Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

As new cars with manual transmission (MT) options dwindle year after year, an article exploring where the value in “deliberately choosing” one still lies drew reactions on 5ch’s Breaking News+ board. The original article acknowledges that automatic (AT) cars now beat MTs on fuel economy and acceleration, but points to the “dialogue with the car” that comes from operating the clutch yourself, the growing rarity of MTs as electrification advances, and cases where used prices now exceed those of new cars. On the thread, cynical voices saying “I’ve never seen a rational reason” mixed with others citing lower price and durability as practical benefits, plus calls to make MT mandatory for elderly drivers to prevent pedal-mix-up accidents — and rebuttals to that — with no consensus reached.

As electrification advances, the number of new manual transmission (MT) cars available on the market keeps shrinking year by year. So why is there still value in “deliberately choosing” one? Here we introduce it alongside six domestic MT sports cars currently available new.

●The “joy of driving” that can’t be measured in numbers

In terms of fuel economy and acceleration, AT cars already outperform MT cars. Even so, the reason MT cars are still chosen lies in the “dialogue with the car” — pressing the clutch and selecting gears yourself. Even everyday driving, like commuting or running errands, changes in character with an MT car depending on how you handle it. Moreover, the more electrification advances, the rarer MT cars become, and for sports cars in particular, it’s not unusual for used prices to exceed those of new cars.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “[Automobiles] Manual Transmission Cars Keep Declining — Why They’re Still Chosen.”

Many people who entered the workforce during Japan’s “employment ice age” after the bubble economy collapsed are still stuck in unstable, non-regular jobs today. On ABEMA Prime, a debate erupted over how deregulation—including revisions to the Worker Dispatch Law—fueled the rise of non-regular employment, with some arguing “government policy at the time expanded it” while others pinned the blame on individual “self-responsibility.” On a 5ch thread, voices from that generation (“Back then, becoming a civil servant was the only way out”) sat alongside accounts like “I’m from the same ice age generation, but I worked at a black company and could only save 3,000 yen,” highlighting the gap between lived experience and calls for self-responsibility.

Published 9/23 (Wed) 11:00

ABEMA TIMES

Many of those who entered society during the employment ice age after the bubble burst remain stuck in unstable non-regular employment today. Amid revisions to the Worker Dispatch Law and other changes that expanded the ranks of non-regular workers, sharp voices have clashed—some arguing “government policy at the time expanded non-regular employment,” others leveling harsh “self-responsibility” criticism at the workers themselves. ABEMA Prime held a discussion on the roots of this problem, where responsibility lies, and what support should look like going forward.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

41AnonymousSep 23, 2026 17:13

*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “Was the Expansion of ‘Non-Regular Employment’ That Plagues the Ice Age Generation Really a Bad Thing? Those Affected and Experts Push Back Against the ‘Self-Responsibility’ Argument.”