Archive for October, 2007

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto & the US Supreme Court

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling today is expected to put a halt on all executions of criminals by lethal injection for the time being, and one of the judges who made the ruling was influenced by his role in the death of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto:

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago in 1941, Stevens enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 6, 1941, hours before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He later won a bronze star for his service as a cryptographer, after he helped break the code that informed American officials that Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander of the Japanese Navy and architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, was about to travel to the front. Based on the code-breaking of Stevens and others, U.S. pilots, on Roosevelt’s orders, shot down Yamamoto’s plane in April 1943.

Stevens told me he was troubled by the fact that Yamamoto, a highly intelligent officer who had lived in the United States and become friends with American officers, was shot down with so little apparent deliberation or humanitarian consideration. The experience, he said, raised questions in his mind about the fairness of the death penalty. “I was on the desk, on watch, when I got word that they had shot down Yamamoto in the Solomon Islands, and I remember thinking: This is a particular individual they went out to intercept,” he said. “There is a very different notion when you’re thinking about killing an individual, as opposed to killing a soldier in the line of fire.” Stevens said that, partly as a result of his World War II experience, he has tried on the court to narrow the category of offenders who are eligible for the death penalty and to ensure that it is imposed fairly and accurately. He has been the most outspoken critic of the death penalty on the current court.

[HT to my brother for pointing out this interesting historical relationship!]

Nova President Sahashi’s Ridiculously Luxurious Office

It seems that every day since the collapse of Nova brings new discoveries of shady practices by its president and management. Today the press discovered the palace-like private office Nozomu Sahashi built for himself at the company’s expense [hats off to FTV's news staff for adding the dramatic music]:

The whereabouts of Sahashi, dismissed from the Nova board last Thursday, remains unknown.

Higashibata also allowed the media inside the Nova president’s room at the company’s administrative headquarters in Osaka. “We show this as an example of his (Sahashi) calling the company his own,” he said.

At the back of the red-carpeted reception room of the 330-square-meter executive suit on the 20th floor of the building is a luxury private space including a dining room with a large-screen TV, a bathroom with a sauna, a Japanese-style tea room and a room with a double bed.

Oh, and in other Sahashi news, it’s been found that he probably unfairly profited from sales of overpriced video phones used for Nova lessons. Ripping off students with overpriced products? Who would have thought!

Japanese Troops in Afghanistan?

Japan’s naval refueling mission in support of the multi-national mission in Afghanistan has ended, after it became apparent that Ichiro Ozawa’s DPJ would not support the renewal of the mission. Ozawa rejected the mission, apparently because it does not have UN backing, and has instead suggested that Japan send some GSDF troops to join the ground mission in Afghanistan.

Ozawa, who is known as a shrewd politician and is pushing for an early general election, has said that officially pacifist Japan should not be part of “American wars.”

“I told him that I cannot approve of it,” Ozawa told reporters. “We need to have principles, which means that unless it’s part of UN operations, it would not be possible.”

If Ozawa got his wish and Japanese troops joined the ISAF ground forces in Afghanistan, what kind of situation would they be facing? Assuming that they were sent to Kabul, one of the safest areas of the country, they’d still be facing the constant threat of terrorist attacks. For a close up look at the situation, NTV sent a reporter on patrol with some British troops:

Could Japanese troops, who are usually placed under heavily restrictive rules of engagement, properly function in a situation where any civilian vehicle could be a suicide bomber? Would the Japanese people be able to handle having GSDF members killed in action?

Government to Promote Adopt a Nova Teacher – Workstay Program.

