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Politics Japan and Trump 2.0

I was hoping to semiretire in around 5 or 6 years so it hurts me too. I am not sure how that affects our Japan return plans yet.

The Japanese consulate sent out a message to Japanese citizens to always carry their green card on their person and be careful with entering and exiting US now. There was always a rule that you were supposed to always carry your green card but everyone ignored it as if they were lost they take a long time to get and are expensive. My wife says on threads many are concerned about. Of course in Japan we are also supposed to carry our residence card at all times so in some ways it is not that different. She told me yesterday the green card backlog is now 1.5 years I have not confirmed that.
 
Universal suffrage was never even the goal at the nation's founding since the vote was limited to land-holding males. I sometimes -- often -- think perhaps a small test should be added to ballots like the attention tests in surveys. If they can't answer simple questions like how many U.S. states are there or what are the three branches of government should their vote really be allowed to count?

Yes, letting the facts intrude could destroy the mind cocoon he's wrapped himself into. Better to cloak himself in the trappings of religion. At least he knows heaven is waiting for him at the end of all this.

Ukigumo said:
It feels like being 'cruel to be kind' a concept that makes me feel slightly uncomfortable.
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That's been more or less official U.S. government policy for decades. We embargoed Cuba for 60 years such that ordinary people had difficulty getting medicine or other essentials. We put sanctions on various countries which makes it very difficult for their ordinary people to live their ordinary lives.
 
I'd make it more politically orientated; What are each party's general ideas on taxation/healthcare/welfare? How many times has Monsieur Orange been declared bankrupt? What was the first name of the founders of Fender/Gibson guitars?
mdchachi said:
Yes, letting the facts intrude could destroy the mind cocoon he's wrapped himself into. Better to cloak himself in the trappings of religion. At least he knows heaven is waiting for him at the end of all this.
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I want to say "Bless him"
The British strategy was to divide nations along ethnic/religious lines (think India/Pakistan) thus developing tensions between them and stability despite skirmishes, tearing asunder families and the constant threat of war. All those terrible things we see other governments doing, you can be sure one's own government is also doing!
 
US culture has always had divide along ethnic and religious lines. The media saturation and even worse the recent social media flood have kept that stoked up high especially some political disagreements trying to stir up anger all day every day that I agree is weakening the country. I am not sure I see a happy ending to this division in the US. We'll see how things go but countries like Japan may not be able to rely on the US like they have.
 
salyavin said:
She told me yesterday the green card backlog is now 1.5 years I have not confirmed that.
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I have heard the same thing: 1.5 years to get the green card.

And I had the same conversation with Mrs. Majestic regarding the need to always carry the green card. She too got the email from the Japanese embassy advising green-card holders that they should always carry their cards. She was mildly agitated about it. I told her that this was always the rule for me when I was in Japan - that I always had to carry my alien registration card, or face severe legal consequences. It didn't really help the situation.

I don't mind the requirement. But I'd like the see the punishment for not carrying your valid "alien papers" be very mild. Whether in Japan or the US, the penalty for not carrying your papers ought to be a small fine. I don't like the current US trend of throwing people into jail for minor immigration paperwork offenses. Policemen stopping people on the streets asking to see their papers was always one of the features of regimes we abhorred. I'd like to see us take a big step back from this current mood.
 
Why don't people like carrying their green cards? I always carry my 'Justice League of America' card, just in case a superhero is required
Majestic said:
I told her that this was always the rule for me when I was in Japan - that I always had to carry my alien registration card, or face severe legal consequences. It didn't really help the situation.
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<sharp intake of breath> How long have you been married to Mrs Majestic? And yet you still said something logical and reasonable like that?
They jail people for this mishap? Isn't this on a database which can be checked by the police in real time. I thought America was land of the free? When the UK government tried to bring in ID cards it created a real stink and was deemed 'unBritish'. Personally, I believe that if you've done nothing wrong, then what's the issue? Same with CCTV, AI face recognition etc.
 

Trump repeats claim Japan uses 'bowling ball test' for imported vehicles


President Trump has once again asserted that Japan assesses the physical durability of imported vehicles by dropping a bowling ball on them, presenting this as an example of a non-tariff trade barrier. A fact-checking organisation debunked this particular claim in 2018 and rated it false.


