Japan yet to grasp significance of an Obama White House
To assess how the next U.S. administration of Barack Obama would cope with the various challenges ahead, it is essential to have an accurate understanding of the significance of his election victory, Japanese experts told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
As the first black to become U.S. president, much of the Japanese media coverage of the election tended to focus on this fact, but that is only one part of the story, they said.
Four experts took part in the Nov. 20 symposium organized by the Keizai Koho Center to discuss Obama’s economic and diplomatic challenges as well as Japan-U.S. relations.
Given the extremely low popular support for outgoing President George W. Bush and the financial crisis that engulfed the United States since just before the election, Obama’s resounding victory came as no surprise, said Akihiko Tanaka, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Oriental Culture. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Loco in Yokohama: Just Keep Smiling
I almost included this post in #1 don’t be you or #3 learn that Japanese. But, I’ve found #4 Just keep smiling to be such an integral part of all the accomplishments I’ve achieved here in japan that it deserved its own post. Whether it’s basic communication or finding employment or making friends or just keeping people from giving me a reason to elbow them upside the head. IT WORKS!
Now, if you live here, you’re probably thinking, though Japanese people do tend to smile often, especially the girls, I don’t think they smile all the time. And, you’re right. They don’t. But, they can do whatever the hell they want. It’s their country. They can emote til their hearts content. But, sorry, from my experience, foreigners don’t have that luxury. Not here. We (meaning especially un-Asian foreigners for we can be identified readily) scare the HELL out of them! (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Foreigner killed by Japanese DJ gets off easy
This in from Debito: “The killer of Scott Tucker, choked to death by a DJ in a Tokyo bar, gets suspended sentence.
Zurui: Here is some background information on the Bul-lets DJ. — Police confirmed Wednesday that they have charged a man with killing an American man in a nightclub in Azabu on Feb 29. Atsushi Watanabe, 29, was charged with killing Richard Scott Tucker, 47, by choking him and punching him from behind at around 10:40 p.m. The victim was taken to hospital but died about one hour later.
According to police, Watanabe, who works for the Bullets club as a DJ, assaulted the victim after finding him drunk and aggressively shoving other customers. Watanabe was quoted by police as saying, “I tried to stop him shoving customers. I didn’t mean to kill him.”
I made the case some months ago, in a special DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER on criminal justice and policing of NJ, that NJ get special (as in negative) treatment by courts and cops. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Black Tokyo Updates
Arigato to the BT’ers that emailed me while I was injured. The surgery was successful and I am slowly recovering and looking forward to physical therapy. Bring on the pain!
BT’ers can now follow Black Tokyo via Twitter. BT’ers can also join the Black Tokyo social network site (Google Friend Connect) with one click using your Google, Yahoo, AIM or OpenID account. Click the Join this site button found on the BT Friend Connect widget located at the top of the center column.
For those on Facebook, be sure to join the Black Tokyo Facebook Chapter.
Mata ne!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era
Michael Auslin’s new report (with Christopher Griffin) is up at the AEI website: The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )For nearly five decades, the U.S.-Japanese alliance has underwritten peace and security in the Asia Pacific. The alliance has allowed for the forward basing of tens of thousands of American troops and cooperation between the two countries on a wide range of security issues. The alliance is being tested today by the economic and military rise of China, the continuing crisis in North Korea, and the struggle to maintain the tide of democratic reform in the Asia-Pacific region. (さらに…)
Loco in Yokohama #3: Learn that Japanese!
This should go without saying but I’m gonna say it anyway: #3 Learn that Japanese!
I studied French for 2 years in JHS, 4 years in HS and 2 years in University, and if you asked me right now how to say anything in French except “Would you like to do the nasty with me tonight?” I’d be hardpressed to answer you. Btw, it’s: voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Thanks for the French lesson Patti LaBelle (-;
Demo, Go-nen ni Nihon ni sunde ite mada perapera jyanakute mo kekkou syaberemasuyo. (But, I’ve been living in Japan for five years and even though I’m not fluent yet, I’m pretty good.) Listening is still difficult, my vocabulary is still embarrassingly low and the improper pronunciation of certain sounds persists despite my efforts (? and ? are my nemeses,) but I can get by until i can get there.
