Heat Back on for Japan - China Relations? Guest Post: Tokyo Could be About to Get Bigger by Imogen Reed

   Senkaku or Diaoyou Islands?

Shintaro Ishihara, the much beloved governor of Tokyo, has managed to raise 76 million yen in just five days since launching his crusade to purchase the Senkaku Islands. These donations have come from around 5,500 people across Japan and work out at about a million US dollars. Ishihara’s plan, however, is likely to provoke an international and regional storm as many believe the islands are not Japan’s to sell or buy.

An alternative title for this article could have been “A Game of Rocks,” but that was buying a little too much into a popular TV show. It is, however, quite apt when you think about it. The history of the Senkaku Islands are not long, but they are murky. It is this lack of clarity and agreement that have caused the problems. It is far less clear than other territorial disputes such as the Falkland Islands. It is also one of several island-based disputes involving Japan. The others being the Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Dokdo) and the South Kuril Islands (Chishima Retto).

The Senkaku Islands a group of islands north of Ishigaki Island in the Yaeyama archipelago south of Okinawa, and east of Taiwan. The Yaeyamas are a beautiful range of islands with their own culture and language. They had, however, little to do with the Senkaku Islands, which are so remote they would require courier international services to communicate.  Geographically speaking, the Senkakus are a group of five islands named Uotsuri (Diaoyu), Kuba (Huangwei), Taisho (Chiwei), Minami Kojima (Nan Xiaodao), Kita Kojima (Bei Xiaodao) and three rocks. They are currently uninhabited by humans, but are home to some rare species such as the Okinawa-kuro-oo-ari ant, short-tailed albatross and the Senkaku mole.  

Legal disputes arose in 1951 with the nullification of the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco between Japan and the Allied Powers. The treaty states that Japan relinquishes control of territories that are not historically part of Japan. Though it did allow Japan to keep the Ryukyu and Yaeyama Islands, which were not historically part of Japan until the 19th century.

Taiwan and China, the latter claiming the islands on behalf of a Greater China, believe they were only signed over by the Treaty of Shimonoseki as part of the territory of Formosa (Taiwan) and should therefore be returned. This is where it gets very Japanese and murky. In 1885 Okinawa’s Governor, Nishimura Sutezo, suggested they take the islands, but Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru argued they must be Chinese as they had Chinese names and had been claimed in a Chinese newspaper. When at war with China during the First Sino-Japanese War they decided as there were no settlements on the island, they could be termed uninhabited and therefore uncontrolled.

Since then, one of the islands was used as a bonito canning factory until the company went bust in 1940. After that, the islands have been rented by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications from the owners of the business, the Koga family. They have been administered by the Ishigaki Island government, patrolled by the coastguard, but no one is allowed to set foot on the islands. The reason for this is unknown.

This brings us back to Ishihara’s plan. Under Japanese law, the islands are owned by the Koga family who now live in Saitama. He has been told that if he can raise 200 million yen by the end of the year, he can purchase the islands on behalf of Tokyo. This would make Tokyo the biggest prefecture in terms of distance between its constituent parts. In order to finalise the agreement, Japanese law states that the metropolitan assembly must approve the purchase as the islands are larger than 20,000 square meters in size.

While Ishihara’s move seems to have the approval of Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, experts are warning that the Mayor’s moves can only inflame tensions over the territory. China and Taiwan have already criticised the move. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that “the Diaoyou Islands have been China’s inherent territory since ancient times.”

Regardless of who buys the land, the ownership of the islands will not be decided until the three nations make an actual agreement.

Imogen Reed is a full-time professional writer and researcher.

Guest Post: Japan Edging Towards Sales Tax Hike by Imogen Reed

Life in Japan could be about to get more expensive.

Ichiro Ozawa

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, in a move that could prove how little power a Prime Minister has, has urged Ichiro Ozawa to back his plan to double the sales tax rate. If this comes to pass, it will profoundly affect the ability of people living in Japan to purchase goods, but according to some analysts could save the Japanese economy from oblivion.

