More J media regarding NJ within earthquake-stricken Japan: Rumors of “Foreign Crime Gangs”; rapes and muggings, while tabloids headline “all NJ have flown Japan” etc.

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Hi Blog. As promised, here we have a record of how domestic media is either reporting on nasty rumors denigrating NJ, or circulating those nasty rumors themselves. The GOJ is taking measures to quell the clacking keyboards, but the tabloids (roundly decried for spreading exaggerated information overseas about the state of radioactivity from Fukushima) are still selling papers by targeting NJ regardless.

(There’s a lot of text in Japanese below; keep paging down. Brief comments in English sandwiched between.)

First, the Asahi and Sankei report “dema” swirling about saying that foreigners are forming criminal gangs (echoes of 1923’s rumored Korean well poisonings, which lead to massacres), and carrying out muggings and rapes. Yet Sankei (yes, even the Sankei) publishes that there hasn’t been a single reported case (glad they’re setting the record straight):

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「外国人窃盗団」「雨当たれば被曝」被災地、広がるデマ
朝日新聞 2011年3月26日9時21分
http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0325/TKY201103250527.html
All articles courtesy of MS

「あらぬうわさが飛び交っています」と注意を呼びかけるビラが避難所で配られた=25日午後2時45分、仙台市宮城野区の岡田小学校、金川雄策撮影
東日本大震災の被災地で、流言が飛び交っている。「外国人の窃盗団がいる」「電気が10年来ない」……。根拠のないうわさは、口コミに加え、携帯メールでも広がる。宮城県警は25日、避難所でチラシを配り、冷静な対応を呼び掛けた。
「暴動が起きているといったあらぬうわさが飛び交っています。惑わされないよう気を付けて下さい」
宮城県警の竹内直人本部長は、この日、避難所となっている仙台市宮城野区の岡田小学校を訪れ、被災者に注意を呼びかけた。チラシを受け取った女性(43)は「犯罪はうわさほどではなかったんですね」と安心した様子を見せた。県警によると、110番通報は1日500〜1千件程度あるが、目撃者の思い違いも少なくないという。
しかし、被災地では数々のうわさが飛び交っている。「レイプが多発している」「外国人の窃盗団がいる」。仙台市の避難所に支援に来ていた男性(35)は、知人や妻から聞いた。真偽はわからないが、夜の活動はやめ、物資を寝袋に包んで警戒している。「港に来ていた外国人が残っていて悪さをするらしい」。仙台市のタクシー運転手はおびえた表情をみせた。
流言は「治安悪化」だけではない。「仮設住宅が近くに造られず、置き去りにされる」「電気の復旧は10年後らしい」。震災から1週間後、ライフラインが途絶えて孤立していた石巻市雄勝町では、復興をめぐる根拠のない情報に被災者が不安を募らせた。「もう雄勝では暮らせない」と町を出る人が出始め、14日に2800人いた避難者は19日に1761人に減った。
健康にかかわる情報も避難者の心を揺さぶる。石巻市の避難所にいる女性3人には18日夜、同じ内容のメールが届いた。福島原発の事故にふれ、「明日もし雨が降ったら絶対雨に当たるな。確実に被曝(ひばく)するから」「政府は混乱を避けまだ公表していないそうです」と記されていた。女性の1人は「避難所のみんなが心配しています」という。
過去の震災では、1923年の関東大震災で「朝鮮人が暴動を起こす」とのデマが流れ、多数の朝鮮人が虐殺された。95年の阪神大震災では、大地震の再発や仮設住宅の入居者選定をめぐる流言が広がった。
今回はネットでも情報が拡散する。「暴動は既に起きています。家も服も食べ物も水も電気もガスも無いから」「二、三件強盗殺人があったと聞いた」。こうした記載がある一方で「窃盗はあるけど、そこまで治安は悪くない」「全部伝聞で当事者を特定する書き込みはない」と注意を促す書き込みもある。
東京女子大学の広瀬弘忠教授(災害・リスク心理学)は「被災地で厳しい状況に置かれており、普段から抱いている不安や恐怖が流言として表れている。メールやインターネットの普及で流言が広域に拡大するようになった。行政は一つ一つの事実を伝えることが大切で、個人は情報の発信元を確かめ、不確実な情報を他人に流さないことが必要だ」と指摘する。(南出拓平、平井良和)
ends