Trump repeats claim Japan uses 'bowling ball test' for imported vehicles | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

US President Donald Trump has repeated his claim that Japan tests the body strength of foreign vehicles by using a bowling ball, citing this as an example of a non-tariff barrier. The claim was labeled false by a fact-checking organization in 2018.
www3.nhk.or.jp

The sad thing is that some believe such yarn.


In 2018, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted that the president was "obviously … joking."

 
I have a brand new hybrid Toyota Yaris. When I shove the driver's side door closed, it sounds like a flimsy peddle bin lid slamming shut! I find it embarrassing when out in public especially after being used to the reassuring, solid clunk of my previous VW Golf. I assume the thinness of the steel is a weight-saving measure since to the vehicle is already carrying a very heavy battery, but I wish Toyota would pack the door with fireproof rock wool or plastic struts to support the door's surface, and thus baffle the sound.
 
They don't even sell the Yaris in the U.S. anymore. Perhaps because it failed the door closing sound test. Closest we can get is a Prius.
 
mdchachi said:
They don't even sell the Yaris in the U.S. anymore. Perhaps because it failed the door closing sound test. Closest we can get is a Prius.
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Really? I assume (hope) it's passed all the European safety tests.
 
One of the emeritus professors from the Management and Finance school at my old university has been publishing interesting very clear but slightly controversial Youtube clips. The university is extremely unwilling to appear controversial (politically correct) that I'm certain he'll be asked to cease or lose his title. What do you think?
 
mdchachi said:
They can always say he's an opposition lawmaker going rogue and ignore him. Nevermind if he's speaking truths.
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It's nice when Japanese people tell it like it is. I'm ashamed of my PM (Keir Starmer) for his softly-softly approach to the US's bullying.
 
Lothor said:
It's nice when Japanese people tell it like it is. I'm ashamed of my PM (Keir Starmer) for his softly-softly approach to the US's bullying.
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Yes, I felt similarly about Starmer but then had a change of heart when the realisation came that the his government couldn't maintain British society without reasonable trade with the USA. We are so reliant upon the USA that we'd be virtually plunged back into the 1960s without free(ish) trade with them. Our military forces are about as effectual as the Easter Bunny with a small pen knife because any capability we do have is heavily reliant on the USA. Just look at this…
So I think Starmer has had to simply 'hold his nose' () and pandered to Monsieur Orange's ego in order to ameliorate the worst of his mercurial, incoherent policies.

I hope all nations learn from the next four years and diversify their 'portfolio of reliance' upon other country's governments because it's clear that even the best of friends can become less benevolent. '勝ってから兜の緒をしめよ (Katte kara kabuto no o wo shime yo')'.
 
I still think if even Namibia (population under 3 million, most people would have difficulty placing it on a map) can manage to directly retaliate against obnoxious behaviour of Western countries despite its strong reliance on wealthy Western tourists, then the UK can show a bit of spine. Namibia turns the visa tables on Western countries. I can't find the article now, but this was also partly due to gem smuggling by Americans in the country.
 
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That makes me cringe, but as Mr Spock once said, 'The needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few.'
 
What do you think would Britain's 'backbone display' to Trump look like? I'm really not sure what we can do.

When Trump does come over for his state visit, the British public needs to protest, mock and ridicule him as hard as possible and our security forces should ensure his motorcade passes through those areas of protest!
 

Rice crisis: Japan imports grain from South Korea for first time in more than 25 years

Japanese consumers who used to treat foreign-grown rice with scepticism have been forced to develop a taste for it amid domestic shortage
www.theguardian.com

I was reading about the reformation of the 'Corn Laws' the other day. The Corn Laws were a series of British statutes enacted between 1815 and 1846 that aimed to protect domestic farmers from competition from cheaper imported grain, particularly wheat. They were controversial because they kept the price of bread high, hurting the working class while benefiting landowners. The laws were ultimately repealed in 1846 due to widespread opposition and the pressure of the Anti-Corn Law League, which was set up by the poor.
 
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