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The government has closed the curtain on favoritism scandals linked to Moritomo Gakuen and Kake Educational Institution and on wage statistics irregularities by the labor ministry without sufficiently fulfilling its accountability. So a sense that people close to political power are being protected extralegally has spread through society.

6 Comments

Ikuo Gonoi, a political scientist, commenting on the outcry on social media that an 87-year-old driver who crashed his car into a mother and her young daughter at an intersection in Tokyo last month, killing them, has yet to be arrested over the incident, with many believing the offender's "elite" status in society is behind the lenient treatment. The driver is a former head of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology.

© Mainichi Shimbun

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Ahh, this is the so-call 上級国民---It's very true. Japan has two tiers of justice now. One for the elite and one for everyone else. The rich and powerful and connected can get away with whatever they want.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Conan - and a third tier for foreigners that don't stereotypically beg for mercy...

6 ( +6 / -0 )

It's not even a secret how far corruption is a core value for the LDP. But they can again with big innocent eyes claim nothing is wrong because accidentally those papers are missing..so there is no proof, or that beauracract killed himself so no testimony. Or this beauracract has been moved to another ministry so we are unable to speek to them. Farcical and vile at the same time.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

This is what you get with "Spooners" running critical sections of society - namely the govt, bureaucracy, industry etc.

Japan having lacked any historical mass proletarian civil unrest, has allowed for post-war LDP Inc to maintain it's grasp on most aspects of society. Of course the famous 60's ~ 70's protests against the Govt, Industrial Inc, Vietnam war etc were fierce, but essentially peopled by Students, Unionists and others.

The Mass Voice was never heard or experienced to any great extent.

Protests continue today, (eg Nuclear Power, Okinawa, ) sometimes with large crowds gathering up to 50,000+, but mainstream Japanese citizens don't partake in to any real degree - ie in the millions.

The Govt knowing that, just simply says "We will seek your understanding" and then do whatever they want, with criticism essentially realized as water off a ducks back.

This is exemplified by the articles cases. Moritomo and Kake would have seen most leaders in the democratic world take a big tumble.

No - here de rigeur is to deny, deflect, diffuse and then just wait it out.

SIck signs.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Exactly as per Jake Adelstein's quote from a couple of days ago. A corrupt bureaucracy.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Exactly as per Jake Adelstein's quote from a couple of days ago. A corrupt bureaucracy.

Precisely

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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