|
|
|
ISSUE: November/December 2004 |
You're visitor No. |
|
Don't forget to check out the Gaijin's
Tip of the Month and Where-to-Go! |
|
This Month's Topics: |
|
Well, what a month we've had here. Japan must have done something that truly upset Mother Nature. First off, we have one of the worst earthquakes in recent memory, which killed around 80 people, plus more than 20 declared missing and over 350 injured. The government said the damage was the worst from a typhoon in 25 years, since the October 1979 typhoon which killed 115. The National Police Agency reported that around 70 houses were completely or partly destroyed and more than 4,500 houses flooded. There were mudslides in more than 600 places and 9 flood-control dikes broke. Travellers also suffered more than somewhat, with over 110 domestic flights cancelled. Not only that, but there were 37 people forced to seek refuge on top of a tourist bus overnight on a flooded road in Kyoto Prefecture -- they were rescued by helicopters and rafts the next morning. In Toyama, 167 students and teachers from the institute for sea training aboard the sea training ship Kaio Maru had to be rescued by helicopter when their ship was thrown on a breakwater by high waves. This was the 10th typhoon to hit Japan this year, breaking the record of 6 set in both 1990 and 1993. Sadly, amongst the fatalities was a police officer who was standing guard at a cave-in on a road in Kyoto Prefecture. I know this page isn't exactly kind to the local constabulary but as an ex-cop, I can and do appreciate a man who dies doing his duty, and so all due praise to him and every other officer who toiled through that storm.
Then,
as if that were not bad enough, we had a series of earthquakes up in Niigata
Prefecture and the Sea of Japan coast, killing more than 25 people and
injuring more than 2,100. Officials said the damage caused by the quakes,
marked by numerous landslides, was worsened because heavy rain from the aforementioned
Typhoon Tokage, which raked the Japanese archipelago last week, loosened the
ground. These very nasty quakes, some of which could be felt here in Tokyo,
forced some 97,000 residents to take shelter in makeshift evacuation centres.
Other, justifiably nervous citizens spent the nights in their cars with the
engines running to keep warm and to avoid the danger of their homes collapsing.
The aftershocks seemed to continue for quite some time, which didn't help make
the onset of winter any more bearable. It gets pretty cold up there in the
mountains, and sleeping outside must be much less than pleasant.
Footnote: The earthquakes earned our controversial leader some new controversy.
When news of the first powerful earthquakes (magnitude 6.8) in Niigata
Prefecture reached Tokyo, Mr Koizumi was in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo hotel in
Roppongi Hills, attending the opening ceremony at an international film
festival. However, this grave news did not deter him from continuing with the
function, which is doubtless more fun than attending to an emergency. The Chief
Cabinet Secretary loyally tried to defend the PM's inaction by claiming that
"Attending the ceremony was in the line of duty". I suppose it's
all a matter of priorities and how one defines duty.
???????????????????????
Seems that the warm Japanese welcome that the tourist publicity boasts of is limited, and doesn't apply to everyone passing through Narita Airport, as a couple of Tunisians discovered. Luckily (?) for them, the thugs who gave them a hard time were private thugs, rather than officials, and so the courts did recognise that they'd been wronged. To be exact, the Tokyo District Court ordered the I'M security company and 3 of its guards to pay ¥2.2 million (US$20,853) in damages to the two for assault and extorting money after they were denied entry into Japan back in June 2000. The 2 men had arrived on a Turkish Airlines flight but were denied entry because they didn't have sufficient funds. As usual, they were then moved to the airport's landing prevention facility. However, the security guards who took them there demanded that they pay a total of $600 to cover the costs of food and boarding -- a bit dumb when you remember why they were being detained! When the 2 refused, the guards attacked them, slamming their heads against a wall. According to Amnesty International, the 2 Tunisians were hit on the face, held down, kicked and denied medical attention while they were under detention. Welcome to Japan! Not surprisingly, the 2 men filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court in August 2001, seeking ¥7.2 million yen in damages from the state, Turkish Airlines, I'M Company, and the guards. Why did it take them so long to seek legal redress? Well, the 2 told a news conference in Tokyo after filing the lawsuit that they were asked to agree in writing to keep silent about the assault and extortion in exchange for reimbursement of the money taken from them. Now this I'M Company provides security services for several airlines at Narita Airport, so it will be interesting to see if they lose any contracts because of this. If not (which is what I cynically expect), then make damn sure you have plenty of cash when you fly here!