Sales Taxes

A sales tax is a government charge added to the value of any goods or services sold. This is different from a Value Added Tax (VAT) as it applies to all rather than just those deemed to be of high quality. Currently, in Japan, as anyone knows, products are subjected to a 5% charge on their value. While products are displayed at their value, without the sales tax included, everyone knows to add 5yen for every 100yen of value. This is why a 100 yen store like Daiso is really a 105 yen store. Well, Daiso is about to become a 110yen store.  A good example of this is fleet insurance. If such insurance normally costs 5,000yen per month, this would work out at 5,250yen including tax, but if sales tax is doubled, this would come to 5,500yen per month.

Hiroshige print

Implications for the People

Japan , along with countries like Norway and Britain, is already one of the most expensive countries in the world. It has, however, been boosted by a high manufacturing level, historically high wages (that are now on the slide) and high liquidity. The purchasing ability of a country’s population is called its purchasing power parity or PPP. This means that a select number of ordinary goods and services are bought in each country around the world and  the amount of money taken to get them is compared. In the International Monetary Fund’s latest PPP examination, Japan has fallen to fourth in the world rankings having been overtaken by India.

There are pros and cons to sales taxes. One of the biggest cons for a sales tax rise in Japan is that it is seen as regressive. This means that the added cost of a product or service hits ordinary people more as they can least afford changes to their budgets.  For many if not most Japanese people, a sense of identity and wealth is displayed through buying luxury goods such as designer handbags, clothes and other brands. By doubling the tax on each of these products, it makes it harder for ordinary people to aspire to these luxuries or even to afford normal products.

The Wider Economy

Japan is a consumer economy. This means that it thrives on the back of making and selling products. It makes cars, computers, game consoles, furniture, books and more delicious types of food than anyone can count. Brands like Apple and Louis Vuitton thrive in Japan unlike anywhere else in the world. It should be noted that these companies will have to make a decision when selling their products. Do they add the extra five yen per 100 to the value of the product and thus pass the cost onto the consumer? Or do they reduce the product’s value in order to absorb the tax and take a cut in profits?

Real GDP growth in Japan

According to Tim Byrne, senior vice-president and regional officer at Moody’s Investors Service, said that Japan needed to increase the sales tax in order to offset spiralling welfare costs and debts. While no one knows the true value of Japan’s debts, Byrne thinks it is time the Japanese government finally started to tackle its structural problems and debts.

“If you don’t increase taxes you’d have to issue more JGBs (Japanese Government Bonds) which moves the day of reckoning closer to the tipping point where markets demand higher risk premiums,” he said. Analysts have been waiting for the tipping point for some time as Japan has sleepwalked towards economic doom.

Nippon Keidanren, the Japanese Business Association, believes that by 2050 Japan will no longer warrant the tag of a developed economy and will suffer sustained negative growth from 2030 onwards. This report coincides with India’s rise above Japan in terms of PPP and China’s rise above Japan in terms of economic power. At the same time, Japan’s population has begun to decline year on year as birth-rates fall as the population ages.

It should be noted that the sales  tax is not the solution to all of Japan’s problems. In the past 20 years a myriad of books have been written on the subject. With Japan’s dwindling population and less job security in the nation, many poorer people are going to be consuming less in the coming years. It is possible that the sales tax will accelerate such a decline and must, therefore, be combined with other economic measures to get the economy back on track.

As for Ozawa, the veteran politician and Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) powerbroker is due to be reinstated to the party after being suspended during his trial. Having been acquitted, he will now return to the party and his control over a number of followers. If Noda can convince Ozawa to tow the party line, he will be able to pass the sales tax hike over the heads of the opposition parties.     - Imogen Reed

Just for Laughs in Japan? Funny Videos That You'd Watch?

