national

Japan plans extra spending on anti-terrorism measures

19 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

19 Comments
Login to comment

I've been here longer than I was in my own country, Schopenhauer, and all my time here was as an adult. Basically it was seeing the cynical way things work in Japan and the contempt authority has for the people - and continuing to see it - that I probably transferred to my view of the rest of the world. If people would wake up to the perniciousness of amakudari and bureaucratic empire building (Japanese bureaucrats control the biggest set of public assets of any bureaucrats in the world) and the way public works support the existing political system while contributing to little except the huge public debt then they might - might - not be so keen to believe these kind of pronouncements and policies. But they are diverted by being kept fearful and the endless "Nippon Banzai" TV programmes.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

The rationale went something like this: "We have no plans to free up the economy from the grip of bureaucratic parasitism so we will fall back on the old economic stimulus package as a way to show we are doing something. Now, what can we spend it on that won't be considered a waste? - we have concreted all the rivers and tetrapodded the whole coastline, except Shiretoko. Safety always can be used as justification so, hey, let's call some of it an increase in anti-terrorism measures. It seems apposite while people are still reeling from the news from far-off Bangladesh. Perhaps we can concrete a bit more anyway and include it in the anti-terror budget."

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Everything is anti-terrorism these days. Even though there is almost no danger of terrorism in Japan, it's too big of a chance not to beef up the security apparatus under the guise of "counter-terrorism". I'm guessing that state secret law was also to counter terrorism

7 ( +9 / -2 )

" Set a thief to catch a thief " is an apt Maxim here. Terrorists going after terrorists.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Probably to set up something similar to the NSA. Wouldn't put it past these guys over here to listen and spy on their own people. Abe knows what the US does. Takes a horrible incident and uses it to justify assaulting the civil liberties of the populace. Writing stuff like this might even be risky someday, if not now. I have heard that free speech is basically non-existent in tje US now. That being said, what could happen here. Hopefully nothing but one must keep the fingers crossed.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

A gold-plated ratchet.

Japan’s government will spend hundreds of billions of yen on anti-terrorism and safety measures

Has a familiar ring to it, though with an extra zero. Will the next ransom demand be for hundreds of billions of yen?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

As if they were not sucking up and wasting enough tax yen already. So who is going to be the beneficiary or this lucrative, do nothing good contract? Damned thieves.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

No, Jeff, I am calling for the phantom third arrow and less taxpayer-funded resources being diverted to bureaucratic empires and pointless destruction just for the sake of it. I understand your explanation, and gave you a thumbs-up if it helps, but if you are also saying that there is no other way - which you seem to be - then either the system needs root and branch reform or we have to finally accept a cynical, bureaucratically-controlled, performance-criteria-free, concrete-desert Soviet-heaven as our home. I think you might see that too.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

To spend more money for what was a good question.

To create another bureaucratic entity under or outside the already massive and misdirected government as with the USA is totally dysfunctional. They must first determine exactly what is needed to counter terrorism.

As in all cases, in any so called organized democratic nation, it starts with the people. If the people are not aware, informed, concerned, involved and coordinated with a definite objective with tight, efficient and effective polices and procedures to back that up, that money will "disappear" in the siphoning system run by the bureaucrats. There is no way a new or even the current organization such as the police and the military can efficiently and properly monitor and respond at the same time.

The key to all of that lies with the media. The media has to play a key role in not only communication but coordinating the entire population to work together cooperatively for a common goal and objectives systematically and efficiently. However, they must change their priorities to that of national safety and security without politics or extreme biases, putting aside the "profit" first philosophy. The second is the coordination of all town, city, prefecture government along with every company and corporation in assisting and coordinating such an effort.

In Japan as in other countries, especially the USA, that would probably never happen. However, total involvement of the population is a prerequisite to a secure and safe country without terrorism. Otherwise, the other way is for the government to become the terrorist itself. That.., no one wants to see happen.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

However, total involvement of the population is a prerequisite to a secure and safe country without terrorism. Otherwise, the other way is for the government to become the terrorist itself. That.., no one wants to see happen.

Total involvement? Here? With nearly 1/3 of the population closer to 100 years old than 0, and too many of the rest having their heads buried in their sma-phones whilst walking down a street, just how is the "population" here going to assist when the only pay attention to the bubble around them?

On the other hand if you did have the population involved as you suggest here, everyone would be tattling on everyone else for every little thing. Nice idea in theory but in practice here....ain't no way.

Government here is already "terrorist" in some ways, and if you haven't noticed it already, then you have your head in the sand.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Three methods , education , education and education.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"taxpayer-funded resources being diverted to bureaucratic empires"

If "bureaucratic empires" really existed, then the public sector would be in a big surplus, since that is where the assets would be.

Public spending has the opposite result -- a transfer from public to private, since the contracts to do the work are given to private contractors, like construction companies, who use the money on salaries, taxes, investment and materials (procured alas from the private sector). Similarly, when YOU yourself spend, your household savings are transfered from the demand to the supply side.

The economy is a circulatory system, not in-out, particularly in japan's case, where its own people and institutions hold the debts and surpluses. The money goes round and round, but mostly ends up in private hands, as indicated by the large size of the public debt.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The only "terrorist" attacks Japan has experienced to date were home grown, and the authorities did nothing to prevent them, simply tightened the screws on citizens' already-diminished cicil liberties in their aftermath. A naked ploy to keep more money on the black budget, and away from accountability public scrutiny...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

stimulus spending and funding sources

At it is described, it sounds more like a "close to LDP" J-INC only welfare program (or public money diversion for short) justified by an unrelated random terrorist attack in a sovereign country than anything else.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The only "terrorist" attacks Japan has experienced to date were home grown

So what? The only major terrorist attacks that the US had had before 9.11 were home grown.

And, in point of fact, this gaijin cliche is not strictly correct. There were terrorist incidents involving Koreans when Korea was under Japanese control. The Korean terrorists were not home grown.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Everything is anti-terrorism these days. Even though there is almost no danger of terrorism in Japan,

No danger? There is a danger from home-grown terrorism as well as foreign as well. Aum terrorized the country, so did the Red Army. There are plenty of subversive groups within Japan as well. I know you said "almost" but that is awfully broad.

Yeah everything is "anti-terrorism", even the whaling fleet.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

@Moonraker

".....while contributing to little except the huge public debt"

A debt in one sector must be matched by equivalent surpluses elsewhere. So you are essentially calling for more money to be returned to...the government (ie the bureaucrats.) When public spending is cut, lots of money stops flowing, mainly toward the private sector -- which is where the surpluses lie -- and it instead remains in the bureaucrats' clutches.

I suspect that's the opposite of what you're calling for. But that's the reality of public finance in a fiat-currency issuing nation.

Moonraker has nailed it

Ummm. No.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Sharp criticisms of the commentators here about Japan surprise me wtih their deep knowledge particularly when they refer to the seamy side of Japan. More informative and interesting than watching Japanese TV and reading Japanese newspapers. While I have a feel that their opinions reflect what they saw in their own countries before they came here.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites