Japan (SCJ), suggested at the council’s general meeting Friday submitting a letter of request to the prime minister asking him to make clear the reasons for the rejection and appoint the six nominees.

It is the first time since the current nomination system was introduced in 2004 that the council’s nominees to join the body were rejected.

Japanese Communist Party leader Kazuo Shii highlighted the unprecedented move during a news conference on Thursday. The rejection was first reported by the JCP’s newspaper, Akahata.

A law on the SCJ stipulates that the council nominate new members, who are appointed by the prime minister.

“The rejection of the nominations is against the SCJ law, and is unconstitutional as it violates academic freedom guaranteed under Article 23 of the Constitution,” Shii said, demanding the prime minister revoke the decision.

“We cannot overlook this if there was political intent, such as using (scientists’) stances against certain bills to determine” appointments, said Jun Azumi, parliamentary affairs chief of the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

CDP leader Yukio Edano, Shii and two other heads of opposition parties agreed Thursday to grill the prime minister over the issue.

Of the six nominees, Ryuichi Ozawa, professor at the School of Medicine at Jikei University; Masanori Okada, professor at the Graduate School of Law at Waseda University; and Takaaki Matsumiya, professor at the School of Law at Ritsumeikan University, released a joint statement Thursday urging the council to make full efforts to reverse the prime minister’s rejection.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/ ... e-council/

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Thu Oct 08, 2020 12:13 am

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:10 pm

Japanese theme park unveils 'life-size' Godzilla attraction

A Japanese theme park has unveiled what it believes is the world's first permanent "life-size" Godzilla statue.

The installation on Awaji Island, off the city of Kobe, measures 23m (75ft) and offers visitors the chance to ride a zip line right into Godzilla's mouth.

The beast's colossal size is one of its biggest draws and movie-goers have noted a growth spurt over the years.

Godzilla was originally 50m tall but shot to 120m in last year's movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

One self-described die-hard fan from Taiwan documented the changing size of the on-screen beast, in a picture published in Newsweek magazine.

Link to HiRez pic

While the new attraction on Awaji island is smaller than the film versions, it is bigger than other off screen incarnations. The famous Godzilla head on the Toho Building in Tokyo, by comparison, is only about 12m tall.

"As far as we know, this is the only life-size Godzilla statue ever built," said a spokesperson for Pasona Group, the recruitment company operating Nijigen no Mori Park.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54474268

shuize · Post by **shuize** » Mon Oct 12, 2020 10:37 pm

Lest anyone think it's all sweetness and light in Japan.

アイスを食べた生徒を暴行中学教師を逮捕

Loose translation: Teacher arrested for violence against junior high school student [breaking bones] for eating his ice cream

Link to Japanese article: https://www.msn.com/ja-jp/news/national ... d=msedgntp

Hotarubi · Post by **Hotarubi** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 4:29 pm

shuize wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 10:37 pm Lest anyone think it's all sweetness and light in Japan.

アイスを食べた生徒を暴行中学教師を逮捕

Loose translation: Teacher arrested for violence against junior high school student [breaking bones] for eating his ice cream

Link to Japanese article: https://www.msn.com/ja-jp/news/national ... d=msedgntp

It's MSN. So it must be fake news.

ed · Post by ed » Tue Oct 13, 2020 4:32 pm

Witness wrote: ↑Fri Oct 09, 2020 11:10 pm
Japanese theme park unveils 'life-size' Godzilla attraction

Now we're talking

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:32 am

sparks · Post by **sparks** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:51 am

Be a lot easier to just pull a 9mm on these shitheads and end them.

See some shit going down? Kill the perp. With a hollow point. No surgery necessary. DOA.

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:05 pm

lovely psa.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Oct 15, 2020 12:30 am

Japan Unveils 3,000-Ton ‘Big Whale’ Submarine Amid Tension With China

Japan on Wednesday unveiled a new naval submarine amid flaring tensions with China. The 3,000-ton Taigei, or big whale, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. will be put into service by March 2022, Kyodo News agency reported.

Manned by 70 crew members, the Taigei will be 22nd vessel in Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force’s submarine fleet. It will be 84 meters (276 feet) long and 9.1 meters (30 feet) wide, costing Japan around $720 million.

The vessel’s announcement comes amid tensions in the East China Sea, where Tokyo blames Beijing for violating the country’s territorial waters.

Japan said Chinese coast guard ships entered its territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea last Sunday, only leaving the area Tuesday night after “a record length of time.”

The Japanese Coast Guard said the Chinese vessels remained in its waters for 57 hours and 39 minutes — exceeding the previous record of 39 hours and 23 minutes set in July.

