Japan doesn't have the worst drivers, but not the best either. I remember when i went back to the east coast stateside, it seemed that turn signals were optional. In the caribbeans, the speed limit was the minimum. However, Japan's driver population suffers from drivers who are too old to be driving, but need to since they're still working, or alot of paper drivers who take the train for years, get their gold license, and hop in a car with no idea how to drive.

This is definitely a tragedy that could have been avoided. Although the driver is clearly at fault and not to put blame on the mother and child because its not their fault, many people often forget that pedestrians have to be responsible for their own safety as well, not always relying on the driver to automatically do the right thing because they don't.

Look both ways before crossing the street; we were all taught this since we were kids. Even if the light says to walk, the driver might not be paying attention, trying to catch it, drunk, heart attack, anything. Too often i see people walk into a crosswalk with no light, or bicycle, without even looking if a car is there or not, assuming since pedestrians always have the right of way the car can and will stop for them. Most cars and especially trucks don't stop on a dime.

Still, i'd like to know more about the conditions that led to this tragedy. 4pm is close to when everyone is trying to get home from work. Going to work and coming home are the greatest chances for someone to get into an accident.

 

Nice curves, great features...Bikes, what bikes?

 

"I think Japan needs a law that makes the passenger as responsible as the driver if the driver is drunk; might even go so far as insist on a law that makes the bar/restaurant that provided the alcohol - especially if he's visibly too drunk to stand up - responsible, too."

I think there is one. If four people are in a car and the driver gets a dui, then its four DUIs, for the same reason; they didnt stop them. And in this case it would be justified. Who wants to ride in a car when the driver cant stand under his own power? Not me. See ya on the train.

 

Actually, many japanese don't consider suicide honorable as in the old days, but still it's acceptable, especially when debt is involved. I personally don't feel suicide is cowardly; i feel it's selfish AND cowardly.

In Japanese law, if a person dies and owes the city a debt, the family has to pay. All those people who jump in front of trains every week inconvenience x amount of passengers for x amount of hours, equaling x amount of yen lost. The now grieving family has not only the police picking their home apart and interrogating to no end, but the city also bills them for the money lost plus the outrageous funeral expenses in Japan. Way to think of your loved ones because YOU can't take the pressure.

Just my two cents,though. The people interviewed seemed to have their heads on their shoulders. We all have trials to go through; that's life.And one day we'll all have to die, so why rush it?

 

Tired of being ridiculed over the rolling refrigerator Cube, Nissan releases Metal Gear, with 5 speed manual or 4 auto for lazy commuters. Airbags optional, but where would you put em?

 

Not to sound politically incorrect, but how can the manager tell if he was chinese or Japanese? I know many Chinese workers that use Japanese surnames for this very reason. I guess maybe he didnt.

I recently had an experience with a well known second hand car part shop in Yokohama with similar results. I had a japanese coworker call ahead and confirm that this shop had what i was looking for. They did and said come on down. I went there, and lo and behold, chigaimas. Arimasen. Of course, the section of the shop that contained the parts had BOXES full of what i was looking for, but surprise,surprise, they were not for sale,display only, thats why they were in cardboard boxes right?

Ok, i vented. Sorry. But still, if these places dont want my business, then i dont want to give it to them.

 

Chibi, great advise! I would make the woman spend 100yen to get every 50 she got from me. And Headhunter, while your wife may be confused or whatever, there are lines that you simply don`t cross, and she crossed them all, backed over them, and did a burnout on them. You have to be brutal. If she doesn`t care about your feelings since she`s sleeping with another guy, you shouldn`t care about her well being either. Let me slow down, i`m gettin mad here.

Yrral,I agree and i disagree somewhat, but your point makes sense. Why I personally disagree is because in my personal experience, i have witnessed quite a few marriages that worked out fine in Japan,but once they moved to the States, were divorced in less than six months. While having a craving for ice cream and going to the store with your designer purse in the middle of the night might be fine in Japan, Stateside it just doesn`t cut it.

I`m married to a Japanese woman and that`s my personal example. I took her to the states to test how she would adjust and that was the result, which is why i`m still here until i think she`s ready. Street smarts is not part of the curriculum in Japan. And don`t forget the language barrier. Talking to eachother might be fine, but it`s very easy to be overwhelmed in an environment where Japanese is not commonly spoken.

