{"id":11537,"date":"2013-06-03T12:48:29","date_gmt":"2013-06-03T22:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11537"},"modified":"2013-06-03T12:48:29","modified_gmt":"2013-06-03T22:48:29","slug":"debito-org-newsletter-june-3-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11537","title":{"rendered":"DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER JUNE 3, 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

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DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER JUNE 3, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Table of Contents:<\/em><\/strong>
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\n1) Aichi Police online announcement about Junkai Renraku door-to-door cop visits. Happening in your neighborhood?<\/strong><\/p>\n

2) 2012 revisions to immigration and registry laws shaking down NJ for Pension & Health Insurance back payments<\/strong><\/p>\n

3) Asahi on arrest of Zaitokukai participant in anti-Korean demo; J-Cast on anti-Korean stuff being sold at Dietmember kaikan; Osaka sign saying \u201cStop Scrawling Discriminatory Graffiti\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

4) Good news: GOJ signs Hague Child Abductions Treaty. Bad news: GOJ will probably caveat its way out of ever following it<\/strong><\/p>\n

5) Discussion: Osaka Mayor Hashimoto and GOJ WWII Sexual Slavery System: A brave debate that is suddenly and disingenuously circumspect<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2026 and finally\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

6) Japan Times JUST BE CAUSE Column 63, May 14, 2013: \u201cPolice, media must consider plight of those caught in linguistic dragnet\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, remember Debito’s new eBooks downloadable from Amazon:<\/p>\n

a) GUIDEBOOK for Relocation and Assimilation into Japan https:\/\/www.debito.org\/handbook.html<\/a><\/strong>
\n b) JAPANESE ONLY The Otaru Onsens Case 10th Anniversary Ed. https:\/\/www.debito.org\/japaneseonly.html<\/a><\/strong>
\n c) IN APPROPRIATE on Child Abductions after divorce in Japan https:\/\/www.debito.org\/inappropriate.html<\/a><\/strong>
\n\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

By ARUDOU, Debito
\ndebito@debito.org, www.debito.org, twitter arudoudebito
\nFreely Forwardable
\n\u201cLIKE\u201d US on Facebook at http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/debitoorg<\/a>
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\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BookInAppropriate<\/a><\/p>\n

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1) Aichi Police online announcement about Junkai Renraku door-to-door cop visits. Happening in your neighborhood?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This post comes to you as a query. Are any Debito.org Readers noticing that the Japanese police are keeping closer tabs on people by going door-to-door to survey occupants (junkai renraku), asking them to fill out Junkai Renraku Cards? (To see what information is required for the Junkai Renraku, especially for NJ residents, here\u2019s one translated into English by the NPA).<\/p>\n

According to the Aichi Prefectural Police website, this will be in order to:<\/strong>
\n Give advice on how not to become victims of crime,<\/strong>
\n Take measures for people who have been victims of crime,<\/strong>
\n Contact neighborhoods that have recently been victims of crime (such as sneak thievery and car break-ins) and advise them how to take measures against crime in the future,<\/strong>
\n Prevent youth crime (shounen no hankou boushi),<\/strong>
\n Have lists of occupants (renraku hyou) on hand and phone numbers in case of disasters, and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A couple of funny things going on here. First, information about neighborhood occupancy should be available through the juuminhyou system in the first place. Much of this information is also surveyed by the National Census (kokusei chousa), where, I might add, providing any information is optional (note how the optionality of providing personal information is not mentioned in the Aichi Police website). Why do the police feel the need to compile their own data set?<\/p>\n

Now, you might think I\u2019m making too much of this. But naturally I would argue not. Especially since we have had cases of police agencies doing one thing (like putting out racist anti-NJ flyers) while offering sweetness and light on their official English website. There\u2019s a lot of tatemae here, and you only have to be a minority in Japan before you understand just how much intent and enforcement differ from the sloganeering.<\/p>\n

My advice: If you get an unexpected knock one day and see (through the peep sight) a cop at your front door, don\u2019t answer. Because if they visually identify you in any way as NJ, you are automatically suspicious and you\u2019ll get the Third Degree.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11410<\/a><\/p>\n

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2) 2012 revisions to immigration and registry laws shaking down NJ for Pension & Health Insurance back payments<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debito.org Reader<\/strong>: Don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve heard about the latest moves by the GOJ to milk foreign residents of their hard-earned cash. They are looking into NJ with the help of that new IC chip torokusho card and making people pay for the kokumin hoken health insurance AND nenkin pension they have never paid into. I know several people who have been hit with this and it has drained their bank accounts. They can\u2019t even afford the plane ticket to go back home and see ailing parents. They said a lien would be put on their account\/pay checks if they didn\u2019t pay.<\/em><\/p>\n

