Three youths in hospital after gang fight in suburban Tokyo

this would never make news in the US, but this bit was entertaining, the way it was written...luv the foreigner bit which was to confuse cops and catch sympathy... luv it...

Moderator: It's not necessary to judge everything by whether or not it would make news in the U.S.

Bloody foreigners! Japan never had these problems four-hundred years ago when it was closed to the outside world. :-)

this would never make news in the US,

Exactly. What's all the Fussa?

"Gangs" usually denotes some degree of organization, even a name for the groups. Was this simply a rumble between rival groups, or a turf war? Fussa City is close to Yokota Airbase. Could the non-Japanese been military dependents? There's probably an interesting story here. Wonder if the media will ever follow it up.

The J-punks are a joke! They'd get pwned by those mincing tap-dancers from West Side Story.

Altria is right. South East Asians fight for real, not just posture, pump, and boast. Those J-punks are to busy with their hair and mirrors to even know what a real fight is until they are in one and then its too late.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Japanese group started it. It is funny when they assume starting trouble with foreigners is OK especially Non-Caucasians or Non-Blacks. They generally believe they are superior to most. Also since it a common belief that most are overstaying their visas the Foreigners won't go to the police. When Japanese start to get their butt kicked then they want to call the police because they will be believed no matter what unless cameras or eyewitnesses are involved.

biglittleman- your post is all assumption and bias.

Looks like the j-punks came out on the losing end.

From what I've seen of Japanese fights, they mostly consist of shouting a lot and sticking your chest out.

Never seen any of the headbuts, kicks or punches you'd expect back home.

Where do they come up with calling them gangs? They said three were injured but no mention of how many were out in the street fighting? Couldn't this be my group of friends fighting their group of friends?

A group of young J boys vs a group of young SE Asian boys. My money is on the SE Asian boys. Surpised more were not seriously injured.

Always get these cocky J boy groups around looking like gang bangers. Reality is these kids would not last a single evening in real gang territory. Solution, don't fight.

Funny, I don't recall the phrase "rushed to the scene" in many other articles where cops or ambulances showed up. Why does JT reserve "rushed to the scene" when a foreigner is the bad guy?

Usually it's "when police arrived on the scene they found.." but when a foreigner stabs a japanese, they "rush to the scene.."

hmm. Media bias is hard to cover up sometimes.

There is a difference between slagging off another group and putting your body on the line. It would seem that these young Japanese chaps have learnt this lesson.

On the hand, what would have happened if the "victims" in this were non-Japanese and the "perps" were Japanese nationals, I wonder if the cops would have been "rushing to the scene" or not?

T_rexmaxytime,

A little assumption and bias steeped in reality. I am in Japan. Are you? When in Rome do as the Romans do I say. The fact of the matter,in Japan a lot is based on generalizations. Would you like me to name a few? Foreigners, blood types, men, women..... Despite there being some people who don't fit in that category, many rules here are based on such generalizations. This means that generalizing is an institution in Japan. Since most of these rules have not changed or have changed slowly then most still agree with them. When I say agree I mean as a society or group. In Japan, they are taught not see themselves as individuals but as a group. Quote " We the Japanese...." Thus, it is not unreasonable to use such generalizations to discuss situations in Japan despite the possibility I could be totally wrong.

Moderator: Back on topic please.

bamboohat,

That is a strange comment. The cops have rushed to may a scene on JT. Why not do some google work and find it out for yourself from JTs archive pages.

Southeast Asia gang? Ah huh. I get the feeling that if this were a real South Asian gang, and not just a group of teens, this article would have been a lot shorter! What is the world could they be fighting about at 5:00 in the morning?

bamboohat, I think you would have to see the original stories in Japanese to make a real judgment on "rushed to" vs "arrive". Japantoday doesn't write any articles, it just takes them from other sources and translates them, I believe.

It says "News reports" at the bottom of every article.

timorborder - in that case the police probably wouldn't have been called at all.

rick0909 - I think it's usually Kyodo News if they are using a reliable source. A lot of the stuff from "New reports" always sounds like it's from a source that might not be 100% reliable.

