How green are Japan's urbanites? (Japan Times)

The Japan Times lists just a few more areas in which, as posted below, Japan is not as splendidly "green" as believed:

"Yet in a recent poll of consumers from 14 countries by National Geographic and the international polling firm GlobeScan, Japanese houses were found to be the second-least sustainable, only outranking ones in the United States.

I think they mean "only outranked by the ones in the US." Follow the link for more.

Added at 1227pm: And another JT article by Takamitsu Sawa on PM Fukuda's low-carbon society:

Since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the Japanese government has done little or nothing. As I recall, the only actions taken were enacting the 1998 Energy Conservation Law and encouraging people to dress lightly in summer to save energy. As a result, the volume of greenhouse gases emitted in Japan in fiscal 2006 was 6.2 percent above 1990 levels....

Again, follow the link for a relatively detailed and thorough examination of the internal opposition Japan faces in regards to Kyoto.

What he said.

I have always thought---and tried unsuccessfully to put into words---that Japan's reputation as a leader in the fight to reduce global warming or in about any other environmental issue was/is highly exaggerated. In fact, in many areas of environmental conservation/preservation, Japan is anything but a leader or role model.

Andrew DeWit has published a piece on Japan Focus: The G8 Mirage: Toyako, Japan's Potemkin Village, and the Environment which I wish that I could have written. He starts out by listing some of the often overly enthusiastic foreign and domestic media reports on Japan's environmental record especially as far as energy conservation and CO2 reduction is concerned. He then goes over some of the statements of Japanese politicians and bureaucrats who naturally want to add to the idea of Japan's special---dare we say unique?---role in this fight. Then he notes:

The Japanese elite enjoy the brand-name benefits conferred by “Kyoto,” but have made little attempt to meet its explicit targets or achieve its proposed trajectory towards more stringent and comprehensive mechanisms.

(I recall that Japan did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol until after Bush had walked away from the agreement. This was in 2000 or 2001, 3-4 years after Kyoto. Yea, very enthusiastic.)

He then shows that although Japan is "at best on par with" the EU, it is not the global leader in the energy efficiency and environmental fields. He uses data from the German Watch’s Climate Change Performance Index (compares emissions trends and climate protection) which showed that Japan is dropped from 39th place in 2007 to 42nd in 2008 while China (of all places) improved from 44th to 40th in the same period.

One of his more interesting points is that while Germany's (and others) economy was growing faster than Japan's from 1997-2007, its energy consumption was falling while Japan's was increasing. During this period Germany's population was growing while Japan's was---and still is---falling.

Dewit then explores other areas of energy use in Japan, and ends with a look at what two Japanese environmental experts Iida Tetsunari of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, and Kameyama Yoshiko of the University of Tokyo-based National Institute for Environmental Studies have to say about the myths and distortions of the Japanese leadership. Their research shows that Japan actually slipping behind and will not even be able to meet the Kyoto target of a 6% energy cut this year.

There is much, much more information in that article. It is the kind of research and writing that is needed concerning Japan, but is rarely ever found in the mainstream media. They are too busy reporting on fantasy Japan.

Will January 2009 come soon enough?

I lived in Montana for about 2 years and it remains my favorite place on earth. When I think of wild, when I think of natural, when I think of the essence of the American West, I think of Montana. I remember the unbelievably frigid nights in the winter when I could hear trees crack from the cold; the crystal clear skies in which I could see more stars than I ever saw from anywhere else--even more than I remember growing up out in the sticks as a kid. I remember the Chinook winds which could bring a warm spell to break up some of the cold. I remember the wildlife, especially the elk season and the sound of there bugling, and the sometimes worrying but always exciting chance of seeing a grizzly. And I especially remember the smell of sage everywhere. It is also the place where I really got to know the girlfriend who later became my wife.

I was somewhat disappointed when movie stars began to buy up Montana land as I figured that they would bring Hollywood lifestyles with them and insist that Montana become citified. However, it seemed to survive even that well.

Now, thanks to the Boy George administration, the US Forest Service has completed a closed door deal to release 1.2 millions acres in western Montana for possible development into residential subdivisions.

"We have 40 years of Forest Service history that has been reversed in the last three months," said Pat O'Herren, an official in Missoula County, which is threatening to sue the Forest Service for forgoing environmental assessments and other procedures that would have given the public a voice in the matter. (The full and interesting NYT article here.)

Montana will survive, but it may lose a little more of what made it such a special place. As one person said in the article, a clearcut can grow back, but a subdivision of houses is there forever.

Thank you Bush. Please do not let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

The Associated Press wants no bloggers?

A bit of old news, but here is why I will not bother to link to an AP article in the future unless hell freezes over twice:

The A.P. took an unusually strict position against quotation of its work, sending a letter to the Drudge Retort asking it to remove seven items that contained quotations from A.P. articles ranging from 39 to 79 words.

On Saturday, The A.P. retreated. Jim Kennedy, vice president and strategy director of The A.P., said in an interview that the news organization had decided that its letter to the Drudge Retort was “heavy-handed” and that The A.P. was going to rethink its policies toward bloggers. (The full article from The New York Times here.)

Perhaps it is time to reduce/eliminate all direct quotes and links and instead just mention the date and time of the publication after a short summary. That may be the way of the future for all bloggers. It should be taken to apply to the AP now. It is no great loss, their basic reports are rarely worth quoting/linking to anyway.

You do not have to be stupid to work

for the US consulate in Nigeria, but it helps.

On this red-white-and-blue national holiday, we bring you a simple news story to assure you that our borders are safe from immigrants coming over to work on construction projects and build things in 'murca. Even when it's a couple of mud huts. Even when it's for a museum. Even when an actual U.S. senator gets involved...

...And so our little story ends this way: Real mud, real thatch, real goats, no real rural workmen...

...sums up the state of modern America this way: "We were naive in assuming there wouldn't be any problems."(Read more at the Washington Post article.)

Reason Magazine's blog comments: So the State Department can now proudly declare that it has protected American mud hut builders from the threat of foreign competition.

And maybe not

In May there were reports that possession of child porn would soon be made illegal in Japan. That apparently has not yet happened according to a Japan Times article:

"Among the Group of Eight nations, Japan and Russia have no legislation to prohibit possession of child porn."

China? China who?

Old news, but old man Fukuda insists that the G8 not be expanded to include China or India:

...[Fukuda objected to any expansion]saying the G8 should remain a forum for a small number of states bearing a large responsibility for the international community.

Tokyo fears expanding the meeting would diminish Japan's clout on the world stage.

...adding China would make it impossible to discuss human rights issues and world currency issues related to the yuan, the official said. (Why? China would stubbornly refuse to address issues related to itself? They might have an opposing opinion and cause confusion? It's more effective to discuss China if China is not there?)

Yes, Japan's diminishing clout on the world stage is primarily due to things other than the decisions Japan makes.

Isn't this exclusion of China similar to the 1950s-1970s US when it did not recognize China as China, but Taiwan as China?

Tokyo to have the world's biggest phallus

No, not Blinky Ishihara, but an even bigger dick.

Somehow I missed this, but I just read about it on the Japan Economy News and Blog. It will be called the Tokyo Sky Tree. How imaginative. And beautiful. This is how Japan will retake the economic momentum in Asia from China.

You Don't Understand Japan

Reuters reports: Japan is not closed to foreign investors, including funds that press for increased shareholder rights, the head of financial regulation in the world's second-largest economy said on Tuesday...

... Sato declined to comment specifically on TCI and Steel Partners, he did say that Japan is not closed to foreign investors, including those who rally for change...

..."The FSA treats financial firms and investors equally, regardless if they are domestic or foreign," he said....

(The pendant will note that the accuracy of Sato's statement depends on the meaning of "closed." Or perhaps what the meaning of is is.)

It's like the 1980s again. Japan never had a closed market, it's just a difference in culture and misunderstanding on the part of (dumb) foreigners.
This could be good news for Fukuda and the LDP as since Japan is not closed to foreign investment, then there is no need to risk "confusion" by cutting corporate taxes to attract said foreign investment (while increasing the consumption tax).

