Ex-pat gaijin doctor working in Japanese hospital marries local girl, they have a child. Wife’s gangster family coerces her to make a surprise return to the fold, leave husband and take the child too, with no further contact. Husband initiates court proceeding to try to get the child back, files complaint with Japanese police. Police warn the gangster family of the impending complaint, gangster family retaliates with death threats, breaking and entering, destruction of property, and a brick (and boots) to the face. No criminal charges will be filed (my WAG, but I’ve seen enough of the same to know the score).
I really do hope this becomes a big news story and political pressure comes to bear on the wrongdoers.
Now some might say that I’m a just a low-life cultural imperialist, forcing my views upon the peaceful island nation of Japan. But that’s not it. If the shoe was on the other foot, and it was an alleged gaijin who attacked a Japanese, the police would be scouring the neighborhood for clues. The story would be on the evening news and in all the newspapers. But since it’s the (more common) reverse situation, we won’t hear a peep about it.
I dimly remember my senior year Japanese politics class and the research I did for my term paper. Calling the Japanese system alarmingly corrupt and racist would be something of an understatement. That’s a really horrible situation.
While I agree that in the reverse situation the media and police would be all over the place, I’m not sure to what extent racism is playing a role in the police response. The Japanese police turn a blind eye to gangster activity in general unless pressure is put on them.
Brutha, you know nothing of the Japanese if you think they are somehow more intelligent and “englightened.” They like to present themselves this way, nothing more. Their actual history is one of the more ignoble stories of violence and tyranny in history, punctuated by irregular violence against the Koreans since the Bronze Age. And to this day they largely refuse to acknowledge they and the Koreans are probably descended from the same culture and people.
One of my friends spent some time in Japan and on his first day there, met a Japanese guy standing on a train platform. The Japanese guy asked me friend where he was from, and my friend replied that he was American.
“I hate Americans!” the Japanese guy sputtered, “they’re so racist! They treat black people terribly just because they’re stupid!”
Japanese history doesn’t go back to the bronze age. When China and Korea were going through the bronze age, the islands of Japan were occupied by stone age hunter-gatherers. The idea that the Japanese have been terrorizing Korea since the Bronze Age is especially silly because during the Bronze age the ancestors of modern day Japanese were the same Koreans you claim they were terrorizing. They could have been terrorizing themselves, I suppose.
I like how the first part of the story criticizes Obama for not doing anything about the situation, then illustrates how terrible it is with a long story about an Australian.
Damn Obama for not fighting for the Australians! What did we elect him for, if not to fight for Australian’s rights in Japan?
That website is maintained for the benefit of all parents who have suffered the loss of their children under Japan’s legal system, regardless of their nationality. The Obama visit was of special interest this last week because it was hoped that he might make mention of the recent plight of Christopher Savoie, a US citizen. In fact several US congressmen had signed a letter urging him to do so. See here:
It was not an unreasonable way to preface the case, in my opinion, if you know the background (although I think the article is poorly written myself, and I would like for more facts and less hyperbole)
Thanks for the info, Isamu. I recognized that there was a legitimate reason for wanting Obama to speak up on the matter, I just thought it was poor writing to illustrate with an example about an Australian man.
What happened to this man is certainly horrible and deplorable, but the story might have had more impact re: Obama had it been about Mr. Savoie.
It’s an outrageous story, and the kind of thing you’d think either the Australian or English-language Japanese press would be all over at the very least. But they aren’t and the sole source for the story remains a post on a blog hosted by a group with an axe to grind (albeit a legitimate one). I’d really like some kind of neutral, outside confirmation of the story (especially before I sent money as some are doing).
100% understandable, of course. There are some people on Debito’s webpage saying just that. I don’t think it’s outrageous to want a bit more info on the case before donating.
That having been said, the CRNJapan seem to do quite a bit of good and I’m sure they’re not exagerrating the story (though they could have posted a better article) or anything. And Debito was just posting it to his blog to get word out there further. He’s got a pretty good track record as an activist for foreign rights in Japan.
Also, It has not been my experience that things like this end up being covered well in the English-language Japanese press. They’re usually not covered at all and, if they are, the articles are mostly short blurbs or translated with important details left out.
Anyway, keep an eye on the issue and see what develops!
I’ve lived here for 20 years, and haven’t seen anything like this, or heard about it from any of my friends.
This is not to say that Japanese aren’t racist, and that many or most Japanese look up to Caucasians but not so for blacks and certain other races.
However, the story doesn’t fit with typical Japanese behavior. Walking up to an unknown American to start an unprovoked criticism just doesn’t happen, especially from the few percent of adult men who speak English that well.
More damning is the supposed irony of a Japanese person so racist, but claiming to hate Americans for racism. This is simply urban legend material.
For the OP, I don’t know, it’s possible, maybe. The police here are not terrible competent and tend to not get involved in family issues. The article is poorly written, though, and leaves a lot of questions, such as why the man went to the police on his own and without his attorney. It’s also not clear on what he wanted the police to do, or what was denied.
It’s too hard to guess what is happing from just what’s written here.
Well my friend said the other guy was pretty drunk at the time, but if you want to call bullshit on it you’ll have to talk to him. Also, they were conversing in Japanese, not English.