???????????????????????
Who says Japanese justice works slowly? Some of you may recall the 'Minamata Disease' scandal that began in the in the mid 1950s. In case you don't, let me explain that this was when the people of Minamata, on the coast of Japan's Shiranui Sea, began to notice that their cats seemed to be going insane, and were falling into the sea. Some even thought the cats were committing suicide. However, they then noticed that some local people were beginning to feel a numbness in their limbs and lips, whilst others developed shaking in their arms and legs, making it difficult to walk. Others seemed to be going crazy, shouting uncontrollably. This strange and frightening condition was termed Minamata disease, and in 1956, researchers sought to find the source of the illness. The one thing people in this fishing town had in common was that they all ate fish, so scientists checked the fish in Minamata Bay. 'Coincidentally', Chisso Corporation had a large petrochemical plant in Minamata, but Chisso denied any link and continued its manufacturing with no changes to the method of production. Finally, in July 1959 researchers from Kumamoto University found that organic mercury was the cause of Minamata disease. It was later discovered that Chisso Corporation had dumped an estimated 27 tons of mercury compounds into Minamata Bay, but Chisso continued to refute the information and any link of its mercury waste to the illness. As a result, babies were born to poisoned mothers with severe deformities, including gnarled limbs, mental retardation, deafness, and blindness. The local fishermen began protesting against Chisso Corporation in 1959, demanding compensation, and that Chisso quit dumping toxic waste. Well, just 45 years later, Japan's Supreme Court has ruled that the state was responsible for the mercury-poisoning disease, in the first judgment by the top court on government responsibility in preventing the outbreak and spread of the disease. This ruling should, at long last, bring to a close the only Minamata disease-related lawsuit that sought government responsibility in the outbreak of the disease. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Chisso Corporation is still going strong. Their English language homepage (http://www.chisso.co.jp/english/) somehow neglects to mention Minamata. Now it must be said that their Minamata factory stopped using the mercury method of production in 1968, but not because of concern for the scandal -- the system had just became outdated. Want to know what's even more worrying? Their Tokyo head office is right beside the Sumida River, and their Osaka office is tight between two rivers, the Dojima and Tosabori. Feel like a glass of water, anyone?
???????????????????????
The good citizens of Wakayama Prefecture who took part in a lottery organised by the local Municipal Development Corp might occasionally have wondered what worthy projects their money was being spent on. Well, they recently found out. It is reported that executives of the corporation spent millions of lottery yen on "study tours" for local mayors. Study tours? Seems that is bureaucrat-speak for luxurious overseas sightseeing trips! The Kyodo News agency reported that ¥7 million (US$66,350) was spent on a 9-day tour to North America, including stays at luxury hotels and visits to tourist spots like Niagara Falls, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Nice to know your elected officials are so eager to study luxury hotels, which I am sure is vitally important for the development of the prefecture. Trouble is, I sincerely doubt if there will many ramifications. The people will doubtless continue to invest in the lottery, and will probably re-elect those hedonistic mayors! After all, when it was revealed that Japanese prime minister Tanaka Kakuei had been paid huge bribes by the Lockheed aircraft company (to ensure that ANA would buy their planes) in 1976, he was forced to resign as PM, but the voters continued to elect him, and his party is still in power today.
???????????????????????
One book most of the Japanese Government sure as hell hasn't read must be "How To Win Friends And Influence People", by Dale Carnegie. Shortly after upsetting America's Democrats by saying he wanted Bush to win the presidential elections, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi then returned to his favourite pastime -- pissing off China and Korea! Back in mid-October, he made it clear that he has no intention of stopping his controversial visits to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honours Japan's class-A World War II criminals as well as the war dead. In his own words, "I'm aware that the visits are unpleasant for China, but I believe there is nothing wrong about paying appropriate respect to the war dead as a Japanese". I suppose he isn't too eager on visiting China, as he has been unable to go there for the past 3 years due to Beijing's anger at his annual visits to the shrine, which many see as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. He made this candid remarks in reply to a call by Kosuke Ito, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, that he should try to mend relations with China by such means as considering setting up a secular war memorial. Nice to know at least one LDP guy lives in the real world. However, his suggestion was quickly dismissed by our tactless leader, who said, "The so-called peace memorial should not be a facility that substitutes for Yasukuni Shrine, even if it is established." In other words, I enjoy upsetting our neighbours, so don't be a spoilsport!
