spidersenses comments

They're so focused on US military personnel committing sexual assaults—which is certainly not unimportant—but when there's a sexual assault epidemic on public transport, as highlighted just this week by Takayuki Harada (professor at the University of Tsukuba’s Institute of Human Sciences), you have to wonder what the real motivation behind this move is.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/04/13/japan/issue-of-chikan-groping/

iknowallToday  11:56 am

The death penalty is part of Japan's legal system. It is a legal mechanism in Japan, desired by the people and the government in this democratic country.

If you cannot provide any law that states there is a human right to live then you are just providing your non-legal opion

The right ti live is fundamental to the international human rights law signed by Japan which means by murdering their own people they are committing a crime against humanity under international law.

Yeah, but this seeming overwhelming support for the death penalty in Japan is largely based on a lack of understanding about how the cruel death penalty is administered, the inhumane conditions of death row inmates (i.e., years of solitary confinement), and the high potential for wrongful convictions.

If the government were more open and transparent about how it works and how cruel and inhumane it is, the numbers would be much lower.

Mr KiplingToday  04:47 pm JST

The total damages amounted to approximately 220 million yen

Add that to the cost of "imported workers". There are massive hidden costs to immigration, as Japan is just finding out.

The vast majority of immigrants are lawful.

By proportion, immigrants commit far fewer crimes than local Japanese (it's the same in the US if you are getting your ideas from Tumpism)

Michael CorleoneToday  05:27 pm JST

kato is accused of threatening and confining a teenage girl at a hotel

the 52-year-old man could've lied about his age on social media, he could've used a fake profile photo and pretended to be a teenager himself, or more likely he offered her a lot of money for papakatsu and just didn't pay.

either way, the victim is not to blame...

well done to her for reporting it!!

Indeed, and just for those who seem to not understand the law around sex:

A person has the right to say no to sex at any time, even if they initially agreed. Consent must be freely given, enthusiastic, and ongoing.

Dubious claim at best.

First of all, we have to trust that what they say is true and they have full and accurate data on baggage

being 'lost' or not. What does loss even mean? How would you even determine that something is 'lost' and if it's lost, where did it end up? Under the couch or in a gap between the walls?!

What airport keeps such records anyway?

I have never heard of anyone losing baggage permanently, though I'm sure it happens in some massive airports like Heathrow or JFK or something.

TokyoLivingToday  03:43 am JST

This will happen forever.

With many people, in all the world..

But mostly in Japan.

HalkToday  02:59 pm JST

Japan’s train system is fantastic and reliable, but it comes at a steep human cost, with workers facing enormous pressure to keep things spotless and punctual. The expectations can be both inhuman and inhumane, and while we all value these services, it’s worth questioning whether this cost is really necessary. I’d much rather see standards loosened in line with other developed countries to give Japanese staff a little less stress and a more reasonable work life balance.

Give it up Halk, too high-brow bud for most JT commenters

You're right that all the great service we enjoy on the Shinkansen and anywhere else in Japan comes at a human cost but most on here have a limited at best understanding of Japanese work culture.

MeiyouwentiToday  06:04 pm JST

“Is it really necessary to indicate the man is Swedish? 

If the 33-year-old guy was a native Japanese from Kanagawa prefecture, the press should not report the fact? Or are you suggesting that light-skinned people are entitled to more privacy than those who are not?

false equivalence:

Reporting the specific location within Japan is not equivalent to mentioning a suspect's nationality or ethnicity.

And the suspect's nationality or ethnicity is not equivalent to granting "more privacy" to certain groups. The issue is not about privacy, but about avoiding unnecessary emphasis on characteristics that might perpetuate stereotypes or bias.

We don't know what happened here, as it's he-said-she-said but, it goes without saying that, being a woman and Japanese, she has way more leverage in the law in Japan, especially if there are children involved

sakurasukiToday  07:00 am JST

Since when foreign organization can really change on how Japan do their things?

Erm, if you know your Japanese history since WW2, many of Japan's social and human rights laws have been influenced or introduced by Western pressure or influence, particularly after World War II. Here are some examples:

The US introduced democratic principles and human rights laws, such as the Constitution of Japan (1947)

Women's suffrage in 1946.

