A record of what Japan says when it isn't talking to you.
Under every news story on Japan's most-read portal sits one comment thread, ranked by votes. I read one of them to the bottom, count what is in it, and translate what people actually wrote.
Not a subreddit you joined and not a curated feed — just whoever showed up under the article, in public, under a handle.
How a note is made
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One thread, read to the bottom
Not the top ten. Every comment, in the order the platform ranks them, until the thread runs out. What sits at the bottom is usually why the note exists.
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Counted before it is characterised
Total comments, where the votes actually pooled, which strains of anger recur — counted first, then read. The numbers come before the characterisation.
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Quoted verbatim, translated by me
Comments are reproduced exactly as written, with the Japanese original kept beside the English so you can check it. Commenter handles are withheld. Translations are mine and are marked as such.
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Published by hand
Nothing auto-publishes and nothing is generated on a schedule. If a note is late, it is because the thread was long.
Why there is no name on this
Commenting on Japanese public opinion under a real name changes what can be said about it — by the author, and by the people who reply. The work is checkable without knowing who I am: every quote carries its source and its retrieval date, and the original thread is one click away.
Quotation policy
Comments are quoted verbatim in the original Japanese, with the source linked, commenter names withheld, and quoted only as far as the commentary requires. Translations are mine. Source articles may expire (retrieval dates noted). The substance of this piece is the author's commentary.
Corrections and takedown requests: @puonhime on X.
Recent field notes
Rather than describe the method, here is the work.
- Mercari's share price fell about thirty per cent in a month. I counted 1,139 comments: 92 to 8. But 79 per cent of the thread never mentions the share price at all. What came back was the answer to a different question — should this company exist? At 16:25 on Wednesday 16 September 2026, ITmedia NEWS published a story on Yahoo! Read →
- Driverless taxis are to start carrying passengers in Tokyo in 2027. I counted 990 comments: 74 to 26. The top comment came from a man who drives a taxi in central Tokyo for a living, and it said that obeying the road traffic law to the letter is not enough to get through this city, so try the countryside first At 09:00 on Tuesday 15 September 2026, Impress Watch published a story on Yahoo! Read →
- Denny Tamaki, who lost the Okinawa governor election, said smears on social media had been left unchecked, and the campaign is preparing a criminal complaint. I counted 4,196 comments: 92 to 8. The top comment did not say don't sue. It said you should have spoken about the smears aimed at your opponent too At 16:23 on Monday 14 September 2026, Kyodo News published a story on Yahoo! Read →
- Okinawa has elected a new governor: Genta Koja, a newcomer, defeated the incumbent Denny Tamaki, who was seeking a third term. I counted 3,645 comments: 90 to 10. An expert note printed above the thread called this Okinawa's first social-media governor election, and 80 comments answered it directly. First place took 35,565 presses. Comments that regretted the result came to 59, one tenth of one percent of the vote, and the highest-placed of them sat at 143rd At 19:59 on Sunday 13 September 2026, RBC Ryukyu Broadcasting published a story on Yahoo! Read →
- Japan's Ministry of Justice plans to start a trial next year in which sex offenders out on parole are given GPS devices to carry. I counted 2,189 comments: 96 to 4, and 305 of them, 47 percent of the vote, said consent should not come into it at all. First place took 7,810 presses, 30 percent of the vote. That a device you carry can simply be left at home was said by 261 comments, 16 percent; implant it in the body was said by 462, one comment in five, but took only 3 percent of the vote On the morning of 12 September 2026, Bengoshi.com News published a story on Yahoo! Read →
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