The Japanese justice minister had to resign after saying that his job is easy because he has 2 phrases that work whenever he's stuck for an answer.

The phrases are:

1. "'I will not comment on specific cases."
2. "We are dealing with the matter in line with the law and evidence."

Can you imagine an American politician even getting in much trouble for a wiseass remark like that?

"Japan used to be so flashy and upbeat, but now everyone must live in a dark and subdued way."

Japan in decline.

"Robot suits to aid elderly Japanese farmers with toiling in the fields."

"People aged 65 and older are a key pillar of the agricultural work force, accounting for about 60 percent of the agricultural population in Japan. Development of the robot suit may come as welcome news to such elderly farmers."

Key word: "may."

"During the ceremony, Hiroshima’s mayor welcomed the ambassador, John Roos, and praised President Obama..."

"... as one of the world leaders who 'wielded their powerful influence' to rid the world of nuclear weapons."

This is the first time a U.S. ambassador has attended the ceremony. The bomb was dropped on Hiroshima 65 years ago.

The White House and War Department announced today that an atomic bomb, possessing more power than 20,000 tons of TNT, a destructive force equal to the load of 2,000 B-29's and more than 2,000 times the blast power of what previously was the world's most devastating bomb, had been dropped on Japan.

The announcement, first given to the world in utmost solemnity by President Truman, made it plain that one of the scientific landmarks of the century had been passed, and that the "age of atomic energy," which can be a tremendous force for the advancement of civilization as well as for destruction, was at hand....

What happened at Hiroshima is not yet known. The War Department said it "as yet was unable to make an accurate report" because "an impenetrable cloud of dust and smoke" masked the target area from reconnaissance planes. The Secretary of War will release the story "as soon as accurate details of the results of the bombing become available."...

Not the slightest spirit of braggadocio is discernible either in the wording of the official announcements or in the mien of the officials who gave out the news. There was an element of elation in the realization that we had perfected this devastating weapon for employment against an enemy who started the war and has told us she would rather be destroyed than surrender, but it was grim elation. There was sobering awareness of the tremendous responsibility involved....

It's easy retaining your status as the oldest man in Tokyo...

... when you're already dead.

[W]hen officials went to congratulate Sogen Kato on his 111th birthday....  discovered a mummified body, believed to be Kato, lying in his bed, wearing underwear and pyjamas, covered with a blanket.

Mr Kato's relatives told police that he had "confined himself in his room more than 30 years ago and became a living Buddha"...

But the family had received 9.5 million yen ($109,000: £70,000) in widower's pension payments via Mr Kato's bank account since his wife died six years ago, and some of the money had recently been withdrawn....

"His family must have known he has been dead all these years and acted as if nothing happened. It's so eerie," said Yutaka Muroi, a Tokyo metropolitan welfare official.

What uncaring skepticism toward religion!

"The Japanese have their own eldercare crisis because of the size of their WWII widow population."

"Due to their understanding of the high costs of sufficient and appropriate eldercare, the Japanese government has spent one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) in grants (to Sanyo, Toshiba, Hitachi, Fujitsu, NEC, etc.) over the last eight to ten years to develop personal robots for their own eldercare crisis, yet no viable solutions have been developed by them to date."

"Viable" is a poignant word to use.

viable

1828, from Fr. viable "capable of life" (1539), from vie "life" (from L. vita "life;" see vital) + -able. Originally of newborn infants; generalized sense is first recorded 1848.

It's a familiar word in the American law relating to abortion.

Is the eldercare problem in Japan really about all the men who died in WWII, or is more about the failure to produce new human beings who might take care of the old?

"So, there's a Japanese artistic concept called a Thomasson."

"In short, they are 'defunct and useless objects, attached to someone's property and aesthetically maintained.'"

***

"You see these in every city; how many apartments, like ours in Hell's Kitchen, had a fireplace mantlepiece but no fireplace? Semi-blocked doors, walled-off terraces, connecting passageways of an old large house blocked off to make two smaller houses, staircases deprived of their entryways, all common sights. And while I enjoy all the mystical connotations of these, they also kind of make me sad; poor abandoned things. And also a little annoyed at what, most of the time, is just poorly-done renovation work."