Richard III -- you must have seen different J-punks than me. The ones I see generally don't have chests to stick out -- just some hair and a lot of attitude. Maybe if they did have some chests to stick out the outcome would have been different.

I dont think kyodo is any more reliable ha ha

Dude, we live in Japan - this is our frickin' ashimoto　

God, just what we do not need in this world; more aggressive men hiding their innermost fears through postulating the outcomes of violence. Worse, postulations on the basis of race. What utter crap. I think you'll find the majority, the overwhelming majority of Japanese people in fact, to be very courteous and helpful. I have and still do, so let's stop the childishness please ...

Let gangs fight to the death. Why wasting money on them? The winners of the gang should than be bashed by police until they will start to ask for mercy from above. It will be good idea to send them straight to the army instead to prison to taste their own faith.

I can really imagine how this started 1. some j guy was making fun of the "eats asians" 2. the east asian is dating on of Japs girls. or 3 Some Jap dude lost his job , got drunk and thought to himself " these gaijins are taking our jobs away, lets pick a fight"

Soldave, I am not talking about reliability exactly. I mean the translations are don't seem to be exactly correct, because only the 20 year old is a "man" in the legal sense. The 18 year old is still a minor and the other kid is a minor, too.

Also, there's no attribution as to who said the men were from SE Asia. Was it a witness, one of the stabbed guys, the caller?

Maybe they were arguing over the new members that joined Exile and couldnt come to an agreement over choreography styles. "Gangs" in Japan are a joke. They should take a field trip to South Central L.A.

T_rexmaxytime,

You being Japanese and what you wrote just proves my point. Thanks! Now you are assuming I read Japanese and making other assumptions about me. You can't tell someone to not make assumptions when you are too are making them.

Just cause you wrote your comments in Japanese also doesn't prove that you are Japanese or make the case any stronger. I can give my personal example, when I was in a similiar situation. The guy was a drunk construction worker who wanted to make trouble in front of his friends. The still had beers in their hands at the time. I had not been drinking and just finished work. I tried to pass like all the other salarymen and women up the right side of the escalator when the big one conveniently decided not to let me by. After asking politely to let me pass he refused and said I must wait. He friends were laughing and edging him on. My Japanese is not good enough to argue so I don't. After we got off he proceeded to try and bully in the Japanese manner of chest showing and grunting. Saying I need to be careful who I talk to. He then attempted to pressure me into a wall. That's when he grab the front of my shirt. They thought I was either Non-caucasian or Non-Black by their questions(wrong you guess which one) then assumed I was not going to defend myself because he was quite bigger than me.(Wrong again bigtime) After a ten minute, a@#-whipping and his friends not helping, he grab on my pants legs and told the other two to get the police. Not to mention, no other passersby tried to help or give any testimony. They said I started trouble with them. Despite me explaining what happened the station attendants put me in custody and let them walk around freely. One of the drunk guys tried to walk off with my leather bag until I manhandled him and took it back. While we waited for the police at the train station office. The guy was talking big saying I was going to jail and check his visa he is probably overstaying.(wrong once more) When he gave me the finger, I did give it back but with a grin.

The cops put me in the back of the car and took me to the station. When they learned I was an American, they decided the others had to come to the station now. The others came later. I told them first find someone who speaks English. When someone came he and the investigator started questioning me. I just smiled explained the situation to police in the interrogation room at the station. Then didn't believe me at first. They kept asking me the same questions in different ways. They kept us their for two hours. They kept question us to see if they could arrest me. The investigator talked to me for 1.5 hours and them for 30mins. He finally came and said the construct worker was an idiot. Honestly! He gave me a sheet of paper told me to write my statement in English make sound a little apologetic, sign it and you may leave. I was not booked and they let me go.

Japanese people are more likely to be biologically determinist. Meaning that they believe that a person's biology (race, gender or culture) determines (the abilities, attributes, personalities) of said person. Did you not read my blood type example? Would you like for me to give you more examples? Don't forget the infamous it difficult to learn English because we are Japanese. Not because the Education system needs to be improved but simply because they are Japanese. You should read my second post again. Furthermore, I would say that biological determinism is often true of the general populace in most countries, sadly.