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「流言飛語」被災地で深刻化 デマがニュースで報じられる例も
2011.4.1 22:03 産經新聞
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/news/110401/dst11040122040072-n1.htm
被災地で治安情勢などをめぐる「流言飛語」が深刻化している。出所の大半はインターネットの掲示板や転送を呼びかけるチェーンメールで、中にはデマが事実としてニュースで報じられた例もあった。警察庁は「被災地域で凶悪事件は起きておらず、惑わされないで」と注意を呼びかけるとともに、サイト管理者への削除要請にも乗り出している。
警察庁によると、特に多いのは被災地の犯罪情勢に関するデマで、具体的な地名を挙げたうえで、「外国人窃盗団が暗躍している」「強盗や強姦が多発している」「略奪が横行している」など。「○○の水道水が危ない」といった放射能絡みも目立っている。
被災地や原発周辺では、自宅を空けて避難している人が多く、こうしたデマやうわさに不安を感じ、警察に相談したり、パトロールの強化を訴えたりする例が続出。しかし、震災後に被災地域で外国人を窃盗容疑で摘発したことはなく、強盗や強姦などの凶悪犯罪が起きたという報告は1件もないという。
また、偽の給油整理券と引き換えに現金を詐取される被害が発生しているといううわさが流れ、テレビや地元紙がニュースとして報道。しかし、警察が後で調べたところ、被害事実は確認されなかった。
このほか、実在しない報道機関を名乗った架空のニュースが掲示板に書き込まれたりするケースもあった。警察庁はこれまでに約30件の悪質なデマの削除を依頼したといい、「被災者の不安や混乱をあおる行為は見過ごせない。今後も監視を強化する」としている。
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The GOJ is also playing a part in quelling and deleting internet rumors, thank goodness:

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総務省の「デマ削除要請」 「言論統制」というデマに?
J-cast.com 2011/4/7
http://www.j-cast.com/2011/04/07092510.html?p=all

ネット上のデマについて、削除を含めた適切な対応を事業者に求めた総務省の要請が波紋を呼んでいる。どうやら、言論統制ではないかと拡大解釈されたらしいのだ。
「インターネット上の流言飛語について関係省庁が連携し、サイト管理者等に対して、法令や公序良俗に反する情報の自主的な削除を含め、適切な対応をとることを要請」
総務省は「言論統制」の意図否定

拡大解釈で波紋
総務省がサイト上で2011年4月6日に載せた文面には、こうある。ネット事業者らでつくる電気通信事業者協会など4団体にこの日要請した内容だ。その理由として、「東日本大震災後、地震等に関する不確かな情報等、国民の不安をいたずらにあおる流言飛語が、電子掲示板への書き込み等により流布している」ことを挙げている。
「表現の自由に配慮」とうたってあるものの、デマについての削除要請を含んでいたため、ネット上で大騒ぎになった。2ちゃんねるや情報サイトなどで、これが国の「言論統制」を意味するのではないかとの憶測も出ているほどだ。2ちゃんでは、「平成の治安維持法」「ネットの流言飛語を『取り締まり』」といった揶揄さえ出た。
これに対し、同省の消費者行政課では、そうした意図を全面的に否定する。
「ネット事業者には、ユーザーの方に注意喚起してもらい、約款で削除できる情報なら削除してほしいということです。例えば、業務妨害といった法令違反やプライバシー侵害などになる情報です。しかし、個別具体的な流言飛語の内容については、想定していませんし、触るつもりもありません。改めて、今まで通りの対応をするように呼びかけただけです」

誤解されない、分かりやすい説明が必要
要請のきっかけになったのが、警察庁が2011年4月1日にサイト上などで明らかにしたデマの具体例だ。
「被災地では強盗や強姦が増えている」
「ナイフで武装した外国人窃盗グループが被災地を荒らし回っている」
総務省では、こうしたデマが流れているとのことから、政府として何かできないかと考え、ネット事業者らに対応の徹底を呼びかけたそうだ。
もっとも、こうした呼びかけが、結果として、表現の自由に抵触する可能性を指摘する向きもある。
日経の田原和政編集委員は、7日付記事で、国の要請が「情報統制につながる危うさ」も指摘した。「『自主的な』という断りが入っているが、行政の直接要請は事実上の介入効果を及ぼす」というのだ。
要請された各団体では、「約款などによる判断は難しいかもしれませんが、場合によっては削除もありえます」(テレコムサービス協会)「ガイドラインに基づいて、名誉毀損などの例があれば、削除していきます」(電気通信事業者協会)と言っている。
いずれにせよ、総務省によるデマ削除要請そのものが拡大解釈され、デマのように広がったのは皮肉なことだ。こうしたときこそ、誤解されないよう細心の注意を払った、分かりやすい説明が求められそうだ。
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ネット狙い撃ち? 総務省の「流言飛語」削除要請
response.jp 2011年4月7日(木) 15時02分
http://response.jp/article/2011/04/07/154488.html

