Japan is One of the Best Places to Live in the World Reason #4: You Call This Crime? Man Steals $6 Chocolate, Hits National News!

You read that headline correctly.

In Japan, last night on the headlines of the world's biggest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun; a newspaper that was established in 1874 - that has over 13.5 million newspapers delivered daily, ran a Headline News story read about a 44-year-old man who stole some Valentine's Day chocolate because, "He wanted some."

Saints preserve us! Is this the beginning of some kind of out-of-control criminal crime wave sweeping the nation?

Yes. They have Hershey Kisses in Japan! 

(And on Valentine's Day in Japan, 

the girls give the guys the chocolate - NOT the other way around!)

Now, this isn't just a story about why Japan blows away most of the rest of the world when it comes to a lack of crime, it also is a story about the general psyche of people in this country. 

But first, here's a quick and simple translation of the story:

The Yomiuri Shimbun headlines read; 

"Man claims, after stealing chocolate, 'I wanted some.'"

On the 16th of this month, police in Sendai in Miyagi prefecture arrested a 44-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of theft.

According to the police statement, at about 2:40 am on that day, the suspect was in Miyagino City in the vicinity of an apartment where a 31-year-old civil servant lived and saw some Valentine's Day chocolate and other items in a vinyl bag hanging from the handlebars of the bicycle owned by that civil servant. The chocolate had a value of ¥550 (about $5.93 USD). When the suspect took the chocolate, the 31-year-old civil servant gave chase and subdued the suspect.

Upon being asked why he stole the chocolate, the suspect was quoted as saying (testifying), "I wanted some chocolate!"

Feb. 17, 2013, Yomiuri Shimbun

The online edition of this story

Now, people are often asking why Japan I think is a much better place to live than, say, the United States and it's often difficult to point out specifics as to why. But when it comes to crime, Japan is miles away safer than just about any western country in the world. I never have to worry about my wife or daughters going out at night. 

But this little anecdote about the chocolate also shows us a glimpse of something very important about the Japanese psyche that is difficult to put a finger on.

This story shows what the level of crime is in this country and what people think about crime in general. From my westerner perspective, that this sort of story could even hit the newspapers is amazing; and we're not talking about some local newspaper here! We are talking about a national newspaper in a country of 130 million people that has a circulation of 13.5 million copies daily! 

This sort of crime would never make any major newspaper in the USA... I think even local newspapers wouldn't run this!

Also, one more thing about the Japanese... And this too is an intangible, but this article points to it. The Japanese are generally shy and humble people... Where I come from, Los Angeles, I hear it is a badge of honor for head bangers to get arrested and have a criminal record. Not in Japan. In Japan, a criminal record is a shameful thing. Shameful for that person and very shameful for the family.

I think when most Japanese hear this story they think, "Stealing is a crime and that's bad! He should never do that!" The Japanese pretty much have a zero-tolerance for this sort of thing... Of course that 31-year-old guy wouldn't let the old thief slide. Theft is theft in this country and a shameful act; it must be dealt with properly.

I think, "Poor guy." Heck, if that were my chocolate and he stole it (and I chased him - which I probably wouldn't do) and caught him and he meekly said, "I just wanted some chocolate..." I probably would have felt sorry for the guy and gave him the chocolate... Heck, I probably would have bought him some cigarettes and a beer too... After that? Who knows? If he were even luckier, maybe I would even have given him a Valentine's Day wink and a kiss too!

Poor guy indeed.

Empathy Survey - How Do You Feel When You See a Child Suffering?

I just bought a book by one of my favorite political columnists, Ted Rall. In the foreword, he talks about compassion and empathy. 


He wrote about a time he saw a homeless man and thought, "Thank god, if it weren't for a few lucky breaks, that could have been me." I've thought the same thing before many times too.


How about you?


I agree with what Ted writes in the book and will have a review of "The Year of Loving Dangerously" soon... But, until then, this...


I wonder about people today and think there are far too many people who feint compassion and concern, but it's all an act. Take, for example, the disaster of the earthquake and tsunami of March 11 in Japan. So many people I know were actually sincere and got off their asses and did something...


But I also thought there were way too many people who only helped and contributed because it made them look good doing so. There's nothing so wrong with that, I suppose, as long as people are honest with themselves and open about intentions.


There's a word for this and it's Crocodile Tears.


I also think that there is far too little compassion and empathy amongst people today as a general rule.


Take, for example, the poor people who have suffered in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures. Terrible situation indeed... But the mass media seem to have gone on and people are losing interest.


Is it human nature to do so? Or are we all just robots with heart strings being pulled by the mass media?