COMMENT<\/strong>: We talk about Japan\u2019s social welfare systems in detail in HANDBOOK FOR NEWCOMERS, MIGRANTS, AND IMMIGRANTS (and my eBook GUIDEBOOK FOR RELOCATION AND ASSIMILATION INTO JAPAN). Personally, I take the side of everyone paying in. I believe that everyone in a society should support the national umbrella insurance systems, because opting out by saying, for example, \u201cI\u2019m not sick now so I don\u2019t need it; I\u2019ll only sign up when I get sick,\u201d is fair-weather freeloading, as if you\u2019re expecting a return on an investment when you need it but you didn\u2019t make the investment in the first place.<\/p>\n

That said, there are a couple of issues that affect NJ differently here. One is that one of the reasons why some J have not paid in is because their employer (who is responsible to pay in half of their employees welfare benefits if they work 30 hours a week and up, i.e., full time) didn\u2019t pay in their half. This is often unbeknownst to the NJ employee and a tax dodge by the employer. Yet the person who gets chased down for the back payments is the NJ employee.<\/p>\n

Another difference is that for the Japanese public you get a nicer attitude and less draconian enforcement. Japanese just get official posters nicely cajoling them to pay into the social welfare schemes, but there is no real enforcement unless they want future pension payments (or to avoid public shame, as was seen in 2004 when Japanese politicians were caught not paying in). But for NJ, now that all of their visa and registry issues have been consolidated behind Central Control, their very VISA RENEWALS are contingent upon paying into social welfare, and they\u2019re being chased and shaken down for the money. It\u2019s a very different approach, and the newfound dragnet further encourages bureaucrats to scrutinize and treat NJ as potential social deadbeats. It\u2019s one more official way to treat NJ as \u201cdifferent\u201d.<\/p>\n

Anyone else out there being officially shaken down? And for how much?<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11526<\/a><\/p>\n

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3) Asahi on arrest of Zaitokukai participant in anti-Korean demo; J-Cast on anti-Korean stuff being sold at Dietmember kaikan; Osaka sign saying \u201cStop Scrawling Discriminatory Graffiti\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have some positive movements regarding the treatment of hate speech in Japan, particularly regarding that \u201cKill all Koreans\u201d hate demo that took place last February (god bless the ensuing gaiatsu of international attention for making the GOJ finally take some action to deal with this deservedly embarrassing incident). First, the Asahi reports that one of the participants in the Zaitokukai hate demo named Akai Hiroshi was arrested by the police, for violent bodily contact with a person protesting Zaitokukai activities.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good start, and I\u2019m glad that there are protests regarding the hateful, xenophobic protesters (usually their activities get ignored even if they involve violence against counter-demonstrators).. Except for the fact that this sort of hate speech has by now reached the highest and lowest levels of society, as in anti-Korean stickers being sold in Diet buildings, and anti-Korean graffiti being scrawled on public transportation, according to J-Cast. The good news, however, is that we\u2019re hearing about these events at all (discrimination often goes ignored in the J-media if its against NJ).<\/p>\n

Also good news is that the authorities are taking measures against them, as seen in this sign sent to me yesterday by AP: Taken in Sekime-Seiiku Station in the Osaka area, May 20, 2013. The sign reads: A bright society where people respect each others\u2019 human rights. Let\u2019s stop scrawling discriminatory GRAFFITI that will hurt people\u2019s hearts. If you notice any discriminatory graffiti, let us know (addendum: let a station attendant know). Signed, Osaka City Citizens\u2019 Bureau.<\/p>\n

Submitter AP writes<\/strong>: \u201cI talked to the Stationmaster as well. I said I don\u2019t know what lead to posting that message, but as a foreigner in Japan I sometimes face discrimination and understand why this kind of thing is important to address, and thanked him. He seemed appreciative as well.\u201d Good. Then maybe people are realizing that this sort of thing affects everyone in society, not just some guest foreigners whose lives and feelings have no connection with ours. These are positive developments.<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11496<\/a><\/p>\n

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4) Good news: GOJ signs Hague Child Abductions Treaty. Bad news: GOJ will probably caveat its way out of ever following it<\/strong><\/p>\n

