The Off Topic Topic

[Josquius]

... and what's the downside, Josq? I know you said societal and environmental issues, but what do you mean exactly?

Local habitat destruction, massive decline in food security, climate change, carbon monoxide poisoning, the decline in the concept of place and town centres, lowered casual socialisation opportunities (with impacts in birth rates and general respect for others), messes up kids mental development and ability to map out the world around them, lots of time lost in commutes, massively increased costs for municipalities... there's literal books written on the stuff.

[The Larch]

More info on the attack on the Japanese PM

Japan's PM escapes explosion unharmed after suspected attack
Man detained after what looked like a smoke bomb was thrown at Fumio Kishida just before speech

The Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has escaped unhurt after he was apparently targeted by an explosive device on Saturday morning. It comes less than a year after the country's former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was shot dead while making a campaign speech.

Kishida was safely evacuated after the incident, while a suspect – named by Japanese media as Ryuji Kimura, 24, a resident of Hyogo prefecture – was arrested at the scene, reports said.

Kishida was visiting Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, to support his ruling Liberal Democratic party's candidate in a local election when a device exploded.

TV footage showed what appeared to be a pipe- or smoke-bomb flying through the air in Kishida's direction moments before he was due to start his speech. He was shielded by security personnel, while a video clip appeared to show a fisherman tussling with the suspect.

Kishida was seen standing with his back to the crowd in TV footage. When members of his security detail suddenly pointed to the ground near him, he turned around, looking alarmed. The camera quickly switched to the crowd as several people, including uniformed and plainclothes police officers, converged on the suspect, who was wearing a white surgical mask and holding what appeared to be a long silver tube.

As they collapsed on top of the man and tried to remove the tube from his hands, a large explosion was heard near where Kishida had been standing. The crowd scattered in panic as police dragged the man away.

The explosion sent out plumes of white smoke. Footage and photos from the scene showed a silver, pipe-like object on the ground, but it was not immediately clear whether it had caused the blast.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK said no one was injured in the attack, and Kishida was taken to the Wakayama prefectural police headquarters.

When he resumed his campaign speeches, Kishida said: "Police are investigating the details of the loud explosive sound at the previous speech venue. I am sorry for causing concern to many people. We are in the middle of an important election for our country. We must carry on together."

Parliamentary byelections and local elections are being held in Japan later this month.

The incident comes only nine months after Abe – Japan's longest-serving prime minister – was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. The assassination shocked Japan, where gun crime is rare. An investigation found serious flaws in Abe's security and led to heightened security around politicians and other public figures.

Saturday's attack occurred as Japan, which holds the G7 presidency, prepared to host a series of international summits, beginning with a meeting of foreign ministers this Sunday and culminating ina leaders' summit in Hiroshima in May.

Isao Itabashi, an anti-terrorism expert at the Council for Public Policy, told NHK: "The fact that an incident like this happened at this time must be taken seriously."

Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, refused to comment on the suspect's possible motive, telling reporters that a police investigation was under way.

Matsuno said: "Elections are the core of democracy and we should never tolerate threats or obstruction by violence, and I believe [continuing on with his campaign schedule] was the prime minister's judgment in that context."

One witness said some people in the crowd panicked after they realised what was unfolding. She told NHK: "I ran frantically, and then 10 or so seconds later, there was a loud sound and my child started crying. I was stunned. My heart is still racing."

Another said he heard screams and saw someone, believed to be Kimura, being apprehended shortly before the device exploded.

A man at the scene told NHK: "When we all stopped in front of the podium, someone started saying 'culprit' or something, or 'an explosive was thrown', so everyone started dispersing fast. And then, about 10 seconds after the culprit was captured, there was a blast."

Also apparently a local fisherman (the guy on the winter themed apparel in the picture) was way more effective than the PM's security detail at manhandling and apprehending the suspect. 



Full video here: https://twitter.com/nethistorybot/status/1647091470682435584

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDcln5ZDnOA

Cumulative immigration to the US by country of origin 1820 to 2023.

[spoiler] it's all Mexicans

[The Larch]

plentiful small flats available letting you live in central Tokyo for a reasonable price.

Are you sure about that? What kind of flats do you mean?

I could see if I can find photos of mine when I'm on my PC. It was a lightly built 2 floor building with 4 bedsits that some elderly guy had built in his back garden 20 minutes walk to shinjuku station. Cost under 600 euros a month
I know folks who had bigger more adult suitable apartments which compared to what you'd pay in a major European city were still very cheap.

If your whole reference is that particular building I don't think your affirmation is really right. All the people I follow that live in Japan complain about the absurdly high rents in the city, and the only affordable places are the size of shoeboxes.

[Josquius]

plentiful small flats available letting you live in central Tokyo for a reasonable price.

Are you sure about that? What kind of flats do you mean?

I could see if I can find photos of mine when I'm on my PC. It was a lightly built 2 floor building with 4 bedsits that some elderly guy had built in his back garden 20 minutes walk to shinjuku station. Cost under 600 euros a month
I know folks who had bigger more adult suitable apartments which compared to what you'd pay in a major European city were still very cheap.