6日に総務省がインターネット事業者に対して行った要請は、インターネットを狙い撃ちした言論統制の色が濃い。
要請は、政府の「被災地等における安全・安心の確保対策ワーキングチーム」で決められた「被災地等における安全・安心の確保対策」に基づき、総合通信基盤局によって示された。
このワーキングチームそのものが、各省の審議官クラスだけが参加する閉ざされた会議体。その議事の公開も形式だけだ。
そもそも総合通信基盤局は、何を流言飛語というのかという明確な指針を示していない。判断は事業者任せだ。その理由は「国が表現に踏み込むことはできない。我々が削除しろということは、憲法違反になる」(同局担当者)からだという。
事業者が利用者の書き込みを削除することは、法律上の問題はない。異議があれば「削除された人が裁判することは可能です」(同前)という姿勢だ。
震災後の状況下で、何を流言飛語とするかの判断は、かなり難しい。十分な知見もない通信事業者が判断することは、利用者とのトラブルを増やすだけではないのか。
だが、総合通信基盤局の仕事は、電気通信事業の競争促進や情報通信インフラの整備、環境改善だ。ただのお願いと受け止める通信事業者はいない。監督官庁が「自主的な削除」を求めている以上、それと思うものを削除するしかない。
担当者は、「我々も表現の自由の侵害になることには危惧しているので、電話やメールで事業者に直接伝えた。ご懸念のようなことはないと思う」と話す。
なぜインターネットだけなのか。総合通信基盤局は「(新聞や雑誌など)そのほかは所管していない。雑誌などは発行人などが明記されているため、その必要はないのではないか」と、答えた。
《中島みなみ》
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Still, that doesn’t stop other media from headlining other (and still nasty) rumors about how (bad) NJ are heading south towards Tokyo (soon rendering Ueno into a lawless zone).  Or that NJ are all just getting the hell out:

(SPA Magazine Issue dated April 12, 2011)

(Nikkan Gendai April 11, 2011)

Despite the (uncriticizing) domestic reports of Japanese also leaving Tokyo?

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疎開家族でホテル満室 「休みたい」首都圏離れ

産經新聞 2011.3.19 15:39, Courtesy MD

福島第1原発事故への不安、長引く停電や物不足などの不自由にたまりかねて首都圏から名古屋、大阪、福岡など遠隔地のホテルに「疎開」する家族が増えている。「この連休だけでもゆっくりしたい」という短期組から、1週間滞在予定の人まで期間はさまざま。週末は多くのホテルが満室となっている。

18日深夜の新大阪駅では、東京都江東区の男性会社員(42)が「余震や停電で気が休まらなかった。たまった疲れを取りたい」と急ぎ足。3連休は大阪市内のホテルで家族で過ごすという。

札幌グランドホテル(札幌市)や東急ホテル名古屋(名古屋市)では長期滞在する首都圏からの家族連れが目立つ。どのホテルも地震直後にキャンセルが相次ぎ、15日前後から新規の予約が一気に増えた。「もし空き室があれば連休の後も予約できるか」と訪ねる客もいるという。

ends

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Would NJ going to a hotel in another city have been okay then?  Or is the problem an assumption that NJ are allegedly more likely to flee, and fly overseas at that?

Fellow Blogger Hoofin has made an attempt to mathematically debunk this alleged phenomenon of “Fly-Jin”, noting that the NJ to coin this phrase has since commented with a bit of regret at being the butterfly flapping his wings and setting this rhetorical shitstorm in motion (much like GOJ shill Robert Angel regretting ever coining the word “Japan bashing”).  We have enough anti-NJ rhetorical tendencies in Japan without the NJ community contributing, thank you very much.

Besides (as other Debito.org Readers have pointed out), if the shoe was on the other foot, do you think Japanese citizens living overseas would refuse to consider repatriating themselves out of a stricken disaster area (and do you think the media of that stricken country would zero in on them with the same nasty verve?).

