Category Archives: Japan

Japan Introduces New Judicial System

Posted on May 13, 2009 by | Leave a comment

This month Japan introduces a new judicial system which will actively engage citizens in the process of making decisions of guilt or innocence. Under the new system, six randomly chosen people will work with three professional judges to hear a case and reach a verdict, including murder trials and the death sentence. The change is designed to more actively involve Japanese citizens in the entire judicial process and hopefully speed up trials. Under the new system, six lay people will work with three judges to decide the facts in criminal cases. Potential lay judges will be identified from a list compiled by electoral boards within the jurisdiction of each district court. Individuals will be notified in November, they have been selected and at some time during the year they will be called to sit on a trial.

Certain people are automatically disqualified from sitting such as judges, lawyers, police, etc.. or anyone with a criminal record. Only serious crimes will be subject to the new lay system of judges. Employers are required to give employees time off for being judges and the lay people will be paid for their time on the bench.

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Posted in Asia, Human Rights, Japan, Politics, Social Justice, World News

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Japan Struggles With Immigration

Posted on May 1, 2009 by | Leave a comment

The current economic crisis is creating new problems with Japan since their aging population has required allowing thousands of immigrants to enter and take jobs not sought by native Japanese. However, massive layoffs are mainly impacting these foreign workers and already thousands are heading back home. Their children have limited opportunity to secure a university education and they are not covered by medical insurance. Susumu Ishihara, president of the Japan Immigration Agency, points out that once the economic crisis ends, Japan once again will be required to rely on the work of immigrants in many sectors of society. In 2007, Japan was home to 2.15 million foreigners which represents nearly twice as many as were in the country in 1990.

At some point, the Japanese population has to recognize they need immigrants to deal with so many work needs that native born people do not wish to do. There is need to assure immigrants their children will have access to education including intensive language training, that their families will be covered by medical insurance and they will not be compelled to leave the country everytime there is an economic downturn. As the Japanese population ages, a younger immigrant population will have to emerge.

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Posted in Asia, Education, Human Rights, Japan, Multicultural, Peace, Politics, Social Justice, World News

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Japan Continues Rewriting History Of World War II

Posted on April 11, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Japan is a modern democratic society whose population opposes aggressive wars anywhere in the world and seeks to promote peaceful resolution of disputes. However, the Japan of World War II was quite different. It invaded nations, it killed and raped thousands of people in China and during the war most probably slaughtered at least three to four million. Americans recall with anger, the barbarous behavior of the Japanese army toward American and Filipino prisoners who surrendered at Bataan. Thousands were killed on the march to prisons. The Japanese military somehow thought they were scoring some type of propaganda points by showing films of American POWs being beheaded.

Germany is an excellent model for Japan. It has confronted its past and instituted wonderful educational programs that enable German youth to come to grips with their historical past. The latest example of Japanese efforts to rewrite the history of World War II came with the announcement by the education ministry that a new history book written by nationalist “scholars” who refuse to acknowledge Japan’s barbarity will be distributed in schools. Before being cleared the most recent version of this distortion of history contained 516 errors that had to be corrected.

It would benefit the Japanese ministry of education to visit Germany and talk with educators on how to deal with World War II.

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Posted in Human Rights, Japan, Military, Multicultural, Peace, Politics, Social Justice, War, World News

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Japan Sends Home Japanese

Posted on April 7, 2009 by | Leave a comment

During the booming 1980s, the Japanese government sent out a call to people of Japanese descent who had migrated to South America over a hundred years ago to please return to their ancestral home where good jobs were available. The Japanese economy was in desperate need of individuals willing to do the dirty jobs that native born people did not wish to do. Over a half million Japanese of the dispora returned home and found work in the blue collar sector of the economy. As with most immigrants they soon discovered native born Japanese complained they did not learn the language quickly enough or were criminals or lazy or anyone of the usual complaints uttered toward those of foreign birth.

The Japanese economy is now having problems so the government is offering to pay the way back home to South America of those who are of Japanese descent. Of course, if a person takes the offer they will not be allowed to return if the economy picks up. A new film, “Sour Strawberries” depicts what has happened to these people who believed in the Japanese offer and have learned to their misfortune, being of Japanese descent only goes so far when times are bad. Go back to Brazil or Peru is now the slogan for the nikkei.

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Posted in Asia, Human Rights, Japan, Multicultural, Politics, Social Justice, World News

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Japan Sends Latin American Japanese Back Home

Posted on April 3, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Over a hundred years ago, about a million people from Japan headed east to the shores of South America where they settled and became active citizens. About ten years ago, the Japanese government was concerned about falling birth rates so it sent out a welcome to the descendants of those who had migrated. Thousands of Japanese people from Brazil and Peru came to Japan in search of work and reintegration to the land of their ancestors. Japan has tight immigration laws so they ordinarily allowed skilled people to enter the country. The economy has declined due to the world recession so the Japanese government is now offering money and transportation to those who left Brazil and Peru. Many have lost their jobs in places like Toyota and will most probably have to head home, of course, in this case, “home” is where they were born.

The new program of paying people to leave is only available to those of Brazilian and Peruvian ancestry. They came, they saw, they worked and now they can leave. Unfortunately for Japan, its birth rate continues to decline so in several years they will be beckoning back those who are leaving. Will they be interested for a second time around?