I wonder why people will get together to make (at least the appearance of) an effort to help people who are on TV and suffering far away, yet, in their own neighborhoods, they scorn and look down upon the unfortunate in their own neighborhoods?


For those ends and my own research, I've made a survey at the right of this blog. It is asking the question:


"When you see a homeless person, what do you think?"


I hope you will help me by taking 5 seconds to answer the question (as many answers as you wish)... I will post the results on 10/31/11. 


Note: I changed the name of this post from "When you see a homeless person, what do you think?" to "How Do You Feel When You See a Child Suffering?" Because I know that if I write "Homeless" that is a distasteful subject and many will not bother to read the post.

Wind Directions in Japan for the Geographically Impaired

Too many clueless people. Another person, who knows nothing about Japan, or its weather or geography, takes issue with the facts I wrote in a previous blog post about the prevailing winds in Japan ALWAYS blowing from south or east from April to December and then from the north east in winter. Regardless of season, generally speaking, winds blow radiation (if there is any) away from Fukushima towards the ocean. They do not blow from Fukushima towards Tokyo. That's an impossibility. Regardless of what quacks like Arnie Gundersen say.

LENA HORNE - STORMY WEATHER

Laughingly, a commenter named, "S" (in a lame attempt at wit) writes:

BTW, you piqued my curiosity, so I just took a quick look at the forecast for Fukushima, here: http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Fukushima/forecasts/latest It shows today's wind blowing SSW all day --i.e., straight towards Tokyo. You might want to call them, and explain that this is 'impossible.' Have a nice weekend.

"Have a nice weekend?" How cute. I will, thank you. And I will be laughing at you in a few minutes. 

Thanks S. I don't think I need to call the weather-forecast people. This is not a forecasting problem. Their forecast for Fukushima is most probably correct. Fukushima is not a big place. Is, say, the weather report for Ventura California  consistent with the weather in Tijuana Mexico? Probably not. They might be if it were all flat lands, but, alas, for you and your weak argument, there are a bunch of huge rocks called, "mountains" in the way.

The nuclear power plants in Fukushima are on the ocean side, opposite of Tokyo, of those high mountain ranges. Winds often blow onshore from the ocean. This is a geography question and how geography influences weather. 

Some people need to open up a relief map of Japan and see the terrain and just how far away Tokyo is from Fukushima is... And, no, it's not the 1/2 inch you see on that map in front of your face. I guess some people's reading and comprehension abilities are lacking as I simply pointed out in my post, about the geographical considerations when dealing with weather patterns here (or anywhere else in the world for that matter - but especially in a mountainous country).

As a professional in the mass media, I do know how to check and cross reference information. I guess I shouldn't hold others up to the same standard, but it is disgraceful when people aren't intelligent enough to do the very basic level of fact checking - or they cherry picks facts. How embarrassing. I wrote about that here: Critical and Analytical Thinking are Lost Arts Amongst Many of Today's Adult Population

Now, let me blow this stupid argument out of the water. Here is the claim of this reader that, "I just took a quick look at the forecast for Fukushima, here: http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Fukushima/forecasts/latest It shows today's wind blowing SSW all day --i.e., straight towards Tokyo."

Refer to this map: http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/fukushima/forecasts/latest

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE LARGER VIEW

My God! He's right! If we are to extrapolate, that wind is also blowing straight for Manila, Brunei, and Adelaide Australia! We're doomed! Head for the life rafts! Every man for himself! 

As you can see, "S" is referring to the wind direction in Fukushima, indeed blowing south, all the while being ignorant of Japan's geography and distance between Fukushima and Tokyo.

Now, let's show his how he doesn't have the faintest idea as to what he is talking about. From the very same weather service. Refer to this map: http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/tokyo/forecasts/latest

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE LARGER VIEW

Well, look at that! The winds are blowing from the south to the north in Tokyo! How could this be? How could the wind be blowing south in Fukushima but blowing north in Tokyo!? 

Well, like I said, this is a mountainous country and geography plays a big part. This reader  cherry picked his data so that it shows winds blowing south IN FUKUSHIMA today, Saturday June 11, 2011 - (while conveniently forgetting to check Tokyo). Fukushima is on the other side of a huge mountain range and 230 + kilometers from Tokyo... Yet, in the bottom chart, from his very own sources, it shows the wind blowing from the south towards the north away from Tokyo.

Just how do we justify this discrepancy? Could it be geography as I showed in my previous post? Seems like the only plausible explanation. Either that or weather gremlins!

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home! 

Oh Auntie Em!"

