mytest

Hi Blog. Related to my FCCJ article posted here a couple of days ago, we have the J-media now piling on about “harmful ads in the free newspapers aimed at foreigners”, encouraging criminal behavior. This is a national issue of course (as I argued before, articles/campaigns about foreign crime take priority, even drown out good news (or any news) about NJ residents in Japan), and essentially the same article becomes common to the major papers (submitter JK sends the Yomiuri, Mainichi, and Nikkei).

When I said to JK: “Thanks for these, but not sure what angle to pursue. People will (groundfully) counterargue that these sorts of activities advertising ways for people to break the law should be rightfully reported and stamped out. What would you say to them?”, JK counterargued:

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“Hi Debito: I would say that I find it odd that on the one hand, the NPA is focused on ads in free papers enticing foreigners to perform criminal acts, whereas on the other hand, the NPA has, to my knowledge, yet to report on the number of pachinko parlors that paid out tokens / goods to players which were converted into cash (read: gambling, a criminal act!).

“To me, it’s obvious that the NPA is being selective in investigating potential criminal acts because in the case of the ads in the free papers, NJ are specifically involved.

“Wouldn’t it be great if the NPA, instead of reporting that x% of ads offered illegal employment, and y% of ads offered brokerage services, etc., reported that x% cash paid out was converted from pachinko parlor tokens, and y% of cash winnings was from stuffed animals?”

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Point taken. Finally, JK sends a positive article towards NJ (regarding something cultural), but like I said in my FCCJ article, that gets confined to local papers. Might be because it’s a local event/issue, but so does anything positive towards NJ seem. It’s the negative stuff that becomes part of NPA campaigns against “foreign crime”, not the positive stuff ever becoming, say, a national GOJ campaign for “up with people”. Not the best examples, but anyhoo, good timing for these mild cases in point to illustrate a phenomenon I brought up. Arudou Debito

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Over 730 ads for overstayers, fake marriages uncovered
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Sep. 16, 2011)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110915005701.htm

Many ads encouraging criminal behavior such as working illegally and entering into fake marriages have been carried by free newspapers aimed at foreigners, according to a police survey.

The survey, conducted by the National Police Agency in May and June, said 736 harmful ads were found in papers distributed in commercial and entertainment districts around the nation.

The NPA will ask publishers of free papers not to run ads encouraging criminal activity. It also may pursue criminal charges against publishers allowing such ads to appear in their papers.

According to the survey, 58 free papers distributed in Tokyo and 24 other prefectures have carried such ads. Of them, 26 were aimed at Chinese and 22 at Koreans. Others were for Filipinos and Brazilians living in Japan.

The free papers carrying the ads also contain information on daily life services and restaurant information for foreigners.

Forty percent of the ads, or 291, offer illegal employment, with some recommending work in sex-related establishments.

Twenty-four percent of the ads, or 174, offer brokerage services to falsify residential qualifications or social status. They included such messages as: “We seek illegal overstayers who want to marry a Japanese” and “We can change your illegal entry status to a legal one.”

The Metropolitan Police Department has uncovered a number of cases involving illegal work and fake marriages, including some in which readers successfully asked specialists in administrative procedures and others who carried ads in the papers for residential status.
ENDS
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Ads promoting criminal acts found in free papers for foreigners
(Mainichi Japan) September 15, 2011
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110915p2a00m0na001000c.html

A number of advertisements encouraging crimes are carried in free papers for foreign residents in Japan, the National Police Agency (NPA) has found.

According to the NPA, a total of 736 ads promoting criminal acts were carried in 58 free papers providing living information to Chinese, South Korean, Brazilian and other foreign residents in Japan in their respective mother tongues between May and June. Many of the ads involved such wrongful acts as overstaying visas and illegal work.

The NPA has requested the publishers of those free papers not to carry such inappropriate ads.

By content, 39.5 percent of the ads were about job placement; 23.6 percent about disguised mediation of certificates and status; 20 percent about soliciting unauthorized sales; and 6 percent about introducing residences.

“International marriage: We welcome those whose visas will soon expire. Will introduce partners immediately,” one ad says, while another says: “Hostess immediately needed. With or without a visa.” Yet another ad reads, “(We will introduce) nominees or guarantors. All Japanese.” Some advertisers falsely identify themselves as administrative scriveners, while others suggest assisting fake marriages and overstaying visas.

