Europeans back Obama, Asians like McCain
Could Europe be categorized as a U.S. Democratic Party “blue state” and Asia, a Republican Party “red state”?
American presidential elections provide a near perfect test to understand the difference between European and Asian worldviews, even if the two continents are far from united internally.
If you want America to lead by the power of example, you favor Barack Obama; if you want to be reassured by the continuation of America’s power in a traditional security sense, you probably prefer John McCain.
Whereas a majority of Europeans — with the exception of those who for historical and geographic reasons are obsessed with the return of the “Russian bear” — support Obama, a majority of Asians, particularly among the elite, seem to support McCain. This difference stems above all from strategic considerations, but it probably also contains a cultural dimension.
In Asia, Indonesia may look “European” with its Obama craze, but it essentially constitutes an anomaly, easily explainable by Obama’s brief Indonesian upbringing. Otherwise, and for very different reasons, a majority of Asian elites are awaiting the growing possibility of an Obama victory with some bewilderment and even apprehension.
For example, Japanese elites tend to favor continuity over change. In their mind, the hard power of the United States is more important than its soft power, and their vision of an America “bound to lead” is largely unchanged. For them, the U.S. is above all the strategic counterweight needed to balance China. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Sumo in Japan: Does smoking a joint beat murder?
Former makuuchi division Russian wrestler, 20-year-old Toshinori Wakanoho (whose real name is Soslan Gagloev), under arrest for possessing marijuana, has told police that he first turned to drugs in his early teens, and that after he entered the sumo world he smoked dope every time he went home to Russia.
According to a statement Wakanoho made to police, he went to a nightclub in Tokyo’s Roppongi entertainment district by himself on June 20, where he was offered marijuana by a Russian man and a black man. He smoked the drug in the club’s restroom using a bong, or water pipe. Wakanoho then bought marijuana, two pipes and rolling papers from the black man for 20,000 yen. (さらに…)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Free Legal Telephone Counseling for Foreigners/Refugees
Hello! I received this from Debito: “I just received information about a hotline which will be open from 1 to 5pm on Sunday June 1st providing free legal advice to foreigners living in Japan. This is to test the demand for such a service in relation to research by the Japan Law Foundation being made by lawyers, NGOs and researchers on the necessity of starting a specialized law office/center for foreigners/refugees. Interpretation will be provided, in many languages.
If the hotline receives many calls, this will strengthen the case for such a service, which seems to be to be sorely needed.
If you also feel this could be an important service, please pass this information on.
For further information, please contact: Ms. Masako Suzuki on 03-5269-7773, at the Executive Committee for Foreigners Legal Counseling (c/o ALT Law Firm).”
HERE IS THE INFORMATION:
Free Legal Telephone Counseling for Foreigners/Refugees – By lawyers in different languages –
We, the Executive Committee for Foreigners Legal Counseling, have planned a one-day free legal telephone counseling for foreigners and refugees. Such a nationwide free legal telephone counseling focused on foreigners/refugees by lawyers has never been held so far.
More than 10 lawyers will join this event and multilingual interpretation service will be provided. This event is held in cooperation with the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, the Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan, the Catholic Tokyo International Center (CTIC), Japan Association for Refugees (JAR), and the House in Emergency of Love and Peace (HELP).
Up to now, specialized legal consultations for foreigners/refugees are available only in regions around big city areas. The purpose of this event is to make it possible for foreigners who have difficulty accessing legal consultation to consult with lawyers.
It would be highly appreciated if you can help us disseminate information regarding this significant event. Please feel free to contact us at the following contact for any questions or further information.
This event has been planned in relation to the research of the Japan Law Foundation being made by lawyers, NGOs and researchers on the necessity of starting a specialized law office/center for foreigners/
refugees, to cope with the rapid increase of the non-citizen population in Japan.
Date: Sunday June 1, 2008 13:00 – 17:00
Tel: 03-3547-0300
Languages Available: Japanese, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Russian, Indonesian, Burmese, Romanian and others.
Contact: Executive Committee for Foreigners Legal Counseling (c/o ALT Law Firm) Tel:03-5269-7773?Fax:03-5312-4543
MULTILINGUAL POSTER AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD IN PDF FORMAT AT:
http://www.debito.org/legaladviceforNJ.pdf
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