I told my dear friend, George Williams over at the www.georgewilliams.jp website to introduce the Just for Laugh website to the Japanese public. I hope he does but am not sure that he will... I would do it but this blog is about Japan, Media and Marketing so I'd like to keep it that way, even though I often variate off course.

Nevertheless, I thought about making my own "Just for Laughs" Japan style as I do own a TV and radio production company and do make videos..... Hmmmm? Maybe it's a nice idea for a hobby! It would have to be a hobby as I can't see how to make money doing it.


Here's three funny videos that fit the the "Just for Laughs" format that I thought you'd enjoy!


I like them. What do you think? 

What do you think? Should I try to do this in Japan? Can I make an interesting show that you'd watch?

Westerners Sign Their Lives Away, Easterners Stamp Their Lives Away - Best Souveniers in Japan

"A signatures always reveals a man's character - and sometimes even his name." - Evan Esar

"Art is the signature of civilizations." - Beverly Sills

"You utter a vow or forge a signature and you may find yourself bound for life to a monastery, a woman or a prison." - Bronislaw Malinowski

Yesterday I went to Yokohama to visit Chinatown to make a "Hanko." A Hanko is also called a "Seal" sometimes and is a personal stamp that is used in many East Asian countries like Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam. What a person's handwritten signature is to a westerner, the Hanko is to the people living in these East Asian countries.

The Hanko is used, like a signature, to prove that you approved any sort of document, art, office paperwork, contracts and things like that. The big difference between a signature in the west and a Hanko in the east is that for a Hanko to be recognized as "official" it must be registered at a local government office. So having your Hanko stamp on something is pretty serious business here.

As with signatures, people are supposed to only have one. So most people only have one Hanko. Every company, too, has a Hanko. Different from signatures that are written differently every time because they are by hand, the Hanko stamp is the same every time. Because signatures vary a lot it seems that there is much more fraud with forged signatures in the west - but I could be wrong about that. 

Everyone in Japan has a Hanko and even lots of kids do too!

As I mentioned, I went to Chinatown to make a Hanko for a new project I am working on. Call me weird but I do believe in luck. After all, I know everyone makes their own luck, right? And, when you feel lucky, you are lucky. So whenever I want to start off on the right foot I want to feel lucky so I make the sojourn to Chinatown in Yokohama to see my friend Tei Hei.

Tei Hei creating one-of-a-kind art

Tei Hei is a cool Chinese guy and he makes the most awesome hand carved Hanko stamps that you've ever seen and he makes them right there in front of your eyes. He is so awesome and his art is so fantastic that he's been featured on many TV programs all over Japan! Tei san uses one of those hobby drills (kind of like a dentist drill) to make personalized Hanko and the artwork is awesomely breathtaking... The speed with which he completes the task is incredible!

The art is etched into the cellphones and smart phones... 

Those aren't stickers, they're etchings!

Tei san also makes some fantastic designs on your cellphones and smart phones to give them that one of a kind personalization. I think those are really cool and want to do that, but I've already dropped my cellphone in the toilet by accident twice so I am a bit hesitant to do that (probably my wife would kill me!)... Have never once dropped my Hanko in the toilet though so my wife doesn't mind me buying a Hanko - a piece of art - that will last a lifetime.

The prices for the Hanko, including stone and artwork, start at an amazingly low ¥2,000 each. I got this one made on onyx stone for ¥3,500. It is beautiful!

I highly recommend Tei san for anyone needing a Hanko or for anyone looking for the best souvenir deal in Japan. Think about it, you can go to any souvenir shop in Japan and spend ¥2,000 on trinkets, key chains and junk (made in China), but where could you buy a one-of-a-kind, only one in the entire world, Hanko with your name on it as a memorial for your trip to Japan? Or, for gifts for your friends back home?

This is Tei Hei's Hanko stand.

Tei san makes the best souvenirs for the price you'll ever see! 