The things I have been saying are not true in the sense it always happens. It is true, in the sense that many Japanese have been raised believe in such away.

I think the SE asian part was probably based on the description given by the three Japanese males.

These situations happen more often than we think. The problem is it is more news worthy when a foreign does it. It also more believable.

I can give you my personal example, when I was in a similar situation. The guy was a drunk construction worker who wanted to make trouble in front of his friends. The still had beers in their hands at the time. I had not been drinking and just finished work. I tried to pass like all the other salarymen and women up the right side of the escalator when the big one conveniently decided not to let me by. After asking politely to let me pass he refused and said I must wait. He friends were laughing and edging him on. My Japanese is not good enough to argue so I don't. After we got off he proceeded to try and bully in the Japanese manner of chest showing and grunting. Saying I need to be careful who I talk to. He then attempted to pressure me into a wall. That's when he grab the front of my shirt. They thought I was either Non-caucasian or Non-Black by their questions(wrong you guess which one) then assumed I was not going to defend myself because he was quite bigger than me.(Wrong again bigtime) After a ten minute, a@#-whipping and his friends not helping, he grab on my pants legs and told the other two to get the police. Not to mention, no other passersby tried to help or give any testimony. They said I started trouble with them. Despite me explaining what happened the station attendants put me in custody and let them walk around freely. One of the drunk guys tried to walk off with my leather bag until I manhandled him and took it back. While we waited for the police at the train station office. The guy was talking big saying I was going to jail and check his visa he is probably overstaying.(wrong once more) When he gave me the finger, I did give it back but with a grin.

The cops put me in the back of the car and took me to the station. When they learned I was an American, they decided the others had to come to the station now. The others came later. I told them first find someone who speaks English. When someone came he and the investigator started questioning me. I just smiled explained the situation to police in the interrogation room at the station. Then didn't believe me at first. They kept asking me the same questions in different ways. They kept us their for two hours. They kept question us to see if they could arrest me. The investigator talked to me for 1.5 hours and them for 30mins. He finally came and said the construct worker was an idiot. Honestly! He gave me a sheet of paper told me to write my statement in English make sound a little apologetic, sign it and you may leave. I was not booked and they let me go.

Moderator: I am not off topic because my story relates directly to the article.

Moderator: Unless you were involved in the fight mentioned in the story, it is off topic.

Nutsagain,

Being courteous and helpful, isn't a necessary indicator of what people believe to be true. Social pressure can make someone courteous and helpful. So we can't naturally assume the Japanese men were innocent because they are Japanese. And vice versa.

Nutsagain,

Being courteous and helpful, isn't a necessary indicator of what people believe to be true. Social pressure can make someone courteous and helpful. So we can't naturally assume the Japanese men were innocent because they are Japanese. And vice versa. These situations happen more often than we think. The problem is it is more news worthy when a foreign does it. It also more believable.

I can give you my personal example, when I was in a similar situation. The guy was a drunk construction worker who wanted to make trouble in front of his friends. The still had beers in their hands at the time. I had not been drinking and just finished work. I tried to pass like all the other salarymen and women up the right side of the escalator when the big one conveniently decided not to let me by. After asking politely to let me pass he refused and said I must wait. He friends were laughing and edging him on. My Japanese is not good enough to argue so I don't. After we got off he proceeded to try and bully in the Japanese manner of chest showing and grunting. Saying I need to be careful who I talk to. He then attempted to pressure me into a wall. That's when he grab the front of my shirt. They thought I was either Non-caucasian or Non-Black by their questions(wrong you guess which one) then assumed I was not going to defend myself because he was quite bigger than me. (Wrong again bigtime) After a ten minute, a@#-whipping and his friends not helping, he grab on my pants legs and told the other two to get the police. Not to mention, no other passersby tried to help or give any testimony. They said I started trouble with them. Despite me explaining what happened the station attendants put me in custody and let them walk around freely. One of the drunk guys tried to walk off with my leather bag until I manhandled him and took it back. While we waited for the police at the train station office. The guy was talking big saying I was going to jail and check his visa he is probably overstaying.(wrong once more) When he gave me the finger, I did give it back but with a grin.