Meanwhile, xenophobic websites continue to rail and rant against NJ, since hate speech in Japan is not an illegal activity: Here’s but one example (which has escaped the notice of the GOJ as yet, calling for the execution of foreign criminals and throwing their bodies into the sea etc.); I’m sure Readers can find more and post them in the Comments Section below:

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http://fishingelmo.blog.ocn.ne.jp/americanlure/2011/03/post_c5a7.html
2011/03/20, courtesy TG
【S.O.S!!】 日本のマスメディアが故意に報道しない真実 “外国人犯罪” 『被災地でレイプ・強盗・窃盗が多発!!』 東日本大震災で何が起こっているのか?【被災者にとっては、生き残ってからが「本当のサバイバル」!!】 ええぇ?!『日本の国会議員なのに、93人が外人?!』 今こそ、すべての日本人は危機感を共有すべき!! 追記:「続々々 福島第一原発で何が起こっているのか?」
[…]
犯罪外人は射殺して海に捨てろ!あるいは福島原発に裸で縛っとけ!

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People always need someone to blame or speak ill of, I guess.  I’ll talk more soon about how Japanese from Fukushima are also being targeted for exclusion.  However, it seems that hate speech directed towards NJ is less “discriminate”, so to speak — in that it doesn’t matter where you came from, how long you’ve been here, or what you’re doing or have done for Japan; if you’re foreign in Japan, you’re in a weakened position, suspect and potentially subversive.

As long as one can anonymously bad-mouth other people in billets and online, one can get away with this.  Again, this is why we have laws against hate speech in other countries — to stem these nasty tendencies found in every society.  Arudou Debito

19 comments on “More J media regarding NJ within earthquake-stricken Japan: Rumors of “Foreign Crime Gangs”; rapes and muggings, while tabloids headline “all NJ have flown Japan” etc.

  • Glad to see you back and at’em, Debito. Also, I’m glad to read that the government is trying to quell the rumors. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t that set a very positive precedent on curbing ‘hate speech’ across the board? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?

    — Thanks. It IS a positive development, but it lacks the power of “across-the-board” legal precedent. i.e., without an actual law against hate speech, the GOJ will have to play whack-a-mole. When it deigns to, that is; glad they’re deigning to this time, but it’s IMHO insufficient.

    Reply
  • Mark Hunter says:

    Hi Debito, as I now live in Canada, I can attest to the sensational reporting on this whole event in some parts of the western media, too. If you haven’t done a Ph.D yet and are thinking about it, I think you’ve just found your topic. The absolute crap journalism by Fox and CNN beggers belief, especially by “I am the news” (my quote)Anderson Cooper and his ilk He should be prosecuted. Looks like some Japanese outlets are not above it either, judging by these clips above. Very sad, but glad the J gov’t is at least doing something. Cheers.

    Reply
  • Andrew Smallacombe says:

    Ah, the tabloids. There’s gotta be some quality reporting in there squeezed between the comic strips, naked women and pachinko tips, right?

    Not sure if this is the best place to comment, but I can’t but help get some perverse sense of satisfaction.

    The Japanese housewives complaining about how other countries are unfairly panicking about radiation from Fukushima in their rainwater. These same housewives complained about the risk of contamination from the yellow sand that blows across from China.

    The seemingly standard practice of “upgrading” the power of natural disasters in Japan to cover for inadequacies in Japan’s supposedly superior construction. (Fukushima No. 1 was now alledegly hit by a 15m tsunami)

    In a country that claims to be seriously considering the use of robots in aged care, why isn’t there a single robot available to examine the inside of the nuclear power station? (as one collegue pointed out, “because they only build robots that can fight in Akibahara”)

    And while most of the media coverage of overseas aid has been gratious and thankfull (some commentators stating that some real acknowledgement needs to be made), some media outlets seem to take the attitude that the aid is there because Japan is such a great country and deserves it.

    Finally, too bad there hasn’t been so much coverage of the fake aid collection rackets and looters.

    Reply
  • Andrew-
    I saw the USA made robot on the news, looking a bit raw and underdeveloped as some US prototypes/products are and was left scratching my head as to why Japan hasnt its own robot or cant make one. I also saw where Japan is buying power generation equip from Thailand.

    Before the tsunami, I had been told several times if I dont like Japan, leave. Well here is the chance for many NJ to leave. Whats all the fuss about?