Tei's "shop" is right on the street on the main street through Yokohama's Chinatown. His stand is on Chukka-gai O-dori in front of "Hana Ryu" restaurant. If you go there, copy this address and show it to someone. It's actually easy to find:

丁平　(テイ　ヘイ）

横浜市中区山下町151 (横浜中華街大通り華龍飯店前です)

  

The address in English is:

Tei Hei

Yamashita Cho 151,

Naka-ku, Yokohama

Tel: 080-3083-2802 (I don't know if he speaks English! - Sorry!)

His web page is here: http://www.geocities.jp/cctv13jp/

When you go see Tei Hei san, you tell him the name you want... 

Explain if it is a family name or company. If it is a company, what

kind of business?

There are over 8,000 Chinese Kani and Tei Hei is an expert. He will find 

you the right combination for your name to convey, luck, health and prosperity... 

Then he will write it for you on paper.... 

When you agree, he'll state the price and if you agree, he's off....

It is simply amazing at how beautifully done and fast he makes 

these wonderful Hanko and keepsakes!

Thanks Tei Hei! Five stars for one of the best things to do in Chinatown and a memory that lasts forever!

The Ultimate Japanese Song and Karaoke: Four Minute Taste of the Essence of Japan: 浪花節だよ人生は

Ever wanted to go to Japan but couldn't afford it or just haven't had the chance to? Well, here's your chance, folks. This short blog post will give you one integral part of anyone's vacation to Japan all in just under four minutes.

Kimura Tomomi made this song a standard Enka classic

Ask any foreigner whose ever been to Japan and partied with Japanese people and they will tell you that this, if anything could, captures one slice of the essence of Japan. Laugh now, but it's a Karaoke video. 


Seriously. 


Let me set up the situation for you (as it happened to me!): You've been in Japan for one or two nights and your Japanese friends want to take you out eating and drinking. Of course you want to go and do.

They take you out to Shibuya or Shinjuku or some place that you can't remember the name of. First you go to an Izakaya and eat all sorts of delicious foods that come in all sorts of small plates. Everyone eats a little bit of this and a little bit of that. There's all sorts of foods there. The typical Japanese diet is not just a huge plate with one slab of beef, some mashed potatoes and gravy and bread. The Japanese eat a tine bit of this and that.


Of course you start off drinking beer. Everyone makes a toast and, instead of yelling, "Cheers!" they yell "Kampai!" (You just learned a very important Japanese word!)

Kampai!

After drinking and eating some,  then your Japanese hosts start drinking something else. It's probably sho-chu (Korean liquor). They ask you to try it. Heck, you're in Japan for the first time. What the heck? You'll try anything once. You do. The sho-chu is great! You drink a lot of it.


More food comes and you continue to eat and drink. Everyone is speaking Japanese so you haven't the clue as to what people are talking about and what's really going on, but you don't care... You're having a blast!


Then, it's on to the Japanese sake!


You get tipsy and have to go to the restroom... It's one of your first forays into Japanese world by yourself. The restaurant mama points you in the direction of the restroom. You walk in. You think, "Woah! These rooms are tiny! And what's that water faucet doing over the toilet water tank? Is that water clean?" 


When you return to your table, your friends continue with the festivities. You've eaten and drank to your hearts content. But, no! This is Japan! We have to go to somewhere else! Your friends want to go to Karaoke! You hate Karaoke, but you go anyway.


Outside, as you walk the city, you are blown away by the neon lights and the pretty girls who are just everywhere! What a sensory overload...


And the city is clean and the sidewalks are safe. There is no crime to fear! Heck, the most dangerous person in the entire 1 mile circumference of where you are is probably you!


You get to the Karaoke club. You haven't a clue as to which direction you cam from. The club is a nice place. You go in. You drink more! It's a blast. "Wow! Japanese people are good singers!" You think (but no. They just are used to the controls of the Karaoke machine!) Everyone sings. You watch.