China claims the Japanese-controlled islands, which it calls Diaoyu, and routinely sends its warships to the surrounding waters.

Under these increasing tensions, Tokyo aims to increase the number of its submarines from 16 to 22 as part of its 2010 National Defense Program Guidelines. Currently, Japan runs nine 2,750-ton Oyashio-class submarines and 11 2,950-ton Soryu-class warships. It plans to add a 12th Soryu-class submarine next year.

https://eurasiantimes.com/japan-unveils ... ith-china/

Mitsubishi at it again, uh?

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:38 am

sparks · Post by **sparks** » Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:00 pm

That looks like a place I could spend some time. Gotta figure out a way to get Bruce to invite me...

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 3:30 am

Japanese gov't creates YouTube channel on N Korea abduction issue

The Japanese government has created an official YouTube channel to provide information about North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s, with a video featuring Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowing to bring them back home promptly.

https://japantoday.com/category/politic ... tion-issue

"Promptly", half a century later? Anyway, videos at the link.

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 10:57 am

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 11:52 am

typo for taxes or really faxes. I can see the latter.

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 2:27 pm

That's what I wondered the first time I read the headline, but it means facsimile machines.

As the new administrative reform minister, Taro Kono declares war on fax machines (Japan Times)

Japanese government to phase out fax machines, paper documents, personal seals (SoraNews24)

My company essentially went paperless this year, due to the pandemic. It was the nudge we needed. Could have happened long ago I'm sure, as could working from home, but it didn't actually happen until there was a reason why it had to happen right now instead of at some indeterminate time in the future.

Pyrrho · Post by **Pyrrho** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:54 pm

The guys I work with think that "digital" means printing a PDF on paper, marking changes on the paper copy, then scanning the paper markup into PDF.

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 4:13 am

Well paper was a pretty great invention, it must be said. Easily one of the top 10 all time.

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:59 am

Anaxagoras wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 4:13 am Well paper was a pretty great invention, it must be said. Easily one of the top 10 all time.

And the clean water.

クス！Wrong thread!

– J.D.

Rob Lister · Post by **Rob Lister** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:52 am

And easier to file than stone tablets.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 5:06 am

shuize · Post by **shuize** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 9:01 am

Fujishi Honcho 2 Cho-me Shotengai:

https://www.bing.com/maps?&ty=18&q=%e9% ... &FORM=MIRE

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Nov 05, 2020 11:12 pm

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 1:54 pm

Witness wrote: ↑Thu Nov 05, 2020 11:12 pm

Somehow I've never heard of this, and neither has my waifu.

I think that the shrine which the cat is posing in front of (15 seconds in) is the Fushimi Inari Shrine.

This "Nyan Nyan Ji" may exist, but it's likely much more modest in appearance. A little googling suggests that it's more of a cat cafe than a real shrine.

ETA: "Ji" means temple, by the way. In Japan, shrines are generally Shinto, whereas temples are Buddhist.

ETA2: At 1:45 in the video is what it actually looks like from the outside. It's just a cat cafe and souvenir shop. The best photo I could find of the place. Not terrible, but not really a temple. It is what it is.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 10:28 pm

https://soranews24.com/2014/01/29/nine- ... o-worship/

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:43 am

Howling ‘Monster Wolf’ robots installed in Japan to scare away bears

Dozens of red-eyed “Monster Wolf” robots were set up in Japanese towns to scare off bears and deer that were overrunning local homes or destroying crops.

One of the creepy canine contraptions — which roar and have fangs — was erected in September by the small city of Takikawa to “avoid friction between residents and bears,” according to the local news site The Mainichi.

At least 62 more of the 3-foot-tall by 4-foot-long robo-beasts are being used to frighten away deer and wild boar that destroy crops in the Hokkaido and Okinawa areas, the outlet reported.

Designed by the machine-making company Ohta Seiki, the robot is programmed to shake its head and howl when it senses motion by animal intruders. It’s equipped with infrared sensors and can detect when a human is near.

The Takikawa wolf-bot is the first scarecrow-style method of deterring bear populations in front of houses in residential areas, the outlet reported.

The machine appears to be pushing bears’ buttons, according to experts.

Brown bear reports have increased dramatically in the Takikawa area this year, totaling 10 since May.

The sightings — including one of a bear cub less than a mile from a home — prompted the city government to set up the spooky animal automaton.

It was installed in the city of 40,000 in September, and there have been no eye-witness bear sightings since.

https://nypost.com/2020/11/06/monster-w ... way-bears/