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U.S. concerned about sexual harassment in Japan: report

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These types of annual reports published by the U.S. State Department, always reeking of sanctimonious hypocrisy in years past, are now comically ridiculous and should simply be ended ASAP. I actually think Donald Trump would order the ceasing of these types of annual reports on human rights put out by the State Department--if he knew about them. Donald is repulsive, but he's more clear-headed than previous U.S. presidents in knowing how stupid it is for his country to evaluate and assess human rights violations of any kind (certainly including sexual harassment) in other nations like Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

tinawatanabe

Your comment makes no sense. The US is worse than NK and China? Today, in 2018, US is, despite its flaws, much better in terms of human rights than the list of countries included in your quote. You need to get better informed...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The state department under the administration of a guy who openly boasts about sexual harassment right?

Am not sure if this is a joke or not. If so it’s an I’ll advised joke by America

5 ( +5 / -0 )

us concerned sexually harassment in japan - what about its own harassment?

how long it takes to end? seems like women still minority around the world.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

The State Department should also raise the awareness that the guy in the White House still hasn't stepped down over numerous sexual assault allegations.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

presto345: "Perhaps Japan is concerned about gun possession in the USA, but they won't announce it from the mountain tops."

Your example would only be comparable if Japan had a gun problem here and were concerned about it in the US knowing they are working on it themselves and the world as a whole is progressing on the issue. And besides, not many people would disagree, if any, that it's a problem instead of deflecting and saying Japan needs to deal with it.

"A little more subtlety from the big brothers would be in order,"

Yeah, because that's what we need -- to be quiet about sexual harassment. Not speak up about it. You guys are incredible.

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

One would think the United States of America has other things to worry about. Perhaps Japan is concerned about gun possession in the USA, but they won't announce it from the mountain tops. A little more subtlety from the big brothers would be in order, especially in the light of the need to do their homework concerning sexual harassment in its own backyard.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I find this interesting.

In the US when someone brings up a specific case of sexual harassment, like Trump’s, the opposition points to something like Clinton and says, hypocrite! Thankfully as a society we are moving past this nonsense. The issue is bigger than political sides or countries.

Why do people have this need to deflect? If the report is not true make that case.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

girl_in_tokyo can you cite a case in which a woman who was being raped was convicted of assault?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This title: U.S. concerned about sexual harassment in Japan: report (?) BTW, USA of Trump to concern sexual harassment of other countries, it's kind of joke!

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Any government is a huge bureaucracy. There are segregated areas of responsibility. The State Department is not responsible for commenting on domestic issues. That should be pretty clear.

But to the bigger argument, that no member of any government should criticize another country’s actions unless the country in question is free of fault. Is that really desirable? Or even logical?

I don’t think so. There are many competing voices in the world. Many in the US government are very critical of our national shortcomings. I believe just because they have not succeeded in solving our problems negates the need for them to voice their views internationally . Communicating with words is the best way for countries to make change happen.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Things won't change overnight, but it's finally a start in the right direction, and undoubtedly mistakes will be made along the way by all.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

That's rich.

A country that itself has huge issues with sexual assault and harassment against women, lecturing Japan about sexual harassment.

Pot, meet kettle.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

tinawatanabe: "US is by far the worse than those countries. Americans really don't know their own history."

Says the person who believes Japan taught Chinese characters to China, and that they did not originate there! In any case, the US is not even close to being as bad as Japan in terms of the lack of equality and abuse against women. Sorry, tina, but that's a fact. And why are you so against the message that women should be treated with more dignity and respect, and assault of any kind not accepted? You would think you'd want that for women, but instead you're just upset the message comes from the US.

Himajin: "Let them remove the beam in their own eye first...."

Again, why does it matter where the message comes from? the US outranks Japan by far in terms of equality and women's rights. What is Japan's rank again out of 144 countries? you guys who rail against the US for delivering the message (and I'm not American, by the way) have not at ALL admitted there is a problem here. You're just defensive.

-5 ( +9 / -14 )

Let them remove the beam in their own eye first....