???????????????????????
It's not just personal security that the Japanese are blissfully ignorant of, but at least one major corporation is trying to resole matters. It was recently announced by Microsoft Japan that it will teach Tokyo high school students how to protect their computers from viruses, starting with a visit by Microsoft employees to Tokyo Gakugei University Senior High school, Sumidagawa High School and Kaetsu Girls' Senior High School. The 4x2-hour computer courses on information security at these high schools are part of its efforts to cooperate with educational programs of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, company officials said. Well, it must be said that Japan's combination of security naivety and all too common computer illiteracy do seem to make this place a virus-maker/hacker's dream. However, let's hope that this scheme moves on to other schools all over Japan, or my computer records in various Japanese banks and offices might all be in peril!
???????????????????????
Weirdo religions are by no means limited to America, as Japan has more than a few. Admittedly, the bunch who tried to gas the Tokyo subway a few years ago were extremely extreme, but there are many others who prefer to concentrate on making money -- something they do exceedingly well! There is one bunch whose palatial headquarters are on a hill near my home -- a truly huge marble mansion larger than the imperial palace, and doubtless a lot more expensive! Article 20 of Japan's American-written constitution states that "Freedom of religion is guaranteed to all" (this same clause states that "the State and its organs shall refrain from religious education or any other religious activity", which doesn't seem to apply to the PM!), and so these often unpleasant groups are pretty free to do whatever the stupidity of the population allows. However, they do occasionally go too far, as a recent Kyodo News report revealed. It seems that last September, some fatally gullible 36-year-old woman allowed herself to be beaten with a bamboo sword in a Tokyo flat as part of what this particular wacky group called "religious training". However, the 4 'teachers' went too far and killed her, leading to their arrest. Those arrested all belong to a group called Keroyon, including the sect's leader, 40-year-old Yuko Kitazawa. However, the group's violent behaviour shouldn't be too much of a surprise, as one of those arrested was a former member of the subway attacking Aum Shinrikyo cult, which continues to operate almost as freely as before. Worrying, ah? After all, who knows what goes on within that huge palace overlooking my area, behind the high security wall -- complete with razor wire and motion sensors -- like all religious places, right?
???????????????????????
We all know that teenage kids can be a problem, but there are better ways of handling them than starving them to death! I'm not kidding! Osaka Prefecture Police recently arrested a 48-year-old woman and 2 people living at her home for starving her 19-year-old son to death. It seems that her 'friend', 42-year-old Satoshi Nakamura, ordered her not to give any food to the boy, who was confined in his room. I don't what sort of 'Ménage a Trois' was going on there, but Nakamura's 36-year-old girlfriend was also involved in the crime. Their poor victim weighed only 32 kilograms at the time of his death, according to the police.
A major robbery recently made the headlines here, when a gang of men robbed a transportation company of ¥524 million (US$4,966 million) in cash in Tochigi Prefecture. This is, the second biggest amount stolen in Japan in the past 15 years, according to police. It seems the gang entered an office of Tobu Transportation Co on a Sunday evening, tied up 2 security guards with sticky tape, took the money and ran. The cash was from sales collected from 30-40 supermarkets and other customers over the weekend. The company was due to transport it to Tokyo on Monday morning.
Why steal from an ATM when you can just take the whole damn'd machine! That seems to have been the thinking of some crooks in Saitama Prefecture, just north of Tokyo. Local police were called by a security company after the alarm at the Resona Bank branch near Urawa-misono railway station went off early in the morning. They found the branch virtually destroyed and one ATM, containing about ¥42 million, was missing. The crooks left behind a power shovel, believed to have been taken from a construction site about 200 meters away, with which they had scooped out the ATM. Now I know that being near the railway probably means the locals were used to noise, but didn't anyone hear a building being demolished or a machine being ripped out? I suppose Saitama folk are very heavy sleepers!