After years of pressure on the GOJ to act like its fellow advanced societies in terms of divorce and child custody, Japan earlier this week signed the Hague Convention on Child Abductions. Good. Now, I don\u2019t want to dismiss this development out of hand, because Japan doing this is a step in the right direction (after all, if even after this I had nothing good to say, then what would EVER count as good news on Debito.org?) But as I have argued before, I think it\u2019s been signed because enough time has passed for caveats to be put in place \u2014 so that the home team will rarely lose a custody case in Japan (furthermore, part of the argument for signing has been that Japanese would have a stronger footing overseas to pursue custody cases in Hague signatory countries \u2014 again, benefiting the home team in either case). After all, the normalized portrayal in Japanese media of NJ as violent spouses, and Japanese as victims (particularly wives, even though they are the great minority in international marriages) has expanded Japan\u2019s definition of \u201cDomestic Violence\u201d to even simple heated arguments. Fight with your J-wife anytime and lose your kids. The deck is stacked.<\/p>\n

Let me quote one submitter: \u201cFrom May 13\u2032s Japan Times. A series of articles hammering home what will evidently be Japan\u2019s final word on the subject, that Japanese fleeing countries abroad are doing so to protect their kids and themselves from angry, violent, abusive foreign husbands. Cue standardized quotes from proclaimed \u201cexpert on the issue\u201d Kensuke Onuki as well as lawyer Mikiko \u201cI was for the convention but now I see it conflicts with Japanese culture\u201d Otani and a slew of heart-wrenching stories of Japanese wives fleeing abusive marriages (one claiming that had Japan been party to the Hague Convention at the time of her escape she would have chosen killing her child and herself than risk a return to her husband. Whether these individual stories have merit of not, it\u2019s pure one-sided sensationalism. Where are the Murray Wood stories of wife abuse and neglect?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

And to quote another anonymous legally-trained friend: \u201cHow to address DV is an issue in all Hague countries. In addition to allegations of DV, the Japanese legislation will also allow a judge to consider whether it would be difficult for EITHER the taking parent OR the parent requesting return to raise the child in the country of origin. This sounds awfully close to a full-blown custody determination, which is sort of what courts are NOT supposed to do in Hague cases.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

As for future prospects, I shall defer to the better-informed judgment of a specialist international lawyer in this field, who wrote the following shortly before the Hague was signed:<\/p>\n

Jeremy D. Morley: \u201cThe Japanese public is being told that even if Japan signs the Convention, \u201cThe return of a child can be denied if the parent seeking it is believed to abuse the child or have difficulties raising him or her.\u201d Daily Yomiuri, Mar. 16, 2013. If that is the gloss that Japan intends to put on the Hague Convention \u2013 even though the Convention is expressly designed to secure the expeditious return of all abducted children except in extremely unusual cases \u2013 there is little or no point in Japan\u2019s purported ratification of the treaty. The result of Japan\u2019s ratification of the Convention will likely be to create the appearance of Japan\u2019s compliance with international norms but without any of the substance.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong>: Same as other treaties that Japan has signed but doesn\u2019t enforce, I think the Hague will wind up as a historical footnote as another treaty Japan chooses to ignore. When we see the highly unlikely prospect of children of international marriages abducted to Japan sent back overseas by a Japanese court (in contrast to other judiciaries that DO repatriate children, see for example here and here) then I\u2019ll think progress has been made. But it\u2019s pretty inconceivable to me, since child abduction happens between Japanese couples too thanks to Japan\u2019s insane marriage system, and it\u2019s hard to imagine foreigners suddenly being granted more rights in Japanese marriages than fellow Japanese.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11508<\/a><\/p>\n

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5) Discussion: Osaka Mayor Hashimoto and GOJ WWII Sexual Slavery System: A brave debate that is suddenly and disingenuously circumspect<\/strong><\/p>\n

Below are Hashimoto\u2019s statements to foreign press shortly before he appeared at the FCCJ on May 27. While I am disinclined to comment on the historical specifics (as I haven\u2019t studied the WWII Sexual Slavery aka Comfort Women Issue sufficiently to make informed statements), I will say this about what Hashimoto\u2019s doing: He\u2019s bringing the issue to the fore for public scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Bring this before public scrutiny in itself is a good thing. Too many times we have had bigoted, racist, sexist, and plain ahistorical statements by Japan\u2019s public officials downplayed by the media, resulting in predictable backpedaling and claiming that comments were \u201cfor a domestic audience only\u201d. This is typically followed by snap resignations without sufficient debate or correction (or, in recent years, people not resigning at all and just waiting for the next media cycle for things to blow over), undercarpet sweeping, and a renewed regional toxic aftertaste: How Japan\u2019s elite status in Asia under America\u2019s hegemony allows it to remain historically unrepentant and a debate Galapagos in terms of historical accountability. Japan\u2019s media generally lacks the cojones to bring the xenophobic and bigoted to account for their statements (after all, Hashimoto to this day has not developed a filter for his role as public official; he still talks like the outspoken lawyer he was when appearing on Japanese TV as a pundit). So having him show some unusual backbone before the foreign press is something more Japanese in positions of power should do. Let\u2019s have the debate warts and all, and let the historians debunk the ahistorical claims being made. But the claims have to be made clearly in the first place before they can be debunked.<\/p>\n

