whatsgoinon comments

eigonosensei, I gotta agree.

As for the article,

I have heard Japanese people state over and over again that the young are lacking in manners. As for Obaasan, Ojiisan..I think it's always been an unwritten rule that when you reach a certain age, you no longer need to be polite in any way.

But a lot of it is cultural. What westerners consider polite in terms of waiting in lines, opening doors etc, just isn't part of Japanese etiquette in the same way that it is important to westerners. Often I automatically stop to wait for someone in front of me only to be passed by the person behind me. But the opposite is also true. Some things that are extremely important rules of etiquette in Japanese culture are not important to westerners, so we also can appear extremely rude to them if we are not careful and aware of what is polite in Japanese society. I have come to the conclusion that both cultures are polite in different ways...

I'd bet she left the door unlocked

If so it's really partly her own fault. But even if that's so I still feel sorry for her, and hope she recovers as quickly and well as possible

Sorry, Dammit...blaming the victim has gone out of style. I just can't speak out stronly enough against victim bashing...or really any kind of bashing. Maybe she left the door open..maybe he broke in..maybe she left a window open. None of this matters. Even if she invited him in, unless she handed him the money and begged him to assault her IT WAS NOT HER FAULT.

Potsu

The same kind of person who joins police forces everywhere. Some join b/c they want to do good and others join strictly for the power. Do you seriously think the police are better in whatever country you come from? The percentage of police officers who abuse their power is fairly high in every country, but hopefully, the percentage that do the best job they can is higher.

PepinGlarga.....they are too young to "go willingly" for a 17 hour overnight visit without parental consent. Whether or not they "consented", it is kidnapping. And yeah...something is not right...something is very very wrong.

caribjustice, i'm with you...what is with all of the blaming of victims and angry sweeping generalizations about Japan. As for the rest, it's true the candy routine is the oldest in the book...because it works. These girls are not old enough to exercise good judgment...they are of the age that falls for the candy routine all over the world..maybe he even offered them to stay up all night eating whatever they wanted and playing video games...

The fault lies with the perp, not the vicitims and their families.

However, it is time to start some country wide education on child safety. I agree that Japan is no longer as safe as it used to be, but the answer is in education and awareness, not blame. If, in fact, this guy did not break any Japanese laws, then it's time for stricter laws and stricter enforcement.