The NPA has named the services and means of communication that promote crimes as “crime infrastructure.”
ENDS
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犯罪助長広告：外国人向け無料紙５８紙に７３６件－－警察庁調査
毎日新聞　2011年9月15日　東京朝刊
http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/archive/news/2011/09/15/20110915ddm041040067000c.html

国内在住の外国人向けに生活情報を提供するフリーペーパーに、犯罪を助長するような広告記事が多数掲載されていることが警察庁の調査でわかった。不法な滞在や就労につながるものが目立ち、警察は発行者に対して不正な広告を掲載しないよう要請している。

調査は５～６月に全国的に実施。中国人、韓国人、ブラジル人などを対象に、母国語で発行される５８紙に計７３６件の問題広告が見つかった。文面は「国際結婚　ビザの期限がもうすぐの方歓迎　すぐに紹介」「ホステス急募　ビザ不問」「名義人・保証人（のあっせん）　全部日本人」などで、行政書士を名乗ったり、偽装結婚や不法残留の手助けを示唆するものもある。

広告内容の内訳は、就労あっせん３９・５％▽資格・身分の偽装仲介２３・６％▽（無許可・無登録の）地下営業２０％▽住居あっせん６％－－など。警察庁は犯罪を助長するサービスや通信手段を「犯罪インフラ」と規定している。【鮎川耕史】
ENDS
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外国人向けフリーペーパー　不正広告、58紙で736件
日本経済新聞　2011/9/15 0:29
http://www.nikkei.com/news/category/article/g=96958A9C93819695E3E6E2E0878DE3E6E2EBE0E2E3E39191E3E2E2E2;at=ALL

全国の警察が、繁華街などで配られる外国人向けのフリーペーパーを５～６月に調査したところ、偽装結婚や偽装養子縁組の仲介などをうかがわせる不正な広告が58紙で計736件掲載されていたことが14日、警察庁のまとめで分かった。

「国際結婚　20～50歳の在日中国女性募集　ビザの期限がもうすぐの方歓迎」「証明書発行　日本全国３日でお届け」といった表現が並んでいたといい、警察当局は発行者に広告の掲載打ち切りなどを要請している。

問題のある広告は25都道府県で見つかり、不法就労のあっせんなど求人関係が291件、偽装結婚や偽装養子縁組など資格や身分の偽装仲介が174件など。国別では中国人向けが531件で最多。次いで韓国153件、ブラジル39件の順。

警察庁は、偽装結婚や他人名義の携帯電話などを、詐欺やサイバー犯罪など別の犯罪を起こしやすくする「犯罪インフラ」と定義し、取り締まりを強化。一環としてフリーペーパーの情報収集を全国の警察に指示した。
ENDS
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Now for the positive one towards NJ, local paper only. Submitter JK comments, “Too bad stories like these are the exception and not the rule.”

母国の昔話：日本生まれの子に文化伝えたい　江南在留の外国人、紙芝居制作へ　／愛知

http://mainichi.jp/area/aichi/archive/news/2011/09/15/20110915ddlk23040285000c.html

ブラジル人やフィリピン人、中国人など３７カ国約１６００人が生活している江南市で、母国に伝わる昔話を伝えていこうと、市国際交流協会が外国語の紙芝居の制作を始めた。協会の早瀬裕子運営委員長は「この取り組みが親子の触れあいを増やし、母国への関心を高めてもらえれば」と話している。【渡辺隆文】

多くの外国人の子どもたちは、日本で生まれたり、幼少期に来日しており、自国の文化に親しむ機会が少ない。日本語が堪能な一方で、母国語を話すことがほとんどないため、両親との会話が困難という子どもも多いという。

紙芝居は同市で生活するブラジルやフィリピンなど人数が多い５カ国に絞って、それぞれ外国語と日本語を併記し、２人１組になって制作している。

ブラジル出身で来日１７年目の杉原アンジェラマリ子さん（３７）は、森にすむ妖精が動物や木々を守り自然の大切さを教えるブラジルの昔話「クルピーラ」を選んだ。杉原さんは「両親から聞かせてもらった時を思い出しながら作った」と話す。また、フィリピン出身で来日２５年目の青山ルーイさん（４４）は、何事に対しても優しい心で接すると幸せになるという「イボンアダルナ」を制作しており、「フィリピンには紙芝居はない。すごく楽しい気持ちで取り組んでいる」と笑顔をみせる。

紙芝居は年内の完成を目指しており、来年早々には発表会を開く計画だ。プロジェクターでも上映できるようにするという。完成後は他の自治体への貸し出しも予定している。問い合わせは市生涯学習課（０５８７・５４・１１１１）。
ENDS