The bad thing going on here, in my view, is that Hashimoto is rationalizing and normalizing sexual slavery as a universal part of war \u2014 as if \u201cblaming Japan\u201d is wrong because everyone allegedly did it. In his words, \u201cIt would be harmful, not only to Japan but also to the world, if Japan\u2019s violation of the dignity of women by soldiers were reported and analyzed as an isolated and unique case, and if such reports came to be treated as common knowledge throughout the world.\u201d That is: Japan did nothing all that wrong because it did nothing unusually wrong.<\/p>\n

Hashimoto is also denying that the GOJ was \u201cintentionally involved in the abduction and trafficking of women\u201d. And that is wrong both morally and factually. It is also wrong because working backwards from a conclusion of relativism. People (especially those of Hashimoto, Abe, and Ishihara\u2019s political bent) have the tendency to not want to view their \u201cbeautiful country\u201d \u201cnegatively\u201d as the bad guy in the movie. Therefore their countrymen\u2019s behavior must have been within context as part of the \u201cnormal\u201d, because to them it is inconceivable that people could possibly have acted differently in the same circumstances.<\/p>\n

But not only is this a dishonest assessment of history (EVERY country, yes, has a history that has shameful periods; the trick is not to cover them up, as Hashimoto\u2019s ilk seeks to do, down to Japan\u2019s education curriculum), but it is also disingenuously circumspect: For Hashimoto\u2019s ilk, not only must Japan be seen ACCURATELY (as they see it), it must be seen NICELY. That\u2019s simply not possible for certain time periods in Japan\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

At least Hashimoto is willing to boldly present that side for people to shoot down. Hopefully he will lose his political career because of it, for a man like this is unfit to hold political office. But it is more \u201chonest\u201d than the alternative.<\/p>\n

Hashimoto\u2019s statements follow in English and Japanese, plus an AJW article on the FCCJ Q&A. After that, let\u2019s have some comments from Debito.org Readers. But an advance word of warning: Although this falls under Discussions (where I moderate comments less strictly), the sensitive and contentious nature of this subject warrants a few advance ground rules: Comments will NOT be approved if a) they seek to justify sexual slavery or human trafficking in any form, b) they try to claim that Hashimoto was misquoted without comparing the misquote to his exact quote, or c) they claim historical inaccuracy without providing credible historical sources. In sum, commenters who seek to justify Hashimoto\u2019s ahistorical stances will have to do more homework to be heard on Debito.org. Conversely, comments will more likely be approved if they a) stick to the accuracy or logic of Hashimoto\u2019s statements, b) talk about the debate milieu within Japan regarding this topic, c) take up specific claims and address them with credible sources. Go to it. But make sure in the course of arguing that you don\u2019t sound like Hashimoto and his ilk yourself.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11515<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2026 and finally\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

6) Japan Times JUST BE CAUSE Column 63, May 14, 2013: \u201cPolice, media must consider plight of those caught in linguistic dragnet\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Police, media must consider plight of those caught in linguistic dragnet<\/strong>
\n Racialized terms thrown about by cops and parroted by news outlets have consequences<\/strong>
\n The Japan Times, JUST BE CAUSE Column 63, May 14, 2013<\/strong>
\n By ARUDOU Debito<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/community\/2013\/05\/14\/issues\/police-media-must-consider-plight-of-those-caught-in-linguistic-dragnet<\/a>
\nVersion with links to sources and comments at https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11475<\/a><\/p>\n

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That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n

DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER JUNE 3, 2013 ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Table of Contents:
\n1) Aichi Police online announcement about Junkai Renraku door-to-door cop visits. Happening in your neighborhood?
\n2) 2012 revisions to immigration and registry laws shaking down NJ for Pension & Health Insurance back payments
\n3) Asahi on arrest of Zaitokukai participant in anti-Korean demo; J-Cast on anti-Korean stuff being sold at Dietmember kaikan; Osaka sign saying \u201cStop Scrawling Discriminatory Graffiti\u201d
\n4) Good news: GOJ signs Hague Child Abductions Treaty. Bad news: GOJ will probably caveat its way out of ever following it
\n5) Discussion: Osaka Mayor Hashimoto and GOJ WWII Sexual Slavery System: A brave debate that is suddenly and disingenuously circumspect
\n\u2026 and finally\u2026
\n6) Japan Times JUST BE CAUSE Column 63, May 14, 2013: \u201cPolice, media must consider plight of those caught in linguistic dragnet\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11537\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}