Area52 comments

The Savoie case clearly brings to light the ongoing and deepening problem of Japan's absolute inabilty to join the worlds major industrialized civilized societies as a world power. A G-7 nation that cant recognize previously established jurisdiction and superior court custody orders. ??!! For international children no less!! These children are the best bridges between our 2 nations. The fact that Japan defiantly refuses to establish a family law system with enforcement ability, and serious consequences for failure to comply with previously established court orders. Japan wants to give its citizens a ticket to not have to obey any foreign laws or jurisdiction. Because of that kind of attitude, Japan will always be a 3rd world nation, even though they desperately want the world to see them a 1st world nation....it just cant match up. I believe the people of Japan have evolved on social justice and human rights in their attitudes, but their government has just remained mired in bureaucracy and defiant 19th century attitudes. Too bad for the people of Japan , and especially the children of these international families.

I agree with Re-Think. If Japan wants to participate with foreign nations in the Olympics ...it should have an extensive record of (at least the minimum) cooperation on international. But Japan has been demonstrating the old Imperial-Japan, spread-of-the-Empire, xenophobic, all-for-me and then I'll think about you later attitude.... This lead us to war in the late 1930s. Just look at the world-wide Whaling Moratorium today. 38 years of world-wide protection from whaling, and then we decide that painting "research vessel" on our whaling fleets means the rest of the world doent notice or care? Just go out an kill the worlds whales under a false guise of "research"? How dumb do the pro-whalers think everyone else in the world is! The Japanese one-sided record on foreign trade, currency manipulation, and yes of course and most importantly ...International child abductions. Imagine how many American and foreign children will be abducted while in here in Japan during the Olympics! Look at the hypocrisy of the cries for the North Korean abductees. How can the rest of the world begin to trust Japan enough for the Olympics to be held here.

Oh yes... its the old USA crime and morality blame game. It seems like this old projection on to other countries, of all of the bad Japanese problems, is getting old and very tired. Its another interesting article with the lure of Japanese moral introspection and self help in it, but then unfolds the same old PR game played out in Japan forever. Blame everything on every other country...especially the USA. Japan needs to look inside itself and take responsibility. I think we are all anxious to see the new evidence the LAPD has on Miura from when he murdered his wife and blamed "dangerous crime-ridden" US society for it. He murdered his wife and became the 1980 poster child for "all Japanese crimes and victims are created from the hands of foreigners". Zimatorre just gave another laundry list of "japanese excuses" here, but its really transparent.