And, at the risk of overstating the obvious, it’s very useful, not to mention good manners, to at least try to speak the language of the people in the country where you live. Unfortunately, there are some people in the world who don’t agree.
“Why are you studying English?” I always ask potential students when I first meet them. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )WTF? Simple possession of child porn unpunishable in Japan
Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents: Viewing child porn, manga depicting such to be criminalized; Simple possession of child porn unpunishable in Japan
It has been seven years since the Yokohama congress, and Japan has yet to regulate the simple possession of child porn. This is a problem. I want Japan to seriously consider placing a ban on child porn, including viewing such as well.It has been seven years since the Yokohama congress, and Japan has yet to regulate the simple possession of child porn. This is a problem. I want Japan to seriously consider placing a ban on child porn, including viewing such as well.
The Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents was held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil from November 25 through 28. Participants compiled a strict action plan that regulates access to child porn and obtaining such as well as viewing child porn and materials that depict explicit images of sexually abused children, including manga and anime. In Japan, the simple possession of child porn and materials depicting such is not punishable. The delay in Japan’s approach was visible at the congress. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Loco in Yokohama #2: Props and Camouflage
10 Ways Not to go Loco in Yokohama: # 2 – Props and Camouflage: As I’ve mentioned, #1: Don’t be you, is by far the most difficult step. A lot of water has to pass under the bridge before that kind of transformation can occur. So, what do you do in the meantime? My mother used to say, “fake it until you can make it!” In other words, pretend not to be you. This is much simpler.
I used to work for NOVA. Those of you who live here know of it, I’m sure. For those of you who don’t know, it used to be the biggest language school franchise here in Japan, focusing primarily on English instruction since English is in the greatest demand here. I won’t get into my life at NOVA. It’s not essential for this post (maybe I’ll tackle it in later post.) What is relevant is that the uniform for Nova instructors was at minimum slacks, shirt and tie, but they preferred you wear a suit. And so most everyday I left my house dressed very conservatively. This was not my preferred mode of dress.
Before I came to Japan, I used to work at a reputable company in New York and there, too, the expectation was for all account executives to wear suits. And, so, for the money, I did. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )10 ways not to go loco in yokohama: #1-don’t be you!
This from Loco in Yokohama: I know it’s difficult to do anything life altering. I didn’t come here planning to alter my life. It just kind of happened and I fought it every step of the way. Which only made it more intense, and more interesting I’d like to believe…the results of which I am filling my blog with. But, for those of you who are planning to come to japan or have come here already and just want to have fun and not upset the status quo- Japan’s or your own- too much in the process I have compiled a list of ways to make the potential life altering experience of living in Japan less…life altering.
Of course, if you’ve been here 3 years or longer, and assuming you aren’t loco already, you’ve put together your own list of ways to survive life in Japan. It’s the rare foreigner, I believe, that hasn’t had to significantly adjust his thinking, behavior, lifestyle, and so on, in order to adapt to life here. And perhaps like I, you feel the better for it.
The following list I’ve been putting together in my heart and mind for several years. I’ve tested each one and they have proven to have a high success rate. They’re not 100% but they range from the high 70s to the low 90s percentile. Whether or not they’ll work for you, I really can’t say. And any feedback you have on my list is of course welcomed.
The reason I specify Yokohama is because I know Yokohama well. I also know Saitama and Tokyo well, but, though Japanese are indeed Japanese, I do believe that people have different experiences depending on their area or region. I’ve met foreigners who live in Kansai and were utterly surprised when I told them about some of my experiences here. And I’ve met Nihon-jin in the countryside whose reaction to foreigners was significantly more dramatic and intense than the usual. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )2007 Indictment Rate for USFJ Crimes
The Justice Ministry has released statistics showing the numbers of cases indicted and dropped over crimes and other incidents involving U.S. military personnel in 2007. Public prosecutors indicted 48.6% of all cases, including those violating the Road Traffic Law and other specific laws. However, when it comes to criminal cases like robberies and thefts, the indictment rate was extremely low at 13.3%.
In the breakdown of indicted crimes, traffic law violations were overwhelming at 286 cases, followed by vehicular manslaughters at 30 cases and bodily injuries at 7 cases. Among dropped cases, vehicular manslaughters topped at 255 cases, followed by thefts at 44 cases and destructions and secretions at 9 cases. (さらに…)
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