The cops put me in the back of the car and took me to the station. When they learned I was an American, they decided the others had to come to the station now. The others came later. I told them first find someone who speaks English. When someone came he and the investigator started questioning me. I just smiled explained the situation to police in the interrogation room at the station. Then didn't believe me at first. They kept asking me the same questions in different ways. They kept us their for two hours. They kept question us to see if they could arrest me. The investigator talked to me for 1.5 hours and them for 30mins. He finally came and said the construct worker was an idiot. Honestly! He gave me a sheet of paper told me to write my statement in English make sound a little apologetic, sign it and you may leave. I was not booked and they let me go.

To the Moderator: I am not off topic because my story relates directly to the article.

Moderator: Unless you were involved in the fight mentioned in the story, it is off topic."

To the Moderator: If your logic made since then no one should post. None of us were in the fight.

Why did these S-asians need to stab these punks anyways?

Moderator: Please stay on topic and do not post inflammatory comments.

"Nutsagain,

Being courteous and helpful, isn't a necessary indicator of what people believe to be true. Social pressure can make someone courteous and helpful. So we can't naturally assume the Japanese men were innocent because they are Japanese. And vice versa. These situations happen more often than we think. The problem is it is more news worthy when a foreign does it. It also more believable.

I can give you my personal example, when I was in a similar situation. The guy was a drunk construction worker who wanted to make trouble in front of his friends. The still had beers in their hands at the time. I had not been drinking and just finished work. I tried to pass like all the other salarymen and women up the right side of the escalator when the big one conveniently decided not to let me by. After asking politely to let me pass he refused and said I must wait. He friends were laughing and edging him on. My Japanese is not good enough to argue so I don't. After we got off he proceeded to try and bully in the Japanese manner of chest showing and grunting. Saying I need to be careful who I talk to. He then attempted to pressure me into a wall. That's when he grab the front of my shirt. They thought I was either Non-caucasian or Non-Black by their questions(wrong you guess which one) then assumed I was not going to defend myself because he was quite bigger than me. (Wrong again bigtime) After a ten minute, a@#-whipping and his friends not helping, he grab on my pants legs and told the other two to get the police. Not to mention, no other passersby tried to help or give any testimony. They said I started trouble with them. Despite me explaining what happened the station attendants put me in custody and let them walk around freely. One of the drunk guys tried to walk off with my leather bag until I manhandled him and took it back. While we waited for the police at the train station office. The guy was talking big saying I was going to jail and check his visa he is probably overstaying.(wrong once more) When he gave me the finger, I did give it back but with a grin.

The cops put me in the back of the car and took me to the station. When they learned I was an American, they decided the others had to come to the station now. The others came later. I told them first find someone who speaks English. When someone came he and the investigator started questioning me. I just smiled explained the situation to police in the interrogation room at the station. Then didn't believe me at first. They kept asking me the same questions in different ways. They kept us their for two hours. They kept question us to see if they could arrest me. The investigator talked to me for 1.5 hours and them for 30mins. He finally came and said the construct worker was an idiot. Honestly! He gave me a sheet of paper told me to write my statement in English make sound a little apologetic, sign it and you may leave. I was not booked and they let me go.

To the Moderator: I am not off topic because my story relates directly to the article.

Moderator: If you post this again, you will be suspended from the discussion board.

S-Asians tend to form gangs. (eg california, Viet-gang Mong Gang) Ship them back to their native country and put a severe condition requirement so the customs can control who to let in. Japan needs to protect its welfare.

So do Japanese. They are called Yakuza. We can find them in California, New York, Cambodia, Thailand, Philipines, Indonesia and Hawaii. Let's not forget parts of Europe and Australia.

Yakuzas are organized mafia and they have strict rules within the Yakuza community. Also having an organized crime controls the amount of small time criminals because of Yakuzas presence. Usually Yaks have rules where they are not allow to interfere with non-yakuzas.