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Posted in Asia, Education, Human Rights, Japan, Multicultural, Politics, Social Justice, World News

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North Korea Continues Its Mysterious Ways

Posted on March 31, 2009 by | Leave a comment

The ever mysterious machinations of North Korean leaders at times come across as simply a desire to keep the world confused concerning exactly what is going on up north. The Japanese newspaper, Sankei Shimbun reveals North Korea will launch a satellite into orbit with the assistance of a team of experts from Iran. American and South Korean Intelligence sources believe the North Koreans are going to launch a middle range ballistic missile. It is assumed the missile will be a veiled warning to the United Nations and anyone else that North Korean will not accept sanctions and intends to do as it pleases.

The presence of Iranian missile experts is only bound to increase tension both in the Middle East and in Asia. At some point, the world has to engage Iran in meaningful dialogue concerning the need to reduce missiles and nuclear development. All too often these days the road to peace lies through Tehran.

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Posted in Asia, Human Rights, Japan, Military, Multicultural, Peace, Politics, Social Justice, United States, US Foreign Policy, War, World News

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Japan Women Lag In Government Positions

Posted on January 29, 2009 by | Leave a comment

At a recent symposium in Tokyo women from around the world discussed what is happening in the drive to ensure women have an equal role in government decisions. Some nations such as Rwanda and Norway mandate a certain percentage of seats in Parliament must be held by women which results in figures in the 30% range for those two countries. Rwanda probably leads the world since women now are in possession of over 50% of decision making government positions. Despite its prosperity and high education levels, Japanese women only constitute 9.4% of members of the lower house of parliament.

It is interesting why Japan ranks so low in women assuming a role in government. It most probably stems from cultural factors and the lower percentage of Japanese women in high positions leadership positions.

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Posted in Asia, Gender Issues, Human Rights, Japan, Multicultural, Norway, Peace, Politics, Social Justice, United States, World News

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Japan Struggles To Define Relationship With Obama

Posted on January 23, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Prime Minister Taro Aso indicated he seeks to establish solid working relationships with the new Obama adminsitration, but he will have problems in achieving that goal. The Japanese prime minister had close working connections with Bush and is unclear as to whether Obama’s policies in Asia will be in line with his goals. Obama needs to focus on rebuilding the American economy, and Japan has enough of its own financial crisis to be of much assistance. Japan is still very much concerned about the kidnapping by North Korea of its citizens, but there is little likelihood this will be of much concern to the Obama administration. Obama wants to end North Korean nuclear programs and will undoubtedly make that his priority, which means he will regard lesser issues of no importance and will avoid dealing with them if they hamper achieving the goal of ending nuclear weapons in North Korea.

The Japanese government has displayed an inept approach to many issues such as the manner in which the history of WWII is taught in its schools which has resulted in anger by Chinese and Korean officials. It is time for Japan to confront issues of the past, put them to rest, and move ahead to focus on contemporary issues. Aso’s buddy, George Bush is history, so begin making history with Obama

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Posted in Asia, Barack Obama, Japan, Links, Military, Multicultural, Peace, Politics, Republicans, US Foreign Policy, War, World News

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Activists Attack Japanese Whale Research Vessels

Posted on December 29, 2008 by | Leave a comment

The Japanese people want to consume whale meat and in pursuit of that goal are compelled to engage in research on the nature of whales. Of course, as part of the “scientific research,” whales somehow get killed and since there is no need to throw away the dead whales, it is only natural to bring them back to Japan so the meat of the whale could be sold. One assumes people who consume whale meat are involved in scientific research. A vessel operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which seeks to protect whales, attacked a Japanese ship conducting “scientific research” in the Antarctic Ocean and hurled bottles containing a foul smelling liquid on the deck of the ship.

The Kaiko Maru, along with four other Japanese ships, has been engaged in “scientific research” in the cold area of the world and hopes to continue learning more about whales. For some reason, after years of “scientific research” Japanese vessels still have not learned enough about the complex animal known as a whale. One can only wonder at which point in time the “research” will draw to a conclusion.

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Posted in Asia, Human Rights, Japan, Politics, Social Justice, World News

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Hitler, Just Uncle Adolf To Japanese Children!

Posted on December 10, 2008 by | 2 Comments

The TV Tokyo Corporation felt the need to apologize for a comment made by a female who on her program described Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany, as a “great figure in the world” and someone who young people should learn about. The program, Yorosen, in which young “idol” group members act as school teachers and lecture about history resulted in this rather unusual description of a blood thirsty barbaric leader. The “teacher” referred to Adolf Hitler as “Hitler osijan”(Uncle Hitler) and said his speeches to the German nation has a “soothing effect.” One can only wonder whether she thought Jews in listening to Hitler rant on and on about killing them experienced the same “soothing effect.”

The TV station issues an apology which stated the program “was based on misinformation” and an interpretation of history that was “inappropriate.” However, it is still unclear how the “teacher” obtained this interpretation of Adolf Hitler. Are we next to be treated to a story about “Grandfather Joe Stalin” and the three bears?

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Posted in Education, Human Rights, Japan, Judaism, Multicultural, Peace, Politics, Social Justice, World News