If your whole reference is that particular building I don't think your affirmation is really right. All the people I follow that live in Japan complain about the absurdly high rents in the city, and the only affordable places are the size of shoeboxes.

  no.
That sort of building is really typical in Japan.
Look up Leo Palace. Its a company making and operating very similar buildings, albeit on land they've bought rather than in their back garden.

Those people you know in Japan are from where?
I do recall an American friend from some nowhere town thought it was super expensive.

Just go check Japanese property sites. Rents are not high at all.

[The Larch]

plentiful small flats available letting you live in central Tokyo for a reasonable price.

Are you sure about that? What kind of flats do you mean?

I could see if I can find photos of mine when I'm on my PC. It was a lightly built 2 floor building with 4 bedsits that some elderly guy had built in his back garden 20 minutes walk to shinjuku station. Cost under 600 euros a month
I know folks who had bigger more adult suitable apartments which compared to what you'd pay in a major European city were still very cheap.

If your whole reference is that particular building I don't think your affirmation is really right. All the people I follow that live in Japan complain about the absurdly high rents in the city, and the only affordable places are the size of shoeboxes.

Those people you know in Japan are from where?

British, Canadian, Aussies... They all say that Tokyo is super expensive, but also that rents in other Japanese cities are much more affordable.

Just go check Japanese property sites. Rents are not high at all.

What's not high at all for you?

[Sheilbh]

From the OECD the share of net income you spend on rent is far lower in Japan than any of those countries:
https://www.oecd.org/els/family/HC1-2-Housing-costs-over-income.pdf

I imagine Tokyo would be higher but doubt it would be higher than the comparison cities like NYC, London or Sydney.

[Josquius]

British, Canadian, Aussies... They all say that Tokyo is super expensive, but also that rents in other Japanese cities are much more affordable.

What's not high at all for you?

600 quid in the very centre of London for instance would be something people would murder you for. That's not abnormal at all in Tokyo.

Checking the exchange rate just before I post too... Seems that's really on the expensive end these days.

As mentioned here's a company known for big mark ups due to being focussed on foreigners and short term contracts and they're coming in well under that.

https://www.leopalace21.com/m/sp/r/search/area/?search=search&area=13104&leopalaceBkFlg=1&contract=r&wovn=en&pref=13


So... Yeah. I'd say these friends of yours have a very broken perspective.

[The Larch]

So... Yeah. I'd say these friends of yours have a very broken perspective.

Not friends of mine, people I follow online that have been living in Japan for several years.

[Hamilcar]

Did the stocks thread die?

[Legbiter]

From the OECD the share of net income you spend on rent is far lower in Japan than any of those countries:
https://www.oecd.org/els/family/HC1-2-Housing-costs-over-income.pdf

I imagine Tokyo would be higher but doubt it would be higher than the comparison cities like NYC, London or Sydney.

Yeah Tokyo basically ate Japan. Housing costs are much more reasonable once you're outside of it. As their population falls and ages they have dramatic abandonment in outlying areas.

People in depopulating countries have a strange tendency to pack into one mega-city.

[Sheilbh]

600 quid in the very centre of London for instance would be something people would murder you for. That's not abnormal at all in Tokyo.

For comparison in London, every borough now has over £700 as the average rent for a room in a shared flat. That's out to Zone 5, not just in the relatively urban/central areas.

[Duque de Bragança]

700 € or more for a 9 sq. metre room (legal to rent...) is not that surprising anymore all over Paris.
Smaller flats are actually more expensive, per square metre, compared to bigger flats.

[Tamas]

Did the stocks thread die?

Not much to discuss, stocks only go up.

[Sheilbh]

Meanwhile in Turkey - latest poll ahead of next month's election:

World Elects
@ElectsWorld
🇹🇷#Turkey, presidential election poll (1st round):

Kılıçdaroğlu (CHP): 53,4 %
Erdogan (AKP-inc): 43,2 %
İnce (MP): 2,1 %
Oğan (ATA): 1,3 %

Second round (if necessary):

Kılıçdaroğlu (CHP): 55,2 %
Erdogan (AKP-inc): 44,8 %

Gezici, 02/04/23

Good article here - https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-2023-election-erdogan-close-call-republican-peoples-party-turkey-sweden-akp-chp-kilicdaroglu-fahrettin-altun/

All the main opposition parties agreed to support a single candidate and are forming a parliamentary alliance too. The CHP mayors of Istanbul and Ankara are vice-presidential candidates and the mayor of Istanbul especially seems to be doing about 4-5 campaign rallies a day all over the country.

Also doing a lot of rallies is Meral Aksener (who didn't want to run for president as the opposition want to return to a parliamentary system - and she wants to be PM instead) who founded the Iyi Party. From what I've read she's the opposition's attack dog. She's on the nationalist right (she broke with the MHP) but is going with this pretty communist-seeming election branding ("our father's dreams shall be achieved!")