Japan's safe image took a real hammering recently when it was reported by Kyodo News that a gangster was killed and 3 others injured in a shoot-out with a rival gang in a hotel coffee shop in downtown Asakusa. The 4 gangsters were sitting in the coffee shop early on a Sunday afternoon when 2 rivals came in and fired at them. The 2 attackers fled but were later arrested by police. Maybe if the police and their masters had confronted the problem of organised crime here earlier, local gangsters would feel less 'untouchable'.
Something from the Royal Thai Police this time, but with a Japanese connection. It seems that a Japanese man was recently arrested at Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport whilst trying to smuggle several kinds of wildlife out of Thailand. To be exact, this 39-year-old Osaka cloth merchant was carrying 45 turtles, 9 salamanders, 4 white frogs and 14 protected plant species. Now we all like to take souvenirs home but wasn't that a little excessive?
Remember the Waseda University 'rape club', whose members were encouraged by their 'leader' to rape unsuspecting females? To refresh your memory, back in 2001, Shinichiro Wada, a 30-year-old former Waseda University student organised a so-called event-planning circle, "Super Free," whose members were required to rape female invitees. Well, he was recently convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison. The 13 other defendants in the case received jail sentences of up to 10 years. Three of them have appealed their sentences, one of whom was again given a jail term by the appeals court. Unlike some LDP politicians, who referred to gang rape as being proof of masculinity, the Presiding Judge said "The defendant's attitude of ignoring the dignity of his victims and treating them as if they were a tool to attain sexual gratification is from the beginning utterly inhumane, degrading, monstrous and indeed vicious".
Another Japanese who was naughty overseas was 47-year-old Shozo Otani, of Saitama Prefecture. He is alleged to have conspired with a 55-year-old friend to have a Filipino acquaintance kill a 40-year-old former Tochigi Prefecture postal worker in Manila for his insurance money back in June 2001. The murder succeeded, unfortunately for the postman, but Mr Otani was recently sentenced to life in prison.
Who said Japan's youth were no good at making money? Four teenagers were recently arrested for defrauding a woman out of ¥500,000 (US$4,737), using a scam whereby one called the woman claiming to be a police officer and telling her that her husband caused a traffic accident and must pay compensation. In case you're thinking that this sum is just chicken feed, bear in mind that the 4 (a 19-year-old unemployed youth, a 16-year-old senior high school student and 2 15-year-old junior high school students) are suspected of having run this sort of scam more than 10 times, involving a total of about ¥30 million (US$284,252).
???????????????????????
Japan's
imperial family often seem distinctly anachronistic
in an otherwise modern nation, striving hard to live firmly in the distant past.
You may recall that not long ago, I praised the Crown Prince for defending his
previously very sophisticated wife from the harmful attention of the media.
Well, sadly, it seems that his admirable attitude is sadly lacking in other
members of the imperial family, for the Empress Michiko recently used the
celebrations of her 70th birthday to issue what seems like a rebuke to Crown
Princess Masako. Needless to say, in this nation where reading between the lines
is a vital ability, she didn't criticise her openly. However, she did speak of
her "sense of heavy responsibility" not to disgrace the imperial
family, The Times newspaper reported. It seems the Empress indirectly
reflected on the fact that Crown Princess Masako has performed no public duties
for about 10 months due to a stress-related illness, which she seemed to think
was like letting the side down. According to The Times, the empress said in a
written message marking her 70th birthday Wednesday, "In all the years
since the wedding day, the sense of heavy responsibility has stayed with me that
I should not disgrace the imperial family, with its long history, who accepted
me, an ordinary citizen, as crown princess," Empress Michiko. However, The
Times also said it is a "tragedy" that Crown Princess Masako, an
American-educated former diplomat, has not been allowed to play a full role on
both the domestic and international stages. The Times concluded by urging the
imperial family and officials to be more transparent with its citizens and
fellow family members. Quote: "There is no manual illustrating How to
Finesse Life at Japanese Court, or How to Decode Royal Messages: Public and
Private. Perhaps there should be," and "Not just princesses, but
society as a whole, can benefit from less covert communication, from the top
down, and more transparency." Some of Britain's royal family might envy the
polite way the Japanese press treats the imperial family, but I am equally sure
that the younger members envy even more the freedom of Britain's royals. Queen Elizabeth
might regret her children's divorces, but at least they were granted the same
right to do so as her subjects!