Black is white, left is right, up is down.

Yukio Mishima

A DVD of the 1985 movie: Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is being released in the US. I have read a few of his books and was never a great fan, although I did like The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. He was one of Japan's more famous writers and our hero, Blinky Ishihara, was a friend. Some folks also admire him for his fascination with death and I am not talking about Japanese.

Along with the DVD, his film "Patriotism" in which he played a soldier who killed himself will be released. I read that article and remembered a very short film of his which one of my professors had suggested that I watch when I was in college. He did not suggest it for the artistic value, but so that I could get some idea of the fanaticism that existed in some parts of the Japanese military in, and prior to, WW2.

I did a search and found "Yukoku." Below are 4 clips from YouTube. They aren't matched exactly, but I believe most of the film is included. Be warned, it is bloody.

1---http://youtube.com/watch?v=DqUmmMocMqo&feature=related
2---http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=_DtumtCQ0gk&NR=1
3---http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=vsbftwFKjIA&feature=related
4---http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ1cSiL_cUw&feature=related

3 July: Edited to add a link to the NYT article concerning the DVD release.

Narita Dope II

Apparently some people are taking the lost "resin" in a different way than I did below. Folks look at it from the point of view of perhaps being the person with the dope planted in their baggage and then being caught by the police. It might be a bit difficult to explain that you don't know how it got there. This might be an especially difficult argument to make for a non-Japanese who may be assumed to be inclined to use dope anyway. Makes it easier for them to commit other crimes and acts of terrorism.

Even if said non-Japanese were to ultimately convince the courts that it was not his/her dope, the unfortunate person would probably still be held in the clink as by the time the trial was over his visa would be expired and immigrations would lock her up for overstaying. Except for that, a Japanese person would not likely get off a heck of a lot better.

"It's not my dope, customs planted it in my bag." Imagine the response.

When we did it, we never put actually put it in a passengers luggage, but would hide it in an area in the vicinity of the luggage/search. It was used to keep dogs motivated during long searches---sorry, the term was "inspection"---as well as for reinforcement training. A dog cannot work for hours and hours without a reward*. In fact, about 2-3 hours of total search time per day was about average, if concentrated searches were going to be a daily duty (although at times and with some dogs this limit was exceeded). And we never let the drugs out of sight for a second. The risk was too high. Lost dope=big, big trouble with the DEA and others.

I assume that the reports are accurate when the term "resin" is used. Large amounts extracted from leaves can be used to make hashish. We referred to the substance left over on pipes, roach clips etc as resin....How did I get on this subject?

*However, English teachers in Japan can tolerate hour after hour, day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after.... of mind-numbing work without reward. Perhaps a similar system could be devised for detector dogs.

Shocking. Simply shocking.

I can't believe it: Foreign Reporters covering G8 face harassment: media group. (Japan Times)

They don't even get free detention or meals at the Immigration facility; they gotta pay.

Some unpatriotic folks are complaining that this sort of action threatens free thought and expression in Japan as well as violates human rights. It's ok though, for the US has been doing somewhat similar things (or worse) in the name of security so that gives a free pass to others.

Related story here.

Lost dope at Narita

I am not referring to F.M-kun.

In May, Japanese customs drug-detector dog handlers and a trainer---I refuse to use the ridiculous term "sniffer dog"---made news because the trainer had placed a marijuana training aid in a person's luggage at Narita and apparently allowed the bag and the marijuana to get out of their view and control and it disappeared. Those three were punished yesterday for their mistake with a suspension and salary cuts.

I used to do that for a living before I decided that I needed to finish my university degree so that I could ultimately end up as an adverb salesman in Japan. (This is a form of natural selection.) I can imagine---as could every drug or explosives dog handler/trainer---how these guys felt when they realized that the dope was gone. We occasionally did similar things, but we never let it get out of our sight or control. Just a loss of a very few grams of a substance was enough to trigger a major investigation and nobody ever wanted that. One of the things I remember with great fondness is waking up in the middle of the night trying to remember if I had forgotten a training aid somewhere.

The article refers to the marijuana aid as "resin" which would be a bit strange as resin---at least as we used the term---is not "smoke-able" marijuana itself. The reporter or editor did the usual trick of casting some extra suspicion on the whole affair by noting that the customs official did not say where the trainer got the marijuana from. We got our drugs from the US Drug Enforcement Agency. I'd pretty much bet that the K-9 teams get their from a government agency too. It's not as if using drugs to train a drug dog is an option.

Dumbing down

I won't make any comparisons to what I see in Japan as "dumbing down" might not even be possible with respect to Japanese politics. I don't expect they could go any further down. However, David Broder of the Washington Post has an interesting opinion piece on Dumbing Down the Presidency. This is not an especially new thought, but Broder refers to some research which by Elvin T. Lim of the University of Texas which found:

...rather than seeking to persuade voters by arguing for their policies, presidents increasingly have sought to build trust by identifying themselves with those voters and their "common sense" view of the world. "Whereas all of the presidents through Woodrow Wilson appealed to 'common sense' just 11 times in their recorded papers, presidents since Wilson have done so more than 1,600 times"...

And this election will be no different. I read Tobias Harris of Observing Japan impression of a couple of op-eds, one from the Obama camp and one from the McCain camp about foreign policy towards Japan. (I had read the original op-ed by McCain's advisors and was underwhelmed.)

Despite Mr. Harris' gallant attempt to make sense of next to nothing, I cannot figure out what these guys actually plan---if anything.

Presidential candidates dumbing down to the level of a quick blog entry.

Now we know

I wondered just how Japan would react to the apparently shocking news that the US was going to delist North Korea as a terrorist nation. I was especially curious about the fine folks of the right-wing.

Tobias Harris of Observing Japan has a post with the similarly shocking news that a politician has put Japan in its usual position of being a victim. The DPJ's Ichiro Ozawa (is he a right-winger now? Was or wasn't he before? A leftist? Or was he sort of a US-style free-trading Republican? He has been so many things I forget which he is today. I do know he was some sort of ship captain last year.) has reacted by saying that the US never takes Japan's thoughts into account. Mr. Harris takes the view that Ozawa is mainly playing to domestic considerations and that Ozawa's comments were more aimed at the LDP for poor management of the alliance than at the US.

I don't know Ozawa's true intentions, but no doubt he is playing domestic politics. The claim that the US done did poor little Japan all wrong is not a rare thing and it does play well. Ozawa's comments were rather mild.*

1:07AM *I meant Ozawa's comments were mild compared to what can be expected from some of the commentators and columnists and perhaps LDP right-wingers. For a politician of Ozawa's stature and position they weren't so mild.

North Korea off US terror list

North Korea has submitted its nuclear declaration as required. Japan was earlier assured that its kidnap victims would not be forgotten by the US (like they were forgotten by the Japanese government until Koizumi met with Kim Jong Il). Some may consider this a good sign, a solid step forward for Northeast Asia and the rest of the world. But let's not celebrate yet because somebody may feel a bit left out.

How will Japan react since it has been critical of any move to delist North Korea? More specifically, how will the right-wingers of the LDP's Abe/Aso crowd react? Has the US done Japan wrong? Is Japan a victim here? Inquiring minds want to know.

Pre-owned shabu-shabu for sale

According to the channel 10 news this morning, a restaurant has been caught re-selling uneaten shabu-shabu from customers' plates. I am sure that this sort of thing has only occurred at that restaurant and at the now defunct Senba Kitcho. There could be no other restaurants doing similar things. Besides, it was Japanese shabu-shabu---not imported shabu-shabu---so it was probably safe and sanitary due to the uniquely pure, clean, and healthy properties of Japanese food. The unique and special cleanliness of Japan precludes any possibility of illness from eating food that another may have slobbered all over anyway.

More companies (Uohide and Shinko Gyorui Ltd. a subsidiary of Maruha Nichiro Holdings Inc.) have been caught switching labels on eels. This, although it seems to be a common practice from the frequency one sees news reports about it, is much more dangerous. The eels were not the safe and pure Japanese eels we expect, but were actually from China! Even though they were not from the plates of other people, they could not be safe being from a foreign country.