6 ( +9 / -3 )

As an American connected to both countries it’s clear to me they both have major social problems. They deal with these problems in very different ways. One thing is common, all politicians respond when being exposed for their shortcomings.

I welcome this report. Anything that sheds light on an issue is a good thing.

Of course America has no right to be self righteous. But leaving our selves out of this report I think may have more to do with the role of the State Department. It is to monitor international conditions.

America needs lots of work. I would welcome any report that sheds light on our problems too. As long as it is honest. There is a pretty high level of self reflection and criticism in the US. But not enough, obviously, as the problems persist.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Saw lots of harassment in Japanese corporations towards women. It was shocking to me. All the women seemed to know they had to just take it to get along.

Sexual harassment is a very serious offence in the USA. Allegations are dealt with quickly in most of corporate America. I've seen SVPs fired at Fortune-10 companies over harassing a contractor when there was proof.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

girl-in-tokyo ....those are intriguing thoughts you brought up regarding Japan's police / due process of convicted offenders. thank you for educating readers on this hot topic , these days...

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Japan almost never acts on violations of human rights until it receives international criticism. Back in the 90's-2000 human trafficking was a huge problem here, as the yakuza were bringing in women from SE Asia and Eastern Europe and forcing them into the sex trade. Japan did literally nothing until a US State Department report put Japan slightly above NORTH KOREA. In direct response to that report, they finally addressed the problem by closing off the loophole of "entertainer" visas, cracking down on sex parlors in Roppongi and Shinjuku's kabukicho, and giving the trafficked women protection, instead of just arresting and deporting them. They used to just deport them, which of course meant they couldn't make a case against the traffickers since it is impossible to build a case when your star witnesses are in another country!

In addition, one of the things that makes the US much better than Japan is that the laws in the US that deal with sexual harassment and assault are much more comprehensive. The definitions are clear, the procedure to investigate is clear, and if convicted, the prepetrators will get jail time instead of a slap on the wrist like they do here. In Japan you can rape someone and get away with it for many years - as did Joji Obara - because the police are so limited in their investigative techniques. You want to know how bad the J-cops are? Read Jake Adelstein's book "Tokyo Vice" and Richard Lloyd Parry's book "People Who Eat Darkness" to see just how incredibly inept the cops are and how the system allows rapists and sexual harassers to get away with it.

Did you know that if a woman in Japan fights off her rapist, she can be charged with assault? Yep. That's right - assault. So you guys who are blindly trying to defend Japan really need to educate yourselves, because frankly, you have NO idea what you are talking about.

5 ( +19 / -14 )

The good old USA should mind its own business. Or is this story to distract us all from Trump. Talk about sexual harrassment!

15 ( +20 / -5 )

The report covers nearly 200 countries and territories, excluding the United States.

Now I wonder why? the old biblical quote comes to mind about mote and beams!

11 ( +14 / -3 )

"The report covers nearly 200 countries and territories, excluding the United States." luckily there are no black people marching or schoolchildren marching in the streets, women complaining about sexual harassment, people forced to join gangs for self defence in america. i can understand why mexicans want to to the great country to work for 3 bucks an hour.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

I could give examples of an equal and opposite headline by Japan criticizing something about the US but I am 100% sure that JT would delete them. As posters above have suggested, how is this OK to work one-way only?

12 ( +18 / -6 )

US talking about human rights and sexual harrasement, now that is one self-entitled country, especially given THEIR record on these matters. Japan's own culture was deplorably destroyed after the war by the US's Christian and puritan influence, a simple example, just look at what onsen were before and are now :( .

17 ( +26 / -9 )

Sullivan identified Syria, Myanmar, North Korea, China, Iran, Turkey, Venezuela and Russia as countries with the most egregious human rights records.

US is by far the worse than those countries.  Americans really don't know their own history.

13 ( +26 / -13 )

Regardless of who it comes from, isnt the message worth listening to? It was never going to come from the Japanese government now was it?

If it creates a little shame for Japan and encourages them to change for the better, isnt that a good thing?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ain't any of America's business, now is it!

12 ( +27 / -15 )

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