I do agree that the environment needs to change. I don`t mean to try and cut her off from all of her friends, but if all of her friends are single club hoppin,prada buying shallow types, i`d be on guard. Just as we guys can`t always go bar hoppin or cruisin for girls in Yokohama if we`re married, she also has to know some things will change.

As far as faithfulness, i`m less than impressed with Japanese women`s fidelity so far. While this is not 100% of the cases and it could be in part with the crowd that i hang with(you are who your friends are)but marriage just doesn`t seem that sacred to these ladies.

I had an ex girlfriend who is my ex because not only was she the embodiment of every blonde joke i ever heard, but i caught her in bed after the act with another guy when i came home early from work one day. She has since married this other guy(army guy out of Zama, I was Navy out of Yokosuka), apparently got divorced when she moved to the states(not before ruining this guy`s career, but no sympathy from me), and is now about to marry some sailor out of Yokosuka and move to another state next week. How I know all this is because she keeps calling me. Every time I block her number,she gets a new phone.And just this week she tells me she wants to "meet" since she misses me. Like Hell! Happily married and the best revenge is to be successful.

That`s just my story, it`s not the norm. But still, keep your eyes open. A big warning sign is multiple cell phones. Two, maybe one for business. Three, move on. Well, that`s it for me for now. Sorry for venting.

 

This is a hard time for you, but like i said, don`t wait. If by Japanese law you have to consent for the divorce, then do it and do it now; because if you wait until April things will be A LOT worse.

But here is a silver lining for you-

Better she told you after 10 years of marriage instead of 20.

If nothing else, you have two kids who DO love you, even if she doesn`t. Women come and go. Family is for life.

 

I`m sorry to hear about the bad news, and i wish you the best, especially with kids involved. I say get to your bank account before she does. If she wants to keep up with the Jones`, let her do it on her own money.

I don`t know the deal with visitation rights in Jpan, but a lawyer will most definitely be needed, i`m sure. My two sense is to get this over with as soon as possible and move on. Your children will always be your children, and if she waits to divorce you in April, she will be entitled to HALF your retirement pension, so get this over quickly!

You`ll have to have faith that this is making room for the right person in your life and that people like that ALWAYS get what`s coming to them. Free and independent can get tiring when safety and security are needed.

 

Just a few years ago, bosozoku who continued running with the gang after they turned 20 were considered not only immature, but a liability since they are considered adults under Japanese law. The bosozoku were recruiting grounds for later yakuza members who reached the adult age. To stay in the bike gang after that is like trying to stay in high school when you`ve already graduated. But now...

I blame this on the birth decline Japan is going through now. People are staying in their respective occupations long after they should have retired since there is no one after them to fill the position; and that includes the illegal ones too.

 

Not much for stealth if everyone knows about it and it`s exact schedule. But that`s just my opinion.

 

"Why you feel the need to let me know what I already said anyway is beyond me. Again - joffal's comments were hostile, misinformed and off-topic. "

Now who`s getting hostile? Of course people lie about all types of crimes, that`s common sense. But we`re not talking about just any type of crime, now are we? This is a rape case, so we are talking about various situations that can happen with this crime. But anyhow, since Joffal hasn`t even replied to your response to his above post, then he was probably just trolling to hit some nerves, and it seems that he succeeded.

What`s really bad is what the young woman is going through. A new arrest means a new trial, and she`ll have to testify about what happened again, in detail, to another courtroom. Then the defense will try to discredit her in some fashion, meanwhile all of this being reported nation wide through the media. I`m sure after the initial sentencing, she tried to move on the best she could, but now it`s back to square one. The falsely accused isn`t the only victim here.

 

Fair enough. My need to answer the question was simply to state that there are mistaken identities, which i believe happened in this case. However, there ARE on occasion flat out false accusations as well. As far as Joffal`s post, i`ve got no comment on that. I just wanted to let it be known that although false accusations aren`t normal, they aren`t impossible.

But as we stated earlier, we can pretty much agree on how this particular case turned up.

 

If you`ll permit me, I would like to answer your last post. As we read daily, there are depraved people everywhere, both men AND women. And while rape is one of the most serious crimes I can think of, there have been cases where an individual would cry wolf either for attention or to purposely have someone put away. In these instances, I am all for the false reporter to face the same sentencing they were willing to have another go through.

However, THIS time i don`t think that`s the case at all. I believe, as stated before, that the trauma of the entire ordeal obviously took it`s toll on her. In this case, the responsibility of this injustice is 100% the fault of the investigative team. Way too many corners were cut, plus notoriously questionable interrogation techniques and this is the result.