Thank goodness for the aggressive government action we have seen over the last few years to crack down on these types of problems. We can all relax now and enjoy our shabu-shabu.

From Japan Focus.

Japanese politics are characterized by two related paradoxes: first, that the word “conservative” is usually applied to those who insist on the need to remake Japan’s postwar society, including its constitution, and who in other words are actually radicals, while those who insist on “conserving” Japan’s postwar democratic institutions are labeled radicals or leftists; and second, that those who most insist that Japan subordinate itself to the United States describe themselves as “nationalists,” while those who seek to prioritize Japanese over US interests are suspected of being somehow “un-Japanese.” It is an Alice in Wonderland confusion...

Usually when you read an article about "paradoxes" in a topsy turvy Japan you have to hold your breath as you are likely to get a "mystery of the Orient" version of Japan. This one is not of that type. One hint is that a visiting journalist did not write it.

Full article at Japan Focus.

LDP may cut corporate taxes and increase personal taxes

And they are going to do this in part to encourage more foreign investment into Japan. They are also going to do this while sticking to the goal of balancing the budget by 2011. At least that is what Bloomberg is reporting.

After all of the roadblocks that Japanese companies and the Japanese government have thrown up to restrict foreign investment, now they are going to cut taxes on the folks who have blocked the investment in order to attract it? I understand. And with the Fukuda and the LDP talking about how the consumption tax increase cannot be delayed any longer, corporate taxes will be cut. Naturally, this will result in increased profits for companies, thus more investment, more jobs, and higher pay for workers.

Watch for the public to rise up and throw the bums out. And watch. And wait. And watch. And wait. And ...

One of the nice things about living in Tokyo is the number of bookstores. Some even have English language books and magazines---at a huge premium, of course.

I usually go to the bookstore near Denenchofu station once a week or more. Generally, I go to check out the photography magazines such as Nihon Camera or Asahi camera, or cycling mags.

(The August Asahi Camera came out Friday---the annual "Nude" special. When the mags run the Nude "art" specials, they generally sell out very quickly for some reason. I guess photography fans increase in the summer. The good thing is that since this is art---even though many of the images are in color instead of the supposedly more artistic monochromes---censors don't have to scratch away any pubic hair. Interestingly, they still do so for imported photography books with nudes, although they aren't always consistent about it.)

For English books, if possible I will look at a copy in the store to see if it is worth buying, then will order it through Amazon Japan.

The problem is that I have to go during normal work hours as one weekends and at evenings, it is almost impossible to get close enough to even see if a magazine is on the rack, let alone pick it up. Book stores seem to serve as libraries in which one may leisurely read magazines and books. While reading, you can feel free to block everyone else in the store. Should you see someone trying to squeeze through just enough to see or even pick up a book or magazine, you may be the nail that sticks up and let them through, or you may do as most and ignore them.

For some reason, I no longer even bother on weekends.

It's no secret that Japanese politicians look upon the media as public-relations tools, and, unfortunately, too many media outlets seem to accept this role.

And so do some bureaucrats. One, whom I know personally, very frequently talks of how the government uses the press/media to bring the public to its way of thinking. Nothing unusual for a government, but perhaps unusual in a democracy because of the willingness of the press to kowtow to government wishes.

The quote above is from the Japan Times (today) in an article about the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the government mouthpiece NHK to edit (censor) a mock trial which found Hirohito guilty of war crimes. NHK buckled to pressure from Mr. Bowel Trouble Abe and his band of merry LDP extreme rightwingers. The Supreme Court in essence upheld the right of the LDP to pressure taxpayer supported public TV/radio to self-censor.

Pay your monthly legally required fee to NHK yet?

Hatoyama concerned about insults to the executed

Justice Minister Hatoyama was upset over an article in which he was called the "grim reaper" due to the record number of executions that he has authorized. He was not especially upset over any insults to himself, but was concerned that those whose executions he finalized were insulted by the article.

In defense of Hatoyama, he probably isn't as heartless as it may appear. He is accurate when he says that he is carrying out the law and the will of society in allowing these executions. There is certainly no big public backlash against them, and in fact, there seems to be little debate about whether or not executions are effective in reducing crime or are morally acceptable. He earlier expressed a desire to make the process more automated so that the Justice Minister would not have to be so involved in the final approval. It obviously is not easy for him.

More here.

Sigh...Not so different after all

Obama rejects public campaign financing. Not because he can get more money privately. No. In fact, he still supports a "robust system of public financing of elections" for everyone except himself. Hmmm. Will the "change" he is believed to represent be more of the same? The word "hypocrite" comes to mind. (Of course, Senator "Show Me the Money" Obama would claim that he never really said that he would use public financing---even though it may seem like he did. I guess it depends on what the meaning of "is" is or some other similar parsing of his words.)

Money talks period. He has more to gain from accepting private money (from both small and large donors) than honoring his own word. That's why he did it. Let's hope we never have to hear any more crap from him or his party about public finance and let's hope McCain learns his lesson about the futility of campaign finance reform.

What a disappointment, but entirely predictable. And practical I suppose. Obama wants to win. Both of him.

0100: Edited.

6/21: Despite Claim, no Major 527 Group Against Obama. NPR.

I was actually silly enough to write to Obama's official web site and got the expected form letter asking me to volunteer and thanking me for my interest/my concerns/my disagreement or whatever it was I wrote about. Just like any other presidential candidate does/has always done. Yes, change is a comin'. Have I lost interest fast...

I read it, but I can't believe

Will it really happen? What's in the fine print? The LDP is doing this!!!!!????

Foreigners will have a much better opportunity to move to, or continue to live in, Japan under a new immigration plan drafted by Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers to accept 10 million immigrants in the next 50 years.

... the immigration plan calls for the goal to be achieved soon and for the government to aim for 1 million foreign students by 2025. It also proposes accepting an annual 1,000 asylum seekers...It isn't April 1 is it?

...the immigration plan calls for the goal to be achieved soon and for the government to aim for 1 million foreign students by 2025. It also proposes accepting an annual 1,000 asylum seekers...Shocking!

...but Minoru Morita, a political critic at Morita Research Institute Co., doubts Nakagawa's plan will be formally adopted by the LDP anytime soon...Back to planet earth.

... current policy, in which we demand only highly skilled foreigners...Huh?

...if the new plan were adopted and thus their motivation for committing crimes would decrease...Oh yes. I know it would cause my motivation for committing crimes to diminish. Yours too?

Article from the Japan Times. Shall we wager on how much of this comes to pass and when? Holding your breath?

Hatayama again expresses the uniquely Japanese

love of life. Three more convicted murderers were hanged yesterday, including Tsutomo Miyazaki. Miyazaki had killed four young girls in the late 80s and cannibalized them. He also sent their bones to their parents.

The world is no worse off without him or the others around---if they were truly guilty (and perhaps if one believes that society has the moral authority to kill people). The problem is: What if they were not.

[Psychologist] Hasegawa said he doubts Miyazaki realized what was happening when he was taken to the gallows Tuesday morning. "If he did not realize it, the execution may not have had any meaning," he said. Japan Times article.

Since the vast majority of those arrested (98-99%?) in Japan are found guilty, we can rest assured that there could be no mistakes....

Unfortunately, another bad weekend in Japan as a large earthquake (6+ on the Japanese scale) stuck northern Japan at about 846AM this morning. I barely felt it in Tokyo, but at least 2 have died and 6 were injured in the hardest hit areas and numerous buildings and roads were damaged.

Japan continues to become foreign

Once upon a time, we heard how wonderful it was that in Japan people did not sue. (Not exactly true, they could and did. It was just that they could rarely win and the case might take 20 or more years.) Japan was not like the US and selfish, self-centered Americans---and others---who placed their own needs above that of their company.

Now we see a few employees suing their companies and actually prevailing. And prevailing in a reasonable period of time:

According to Japan’s Supreme Court, the number of lawsuits filed against employers rose 45 percent from 1997 to 2005, to 2,303 cases. In 2006, that number increased 21 percent, to 2,777 cases if lawsuits heard by a newly created labor arbitration court are included.