Then, the ultimate "Japanese song" and "Japanese Karaoke Video" comes on.... Like I said, this one video, at least for me, encapsulates the entire thing in just under 4 minutes.

浪花節だよ人生は (Naniwa Bushidayo Jinsei Wa) Suggested viewing? Watch along with drinking beer and sake

Later, your hosts make sure you find your way back to where you are staying... The next day, you wake up with a hangover...


You think, "God! I love Japan! I wish I could stay here forever."

The US Dollar Collapse: World's Larger Economies Make Deals Excluding US Dollar - Japan, China, Russia and India Join in

In an article yesterday, I pointed out that the exemption from the trade embargo with Iran that included Japan and ten European countries (and power house Germany) is just another sign of the collapse of the US dollar and with it, US hegemony - in spite of how the US government spins it. Please refer to: US Oil Embargo on Iran Collapses - Japan and Ten Other Countries Given Exemptions:

How is it possible that the #3 economy in the world (Japan) and the #2 economy in the world (China) not being following rank and file with US imperialist policies could be deemed, "success"? The other countries that are exempted are: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Britain.

…

The US oil embargo against Iran failing is just another piece of evidence of the collapse of the US economy and the US dollar.

Don't forget to throw South Korea into the mix. Even though they are not mentioned, you know that there is no way the South Korean government will sit idly by and be penalized when Japan gets a pass. There's no reason, now, why they should be excluded either!

Sick US Dollar equals end to US hegemony

A regular reader has now written and asked how is it that this news is proof of a dollar collapse (and with it further evidence of a loss of US power)? Well, instead of me explaining it to you. let go to the expert, Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge... (Uh, Tyler is just about always right! It's uncanny!) 


From just January 21 of this year, Zerohedge wrote on this very subject with links to several pertinent articles about Japan, China, Russia and the zeitgeist of the moment. Please refer to: India Joins Asian Dollar Exclusion Zone, Will Transact With Iran in Rupees:

Two weeks ago we wrote a post that should have made it all too clear that while the US and Europe continue to pretend that all is well, and they are, somehow, solvent, Asia has been smelling the coffee. To wit: "For anyone wondering how the abandonment of the dollar reserve status would look like we have a Hollow Men reference: not with a bang, but a whimper... Or in this case a whole series of bilateral agreements that quietly seeks to remove the US currency as an intermediate. Such as these: "World's Second (China) And Third Largest (Japan) Economies To Bypass Dollar, Engage In Direct Currency Trade", "China, Russia Drop Dollar In Bilateral Trade", "China And Iran To Bypass Dollar, Plan Oil Barter System", "India and Japan sign new $15bn currency swap agreement", and now this: "Iran, Russia Replace Dollar With Rial, Ruble in Trade, Fars Says."" Today we add the latest country to join the Asian dollar exclusion zone: "India and Iran have agreed to settle some of their $12 billion annual oil trade in rupees, a government source said on Friday, resorting to the restricted currency after more than a year of payment problems in the face of fresh, tougher U.S. sanctions." To summarize: Japan, China, Russia, India and Iran: the countries which together account for the bulk of the world's productivity and combined are among the biggest explorers and producers of energy. And now they all have partial bilateral arrangements, and all of which will very likely expand their bilateral arrangements to multilateral, courtesy of Obama's foreign relations stance which by pushing the countries into a corner has forced them to find alternative, USD-exclusive, arrangements. But yes, aside from all of the above, the dollar still is the reserve currency... if only in which to make calculations of how many imaginary money one pays in exchange for imaginary 'developed world' collateral.

....

Who's this India country anyway?

India, the world's fourth-largest oil consumer, relies on Iran for about 12 percent of its imports or 350,000-400,000 barrels per day (bpd) and is Tehran's second-biggest oil client after China. But Washington has snapped tighter financial sanctions on Iran and wants Asia, Tehran's biggest oil market, to cut imports in a bid to pressure the Islamic nation to rein in its nuclear ambitions, which it suspects are aimed at making weapons.