Also, let's examine further... What about the area just north of Tokyo, Chiba Japan? Well,  sorry about that one too: Refer to this: http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Chiba/forecasts/latest

CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE LARGER VIEW

Wow! Astounding. The winds are blowing north or, later, from the west (as they always do) away from Tokyo! Who'd a thunk it?

Do I need to alert the weather service? Or does dear reader and Arnie Gundersen need to get an education on Japan's geography and weather? 

As I have said numerous times, Japan's prevailing winds blow from the south or the east. For a few months in winter, they blow from the north east. There might be times when, due to terrain, in small areas, winds blow different directions (a walk in a windy hallway in any city in the world can demonstrate that), but these winds are caused and controlled by geography.

Winds do not blow from Fukushima to Tokyo over the biggest and widest and highest mountain range in Japan.

May I now start enjoying my weekend? 

I already started laughing at least five minutes ago.  

Very Interesting Take on "Flyjin" & One More

The Flyjin phenomenon in Japan has many facets. Generally speaking, Flyjin is a term used as a play on words in Japan. Gaijin is the word for foreigner. "Gai" means "outside" and "jin" means "person." So Gaijin means outside person or foreigner.

お江戸の火消し

SMOKE ON THE WATER

The Flyjin came in as an insult and joke deriding many of these foreigners who panicked and left places like Tokyo and Nagoya during the Fukushima accident. It is especially a dig at those who panicked and left co-workers, friends and neighbors (lovers too) holding the bag. It is not targeted at the foreigners who were in the disaster areas who left Japan. Only foreigners who were hundreds of miles away who panicked and fled - many even though their own embassies told them Tokyo was safe.


Nikkei Newspaper, though, has an article about foreigners who have left Japan that is looking at the problem from a totally different perspective. Even though many Flyjin get their feathers ruffled at the insinuation that they showed poor leadership and weak crisis assessment abilities, this article deals with a completely different segment of the foreigner in Japan market. It actually deals with a much larger workforce in Japan than the few westerners (who will most assuredly get angry about this article) that have been brought up in a society that makes people think they are entitled to everything.    
    
The title of the article asks Japanese people, "Do you think that only Japanese workers can protect your workplace?" From Nikkei:

消えた外国人労働力　日本人だけで職場は守れるか：NBonline(日経ビジネス オンライン)

business.nikkeibp.co.jp

震災と原発問題で日本を離れた外国人労働者たち。そこで突きつけられた問題がある。多くの職場で外国人が不可欠である現実と、彼らを身勝手に使ってきたという事実だ。外国人労働力を日本社会でどう位置づけるか。この問題に今こそ正対する時だ。...

Translation:

Many foreigners left their workplaces after the earthquake and due to (Fukushima) nuclear problems. This leaves us with many issues to consider. The reality of the situation in the workplace is that we (Japanese) have been using this (cheap) foreign labor selfishly. Perhaps it is time to consider how these foreign laborers are placed and viewed in Japanese society. Now could be a good time to consider this issue.

Japanese factories have a serious problem without cheap foreign labor

The article goes on to discuss how, due to a rapidly aging population and declining birth rate, Japan desperately needs these people to perform manual labor duties in order for the Japanese economy to run.

While many foreigners might cheer and raise their fists reading this and scream, "Right on! We are taken advantage of in the workplace!" This article is generally not about the highly paid westerners working in Japan. No. Not hardly. It is an article discussing a much larger and much more important labor force in Japan: cheap manual labor from China, Pakistan, Iran and many other southeast Asian nations.

It continues on talking about how Japan must open up more and take better care of these people who come to earn a living in Japan. They are not just cheap labor, they are a critical and important part of the labor equation for a healthy Japanese economy. They deserve to be treated better.

The other story I wanted to mention was about a president of a factory in the Fukushima area that hired many of these people as cheap labor from China.

Because of a bad past history and, in many cases, the Japanese management taking advantage of cheap foreign labor like mentioned above (but, then again, in what country don't they do that?) Japan and Japanese companies often have a bad reputation amongst Chinese workers. 

It is most likely deserved in many cases.

But there's a story about a Japanese president of a factory that risked his life to save some Chinese factory workers who were staying at the company dormitory near Miyagi or Fukushima when the earthquake and  tsunami hit. 

Anyway, this president heard about the tsunami warnings and realized that he had several Chinese workers staying at the company dormitory and that this dormitory was in the path of the tsunami. People were told to evacuate immediately and head for higher ground. But the president knew that these workers wouldn't understand the announcements and so he risked his life and drove full speed ahead to the dorm and got those workers out of there and saved their lives.