Footnote: Japanese news has been filled with the details of the recently
announced engagement between the Emperor's last single child, 35-year-old Princess
Sayako, and Yoshiki Kuroda, a
39-year-old Tokyo City Government official. However, this seemingly happy news
has upset the secretive but powerful 'Imperial
Household Agency' -- not a difficult thing to do! The Agency has complained that
it was "highly inappropriate" for news media to report the engagement
before an official announcement was made. One of the old 'uns who run that antediluvian
department claimed that the princess and her fiancé-to-be , "feel that
they do not wish to announce their private engagement yet," as less than a
month has passed since deadly quakes hit Niigata Prefecture. Although he claimed
to be acting from purely unselfish motives, saying "We
are deeply concerned that the publication of the news item may cause great
commotion and bring about much trouble for people around the princess's intended
fiancé", it sounds more like a case of sour grapes to me, that the
Asahi Shimbun beat him to it with a
scoop on the engagement. Anyway, 'vice-grand stewards' with umbrage or not, I
for one wish the couple well. She seems to be a very nice and pleasant lady, and
so long as he can avoid being smothered the way the Crown Princess was, I hope
they'll both be very happy.
???????????????????????
People in the north of England have a saying, that "where there's muck (= rubbish or dirt), there's brass (= money)". Well, they were truly proved correct recently when workers at a garbage processing facility in Saitama discovered ¥33.8 million (US$320,000+) amongst their incoming rubbish. There's a hell of a story there, there must be! However, just to show how rich some folk are, no-one has claimed this money or even reported it missing! Believe me, if I lost ¥33, I'd know it! However, there is a nice happy ending to this story. Saitama municipal officials have decided to donate the money to victims of the aforementioned powerful earthquakes in northern Japan. One man's rather large loss is another family's gain!
???????????????????????
Regular
readers of this page will remember how many Japanese teachers
are regularly punished for allegedly failing to show respect to
the national flag and sing the anthem. Remember? Well, I suppose that these
accusations are related to a perceived lack of respect for the emperor, don't
you think? Well, the Emperor doesn't seem to mind -- and may even object to
the heavy-handed actions carried out in his name! It seems that the
emperor expressed a wish that the Hinomaru flag be displayed and the
"Kimigayo" anthem sung "voluntarily with joy" and not
coercion. Reasonable enough, wouldn't you think? Well, the government reacted
with uncharacteristic haste, with the Chief
Cabinet Secretary claiming the
remarks did not break the constitutional ban on the emperor actually governing
(this government has such respect for the constitution, of course), and 2
cabinet ministers argued that he was merely expressing a wish, not an opinion
or complaint. Now considering that
the main body responsible for punishing 'disrespectful' teachers is Tokyo,
whose governor has a son in the said cabinet, such a reaction is hardly
surprising. Equally unsurprising was the reaction of the said Governor, Shintaro
Ishihara, who told a news conference, "It's a matter of whether public
servants do or do not comply with it as an obligation that the state has
decided on. It is different from whether it is forcing things in general. I
don't want those matters to be mixed up,". That makes everything a lot
clearer, right? However, it is to
be hoped that the imperial family will soon enjoy the freedom to say what they
think, especially on matters regarding respect for their flag and anthem. Then
again, I might become Pope!
Footnote: As if to underline the point that Tokyo's nationalistic
policy will not change, the Tokyo
metropolitan board of education recently deducted 10% from the salary of an
elementary school teacher for not attending a training session after being
punished for refusing to stand up and sing "Kimigayo" at a
commencement ceremony in April. The 54-year-old lady in question refused to
sing, refused to attend the 'lessons', and claimed, with some justification,
that "It is illegal to punish me like this." Remembering how light
is the punishment of perverted teachers, I tend to agree with her..
???????????????????????