By the way I think the Yaks are discusting dispitable organization

Gangs with rules are OK? Or just Japanese Yakuza are OK? Does your non-yakuzas interference include the Filipina, Korean, Thai and Eastern European women they trick into coming to Japan for prostitution count? How about the drugs they sell to the beautiful Japanese people?

Moderator: Back on topic please. This discussion is not about the yakuza.

You should do search for gangster on this site. I think you will probably need to re-think the value of the mafia. Also it seems they don't follow those strict rules anymore.

biglittleman and Trex, Why don't you have your spat about gangsters somewhere else? Its just 2 gangs that fought and some of them got stabbed.

The reason it made it to Japantoday is most likely because of the "foreigner" element.

T_rexmaxytime at 05:24 PM JST - 9th March

Yes its a shame really. But any Japanese who wants to get high from hard drugs and ruin their life is their problem. They do no good for the society. Any they are shameful. You know its better to die by your own hands than to live like a thief and a cheater.

rick0909,

No, thank you.

T_rex

No, I don't know. Long-term solution for a short-term problem. Not a good idea.

rick0909,

No, thank you.

The days when a magistrate or judge would give a ganger a choice between jail or enlisting in the armed services are long gone in the US. I imagine it is no different with the JDF. Because even an infantryman's job has gotten so technical and demands such a high degree coordination even at the 4 and 5 man fire team level, the armed forces have much higher standards than they used to.

Young and young is a good mix for disaster. And I guess the SE Asian gang are carrying knives for protection once they are caught at their crimes. I've seen this in Osaka SE Asian guys who were definately watching each others backs as they cased the customers in Kinokuniya bookstore looking for an easy pickpocket target. From the language they spoke I picked up that they were Phillipino. And after going to their country It didn't surprise me one bit. I'd say this could be the case here too. Why the fight I have no idea but would think the J-guys started it and the SE Asians finished it in protection and then fled.

I can give you my personal example, when I was in a similar situation. The guy was a drunk construction worker who wanted to make trouble in front of his friends. The still had beers in their hands at the time. I had not been drinking and just finished work. I tried to pass like all the other salarymen and women up the right side of the escalator when the big one conveniently decided not to let me by. After asking politely to let me pass he refused and said I must wait. He friends were laughing and edging him on. My Japanese is not good enough to argue so I don't. After we got off he proceeded to try and bully in the Japanese manner of chest showing and grunting. Saying I need to be careful who I talk to. He then attempted to pressure me into a wall. That's when he grab the front of my shirt. They thought I was either Non-caucasian or Non-Black by their questions(wrong you guess which one) then assumed I was not going to defend myself because he was quite bigger than me.(Wrong again bigtime)

After a ten minute, beat-down and his friends not helping, he grab on my pants legs and told the other two to get the police. Not to mention, no other passersby tried to help or give any testimony. They said I started trouble with them. Despite me explaining what happened the station attendants put me in custody and let them walk around freely. One of the drunk guys tried to walk off with my leather bag until I manhandled him and took it back. While we waited for the police at the train station office. The guy was talking big saying I was going to jail and check his visa he is probably overstaying.(wrong once more) When he gave me the finger, I did give it back but with a grin.

The cops put me in the back of the car and took me to the station. When they learned I was an American, they decided the others had to come to the station now. The others came later. I told them first find someone who speaks English. When someone came he and the investigator started questioning me. I just smiled explained the situation to police in the interrogation room at the station. Then didn't believe me at first. They kept asking me the same questions in different ways. They kept us their for two hours. They kept question us to see if they could arrest me. The investigator talked to me for 1.5 hours and them for 30mins. He finally came and said the construct worker was an idiot. Honestly! He gave me a sheet of paper told me to write my statement in English make sound a little apologetic, sign it and you may leave. I was not booked and they let me go.

I won't side totally with the SE Asians as it begs the question why they were carrying a knife in the first place. I stand by my post above as to why this might be. So in this article I put the blame on the situation on the J-guys and their resulting injuries on the SE Asian pickpocket (my speculation) gang.