The US influenced the Labor Standards Law (1947) and the Labor Relations Law (1946)

Some LGBTQ+ Rights (though they lag the West)

The UN largely shaped Japan's disability rights laws, including the Act on the Elimination of Disability Discrimination (2013).

 Japan has ratified numerous international human rights treaties, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1979) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1985).

i'd love to see how they define "defamatory" and how they're going to try and enforce this.

Back in a previous Olympics, another Japanese judoka (who's now become something of a TV personality) was robbed blind by what was apparently one of the worst referee calls in the history of the sport. From my limited knowledge of judo and from a video I saw where an expert went over it in detail, his opponent (a Frenchman) went to throw him, the Japanese guy reversed the throw, and they both sort of fell over at the same time. The ref awarded a score to the French fighter, which was shown later by video analysis to be 100% the wrong call. The Japanese coach protested instantly, but the fighter just got up and went back to the start line. He eventually lost as a result of the call.

His reaction? "I lost because I wasn't strong enough".

Wonder what's changed?

I mean, look at this thread. Anyone insisting that an athlete is a valid target for criticism is being thumbed down mercilessly. We seem to be at the peak of the "Everyone Must Love And Support Everyone Else" era, ffs.

The argument that "you're not an Olympic athlete so you're not allowed to criticise them" is so weak that it could be used in homeopathy, because you should also admit when you're wrong. I was critical of Simone Biles when she took time off. I now realise that I was 100% wrong on that because she came back and won everything under the sun. Shows what I know...

Except, as the article clearly points out and everyone seems to be conveniently ignoring, it was not constructive and fair criticism. It was cruel and unnecessary 'insults and threats'.

Here are some examples and you tell me whether these are constructive or fair criticisms:

"I'm ashamed to be the same Japanese,"

"Why are you crying when you're not a child,"

"You f...g crybaby!'

"Do not come home to Japan, you are not welcome!'

"I hope you die. How embarrassing you are!"

SpeedToday  08:55 am JST

I agree. The main story here should be about the Chinese woman actually being stabbed. The threatened woman should be added information.

> Nick HarrisonToday  08:40 am JST

Why isn’t the headline “Chinese tourist gets stabbed in Osaka”?! How is that a side note to the Japanese woman being threatened?

Indeed, JT, this is a double standard, unethical and unbalanced reporting.

Please explain.

Why is the Japanese person the main feature because she was threatened, but the Chinese woman who was stabbed (!!) is a footnote at the end?!

And why is nationality important and often in headlines when it's a crime but not when it's a victim of a crime?!

wallaceToday  11:47 am JST

The crimes of Unit 731 were so horrific it does not require a comparison with the Nazi's experiments to lessen the horror.

While both Unit 731 and Nazi concentration camp experiments were inhumane and brutal, Unit 731's methods were distinguished by their extreme cruelty, the intentional infliction of maximum pain, the large scale of biological warfare experiments, and the broad immunity from prosecution granted to its perpetrators​.

https://brill.com/view/journals/jaer/30/1/article-p32_003.xml

https://ajges.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40856-016-0010-1

GuruMickToday  10:49 am JST

Idiot kid.

Do 12 year olds play in the traffic ?

Old enough to be left at home alone....maybe old enough, or should be, old enough not to meet adults online and go to a hotel with said adult.

wow

wallaceToday  02:28 pm JST

It's the first time I have heard the word "microaggressions". It does not seem the right word to fit the experiences.

Yeah, it's probably a kinder way than saying 'culturally insensitive', 'ignorant' or 'subtle racism'.

It's also a kind of implicit bias, stereotyping or exclusion.

Whatever you call it, it's unnecessary, and we shouldn't have to 'grow a pair' to it.

Japanese are generally sensitive and kind people and I know they can and will be more sensitive to other people and cultures as they develop into a more globalised society.

Which word do you prefer, Wallace?

> Good grief, if you can't be PRAISED for something without turning it into some personal slight, you need a skin transplant because the skin you have now is way too thin.