On a lighter note (no pun intended), November 1st saw the arrival of Japan's new bank notes. The newly designed ¥1,000, ¥5,000 and ¥10,000 notes were the first changes in 20 years, and are being produced using the world's most advanced printing technologies in order to prevent counterfeiting, which has been steadily increasing in Japan. In case you should acquire one of the new notes and are wondering whose face you are looking at, the 1,000-yen note features the image of Hideyo Noguchi (1876-1928), a famous bacteriologist who created a pure culture of syphilitic spirochetes before he died of yellow fever in Accra, west Africa. The 5,000-yen note is a real ground breaker, being the first to show a woman. The uniquely honoured lady is the novelist and poet Ichiyo Higuchi (1872-96). She was a leading literary figure in the Meiji era, a resident of Tokyo's Bunkyo-ward famous for such works as “Takekurabe” and “Nigorie”. The 10,000-yen note is much less notable, as it continues to bear the features of academic Yukichi Fukuzawa (1835-1901), one of the first experts on the West in modern Japan, whose strove to create a new generation of leaders versed in Western ways, for which purpose he founded Keio University -- which just happens to have Japan's oldest rugby club! So there you are. Who said reading the 'Empty Seat' couldn't be educational as well as enjoyable (?)!
???????????????????????
Say That Again . . .
Everyone knows that men
and women's ideas of romance are often rather different, but it is rarely stated
as candidly as it was recently by .
The good doctor stated:
"Only women can feel as though they've been cast under a spell after
kissing. For men, the kiss is simply one process leading to sex.."
Hey, for some men I know, shaking
hands also falls into the same category!
&
This one definitely comes
under the heading of 'Nice work if you can get it'. It seems that As he said:
"I thought, why not introduce
troubled women to men who would enjoy ministering to them?"
It
seems that these selfless volunteers 'service' I
wonder if they have a similar service for men in the same situation?
&
Who said most Japanese men
are a bunch of perverts? For those who maybe noticed that the recent
"When she served, everyone got
ready to take photos of her panties. Nine out of every 10 of these guys were
geeks whose cameras were aimed below the belt."
Gives a whole new meaning to 'tennis
elbow' . . .
&
Lonely hearts in Japan
often resort to one of the many
Hey, there's worse things than going
home alone, believe me!
&
I have had reason to
mention before how suicide is viewed much less negatively here in Japan.
&
"Let's not forget
that the decision to have sex now rests with women instead of men."
???????????????????????
Sadly,
Japan's dangerous naivety about the outside world
claimed another victim in late October, with the murder of 24-year-old
Shosei Koda, a student learning English in New Zealand who decided to visit
Iraq just because he was curious. That's right -- he wasn't an aid worker,
reporter or even an amateur do-gooder. Just curious. It seems he told his
friends "I want to see with my
own eyes what is going on in Iraq". What was it that happened to the
curious cat? The murdered innocent did not have a very studious background,
having dropped out of high school in his second year before working for a
painting company in Fukuoka Prefecture. He quit this job in October 2002 to
travel, and last January, he ended up in New Zealand as part of a working
holiday. His teachers at an English Language School in Christchurch say that
he was very interested in knowing about what went on in other countries of the
world. One of his classmates described him as a "bit of a loner",
adding that "He is very naive. He doesn't know danger". Rather than
go directly to Iraq, he first moved to Israel, where he stayed while earning a
living through part-time jobs in Tel Aviv. This visit is unlikely to have
improved his image with his kidnappers, who may not know much about Japan but
sure as hell hate Israel! He travelled to Iraq by bus from Amman, hardly the
safest idea, and what with having little money, little knowledge of Iraq and a
complete ignorance of safety measures, he must have seemed an obvious target
for terrorists. He was probably kidnapped by one of Iraq's opportunist
criminal gangs who specialise in kidnapping foreigners who they then sell to
terrorist groups like the one led by al-Qaida ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. His
kidnappers said they would behead him unless Japan withdrew its troops from
Iraq within 48 hours, a condition Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi flatly
rejected. Now if this silly boy's fate were to serve as a lesson for other
Japanese to learn more about places before they visit them, that would be some
consolation for his family, I suppose. Sadly, however, the often strange and
fanciful ideas most Japanese have about outside countries will doubtless
remain as divorced from reality as ever!