    Reply
  • And I suppose the Japanese media will also complain about the other nations putting a ban on food from Japan and say we (the foreign countries) are crippling the rebuilding of Japan…

    Oh and congratz’ for your “level-up” from 5 to 7…
    I suppose that’s what happens when everything is safe, under control and supperbly handled by the “Umbrella Corporation” AKA TEPCO… (sorry, irony is my guilty pleasure)

    Do the Japanese media have accused Greenpeace nuclear specialists of spreading lies and fear when they revealed (source Euronews.net) that they have made several mesurements indicating a dangerously high radiation level (in only 4 days, you receive the max radiation quantity acceptable during a year) in several places located up to 40 km from Fukushima, thus trying to urge the GOJ of making the exclusion zone at least twice as large as Its actual surface ?

    Or because Sophia Majnoni, a nuclear expert from Greenpeace France has declared (during “le grand journal de canal+” show) that the area around Fukushima will probably become a no man’s land for decades because the dangerous particules fallen on the ground have already penetrated deep into the ground due to the rain and have already contaminated the soil and underground waters for a long time ?

    Reply
  • @ #3,

    Examining the insides of reactors with robots is perhaps not relevant to Fukushima, the reactors themselves don’t appear to have been at fault so much as inadequate seawalls / sealing equipment against water ingress. In 1999 France’s Blayais reactors were flooded and power to some of the 4 reactors was lost, however backup generators kept the cooling systems running preventing meltdown. Subsequently France reevaluated flood safety and raised the height of the seawalls by 3.25m and the incident prompted a review in Germany. The key thing to note is that the flood was caused by previously unconsidered factors (tide and strong winds) unlike tsunami which were required to be evaluated before the regulations were updated.

    That said I think there are already plenty of robots for work in high-rad environments and reactors.

    — I heard that robots don’t work in conditions of high radiation. Here is the source.

    Reply
  • So I spend 6, 7 years of my life learning how to read the papers only to be told that I’m leaving? What a waste! ; )

    To be fair, the vast majority of people I know in Tokyo left Japan. To varying degrees that article is correct.

    Reply
  • @Mike: the fuss is the fact that many think that the NJ should stay and help the country ESPECIALLY if they are permanent residents or naturalized citizens. I agree with them. Although I do not agree with the “love it or leave it” attitude that has been told to you.

    @Teatrino: I must be showing my age. When I saw “Umbrella Corporation” I thought of Capcom’s popular “Biohazard” series of video games.

    @Tabloids: I am not surprised at all at these publications. As horrid as they are, some people are looking for people to blame. And who is best to blame in this time then the fleeing NJ? Of course, I do not support or agree with them AT ALL, however the fact that it has occurred has not surprised me in the least.

    Reply
  • As someone else has noted, there was a noted absence of robots helping to control the damaged reactors.

    So, what is wrong with these robots, do they hate Japan? I think if people need some scapegoats (and that is the case everywhere to some degree, it seems), wouldn’t that be a good target? Blame the robots! Someone could build robots custom made to absorb the hate.

    Reply
  • >Meanwhile, xenophobic websites continue to rail and rant against NJ, since hate speech in Japan is not an illegal activity

    Well, but what we should know is that hate speech overlaps other criminal activities, and in most cases, are illegal.

    According to Wikipedia, the definition of hate speech is as follows.
    “In law, hate speech is any speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display which is forbidden because it may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group”

    Such act may be punished by either of the following laws.
    Penal Code of Japan
    Article 106 (Disturbance) A person who assembles in a crowd and commits an act of assault or intimidation thereby commits the crime of disturbance and shall be sentenced according to the following distinctions:(abbreviated)

    Article 222 (Intimidation) A person who intimidates another through a threat to another’s life, body, freedom, reputation or property shall be punished by imprisonment with work for not more than 2 years or fine of not more than 300,000 yen.

    Article 222 (Defamation) A person who defames another by alleging facts in public shall, regardless of whether such facts are true or false, be punished by imprisonment with work or without work for not more that 3 years or a fine of not more than 500,000 yen.

    Article 231 (Insults) A person who insults another in public, even if it does not allege facts, shall be punished by misdemeanor imprisonment without work or a petty fine.

    — Now show us some examples where these laws have been put into force regarding hate speech, with criminal penalties. Use 嫌悪発言 as the search term. No overlaps, please.

    Reply
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hardening

    Unhardened electronics (all consumer electronic goods) are sensitive to radiation induced malfunction or damage but hardened electronics are far more resistant – but slower and much more expensive. Even then there’s a limit to how much radiation exposure the equipment is capable of surviving.