I still get praised for my chopstick-using ability by Japanese people who know I've been living here since the Clinton administration. Including my Japanese father-in-law.

But for crying out loud, they don't mean anything bad by it.

I'm not surprised it's something that goes over the heads of older generation who are or used to be the majority

That's great that it does not affect you, but it's hardly fair to dismiss or belittle other people's experiences.

I have lived in Japan for 15 years and was still offered a knife and fork or told I was good at using chopsticks, and it is upsetting because, up to that point, I felt a member of the community and equal with my Japanese friends and colleagues. It suddenly makes me the 'other', the outsider; the alien Japan is my home, just like anyone else. Where I come from, it would be considered disrespectful and rude to make someone else feel like an outsider or not a full member of society. I don't want to just be a stereotype.

I think most Japanese are intelligent and socially aware and would know that saying such a thing is not kind.

I'm sure Japanese people wouldn't like it if in my country I said, 'Oh, where are your glasses? Your Japanese aren't you? Or, 'oh wow, you can use a knife and fork, bravo!'

For me, the effect is compounded because I suffer from AuDHD (autism and ADHD) and already struggle to fit in. We all have different experiences of microaggression, and for me, it was hurtful.

Very dubious results.

How come all previous research shows far higher percentages, ranging from 50 - 70%.

E.g.

Mainichi Shimbun (2018) reported that in a Cabinet Office of Japan survey, 70% of women in Japan stated they had experienced groping and molestation while using public transportation.

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180330/p2a/00m/0na/005000c

Both our kids learned to ride by themselves without trainer wheels by the age of 4, but I noticed a lot of local kids are slower to learn. We bring our kids up to be fearless, which makes all the difference, I think.

Fighto!Today  10:37 pm JST

Wow - people aren't rushing to this pedo's defence like usual and/or trying to throw smokescreens about "consent", "we need to see all the facts first", "the child could have made it all up" and so on. Amazing.

If convicted, this "man" needs decades locked up in solitary.

That's the first thing I noticed, too. Where are all the sexual predator defenders today?

Only when it;s a girl huh guys/

Very sad.

The Usual Suspects:

ZaphodJune 30  03:54 pm JST

Fact is, children are the most easily manipulated members of society.

GuruMickJune 30  08:16 am JST

Kids can lie and more importantly an aging brain loses much of its functions that would prevent inappropriate behavior of all types.

Dont rush to judgement people. Especially the "jail him ! jail him " brigade.

GarthgoyleJune 30  11:26 am JST

@cakehole

What if the mother is lying?

WoodyLeeJune 30  07:35 am JST

Hard case to prove probably if he has NO criminal history of this kind, may be it did happen but I hope it did NOT.

A child psychologist will tell you that Sometime kids can and will say things that they think it may have happened especially when interrogated, best of luck for the child and I pray for her full recovery if it happened.

spidersensesToday  06:54 pm JST

CoreyToday  06:45 pm JST

(Regarding above observations)

I don’t think you can fault them for not saying more about “origin”. They refer to his name which obviously indicates he is a national. What more do you need to know?

:.

.

..

Well, if they are going to have the same standard of reporting, then the ethics and geographical origin of ALL suspects should always be included, such as whether the person is from Kyushu, Hokkaido or Tokyo etc. And whether they are of Chinese origin, Ainu origin or Korean,, Yamato, Ryukyuans etc.

In reality, these things should be left out no matter where they are from unless there is a specific reason they should be included. JT and other Japanese news organisations include the geographical orgin and eternity only when it is a foreingerr and even when it is of no significance/

This is considered unethical and poor social responsibility and accountability in journalism in most nations unless your Fox news or the NY Post which are hardly upsetting modules of journalism.

It's a miracle that she confided in her mother. Many girls and women never disclose their experiences of sexual assault. Fortunately, their relationship was open enough for her to feel safe speaking up.

The harsh reality of sexual assault, particularly in Japan, is that many women endure the trauma of sexual assault for their entire lives and often never share their pain with anyone.

It's a deeply sad but silent catastrophe.