Footnote: Maybe it wasn't just his obvious naivety that attracted this
boy's killers after all. The same site that carried a statement
by his murderers later carried a statement threatening terrorist attacks on
Japan, which it accused of being a US ally. The statement, which was not
signed, accused Japan of allying with America, added that "Even the wide
oceans cannot protect you all. Your people will for sure be shaken," the
statement said. Now where did I put my passport . . .
???????????????????????
As part of its snail-like efforts to bring its attitudes into the 20th century (the 21st comes later), the National Police Agency has now announced that in future, it will offer more support to domestic violence victims by allowing them to talk with perpetrators at police stations and help them escape from their assailants. This follows cases where people seeking to escape from domestic violence were sometimes told to go home, whereupon they were badly hurt or even killed. However, this move does not come without any inducement. The required kick came by way of an enactment in May of a revised law to prevent domestic violence, which requires perpetrators to leave their homes for 2 months and stay away from their spouses and the children. So the law's changed and the NPA has claimed that procedures will change. How long it takes for this change to reach the often less than enlightened officers in local police boxes and stations is quite another matter, but let's just say that domestic violence victims may continue to face a lack of sympathy for some time to come. I hope I'm wrong, but let's see if cynicism equals realism, as it sadly so often does.
???????????????????????
News of smoking bans in New York, Dublin and maybe London have little impact over here, as there will likely be a Japanese pope before any such ban is enforced in Tokyo. This is still one of the most smoker-friendly cities in the developed world, especially when one sees how cheap cigarettes are, and how polite and vague the present health warning on cigarette packets is. However, the former state tobacco company, Japan Tobacco, recently announced that it plans to strengthen the health warnings on its tobacco products. Now don't go thinking that these will soon be as strong as the British, American or Canadian warnings, or even the Thai ones, which mention impotency as one smoking side effect. Not at all. The new warnings will merely specify the potential hazards of smoking, such as lung cancer, heart attacks and strokes. JT reported that it will change its warnings for its 11 most popular cigarette brands between late November and January next year, and alter warnings on the remaining 86 cigarette brands by June 2005. However, this is unlikely to have too much impact on JT's profits, especially when you remember that they operate one of Japan's leading chest disease hospitals. A rather unusual example of after sales service, don't you think?
???????????????????????
Japan's large and expensive armed forces are many things but awe-inspiring or daunting they're not. However, the government seems to want to change this. The Prime Minister recently said that Japan will make the 'Self-Defense Forces' more streamlined and better at combating terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Speaking at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Asaka training site in Saitama Prefecture, he said that "From now on, to secure our own country's safety and prosperity, it is necessary to positively contribute to the peace and stability of the international community," . This was followed by comments from the Defense Agency Director-General that Japanese troops might stay in Iraq until the end of next year. Now I am sure that this isn't a prelude to the reduction or removal of American military bases here, but if it is, then I'm starting to pack my bags. If Japan's security depends on the 'Self-Defense Forces', then it is not the place I wish to call home. A few years ago, back during the 'Cold War', the US Military did a study on how long they projected the SDF could hold out against a Soviet invasion of Hokkaido without US support. The conclusion was roughly 45 minutes. OK, Russia is very unlikely to invade us any more, but with North Korea around, and with Narita Airport being at least 90 minutes away, I prefer those US bases to stay right where they are!
???????????????????????
The aforementioned 'Self-Defense Forces' were recently tested when an unidentified submarine, probably Chinese and nuclear, entered Japanese waters in early November. As a result, the government (eventually) ordered the 'Maritime Self-Defense Force' (= navy) to react, marking only the second time such an order has been given. The action they took was to send P-3C patrol planes to track the submarine, which entered Japanese territorial waters off a chain of islets in Okinawa but left soon afterward. No warning shot was fired as the intrusion was brief, according to the officials. Why do I say 'eventually'? Because it turns out that the MSDF aircraft only contacted the intruder (to demanded that it surface and show its flag or leave Japanese waters) after the submarine left Japanese waters! Remember the missing horse and the stable door? So why did it take the government so long to react? Well, look at what happened between the sub being spotted and action being taken. First, officials did what they do best -- they held a first meeting at 06:50, which agreed to set up a task force at 08:10. Then, they held an upgraded meeting of directors general from agencies concerned at 15.00. Reassuring, isn't it? The complication to this matter is that the sub was spotted "moving underwater" near Miyako and Ishigaki islands in Okinawa Prefecture. Now islands in this area, just east of Taiwan, are also claimed by China, and so Beijing might not think it had trespassed at all. What's more, in light of the PM's stubborn refusal to stop upsetting his neighbours with visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, maybe China doesn't give a damn whose water its subs visit!