With the collapse of the largest English conversation chain in Japan throwing thousands of foreigners out of a job, and often out of a place to reside, the Japan government announced today that it will sponsor, with public funds, a relief program to provide food, shelter and employment to hungry homeless former Nova teachers by putting them up in workstays across rural Japan

The project that will be largely funded by the government at first, is expected to eventually pay big dividends. It is also expected to promote rural revitalization efforts and is in line with other programs already in place by the Agricultural and Health ministries. It will also give young, non Japanese, a taste of rural living, along with satisfying the labor shortage among farming and fishing households across Japan,

“This program will further enhance the internationalization of the Japanese countryside by bringing together two needs, the need for jobs, and food by former Nova teachers and the need for slave labor and entertainment among rural households” said an Education Minister. “We will be killing two birds with one stone. Instead of payment of unemployment insurance and welfare, from public funds to idol teachers, the farming households will subsidize the program by providing food for the foreigners and make payments for their labor to local government coffers, which are badly in need of additional revenue given the depopulation and dire straits of the countryside.”

It is expected that the former teachers (who many may have never experienced living in a rural setting) may find the physical labor demands on them to be strenuous compared to what they have been used to doing. Besides sitting in a classroom all day, possibly only exerting themselves occasionally to escape from a policemen or a stalker, most have not lead particularly active lives in Japan up till now. “This real work will improve their health, and their attitude, and let them see firsthand what living in the Japan countryside is really like, dispelling stereotypes and misconceptions” said a government spokesperson.

Some will be distributed to mountainous regions to assist with harvesting activities and construction work, others may be called to help out with undermanned fishing operations, some others may be assigned road clearance tasks. “It will be up to each individual to perform the tasks required to the best of their ability, if they don’t they can just go back to their home countries”, added another minister, “We have no particularly good feeling about helping non-Japanese with public funds that everyone’s taxes support. That money is needed for expanding territorial claims against neighboring countries or to support cultural icons like dolphin and whale slaughter, it is a waste to give it to Gaijins to buy imported beer and strange foreign foods” added another high ranking administration official.

Many rural areas of Japan have never closely experienced living in close proximity to a non Japanese person, so it will be a good chance for them to practice their English, compare cultural differences, and get some help with the more demanding tasks the government refuses to pay for.

Many rural households are not able to find suitable marriage partners, this has been a growing problem over the years. These young people from overseas are enthusiastic breeders and good entertainers, they will add a very energetic element into the aging, inbred, and depopulating countryside of Japan.

Government spokesman were very enthusiastic about promoting this ‘adopt a teacher’ campaign. They want everyone to understand it solves a problem for everyone concerned. Your government is working for the best interests of all. Please participate enthusiastically.

JSDF F-2B Fighter Explodes at Nagoya Airport

Fiery video, and the story from the Associated Press/CNN:

A Japanese fighter jet crashed an instant after takeoff and went up in flames Wednesday at an airport in central Japan, leaving the two pilots with minor injuries, an official for aircraft’s manufacturer said.

The F-2B fighter was on a test flight prior to delivery to Japan’s air force when it crashed, said Hideo Ikuno, a spokesman for the Daiya public-relations firm representing the plane’s maker, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Footage on commercial broadcaster TV Asahi showed the jet taking off from the runway in Nagoya, only to suddenly tip downward and skid along the ground in flames. National broadcaster N-H-K showed the pilots jumping from the burning plane.

Gravure Idol Nonami Takizawa in Rural China

A promotional video from a gravure photo shoot held by Japanese idol Nonami Takizawa in rural China:

The story is covered over at Global Voices Online and FG, where I noticed that Chinese bloggers have incorrectly labeled Ms. Takizawa as an AV idol (porn star), when she is in fact nothing more than a gravure idol (swimsuit model). According to CNET Asia, the Chinese netizens upped a the promotional video to a video site, inciting outrage over an immoral “AV girl” polluting China with her photo shoot:

In the 7 short hours this video has been up, it has amassed almost 5,000 comments from mostly outraged Chinese netizens. Some insightful, some downright racist, some just plain old angry.

What Takizawa and her crew were trying to do here, I have no clue. This was a very insensitive thing to do, on so many levels. I certainly hope this is not a case of intentionally creating a controversy as a means of promoting their product. They are definitely getting the attention of Chinese netizens right now, whether they like it or not.