Soon after the Chinese workers left Japan (because of Fukushima) but, according to the article, they reported back in China that, "Not all Japanese company president's are bad guys" and that their company president risked his life to save theirs and they were grateful.

I looked for the article about this story, but am unable to find it. If I find it later, I will paste it into this post.

The moral of the story? Not all Japanese bosses are bad guys. Not all Flyjins are westerners and not all of them are bad guys either.

Japan's Disaster True Ground Zero - Not Nuclear Power Plants

Today I went with 4 friends to deliver relief supplies to Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture in Japan. Ishinomaki and Kesenuma were ground zero for the earthquake and tsunami.

Even though many foreigners in Tokyo freaked out and ran out in an irrational panic, there are still a very many who want to be a part of, and help, the Japanese community as this is our home for better or worse (also because Ishinomaki and Kesenuma really are "Ground Zero" for the disaster).


In Ishinomaki and Kesenuma - and surrounding areas - over 27,800 people have lost their lives or disappeared.... The nuclear accident in Fukushima, while serious, is still only responsible for zero deaths and six injured (all who have been released from hospital with no expected complications).


My friends, Michio Hashimoto, Timo Budow, Ken Nishikawa and Roger Marshall all pitched in for the effort.


Michio took the photos below.


These photos say it all. Being at Ishinomkai and walking around and taking pictures and breathing the air was like a bad dream: Everything was covered in black sh*t and it smelled like a plugged toilet on a dirty, swampy fishing boat; it was like a nightmare.


Whatever you touched - or didn't touch - it didn't matter: the wrenched smell and rancid seawater mixed with the stench of death... It permeated your nostrils and it permeated your clothes.


I think I will have to shower and scrub heavily for a week or more to maybe have a chance to cleanse this putrid odor from my body pores.


It didn't matter what you touched or felt; you started feeling and smelling like the stinking spoiled, polluted ocean and the odor of death.

Buildings destroyed and deserted

Cars somehow smashed under buildings

 40 meter long ships landed in neighborhoods that are 250 meters from the bay

Cars inside of shops

Slammed against light poles

The army runs baths that give warmth to over 200 people per day

On the front of the boat is spray-painted "Danger! Do not ride bikes!" 

Two lawn chairs sit undamaged while cars and boats pile upon one another

Notice the car at right

Several ships sit in the middle of streets near the crossways

Every street looks like this or worse

Ditto

Seemingly undamaged but completely abandoned... No electricity or water

View across the river

From the bridge looking towards the ocean (still about 6 kilometers away)

Looks like the view from Hiroshima Dome towards the ocean in 1945

Amazing that some buildings still stood

Houses near the waterfront are totalled

Entire business districts and neighborhoods destroyed

View from the side of a bridge over a river near Ishinomaki

Water heaters for Japanese military set up public baths

There's thousands of places like this with cars stacked on cars

There's thousands of places like this with ships sitting in the middle of neighborhoods all over, Ishinomaki, Kasenuma and other smaller towns and farms along the way. This is the real disaster.

Propeller of 10 tons ship sitting on main thoroughfare.

Mud and dirt caked over park near river

Typical case of rest area and/or park under a foot of mud

Like I said, there's ships like this everywhere

Car hanging over precipice about to fall into river

Finally, we delivered a two-ton truck of supplies to Sunnet Nagomi 

center for the disabled and handicapped in Ishinomaki

Sunnet Nagomi is a center to care for the handicapped and the aged. We delivered, stationary, boots, plastic goods, water and other supplies.

No Scientific or Medical Basis for Restrictions on Japan Travel & More

Once again, let's deal with just the facts concerning the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan. 

The fact of the matter is, folks, that there are too many pundits writing sensationalism about subjects they are not expert in and scaring people. I am not a nuclear power expert but I am an expert in mass media and know a BS story when I see one. And I've seen lots of them in these last 10 years or so: Swine Flu, SARS, Bird Flu, Man Made Global Warming. These mass media cretins pronounce this stuff as gospel truth, interjecting their scare tactic with words like, "might," may have," "could have"... etc. When it is all total conjecture and doesn't deserve to be on the pages of "respectable" media but rather on the pages of tabloid sensationalism. As Tech Crunch aptly put it:

This is all just going to get worse, because, increasingly, all stories are tech stories. Politics? Obama’s staggering online fundraising. Sports? BALCO and high-tech new equipment. Culture? These days, even fine art is all about the Arduino. Technology has insinuated itself into our lives to such an extent that every story now has a technical aspect — but yesterday’s dinosaur journalists will continue to write about them in the same clumsy-to-moronic way that they wrote about Fukushima.