    NASA reports laptops crashing while passing through the South Atlantic Anomaly (the flight computers kept running) but space probes regularly have to deal with solar flares and coronal mass ejections. I suppose more relevantly, robots have apparently visited the inside of the Chernobyl reactor sarcophagus (so says wikipedia’s page on the accident, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Ib2efNWDY <- this seems to be a video but I can't find much info on it).

    As for that youtube video, wikipedia has a more complex picture. The East German-made remote controlled bulldozers were unable to operate on the roof of the reactor building and specialized 'robots' based on lunar rovers were used – they "proved useful", though eventually they failed and humans were used. (Dunno why the didn't build more robots, but I suppose replacement electronics might have been unavailable). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunokhod_programme#Chernobyl_legacy

    — Thanks for this. Unless there is anything significantly further to add, let’s end this particular tangent here.

    Reply
  • I’ll echo Adamc @6 – good to see you back on form.

    Teatrino@5 – intrestingly, a Google Scholar search on Greenpeace France’s Nuclear Expert, Sophia Majnoni, gets no hits. Perhaps not so much of an expert?

    Reply
  • Debito, why do not we compare some laws.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech#United_States
    Wikipedia says, “Laws prohibiting hate speech, outside of obscenity, defamation and incitement to riot, are illegal in the United States.” Yes, it says laws are illegal if they prohibit speech outside of obscenity, defamation and incitement to riot. Each of those 3 items is separately prohibited in the US as well as Japan, so I do not see much difference.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech_laws_in_the_United_Kingdom
    According to wikipedia, hate speech laws in England are Public Order Act 1986 and Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

    Public Order Act 1986, Section 18.
    A person who uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, is guilty of an offence if—
    (a) he intends thereby to stir up racial hatred, or
    (b) having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred is likely to be stirred up thereby.

    Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Part 4A.
    (1) A person is guilty of an offence if, with intent to cause a person harassment, alarm or distress, he— (a) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, or (b) displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting, thereby causing that or another person harassment, alarm or distress.

    So, what is prohibited is “threatening, abusive or insulting” expression. I do not see much difference from Japanese law here either.

    By the way, the article number for defamation of Japanese Penal code was 230 rather than 222.

    — Don’t evade the question, please. Answer it as originally asked. Fact is, you can’t. Because hate speech in Japan is not a crime.

    Reply
  • Debito, are you implying that intimidation, defamation or insult is not enforced if the victim is a foreigner?

    My database shows the oldest of such cases is June 27, 1912 Supreme Court (Daishinin) case number M45(re)1115, recorded on page 927, volume 18 of Record of Criminal Precedents (刑録第18輯927頁), in which a publisher is found guilty of defamation against a foreigner.

    — Defamation against an individual is the not same thing as hate speech against a group, so kindly stop obfuscating.

    Don’t put words in my mouth. You made the claim, and now, unable to justify it, are resorting to circumlocution. Here endeth this conversation, unless you can come up with a case in Japan that resulted in criminal penalties for 嫌悪発言.

    But you won’t. I know. I’ve talked to lawyers about this during the Otaru Onsens Lawsuit, and they came up blank too. Even the GOJ admits as such in its replies (6) and (8) to the United Nations here, saying outright that Japan does not need laws against “dissemination of racial discriminatory ideas or incitement of racial discrimination” due to claims of freedom of speech.

    Reply
  • Debito

    You can build (or shield) any robots or device to withstand just about any amount of radiation.

    Otherwise NASA and JAXA would have never been able to send probes into space and other planets where radiations is (at least) thousands of times more than the highest throughput coming from reactors.

    One study made by NASA even suggested to use radioactivity on Mars to power robots, in fact, radioactivity has been used for decades to power probes sent to outer space (the Voyagers are still running after 30 years with three radioactive RTGs attached on each spacecraft)
    The soviets have even launched space vehicles with reactors on board.

    http://www.space.com/9547-radioactivity-power-hopping-robots-mars.html

    Reply
  • To #8 Protoph and Debito, et al

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13107846

    “..UK defence contractor QinetiQ said it had provided the machines, which are controlled using a standard games console.

    The robots can carry out tasks such as rubble clearance, demolition and radiation testing.

    Japan is a world leader in such technology, but its robots are not adapted for dirty work such as meltdowns at nuclear plants, experts say….”

    So, there you have it. No robots in Japan, but elsewhere..no problem.

    Sounds familair…

    Reply

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