Adding to the alienation between employee and company has been a growing sense of resentment that workers have not benefited from the nation’s economic rebound in the last half decade.

While corporate profits have soared, wages have remained stagnant, feeding a perception that companies have failed to share the good times with employees. This has led some to seek a bigger piece of the pie, say legal and labor experts.

There is also a feeling that as companies have cut costs to remain competitive with the cheaper China and South Korea, they passed too much of the burden onto employees. In particular, many of the recent lawsuits involve a practice known as “service overtime,” in which workers were silently pressured into logging long hours of unpaid overtime as a display of loyalty, say labor experts.

...the recent rise in lawsuits was also the latest step in a longer-term move toward a more American-style workplace ...(Yea, sure.)

The NYT article examines a recent lawsuit by the widow of a Toyota employee who died from over-work and the recent victory against McDonalds Japan in which McDs was ordered to pay overtime for overtime to its managers.

Shockingly, neither Toyota nor McDs Japan had any comments for the story in the New York Times.

A related New York Times article on whistle-blowers exposing company misdeeds, such as Senga Kitcho and their serving of pre-owned food, is here:

...A car company that hid dangerous flaws to avoid embarrassing recalls. A meat processor that sold ground pig hearts as beef. A fancy restaurant chain that served customers leftover sashimi from other diners.

In recent years, Japan’s faith in its corporate establishment has been shaken by a series of scandals in which companies of all sizes have been caught in frauds ranging from the merely nauseating to the patently dangerous. More shocking than the misdeeds is the fact that employees are blowing the whistle...

I admit to some skepticism about whether or not these are really trends or not. I would be a bit more inclined to believe that whistle-blowers are becoming more common as the results of their actions are readily apparent.

"Will Americans vote for a black man?" I've been asked this question by foreigners of various origins a dozen -- or maybe three dozen -- times since the U.S. presidential campaign began for real in January. Now we have the answer: Yes, Americans will vote for a black man. Which means that it is time to turn this rather offensive question around: Will foreigners accept a black American president? Anne Applebaum. The Washington Post.

An interesting question. I wonder if there will be a Nakasone/Ishihara-type comment from one of the old retro-gummers in government and if so, will that person be able to explain it away as a misquote, mistranslation, or a lack of understanding on the rest of the world's part?

Also a short BBC article on a UN special rapporteur's 2005 remarks on racism in Japan. and another related BBC article from 2004 here.

Worldwide coverage of the mass murder in Akihabara has continued for days. It is a horrible incident, perhaps made more newsworthy because such things are relatively rare in modern Japan. Many journalists still seem especially shocked since gun control laws are relatively strict in Japan---nothing really to do with this incident, but many still mention that fact.

Could it be that this guy was one of those individuals who for whatever reason is prone to taking out his problems on others and all the laws/therapy in the world still couldn't stop him. Much of his behavior seems to parallel that of other modern mass murderers elsewhere in the world. The concern is that there are others like him who will be inspired by his act and resulting "fame" and will elect to try to do the same or worse. If we can do something to stop this kind of person---and we'll never stop them all---it will take much more than tweaking laws on the type/size of knife people can have. That is almost certainly a total waste of time, but it gives the appearance of doing something when nobody really knows what to do.

Government to restrict large knives?

In response to yesterday's attacks:

At a news conference on Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said the government was considering tightening restrictions on large-bladed knifes in response to the attack.

"We need to think of the possibility of discussing tightening the control of guns and knives," he said. (BBC)

I think so too, since it is simple and easy and makes it look like something is being done about something for which nobody has answers or solutions. Wonder if it will include the large kitchen knives which are often used in knife assaults? Since nearly every household in Japan has them, it may be tough. Perhaps it will only apply to non-kitchen utensils.**

It should work though, just like it has in Britain even though the causes may differ:

...This explosion in knife crime is the most astounding symptom of Britain’s broken society. The government has been slow to recognise and even slower to act to deal with this plague on the streets of our towns and cities,” said Davis.

Richard Garside, director of the CCJS, said ministers had taken the wrong approach to tackling the problem. “The government has embarked on endless law and order initiatives, yet knife-related robberies appear to be increasing, if the latest figures are to be believed,” he said.

“This challenges the notion that there is a policing or punishment solution to this problem. Success in tackling knife-related violence will require a concerted strategy to deal with the causes of violence...

...Critics have accused the government of lacking a coherent strategy to tackle the problem and of resorting to knee-jerk legislative responses...(That can't be said about the Japanese government!) Times Online.

**This still does not address the fact that a rental truck was used to injure/kill some of the victims. Are there going to be additional controls on rental vehicles to prevent vehicular assault/homicide?

Note added: There are already restrictions on the ownership of certain knives over 15cm in length.

Akihabara assault

News is just coming out about some sort of assault by a man in Akihabara. At least 14 people are injured. It happened about an hour ago, just after 1pm and TV stations are now broadcasting live coverage. Reportedly, it was a guy 25 or older who came by truck and attacked people with a survival knife.

6:06PM. Six people are reported to have been with 12 more injured. The thing that killed and injured them came from Shizuoka with the express purpose of killing a number of people. The government and media reaction will be interesting as this kind of thing seems to be becoming more and more frequent, with the emphasis on "seems to be." Could one defend him/herself? Not likely. Fighting a nut with a knife with one's bare hands is usually a losing scenario except in the movies.

7:20PM. Seven have now died. One of those stabbed was a police officer. The "man" who did this had driven a truck at high speed through the street near Akihabara JR station which is closed to traffic on Sundays and ran down a number of people. It then got out of the truck and began stabbing people. After stabbing a number, the thing then fled down an ally where after stabbing 2-3 more, a police officer confronted him. Apparently, the police officer initially used his nightstick to defend himself before pulling his revolver and informing the thing that he would shoot it if it did not cease. The creature, who later told police that he was out to kill anyone because he was tired of living and wanted to die, suddenly decided that his own death did not seem so attractive after all and meekly surrendered.

According to NHK, this was the worst of 67 indiscriminate killing incidents over the last ten years.

In another huge shock---at least to me---a resolution has passed recognizing the Ainu as indigenous people and admitting that they have been discriminated against by the government. If this resolution is followed up with effective action, it will be a big change for Japan.

It's not the first surprise, as Japan has also signaled that it will sign the Hague Convention with regards to abducted children. It this occurs and laws are passed and upheld to ensure that Japanese parents can no longer openly abduct children involved in overseas custody battles, then it will be another huge, huge change.

I won't be holding my breath until these good intentions show actual results, but it is encouraging to see this. No word from the rightwing yet, as far as I know. Blinky, where are you?

Japan, the criminals paradise

Just a few days ago, it was reported that the number of defendants found innocent of a crime has increased to a staggering 2.9%.

Now even some politicians are getting in on the act. Members of the Upper House have suggested that police grillings---sorry, interviews---be recorded. This would let judges and attorneys see what goes on during the interviews and perhaps make sure the the police don't violate more laws than the suspects are accused of violating.

Our fearless, honorable Justice Minister Hatoyama with connections to al Qaeda has strongly objected saying that this sort of stuff could result in Japan becoming a criminal's paradise. Who knows, there could even end up being rumors of a yakuza/LDP connection.

Say what you will, but Hatoyama is no fool:

"Heart-to-heart exchanges between an investigator and a suspect have helped to delve into the truth behind crimes," he said. "A complete recording would make it difficult to establish the facts."

I just tear up thinking about the beautiful heart-to-heart exchanges between the police and hardened murderers.

The police oppose it too with logic which cannot be refuted (nor understood):

State minister Shinya Izumi, who supervises the nation's police forces as chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, said police cannot accept the bill.

"Can it unravel the truth?" Izumi asked.

Thank goodness that the LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC Party opposes it too. We must continue to have these sort of folks running the country. I now understand what Fujiwara Masahiko-chan meant when he suggested that the elite---such as Hatoyama and maybe even himself---should run the country and the masses should just shut up and do as told. We MUST oppose all change!

Full story at JT.