ADDED: Wisconsin Law School old-timers remember — before the renovation — there was a short stairway near the library that ended in a bit of floorspace just big enough for the old sofa someone put there. Above it was a sign that read "Reality Checkpoint."

They're bullying the princess!

The granddaughter of the Emperor!

Robot colossus.

In Japan.

"Manba involves devotees wearing dark tans, white make-up around their eyes and hair that is often a combination of neon colours."

A Japanese fad moves to Britain.

It has been around for nearly a decade and is an eye-catching statement against conformity....

Do not attempt this look in the United States.

They start their routine by applying self tan to their bodies.

Eilish rubs the self tan on her neck but her face is darkened much more heavily.

She smears the coffee-bean powder on her pale skin and tries to rub it in so that it does not look "patchy".

Declan explains that he buys his foundation from Afro-Caribbean shops as normal shops do not sell powders that are dark enough....

They then use... white marker pens to create big eyes... and white lipstick.

Uh, Declan... Eilish... you're wearing blackface!

Declan and Eilish say they have been accused of racism for darkening their skin in this way, but they say this could not be further from the truth.

Eilish insists that she is "not mocking anybody" and Declan asks, "what black person looks like this?"...

The British followers of this Japanese subculture are also into the music, which is called Eurobeat, and practise dance moves called Para-Para.

If you're wondering what kind of music and dancing is favored by people this... dumb, there's video at the link.

The Japanese get the whole perfect American thing better than Americans."

"They understand that it’s an identifiable style around the world, this American look. We think we appreciate it, but we really don’t, not like they do."

"I asked for something to eat, I'm hungry as a hog, So I get brown rice, seaweed, and a dirty hot dog."

Brown rice, seaweed, but no dirty hot dog, in the Japanese school lunch:



Just one of many school lunches from around the world (including the U.S.).

Via Metafilter.

"Resign, or go commit suicide." Who said that to whom?

Sen. Charles Grassley said it to the executives at AIG.

Now, let me be fair. Let me put it in context. He was also telling them to act more Japanese:

"The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them if they’d follow the Japanese model and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say I’m sorry, and then either do one of two things — resign, or go commit suicide."

Later, he got a spokeswoman to clarify. (Is it really sufficiently Japanese for a man to get a spokeswoman to explain his remarks?)

[S]pokeswoman Jill Gerber clarified Grassley’s comments, saying "clearly he was speaking rhetorically – he meant there’s no culture of shame and acceptance of responsibility for driving a company into the dirt in this country. If you asked him whether he really wants AIG executives to commit suicide, he’d say of course not."

Okay, then: Fuck yourself, Senator Grassley. That's rhetoric. Of course, I don't really want you to fuck yourself. And, actually, I agree with you. We need more shame around here. Let's do some shaming. Let's shame everyone in the executive branch and Congress who let our money flow into AIG without building in the kinds of restrictions that would have prevented the use of the money in the way that Grassley and others are bitching about now that it's too late. So bow down, Senator Grassley. Take a deep bow and say you're sorry. And then resign or go commit suicide like the Japanese stereotype that you think is cool to bring up when you are making a display of venting your anger at the people you want us Americans to be angry at — instead of you.

"Speaking of Japan my neighbor was in Japan and everywhere he went Japanese people yelled Yes We Can at him."

"I guess because he is an American. He said this lasted an entire week. Restaurants, stores, on the street, everywhere, Yes We Can. How scary."

So says Titus, who lies some unknown percentage of the time. Truth or lie, that's hilarious. Any other reports of Americans abroad receiving "Yes, we can" greetings? If so, surely, it must have fallen out of fashion by now.

AFTERTHOUGHT: The day may/will/has come when "Yes, we can" is a sarcastic taunt.

IN THE COMMENTS: Awesome said:

This explains it:

Wow!

Titus says:

This I actually did not lie about. This is the neighbor that I hate and resent because he is richer, cuter and younger than me. But I would do him except for the fact that he is straight. Remember I wrote about his 6 week "holiday" during Christmas.

Well, that certainly substantiates your story!