What I wonder is this- This mistake was caught this time; how many people have similar stories and are sitting in jail right now or on death row for something they didn`t do?

 

Have that same shot on my phone from New year`s. The line was WAY too long to ring the bell, though.

 

Cleo, I know what you mean when posters, including myself, tell the trolls on JT to express their dislikes of the military members to their face. But that is in a different context. Contrary to popular belief, most military members aren`t looking for a fight. For those like EoE and others who have nothing good to say are invited to speak their minds to the individuals directly instead of blindly posting rants on a faceless forum.

If a person is being an a$$, by all means step in, but remember your environment. The same goes to rverbeke and his 22yr old witness. Being harassed by the train station, which is right next to a string of bars, that the local population created right next to the base, is regrettable, but look where you are. How often do foreign women get harassed by drunk Japanese business men? Quite a few stories there too, but again, where were they? No excuse, but an understanding.

 

Letfreedom ring, I feel your pain, but if this guy was acting such an ass at this Wendy's, you should have stepped up and shut him up. That would have been appreciated by the locals more than a simple translation. I'm not saying you should have put your hands on him, but you should have told him in no small words, that he was being an A-hole.

That's one thing about A-holes; most often they don't know they're being A-holes. They think that repeating whatever they want louder will help people to understand, but all it does is create a state of panic. Good job on your friend though.

 

As far as this crime, I heard on the previous thread for this that the owner was possibly inflating the bill, hence why these members didn't just run out on the bill, but didn't pay it IN FULL. However, even if the owner started the altercation, it doesn't take much to subdue a regular JN if they're trying to hit you. They took it too far and now they have to pay for it. Some witness statements would be nice, though.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth. "American donuts are too big, too sweet, Japan`s donuts and candy are healthier,etc". Antway you look at it, lumps of dough fried in fatty oils and glazed with sugar, chocolate or whatever is a recipe for a fat @$$ no matter where it`s from.

There`s a hge line now because it`S something new. Same with cinnobun, and yes, it`s still here too. Seen them in Ebina and in bayside Tokyo.

 

I was one of the first to automatically assume that this guy was skipping out on his bill and assaulted the owner. But it looks like the owner not only tried to inflate the bill (which foreign restaurant and bar owners were arrested for)but started the entire physical altercation as well. And if he ran out on the bill, how did he get a receipt?

Too many things aren`t adding up here; and a LOT of facts weren`t provided by the media.If and when a military member is a bad apple, we condemn it. But we also try to stand by those getting railroaded. I don`t know what this one is yet, so I`ll wait until more details come out. Voxman, good post. If you have a link,pls post it.

 

I had a discussion about this with a couple of friends yesterday. USNJapan, you`re right that junior personnel can`t have the same priviledges as their counterparts in other branches without jumping through a LOT of hoops( I know that personally). However, no matter how hard the condition, EVERYONE knows the difference between right and wrong. You KNOW not to beat up a restaurant owner because you don`t or can`t pay the bill. That`s not even common sense.

What pisses me off more than the shark tank that uses this as an excuse to trash talk the military, is the fact that 90% of these guy`s shipmates who know to do the right thing will be punished along with them. I`m sure guys in their department missed their families and friends and were glad to be home, now they can`t leave the boat and they`ve only been there a day.

Also, after everything that happened at the beginning of this year, I KNOW the captain warned them not to get into trouble or there would be hell to pay, for lack of better words, and they did their own thing anyway.

 

Talkin to me? I really don`t know that`s why i`m askin. Same here, i have known quite a lot of Japanese AND Americans that would be more pissed off that I spent that money on a designer brand instead of on something else more important.(Not that a guy would want a louis vuitton bag or something, but you know what i mean:)

 

A US jet flew too low in the wrong area and surprisingly only broke ONE window. All planes use a LOT of thrust, it`s not just a US spec.

It happened, there were apologies made, reparations paid, and the boy healed after a week when this occured LAST YEAR.

 

Trifling, just trifling.

 

Must not be looking that hard. Just driving through Tokyo, count the escalades and Lexus sedans that can barely fit on the street. When the occupants get out, it`s the same thing every time; An old man(some company head) with a young woman other than his wife, leading a parade of yes men to the bar or restaurant or whatever.

Good standard of living? If you say so. I still have trouble understanding how an apartment with only two small rooms and no real insulation(winter is REAL cold, sometimes colder inside than outside)can have the same monthly payments as a house owner.