Sorry about (corrected) spelling errors but as Fujiwara Masahiko-chan said, we dumb ass Americans don't study spelling in school, but typing instead. Of course spelling is part of typing classes and many if not most Americans can remember studying spelling in school, however one should not argue with a man with a shiny greasy head covered by an absurd combover known as"Barcode" in Japan.

Our tax yen at work

When the Senba Kitcho sales of pre-owned food as new was first reported, I wondered what the government was doing about these types of seemingly endless food scandals. Naturally they and the media wet their undies about any possible problems with food originating outside of safety Japan, but seemed not to give a rat's derrière about tainted Japanese origin food.

Well, I should not have worried as although the government may not be overly concerned about the peasants eating bad food, they are not just sitting around wasting time and taxpayer money on silly useless things. PM Fukuda is a man of action and expects the same of everyone else. Shisaku analyzes the latest government suggestions for education revision (no, it's not pretending that WW2 is a myth created by the Chinese) and the groundbreaking idea by a group of forward-thinking Diet members to move the Japanese language ahead to the 1930s.

Now I can understand why this government has been the envy of the world for decades. I feel confident about the future and will predict that nothing will change for the better unless these old, old men with ideas even older suddenly are replaced by people with a clue. That will never happen.

Japanese Are Loath To Rebuild Workforce Through Immigration
Politicians Avoid Issue They See as Toxic (The Washington Post)

...Japan faces a much more fundamental threat to its future -- demographic decline that experts say will delete 70 percent of its workforce by 2050...

...among highly developed countries, Japan has always ranked near the bottom in the percentage of foreign-born residents...

...Based on a round of interviews with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and several other senior government officials and politicians, the issue is too politically toxic for extensive public discussion...

..."We really need to let the people know that the economy simply cannot be managed without the help of foreigners," said Seiji Maehara, a member of parliament and a vice president in the opposition Democratic Party of Japan...

The article continues with a reference to another possible way for Japan to pull itself out of this hole---that of actually making of easier for women to join the workforce and have and raise children.

I wouldn't expect much action on either until disaster is imminent.

Senba Kitcho kicks the bucket

The famous restaurant, Senba Kitcho, which was involved in one of the many recent food scandals has gone under. It seems that the public thought that such things as re-serving food from previous customers as new food was a bit of a problem---unlike health officials in Osaka. Short article here. (OK, for some reason, Blogger won't take that link correctly. The May 29 article is on the Japan Times site. It was also reported on TV news.)

Bonsai Nature

It's not a new idea. Many people have noticed that "nature" in Japan seems a bit man-made. A walk in forests in the Kanto area can easily give this sense. Some of it is obvious---platforms on top of popular mountains with trees trimmed and cut away so that those who have braved the climb up (often at least partway on stairs) can have a convenient view to ohhh, ahhh, and sugoi before taking the standard photo with the old cellphone. Some areas, such as certain ski resorts, even provide loudpeaker announcements, blaring music, and bright lights to help one enjoy a more natural experience.

At other times it is more subtle. As one walks through a forest there is a very convenient opening in the woods just at the point of some special view. Don't be surprised to see a bench there either. In some areas---such as parts around Nikko---you will notice that all the trees are planted in straight lines and are amazingly almost exclusively the same type for acres and acres. The type happens to be the cedar tree which bureaucrats decided to plant for lumber years ago with out figuring out how to harvest it economically.

More than an interest in nature or wildness, there seems to be more emphasis on the famous spot. Folks will walk though the woods ignoring everything until the reach the spot marked on their map which is officially scenic, beautiful, and famous.

There is a park near my house with a waterfalls which shuts off every evening before closing time. I just saw a falls in Kyoto with a nice concrete bed in the shape of stairs which certainly ruined the effect for me. For some reason, I think of nature as a place where the obvious, intentional impact of, and manipulation by man is less common. Stairs up a hill, music, trees lit up at night with lights, woods partially cleared for a view of the ugly city below, or for a view of a nearby hill sort of cheapen the experience. I rarely feel the urge to bring a radio along to blare at full blast as I hike or camp either.

Donald Ritchie recently reviewed a book on Japanese gardens which got me this subject again.

Two attitudes toward nature are everywhere possible: you confront it or you accept it...

[In Japan] Nature is thus not only accepted, it is also naturalized. Just as the flowers in ikebana ("living flowers") are presumed to be more flowerlike than any natural bloom (even though those seen in ikebana are, having been picked, either dead or dying), so the Japanese garden is to be more natural than nature...

Yes, man-made synthetic nature is more natural than nature. I understand. I just wonder where the wildlife is in this version of "nature." Recorded birds sounds?

I enjoy Japanese gardens, but sorry, they are neither nature nor natural. There are a pretty, but lessor imitation of the real thing. If you want to see nature in Japan, you can find it, but you gotta get far out in the sticks where the going is difficult enough to discourage most people from going, and others from "improving" it.

Sounds familiar, but..

it ain't Japan.

In temporary courtrooms at a fairgrounds here, 270 illegal immigrants were sentenced this week to five months in prison for working at a meatpacking plant with false documents....

I dunno, somehow I doubt these arrests and sentences had a heck of a lot to do with false documents...

The hearings took place on the grounds of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, in mobile trailers and in a dance hall modified with black curtains, beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing several nights until 10...

Please don't infer that the immigrants themselves were treated like cattle.

..the immigration agent, said the criticism of the proceedings was “the usual spate of false allegations and baseless rumors”...

Yes, critics of the US gubbermint are unpatriotic idjits spreading lies. Good god man, what reason would a bureaucrat have to be anything but honest and straightforward?

Mr. Nadler said the plea agreements were the best deal available for his clients. But he was dismayed that prosecutors had denied them probation and insisted the immigrants serve prison time and agree to a rarely used judicial order for immediate deportation upon their release, signing away their rights to go to immigration court.

What?!!!! They have rights?

Linda R. Reade, the chief judge who approved the emergency court setup, said she was confident there had been no rush to justice...

Of course not. And if Linda or her friends ever get in trouble with the law, she hopes that the same type of process is applied. Even better, she'd like her hearing in a circus tent.

The immigration lawyers, Judge Reade said, “do not understand the federal criminal process as it relates to immigration charges.”

Uh-oh. Could this be a problem for the Honorable Judge Reade? If the lawyers who represented the now convicted criminals did not understand immigration law, would that not mean the the defendants lacked competent legal representation? Would that not be grounds for appeal? Would that not be unconstitutional and to say the very least, un-American?

Oh wait! The Constitution? Does that still apply to anything or is it simply a tool of pinko commies? No, pinko commies are out-of-date. I meant terrorists and their sympathizers. This is a security issue, after all, and security trumps everything.

At least there will be more jobs for real Americans at the sweatshop meatpacking plant. And it is nice to see that the USA is sticking with the policy toward immigration that has existed since the first real Americans landed at Plymouth Rock.

Full NYT article here.

Beware of dangerous foreign food

It could be a threat to the health of the public. Inspectors are not doing enough to protect us:

The agriculture ministry and the health ministry have conducted appallingly slipshod safety inspections of imported food, putting consumers' health at risk, officials of the internal affairs ministry said Friday.

In some inspections, quarantine inspectors tested samples chosen by the importers themselves. Other inspections did not cover the required number of samples.

Those inspections, the officials said, cannot be regarded as fair or trustworthy. Asahi Shimbun.

Luckily for us, we can trust domestic food as as there is absolutely no evidence of any company falsifying expiration dates, mislabeling it, reselling used food as new, or anything else, and it must be because of the strict domestic inspection system as well as the natural purity of all things Japanese.

Them thar damned sneaky foreigners need to be carefully watched by someone.

(Could there be hope? Could this be real or would a new Consumer Affairs agency end up　like other agencies---putting government and industry interests above that of consumers? Let me guess.....)

On to Yasukuni, Children

The government Friday declared null and void a 1949 state-imposed ban on public schools organizing field trips to Tokyo's war-related Yasukuni Shrine.

Nothing wrong with that, after all this is a free country. What business does the government have in telling schools and school children what to say, do, or think?