???????????????????????
I recently reported the incident where a Mongolian-born Sumo wrestler got in trouble after getting drunk. Remember? Well, the latest scandal to hit the world of Sumo involves someone even higher -- the boss, in fact! Japan Sumo Association Chairman Kitanoumi has been accused of assaulting and sexually harassing a 28-year-old woman working at a Tokyo restaurant. Kitanoumi, a former yokozuna or 'Grand Champion', has denied the allegations. According to the story told police, Kitanoumi went to a restaurant in Tokyo's Sumida Ward (home to most of the Sumo 'stables') with his friends one night where the woman attended to them. He is somehow said to have choked the woman, causing injuries requiring a week's treatment. The woman filed a complaint with the police 4 days later. The man himself says that "It is true that I went to the restaurant, but I did not slap her." Now Kitanoumi had previously been famous for being the youngest to be promoted to yokozuna in 1974, when aged just 21 years and 2 months old. He won the prestigious Emperor's Cup 24 times before retiring in 1985. He became the association chairman in 2002. All very praiseworthy. However, with Sumo already being an openly sexist sport (no female is allowed to touch the Dohyo, or raised 'ring' where the fights take place -- not even the lady Governor of Osaka!), allegations of sexual harassment might be all too easily believed. One things for sure. Although the notion of lady sumo wrestlers might not be good for ones appetite, the world is as it is, and so the sport has a choice, Update gracefully or be dragged screaming into the PC modern world. I can guess which path they'll take.
'With
Christmas coming up all too soon, now might be a good time to start thinking
of what presents to buy. If you have Japanese friends to include on your gift
list, why not consider buying the gift certificates sold at all major
department stores. They come in a variety of denominations and especially the
ones from the more grand establishments are great for when you can't decide on
a suitable present.'
(For more like this, please visit the 'Gaijin's
Guide to Living in Japan')
'On a similar trend, i.e., Christmas shopping, why not visit the Togo Shrine Flea Market, Tokyo's largest shrine market. It has stalls selling everything from furnishings to toys, and is held on the 1st, 4th & 5th Sunday of each month -- that's the 28th this month or December 5th. Nearest subway is Meijijingumae or Harujuku JR. For more information, call 3403-3591. '
(For more suggestions, check out the 'Gaijin's Guide to Enjoying Tokyo')
|
Miss an issue of the 'Back Page'? |
||
|
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
Well bless my soul, that's another 'Empty Seat' kicked onto the Internet. Sorry if it was a bit late this month (a few hours, anyway) but all good things are worth waiting for, right? Anyway, the next issue is the long awaited Christmas/New Year edition. However, as I shall be taking my Christmas leave slightly early (the 25th is a normal Saturday here), the next 'Empty Seat' will be even later. I am hoping to get it online during the week before Christmas -- sorry to be so inexact but you know what the holiday season is like. If you'd like to be notified when it is online, just drop me a note using the guestbook link below. You can even make it private if you'd prefer your friends not to know you read this drivel! Anyway, on that cheery note, I shall wish all my Muslim readers a belated happy Eid-ul-Fitr and look forward to seeing you just before Qaid-i-Azam day (Pakistan), national gravity day, and Taiwan's 'Constitution Day' -- all celebrated on December 25th!
The Gaijin
Don't forget: If you want to know when the next 'Empty Seat' is online, or just want to contact the ol' Gaijin, you can use the Guestbook link below. I'll read every entry, honest, and then . . . Well, we'll see!
| Read my guestbook! |
|
Sign my guestbook!
|
|
|
| * | Regular travellers
on Japan's buses and trains know that the seat next to a foreigner
will usually remain empty, even during the rush hours. This can rankle at first but should really be seen as a relief in a place where space is hard to find. It is also amusing to see a tired 'salaryman' torn between sitting next to a foreigner or remaining on his feet! |
|
|
|
|
in 2004!