Read more here at the same article and see where Turkey, a NATO member is about to join the dollar "unluck" exclusion club.


The dollar is collapsing and with it, more than a century and a half of US dominance, imperialism and hegemony is coming to an end... Proof that so many countries can snub the US with this current embargo and get away with it shows that everyone smells the coffee too in spite of US government posturing. 


All along the way, though, the US government (and Europe) does everything it can to shoot itself in the foot.

US Oil Embargo on Iran Collapses - Japan and Ten Other Countries Given Exemptions

Great news! As I wrote in a post on Jan. 10 of this year, Japan is out of the oil embargo against Iran. In spite of US government bluster and threats, this news has just been confirmed... Signed, sealed and delivered.

Japan pledges to buy "less" oil from Iran... Please define what "less" means?

The New York Times reports in US Exempts Japan and 10 Other Countries From Sanctions Over Iran Oil:

The Obama administration on Tuesday exempted Japan and 10 European nations from the prospect of biting sanctions intended to punish countries that continue to buy oil from Iran, but it left open the fate of other major importers, including China, India and South Korea. The sanctions, ordered by Congress late last year to intensify diplomatic and economic pressure over Iran's nuclear activities, have put the administration in the difficult position of threatening to punish some of the United States' closest allies while it seeks to squeeze Iran's main source of hard currency.

The part where it states, "...but it left open the fate of other major importers, including China, India and South Korea" is complete nonsense. The last country that can afford a trade war with China is the United States. 


The article continues with the often used Orwellian spin by the US government over the failure of US policy in the next paragraph:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who announced the exemptions in a statement, cast them as evidence of the success of the new sanctions because the countries had cut imports. The United States, she said, was making progress in “shrinking Iran’s oil export markets and isolating its Central Bank from the world financial system.”

How is it possible that the #3 economy in the world (Japan) and the #2 economy in the world (China) not being following rank and file with US imperialist policies could be deemed, "success"? The other countries that are exempted are: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Britain.

Yeah. That's a really successful policy by the US government when the biggest economies of the world don't participate. Who is Hillary Clinton kidding? 

This news, while expected, about non-participation of Japan is welcomed. Like I said, in spite of bluster and much back-room negotiations, Japan had already stated two months ago that they would not participate. Please refer to: Japan Finally Grows Some Balls: Oil Embargo Against Iran is an Act of War - Japan, China and S. Korea Opt Out:

Good News! Centuries of American hegemony and imperialism have just been given a black eye. Japan, following China's and South Korea's announcement, has stated that it will not abide by an oil embargo against Iran. It is the right choice. 

I think that Japan would know a thing or two about how oil embargoes lead to war. The USA under Franklin Delano Roosevelt instituted an oil embargo against Japan that lead to the moderate Japanese government of the time being ousted for a more hard line militarist government that soon lead Japan into total war.

...

Think about it. Of course Japan has to say "No!" Not only do embargoes start wars, Japan just suffered through the nightmare of March 11, 2011. The earthquake, tsunami and then Fukushima nuclear disasters leading to half of all of Japan's electrical needs being stopped due to nuclear power plant's termination of service. Throw on top of that reconstruction costs and you have a Japan that cannot afford to pay higher bills for oil!

The US oil embargo against Iran failing is just another piece of evidence of the collapse of the US economy and the US dollar.


Hopefully, cool heads will prevail and we can start having peace break out and, instead of threats and bluster, sitting at tables and talking in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Beautiful Mt. Fuji March 21, 2012

Here's a wonderful photo of Mt. Fuji on the morning of March 21, 2012.

