Posted in: Swedish man arrested for assaulting common-law wife in Sapporo See in context
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.
2 ( +36 / -34 )
Posted in: Swedish man arrested for assaulting common-law wife in Sapporo See in context
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
-12 ( +34 / -46 )
Posted in: U.N. body to hold in-person review of Japan's gender policy in October See in context
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).
-5 ( +28 / -33 )
Posted in: Japan Olympic delegation warns against defamatory online posts See in context
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!"
-11 ( +17 / -28 )
Posted in: Man arrested for threatening woman with knife on street in Osaka See in context
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?!
-5 ( +37 / -42 )
Posted in: A mysterious pile of bones could hide evidence of Japanese war crimes, activists say See in context
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
-6 ( +33 / -39 )
Posted in: Man arrested over alleged sexual assault of 12-year-old girl he met on social media See in context
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
-1 ( +33 / -34 )
Posted in: 98% with mixed Japanese heritage experience microaggressions: survey See in context
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?
-11 ( +17 / -28 )
Posted in: 98% with mixed Japanese heritage experience microaggressions: survey See in context
> 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.
-14 ( +21 / -35 )
Posted in: 10% of young people in Japan have experienced being groped: survey See in context
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
-9 ( +35 / -44 )
Posted in: When should a child start riding a bike? See in context
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.
3 ( +6 / -3 )
Posted in: 38-year-old man arrested over committing indecent acts on young boy See in context
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.
17 ( +18 / -1 )
Posted in: Man arrested for stealing backpack from sleeping passenger at train station admits to 100 thefts See in context
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.
-8 ( +10 / -18 )
Posted in: 74-year-old man arrested for allegedly committing indecent acts against girl under 10 See in context
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.
-12 ( +30 / -42 )
Posted in: With X banned in Brazil, its users carve out new digital homes
Posted in: Heat pumps are key to home electrification -- but will Americans buy in?
I pay everything cashless, and I can see it in my banking app instantly. Abroad I use cards a lot…
Posted in: Aging Japan struggling with slow adoption of cashless payments