A recent controversy over the shrine focused on a restriction of freedom of expression after some 40 LDP lawmakers held an unprecedented preview of Chinese director Li Ying's award-winning documentary "Yasukuni" in March.

Following the preview, which was widely taken as effective censorship, several cinemas that had initially decided to screen the film canceled it for fear of possible intimidation by rightwingers.

Well, unless one thinks in a way which offends the nutjobs.

Full Japan Times article here.

Perhaps now they can wash their hands

before handling food---even at the Denenchofu McDs.

- McDonald's Japan, the nation's biggest fast-food chain, said on Tuesday it would begin paying overtime to managers of its outlets from August...

...Hiroshi Takano said he had worked 60 to 80 hours of overtime per month but was not allowed to claim for it after he was promoted to store manager despite having little discretion in setting his work hours, according to media reports....

I thought Japanese did not sue, how could this be? McDs Japan is nearly half-owned by the McDonalds Corp according to the article. However, they take no responsibility for McDs Japan.

Oh, I am still awaiting a reply from my complaints to McDs. I think I shall be waiting until hell freezes over.

Full article here while it lasts.

Another of Blinky's Follies?

Ishihara's Shinginko bank has been sinking under the weight of bad loans, so recently he and the Tokyo Assembly decided that taxpayers should bail him out.

Another one of his brilliant ideas is to move the Tsukiji fish market to a new, highly toxic site. Why worry about contaminated food from China when we can provide our own. Of course that may be a little exaggerated because the site will be cleaned up before the market is moved and everything will be OK in the end. Ishihara is no blithering idiot, after all.

The Japan Times reports:

In studies conducted from February to April, the metropolitan government detected benzene, which can be a cancer-causing agent, at up to 43,000 times the legally acceptable level.

It also found that the groundwater of part of the site contained benzene at 10,000 times and cyanogen at 130 times the acceptable level.

The huge, gaping loophole in the child porn law will be closed according to news reports tonight. Possession will soon be illegal with penalties of up to 1 year in prison and a one million yen fine. A tough break for the mob.

Rice shortage relief?

...Japan imports a substantial amount of medium-grain rice from the US and long-grain rice from Thailand and Vietnam....

...to protect its domestic rice protection, Tokyo stocks the imported rice until it deteriorates, then sells it as livestock feed on the Japanese market...

..."Japan would be very happy to dispose of this rice to the world market, but it cannot do so without US acquiescence"....Yahoo Malaysia

I can (not) feel it in my bones...

nor anyone else's for I am not Japanese.

I was thinking about this while I was watching a Three Stooges show on the subway coming home this evening . I am not a fan of the Three Stooges, but I pass the time watching it on the train everyday. It seems strange that one can watch an old American TV show from the 1930s on the subway in Tokyo, but we are in a hi-tech world.

To enjoy this show, all one has to do is watch the train exits when it stops at a station and the doors open. Everyone will then rush for the exit as if the conductor is going to slam the doors shut and take off before anyone can get off. There will be about 20 people stuck in the doorway at the same time. Then, as soon as they are out of the door, the rush ends and folks start walking at the normal dead-one-legged-turtle-in-molasses-in-January Tokyo pace while playing games in their cell phones.

The show isn't over yet. As soon as most have pushed, shoved, kicked, gouged, scratched and clawed their way through the door---politely, of course, this being Japan---the folks outside begin a reverse Three Stooges move.

However, just as they start, the guys or gals who have either been sleeping or too lazy to stand up and move until the last possible second make a mad, insane, rush for the door and push, shove, kick, gouge, scratch and claw their way out as the others begin to push, shove, kick, gouge, scratch and claw their way in. Politely.

There is always an element of mystery to this. What happens to the one who stands in front of the doors at each major station and acts as if he/she has no clue that someone might want to get off or on the train and so remains in everyone's path---like a rather dull tree stump---as the doors open?

As I watched this rerun for the millionth time, my mind wandered. I started thinking about an aikido-jujitsu (juujutsu) martial arts course that I was conned into taking for a few months last winter. The way it was taught, it would take someone about 30,000 years to become proficient enough to whup a marshmallow, but that wasn't my problem.

The problem was that as a non-Japanese, I was unable to feel my opponent's "bones move". Our esteemed sensei mentioned in one of the early classes that this was a key technique, but that only Japanese could feel it. I think he said that for my benefit as I was the only non-Japanese in the class. I would have asked "Then why are you taking my money if you cannot teach me?" but I didn't really get what he was talking about. It made no sense to me, so I thought I must have misunderstood. I was corrected on this later.

Anyway, the students then proceeded to practice feeling each others' bones move. He had me try too, even though I was evolutionarily unequipped for the task. Strangely enough, nobody else in the class could feel their opponents' bones move either. Obviously, nobody was Japanese even though everyone claimed to be. Chinese spies? North Korean agents? Sony Clones? (Wait---would a Sony clone be Japanese? What if it were made in a Sony factory in China?)

There were other things that were way over my non-Japanese head in the course. Once our fearless sensei was teaching us how to defend against a knife attack. He chose me as the guinea pig as he seemed to like to do. He handed me the wooden stick that we used to simulate a knife and told me to stab him.

I did. Right in the gut. Would have been a very painful, deep, and nasty wound were it a real knife. He told me to do it again. What a man! Knifed and asks for more! This time he blocked me and avoided the stick in the gut.

I never did master that move as getting stabbed in the stomach and then asking someone to do it again did not seem to be a good idea to my befuddled non-Japanese mind.

How Uncle Sam treats detained non-citizens

Anyone who immigrates to another country is taking risks, as they often have few or no real rights. Although it does not excuse Japan for its polices---the bandwagon "everyone does it" nonsense---the US has become increasingly hostile to immigration. Should one be detained by US immigration at the border, he/she has entered a no-man's land in which there are no constitutional rights.

The Washington Post has a series on some of the abuses, neglect, and incompetence in the US system which has resulted in the death of a number of detainees. This is bound to occur when a bureaucracy is responsible for ensuring people are treated decently. After all, it is not likely that anyone in a position of authority will have to accept personal responsibility for anything. Just go before Congress and say that "We're trying" (while they're dying). Will the public care enough to force substantial changes? One wonders. Uncle Sam does not. Just a small example:

Last year, the Arizona State Board of Nursing heard that nurses at Eloy [a federal immigrant detention facility] were being required, without enough training, to take the chest X-rays that new detainees are supposed to get to check for tuberculosis. The board sent ICE [Immigrations and Customs Enforcement] a terse, two-sentence letter. "Nurses are not radiologists," it said. "Taking X-rays is out of the scope of practice for a nurse, and a nurse who does so is violating the Nurse Practice Act and will be subject to discipline on his/her license." The response from Washington: "Nurses working in federal government facilities are not subject to state licensing requirements."


I suppose little more can be expected for immigrants---look at how the some members of military have to live in in substandard slum-like housing on posts and bases in the US after returning for war. Seems like military housing is back in the Carter era again.

The most recent Washington Post article is here.

Japan's John Gotti

After about the unluckiest day of the last 12 years or so---my 3-day old Canon G90 electronic dictionary blew up; I was stranded 30 minutes from home with no money because UFJ bank & ATMs were closed yet again; and my Canon printer suddenly stopped working---it was refreshing to read an article on the y*k*za. Like the mafia, there is romanticizing about them by some. Others fear them very much.

About 20 years ago, there was a book published by 2 American journalists which was appropriately titled The Y*k*za: Japan's Criminal Underworld. I read the original and the updated version too, but always wondered just how accurate it was. The journalists were based in the US and had access to US law enforcement officials as well as some in Japan, but I wondered how much they could really do working from what appeared to be even more outside than the norm for non-Japanese reporters.

A former reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, that sometimes surprising right-wing newspaper---it actually published a decent book on Japan's WW2 responsibilities---has written an article about the y*k*za in the Washington Post. He was the first non-Japanese to work for the Yomiuri.

Most Americans think of Japan as a law-abiding and peaceful place, as well as our staunch ally, but reporting on the underworld gave me a different perspective...