Credit: Highland Ringdahl

Do you want to see many more beautiful photos of Japan? Refer to:

Old Photos of Japan

Stupid Foreigners in Japan! The 97% of bad apples spoil it for the rest of the 3% - When in Japan, do as the Japanese do in spite of yourself

Being a foreigner in Japan is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you are allowed to slide by the locals if you make some faux pas when it comes to courtesy or business manners. Because you are a foreigner, there's all sorts of rules that you might not be expected to know and follow. As long as you are sincere and show that you are making the effort to assimilate and do like the Romans do, then the Japanese are quite forgiving for minor transgressions. In fact, the smart foreign businessman can use this to great advantage.


I have many times. I find that being a foreigner is a huge advantage.


On the other hand, because you are a foreigner, there's all sorts of things you probably cannot or won't be allowed to do. It's not as bad as it used to be but some of those things are things you'd take for granted back home like renting an apartment, getting a bank loan or getting a good job even!


It's hard to try to make a living when you are a foreigner in Japan. Not only do you have to deal with language problems and a Japanese language that changes everyday, no matter what you do, you can't change your face. So no matter how much you try to assimilate, study the language, learn the customs and drink like a fish you'll always be a foreigner.

In spite of what of what foreigners think, this guy at least doesn't sully the image of foreigners like today's examples do. Who cares if this image is of a straight laced foreigner bumpkin? The Japanese see him as a cartoon character. 

Not only is the mere fact of being a foreigner a double edge sword, we have these dumbsh*t foreigners all around us here who are messing things up for the rest of us.


I've often said on my radio program that, "日本にいる外国人は９７％いいかげん" (Nihon ni iru gaijin 97% ha ikagen) which translates to "97% of all foreigners in Japan are undependable (or useless)." 


You folks think I jest, but I don't. I do think most foreigners in Japan are pretty useless and I think you cannot depend on most of them at all. Heck, look who's talking! I think I can't depend on me too many times! Especially when it comes to raising kids! (Oh parenthood and the irresponsibilities that come with it!) But what some of these other foreigners do is just unbelievable!

Looking like a stoner in the west might be cool. In Japan? 

One might say that "A few bad apples spoil it for the rest." Not in the case of foreigners in Japan. The vast majority are screwing it up for the minority of us who are trying to fit in and not raise too much hell and be good neighbors. 


In Japan the group is very important. Westerners have a hard time understanding this. But your actions will affect the group whether you like it or not. Like I said, it's hard enough trying to fit in and make a living without the peanut gallery screwing things up for the rest of us.


And speaking about screwing up. In today's news, TODAY, there's two stories about two dipsh*t foreigners who have screwed up big time. 


First from the Japan Times:

Ex-TV personality held over rape, robbery

A 25-year-old former TV personality who had been accused of robbery and injury in another case was rearrested Wednesday on suspicion of raping and robbing a woman after breaking into her apartment in Tokyo, police said.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Alexander Lee Dela Fuente broke into the Ota Ward apartment of the woman in her 20s at about midnight on June 28. He chloroformed her until she became unconscious, and then raped her and stole 5,000 yen and a cash card, police said.

Moron! He did this for ¥5,000!? I'm speechless.

This is bad for my business as it just makes the Japanese suspicious of foreign TV & radio talent and foreigners in general. What Alexander doesn't realize is that, besides never getting a TV job again, his former management agency just got a massive black mark and things like this cause agencies to go bankrupt and people to lose their jobs. You know, like people who have kids to feed?

Like I said, foreigners need to understand how actions here affect the group. Had this clown still been a TV reporter, committing a crime like this would cause the entire show to be cancelled. That means a bunch of staff people, cameramen, writers, lighting people, assistants (people with children and rents to pay) all lose their jobs.  Several years ago I caught a guy on one show I produced doing drugs. I fired him from the show on the spot. I had to. If he got caught by the police, our show would have ended immediately and everyone would be out of a job. Once again, everyone had families to feed and responsibilities. I couldn't take the risk. I had no choice but to fire him right then and there.