Searching for more factual reporting from a reputable source about the safety of Japan. I found this: In an official public announcement from the International Maritime Organization, in spite of the scaremongering and sensationalism reported in the mainstream mass media (MSM) there is no basis for any medical restrictions to and from Japan regarding radiation or any other problems:


No Restrictions on Travel to Japan


International flight and maritime operations can continue normally into and out of Japan’s major airports and sea ports, excluding those damaged by the tsunami, according to the latest information available from the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization. 

While there is currently no medical basis for imposing restrictions, the United Nations organizations are monitoring the situation closely and will advise of any changes.  

Screening for radiation of international passengers from Japan is not considered necessary at this time. Currently available information indicates that increased levels have been detected at some airports, but these do not represent any health risk. 

The page has a link to the World Health Organization's site. The link is broken. I searched, Japan Nuclear Concerns and found this FAQ page:

What is the current risk of radiation-related health problems in Japan for those residing near the reactor in comparison to those in other parts of Japan?

• Radiation-related health consequences will depend on exposure, which is dependant on several things, including: the amount and type of radiation released from the reactor; weather conditions, such as wind and rain; a person’s proximity to the plant; and the amount of time spent in irradiated areas.
• The Government of Japan’s recent actions in response to events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are in line with the existing recommendations for radiation exposure. The Government has evacuated individuals who were living within a 20-kilometre radius around the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Those living between 20 km and 30 km from the plant are being asked to shelter indoors. People living farther away are at lower risk than those who live nearby.
• As and if the situation changes, the Government of Japan may change their advice to the public; WHO is following the situation closely.

In short, the risk near the reactor exists. The exclusion zone of 20 km ~ 30 km (12 miles ~ 18 miles) are in line with existing recommendations for radiation exposure. Once again, Tokyo is about 150 miles away. Common sense should prevail in helping you to avoid any risk. The article goes on to talk about food contamination:

  

Is there a risk of radioactive exposure from food contamination?

• Yes, there is a risk of exposure as a result of contamination in food.
• However, contaminated food would have to be consumed over prolonged periods to represent a risk to human health.
• The presence of radioactivity in some vegetables and milk has been confirmed and some of the initial food monitoring results show radioactive iodine detected in concentrations above Japanese regulatory limits. Radioactive caesium has also been detected.
• Local government authorities have advised residents to avoid these food and have implemented measures to prevent their sale and distribution.

The last two bullet points are important here. The final one says that the government has blocked sales of these foods and prevented their distribution. Translation: You can't buy this stuff legally, so if you don't eat it, there's no problem.


People worried about food safety are advised to search the USA Food & Drug Administrations sites about how many parts per million of rat excrement and bug parts are allowed in our food... You also won't ever want to eat out at a restaurant if you are worried about getting sick from your food either... Trust me, I worked at a restaurant when I was 18 years old. 


Reuters reports Deaths From Food Poisoning Under Reported


The Centers for Disease Control (CRC) in the United States estimate that about 5,200 people there die each year from food poisoning but the Danish researchers believe the true figure could be nearly twice as high.


Also, this delectable article on the FDA:  


An eruption at the Peanut Corporation of America led to at least 9 reported deaths, hundreds of diseases and a huge recall of product. Recently, bagged spinach, tomatoes, jalapenos and raw cookie dough have been linked with food borne diseases. For food safety, people have to follow the guidelines which are given by FDA. 


There's millions of articles like this available for anyone who wishes to do a Google search. Salmonella kills over 1,000 people a year alone in the USA. Deaths from eating radiated spinach or milk in Japan? Zero. 


Trust that this irradiated food has been destroyed and will never reach the market. Your chance of eating it and dying from it are about as high as your chances of winning the lottery. Once again, this is a non-story being inflated by an increasingly desperate mass media. 

HENRY ROLLINS - LIAR

You can read more from a technical publication that blasts this mass media sensationalism in: UK Tech Publication Blasts Sensationalist Reporting on Nuclear Reactor:


The situation at the quake- and tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear powerplant in Japan was brought under control days ago. It remains the case as this is written that there have been no measurable radiological health consequences among workers at the plant or anybody else, and all indications are that this will remain the case. And yet media outlets around the world continue with desperate, increasingly hysterical and unscrupulous attempts to frame the situation as a crisis.


Crisis? Up north for the poor folks in Miyagi and Fukushima, yes. For us in Tokyo? No. Merely an inconvenience in spite of how much people want to believe the sensationalist shrill... 


Next up, killer flu coming to a neighborhood near you.