...In Tokyo alone, the police have identified more than 800 yakuza front companies: investment and auditing firms, construction companies and pastry shops. The mobsters even set up their own bank in California, according to underworld sources...

...In the good old days, the yakuza made most of their money from sleaze: prostitution, drugs, protection money and child pornography. Kiddie porn is still part of their base income -- and another area where Japan isn't acting like America's friend...

[On the relatively recent law banning producing and selling child porn, but not possessing it] The ban is so weak that investigating yakuza who peddle child pornography is practically impossible. "The United States has referred hundreds of . . . cases to Japanese law enforcement authorities," a U.S. embassy spokesman recently told me. "Without exception, U.S. officials have been told that the Japanese police cannot open an investigation because possession is legal."

...talk in Japan of criminalizing simple possession, but some political parties (and publishers, who are raking in millions) oppose the idea...

[US law enforcement officials] can't even keep the yakuza themselves out of the country. Why? Because the national police refuse to share intelligence...

I knew that child porn had been made "illegal" several years ago, but I did not realize that Japan did not ban the possession of child porn. I did know that the Japanese police have always been very, very reluctant to share its information with foreign police.

The reporter then goes on to describe what he calls the biggest story of his life: The deal that the FBI made for the "John Gotti of Japan" to be flown to the USA for a liver transplant.

He had to drop that story and resign from the Yomiuri Shimbun due to pressure from some very kind folks with an unusually small number of fingers. The Japanese police themselves were, of course, very helpful.

The author ends the article with a confession of bias:

Of course, I'm a little biased. I don't think it's selfish of me to value the safety of my family more than the personal privacy of crooks. And as a crime reporter, I'm baffled that the Japanese don't share intelligence on the yakuza with the United States.

And I am baffled that the US, and other governments, tolerate that.

Is it safe in Japan to even refer to this article? Well, its only being done here in order for someone in the know to "debunk" it so as to to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. After all, this is not the Japan of temples & shrines, geisha girls, tea ceremonies, sake, and onsen that we all know.

Full article at the Washington Post here.

Yet another less than optimistic view of Japan's future

Again, what exactly is the government doing? Waiting until disaster is imminent before seriously moving to do something as it has done historically?

Robert Feldman, managing director of Morgan Stanley in Japan, says conservatives in the government and bureaucracy are staging a rear-guard action to defend Japan's old, insular way of doing things. "In the end, what the traditionalists prefer is the current system with themselves in power," he said in his Tokyo office. "For those of us who are concerned about Japan's economy, for its place in Asia and its ability to sustain living standards for an aging population, that sort of traditionalist position is incomprehensible." A 20-year veteran of Japan's reform battles, Mr. Feldman says reform goes through a kind of "hog cycle." When hog prices are good, farmers produce more hogs, so prices go down and they produce fewer hogs. In the same way, government hastens reform when the economy worsens, reform revives the economy and the pressure for reform eases, as it has in the past few years.
...The question is not so much whether Japan can change, but whether it can change fast enough... The Globe and Mail.

More bowel trouble for ex-PM Abe

The Women's Active Museum on War and Peace in Tokyo has published a booklet on sex slavery in WW2 detailing how the women were recruited and what happened to them.

During the war, the Imperial army set up "comfort stations" to prevent soldiers from raping local women and from contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The military also tried to boost morale by "assigning" women to the troops.

Thousands of women and girls in Japanese colonies or occupied areas were either recruited by force or coaxed into becoming comfort women, and beaten if they tried to escape from the stations. Military doctors surgically enlarged the vaginas of those victims who were not yet fully matured.

Let's hope ex-PM Abe and his fellow right-wing nutjobs do not get too upset and lose control over this. After all, they claim that there is no evidence (that is acceptable to them) that the Japanese Imperial Army was much more than an innocent bystander. It was all contractors...

Tokyo getting greener

With the world's greatest love of and respect for nature, one wonders how Japan and Tokyo could be any greener than it already is. I personally love being able to take walks through all the virgin forests, natural parks, and wilderness areas here. To see all the wildlife and listen to the sounds of nature---old men with transistor radios blaring etc.

Now Tokyo is going even further:

Tokyo's Big Change: the 10-year plan, which was laid out in 2006, responds to growing environmental concerns worldwide and aims to boost the capital's image as it prepares to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

"Tokyo has always worked on increasing greenery, but we'd like this Olympics bid to be a tail wind," said Motoaki Kobayashi, the metro official in charge of the environmental section's greenery plan. "To host an Olympics, it is essential that the city be environmentally organized."

Some might argue that it would be more accurate to say that Tokyo has always worked on increasing the tonnage of concrete laid, but those folks don't understand either Japan or nature. Nature, you see, is man-made just like bonsai. And the point of increasing man-made nature is to increase biodiversity, such as the 2016 Olympics.

Well, at least there will be a few square meters not covered with concrete. The question is: Will the "Sea Forest" be offset by denuding and concreting over a wooded area elsewhere? I'd wager yes.

Warning! Do NOT read

on a full stomach. A NYT journalist has done a report on Japan in which he seems to have believed everything he was told by representatives of the government. You'll learn how Japan's special love of nature is causing crow problems and how things would just be all gooder if we could return to the past. No, not as far back as when peasants were forced to supply the wonderfully kind samurai class with food, but at least before the crow problem got all out of hand due to Japan becoming a foreign country.

Check the blog Shisaku for the story and a link.

A barf bag might be advised when you read the NYT/IHT article. (Then again, you could die laughing, though if you pay taxes in Japan you probably won't.)

Speaking of Denenchofu and mysterious Japan

A fellow commented on a slightly different version of this photo taken in Denenchofu saying that it showed the juxtaposition of the old and new in Japan.

I had never thought of that. I was thinking of something else entirely. I should have realized the deeper uniquely unique Japaneseness represented by the photo. Everyone has heard that Japan is a fascinating mixture of the old and new. Why, you can find a "new" vending machine right in front of an "old" building. Where else but Japan?

I have always wondered why this is "true." Could it just chaotic zoning laws? A lack of urban planning as even Blinky Ishihara has mentioned? It is actually hard to find much preservation of old things in Japan unless it is a temple or something. Old buildings and houses will be razed without a second thought. Some will protest, but the government, bureaucrats, and construction companies are rarely persuaded by mere citizens.

Anyway, every time I pass that building from now on, I will remember that it represents something uniquely Japanese and not just a bright yellow and white vending machine in front of an old building with bright, blue paint on it near the less well-off part of Denenchofu. This sort of thing does not exist elsewhere.

(The longer I live here and the more people I get to know, the less "different" the average Japanese becomes. Donald Richie, in his book The Japan Journals, stated that some guys from Ohio can be more different than guys from Japan. How perfectly true, to the disappointment of the uniquely unique nihonjinron Japan crowd.)

Denenchofu, the customer-free zone

Denenchofu Tokyo (Ota-ku) is an interesting place. It is quite expensive in nearly every part, but especially so on the hill above the station. Lots of TV stars and sports figures live in the area.

There is a small shopping area---perhaps it could be called a "downtown." The interesting thing about it is that you almost never see a customer in any of the shops. In fact, even if one wants to shop in one, it might be a bit difficult as the hours can be somewhat irregular. Then there are the prices. One woman remarked that the shops there all had old products at double the price. This is only a slight exaggeration.

Some people think that these shops might be operated for tax purposes. Take a loss on your business and write down your overall tax bill. Whatever it is, given the price of real estate in the area, it is hard to believe that most of those shops are not losing tons of money.

There are a few places with customers---the drug store with discounted prices which are still higher than the surrounding areas; Denenchofu McDonalds, where hygiene is a dirty word; over-priced Precce, the only grocery store nearby; the aerobics school for kids; and the English school (not "downtown" but near the station.)

The latter two seem to have a good arrangement here. The kid's aerobics school is said to have a relationship with a TV station. That TV station often uses children in some of its programs. Guess what one of the sources for the children is? It is so popular that the parents are said to have to undergo interviews to put their children in the aerobics class.