The next story about "Gaijin F's Up Big Time!" comes from the Japan Times Online. This story is especially damaging and I also have a unique interest in this case. It is about a star player on the Japanese Basketball league who has gotten arrested for importing more than a kilogram of marijuana to Japan. He did it in the mail for chrissakes! What an idiot!

(Er, by the way, did I mention that 97% of all foreigners in Japan are useless and undependable? I did? Okay. Thanks.)

Why I am interested in this story is because the Japanese basketball league has been struggling for years to make a dent in this country. Just this year it looked as if they had turned the corner. I went to their all-star game at Saitama arena and the place was packed with 14,000 paying guests! It was a great time!

Next year the league is going to expand and a new team is being started in Tokyo. The fans and the media have great expectations. I had great expectations as they are slated to use my company to sell tickets to their games, so not only do I have a fan's interest, I have a small financial interest.

Now, on today's news, I see a familiar face! Why, isn't that the guy who won the MVP award at the all-star game I was just at with my son a few weeks ago? By golly, it is!

The  Japan Times Online reports in Evessa's Washington Arrested in Drug Case:

Osaka Evessa power forward Lynn Washington, the most famous player in bj-league history, was arrested at 10:20 a.m on Tuesday for alleged involvement in the importation of between 1 kg and 1.5 kg of marijuana, media reports stated the same day.

Washington was booked by Osaka Prefectural Police on Tuesday, according to published reports. His 32-year-old wife, Dana, was arrested last month, it was reported.

 In November, Washington's wife's name was on a package that allegedly contained marijuana and was shipped to Osaka from the United States. The marijuana had an estimated street value of up to ¥9 million, according to news reports.

For Washington, a two-time bj-league MVP, a Cannabis Control Law violation could signal the end of his career in Japan, and a decline for one of the league's great teams.

League spokesman Akihiro Ejima said a meeting is planned for Thursday, and representatives of all 19 teams will be included to discuss this issue. It essentially boils down to this: How will the league handle what has become incredibly bad publicity for a circuit that is struggling to capture the public's attention?

See? The actions of this incredibly dumb foreigner have now damaged the livelihood of basically everyone in the league and their families. What an a*shole! I've written before how screwing around with pot in Japan is a good way to get free room and board at the local penitentiary, no ifs ands or buts!... But a professional basketball player shipping this stuff from the USA through the postal service? 

That's like walking around with a sticker on your head that says, "Arrest me!"

Hopeless! 

I don't really have any snappy ending to this post. I guess I could just say a few things...

It's hard enough to make a living anywhere in the world, even if you are a local. In Japan, us foreigners have all sorts of disadvantages - as well as advantages. I'm the type of guy who, in spite of myself, likes to put the best foot forward. All I can say is that, "This is Japan." If you want to smoke marijuana, you shouldn't be here. It doesn't matter if you think the laws are wrong or that marijuana isn't bad for you. That's besides the point. Marijuana is against the law and they will throw you in jail for possession.

If you want to rob or rape, or commit any type of crimes, and you are a foreigner, then Japan isn't ideal for that either. Know why? Pssst! Don't look now, but as a foreigner, you stick out like a sore a*shole. It's not like you are going to steal a purse and then run into a crowd of Japanese and disappear while you blend in.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Japan, do as the Japanese do. If you are not going to assimilate, then please do the rest of us a favor and leave. You won't be missed.


NOTE: The purpose of this post isn't to bash foreigners in Japan, per se. It is, hopefully, to serve as a warning to people. Everyone makes mistakes. I've made way more than I care to remember. But through these mistakes, we learn. I see these people who were arrested and shake my head. Of course I've never committed a crime that involved a victim, but I have done many things that were illegal and that I am ashamed of. I hope, in my probably most confused thinking, that someone might read this and think carefully about what they are doing while living here in Japan... Like I pointed out, your actions will not only affect you and your life, it will affect others that you work with and care about. Remember that.