The English school is said to have made a sweet deal with the powers in Denenchofu. No other English school will be given permission to open in the area. Sort of a competition-free zone.

Okusawa, which is the next station up the line---or a 10 minute walk away---has many small shops and is bustling compared to Denenchofu. The folks there even appear to want business. It seems that they are not very interested losing money to lower taxes, or to make special deals with English schools.

*8 May 2008: Somewhat properly proofread and corrected.*

Osaka's Senba Kitcho serving leftovers

This has not been in the news much. I saw a story on the news Friday evening (posted below) but not much else.

This company got caught in a food mislabeling scandal late last year. Apparently, the re-serving of food occurred prior to that. This is not some kind of mystery of the Orient puzzle. Everyone whom I have talked to about this thinks it is disgusting. Except, apparently, the government. Were it a restaurant run by non-Japanese or one using imported "untouched" food from a foreign table, would the media and the government be so complacent? Or would there be endless reports on TV and in magazines? Would the government and bureaucrats be lecturing foreign companies and governments and be warning the public about the dangers of foreign food?

The Asahi Shimbun had a brief report in English here.

Mmmm...Used Food Served in Osaka

Just heard on the news that a restaurant in Osaka got caught re-serving food that had been previously served to another customer. Seems they would take such items as "untouched" tempura, refry it and serve it to another. According the the Osaka Health Department, this violated no laws as long as nobody got sick. Great!!! Let's go out to eat in Osaka! What's that? Someone has gnawed half the meat off of your chicken leg? Don't worry about it. If you get sick, the Health Department will maybe have a meeting and debate having the restaurant owner make a very sincere apology if it isn't too much trouble.

Doesn't this make you wanna barf? Would it be alarmist to say that one cannot trust any food anymore? The Japanese media has warned us off of all Chinese food. They have not warned us off Japanese food, but the repeated scandals over the last year (and remember, these are only the ones that come to light) are enough to make one hesitate to eat Japanese food. Well, not really as we'd starve, but it is enough to cause more than a little concern.

Is there a functioning government in Japan? What does it do except build roads and bridges to nowhere and debate trivia? There have been no investigations, no new regulations or laws pertaining to Japanese grown/produced/served food have there? Why not? It can't be because they are too busy trying to resolve the pension scandal as that has dropped off the radar. WTF do those old, bald-headed, gummers actually do for their salary?

I believe the name of the restaurant is *Kicho, supposedly another old and respected establishment. Sachiko Yuki was the one apologizing and a Mr. Yuki (her husband?) was also involved. I will have to confirm that later.

*6 May 2008: It is Senba Kitcho in English.

Assimilation in Tokyo: The Mama Chari

In order to live comfortably in a foreign country one has to adapt. Japan is no different even though non-Japanese can never understand Japan. Still, when in Rome...

I hope to cover some aspects of life in Tokyo that I rarely see discussed anywhere beginning with how to ride a mama-chari like a Tokyoite:

One of the most common means of transportation in Tokyo is the bicycle. Two types are very common: the mama-chari (heavy, slow handling, clunker) and the imitation "mountain bike." We will look at the mama-chari with the understanding that the fake mountain bike can be utilized in nearly the same way.

Let's look at purchasing your mama-chari and setting it up like a true Tokyo-ko:

Purchase. Something to keep in mind is that although these things can be found anywhere, it is always best to get a good brand-name. The fake mountain bikes are available with many famous brand-name decals on them. You can choose from the standard Giant, or such exotic types as Levi or maybe even Frito-Lay. For the mama-charli your choices are fewer, but Tokyu department stores sell their high quality brand and I have seen a genuine Burberry sold in a Burberry shop. Go for one of these babies because you know that a heavy low-grade steel bike with a famous name stuck on it at a higher price has to be good. Be sure and ask the salesperson detailed questions about the bike and cycling in general as you can be sure that they know what they are talking about. After all, why else would they be selling them?

Set-up. The first step after you get your finely crafted, high quality machine home is to set it up properly. If you have ever ridden a bicycle of any type, now is the time to forget everything that you learned.

1. Let's begin with the seat. The very first thing you must remember is that the seat can never be too low. You should at least be able to plant both feet firmly on the ground while sitting on the wide, pillowy saddle. In fact, if your rear could drag the ground while riding, it would be nearly perfect.
When pedaling, your knees should come up to about your chin---be careful and don't knee your nose! From the side, a properly positioned cyclist should look something like a person on a squat toilet.

2. Tires & Wheels. Let's prepare our tires next. You may find that the shop where you bought it has filled the tires with air. This is for shipping purposes only. You will find a valve on the round steel things that the tires are attached to. (Bummer if yours are aluminum. These should be avoided as they can cause stopping when brakes are applied.) Remove the cap and press on the valve. Let most of the air out. Your tires should be at minimum 50% flat when you are riding it. The wheels themselves should be properly dished. This is more accurately referred to as "tacoed." If yours are not, remove them from the bike and loosen some spokes on one side or the other. Then either run over each wheel with your car or jump up and down on them until they assume the approximate shape of a taco shell. These steps will make it easier for you to wobble from left to right.

3. Brakes. The pads should be a well-aged hard rubber. When applied, they should make a loud squealing sound. Make sure, however, that they cannot lock the wheels no matter how hard the brakes are applied. Your feet are your main braking source. Brakes are for irritating and scaring pedestrians so that they will get out of your way.

4. Bike bell. This is a required item. They vary in size, but look something like the bells used in boxing. The difference is that there is a little thumb thingy for you to clang the bell with. This, along with the squealing brakes, helps assure that you as a mama-chari rider get the proper respect from those who interfere with your god-given right to the sidewalk.

5. Lights. Legally required for riding after dark. Don't worry much about these as you don't want to be the only fool using them. Remember, the nail that sticks up gets banged down.

6. Handle bar. You probably won't need to adjust this as long as you can comfortably rest on it while reading your e-mail, playing video games, reading your book or newspaper and those other things you may do to keep your mind occupied while riding. Some folks use baskets on the front to help make them even more comfortable as they can then rest almost the entire arm from elbow to wrist on something. Remember, using these are optional. The cool stud and police officers can show their mama-chari riding skills and all-around manliness by riding with one or no hands in crowded areas. Since you will likely be riding while doing other things with your hands, handlebars are of limited use.

7. Mirrors. Very important. Adjust these so that you can look at and admire yourself as you ride. Can be valuable for women to use for applying make-up while riding. Can also assist in properly picking one's nose. WARNING! Do not improperly adjust these so that you could see someone approaching from behind. This could result in such bad habits as awareness of surroundings and anticipation of danger. These types of mama-chari riding errors will be covered later in part two: Riding your mama-chari.

Off for Golden Week?

If you have an hour or so, you might want to listen to Arubito Debito's speech at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Japan. He discusses his new book Handbook for newcomers, migrants, and immigrants to Japan, as well as other issues which should be of interest to anyone of any nationality---including Japanese---in Japan. He even mentions ol' Blinky Ishihara, without whom no discussion of discrimination would be complete but he also discusses much more and talks about why immigration is vital for Japan.

Interestingly Amazon Japan search brings no results for the title, or either author. I have e-mailed them to find out why. Amazon US will receive the next if the answer is not believable.

**2:17pm: Amazon sent me a link. Note that it is in Japanese (I had searched in English for an for a book primarily targeted at non-Japanese---how silly of me).**

US energy policy

The McCain-Clinton gas holiday proposal is a perfect example of what energy expert Peter Schwartz of Global Business Network describes as the true American energy policy today: “Maximize demand, minimize supply and buy the rest from the people who hate us the most.” Thomas Friedman column in the NYT.

Well, we can forgive Hillary for her idiocy on this one as she had a buzz from the last few shots of grain alcohol she had while relaxing from her spring grizzly hunting trip with her long-time NRA friends. Plus we have to allow that she is still dealing with personal nightmares from her combat experiences in Bosnia.

John is a Republican so we have to expect that the answer to everything is to cut taxes.

The funny thing is that neither will be president this summer so they won't have to worry about dealing with economic problems. They only need make absurd proposals.