A friend of mine was stuck on stupid when he commented on the “submissive” Japanese woman. My favorite Japanese comedian, Shimura Ken, shows wears the pants in the house.

 

 Stuck on stupid!: Play Now | Play in Popup | Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I received an email asking about fashion in Japan. Here are two that will get you started:  Fashion & accessories:  http://gw.tv/fw/ravi/index2.phpIf you are looking for intimate items in Japan, try this link:  http://gw.tv/fw/ravi/index2.phpor visit a  Ravijour shop, there is one at the famous Shibuya109 building. I will post more later! 

Reading Japanese websites is a good way to improve your Japanese. A very good dictionary/translation tool is Rikai.com. This site is a fantastic tool for many people learning Kanji but haven’t quite got it down yet. Just type in the website URL you want translated and have the kanji translated for you in English and also its meaning in hiragana or katakana.

There’s a bonus for Firefox users as there are 2 plugins (RikaiXUL or RikaiChan) so you don’t have to access the Rikai site directly for translations.

Rikai.com also translates backward (English to Japanese) and also in other languages (Chinese to English, English to Spanish)

Well now that Black History MONTH is finally over and I no longer see a zillion fast food commercials and the same old commercialization of Blacks deemed safe to represent the Black race, my man Smokey Robinson breaks down the meaning of being a BLACK American. Enjoy!  

Following the allegation that a US Marine Staff Sergeant raped a young girl, I have decided to expand my research of the US-Japan/Okinawa relationship in the hopes of identifying weaknesses in the so-called “mutual” defense treaty and “host” nation support. I will focus on certain crimes committed by USFJ and the various outcomes relating to US-Japan relations.

As so rightly pointed out, the Japanese media and certain political elements have had a great run on pushing their agenda to have the US bases removed, SOFA revamped, and righting the wrongs committed against the citizens of Okinawa. Bear in mind that it “seemed” like the young victim was secondary to the grand scheme to further push a political/economic agenda.

When will the US understand that apologizing BEFORE all the facts are laid out, instituting punishment BEFORE the case is presented, and (un)knowingly criminalizing all US military and civilian personnel due to the action(s) of the few under SOFA-status does nothing more than to fuel or perpetuate the negative stereotypes that the media, certain Okinawain/Japanese citizens, and right-wingers have of the USFJ?

Why do the “experts,” “analysts,” or other Japan pundits not point out “honne - tatemae” like responses in dealing with situations like this? Was the apology due to being guilty of rape or an apology for other charges that the military will use to punish Hadnott under the USMJ? Was it due to a loss of face? Did the USFJ, experts, linguists, and/or other bother to refute the use of language in the Japanese press in identifying the perp as a suspect, criminal, or rapist? What did the girl report? In my eyes Hadnott is definitely guilty of being stupid, unbecoming of a Marine, and for wanting to do X, Y, or Z with a minor. Guilty as charged on those three BUT what is the rest of the story? Please understand that I am not defending this guy but I am questioning how this incident was used to further certain causes.

Why did certain Japanese newspapers give no more than a paragraph or two to report that the Marine was released due to no charges being filed? No charges? No DNA? No evidence? Did the story pan out? Some say a payout/payoff! What? The last “actual” young rape victim that received big press received approximately $9000.00 in “gomen” or” I’m sorry money” (to keep it at the street term). Was this situation too much for a 14-year old and her parent(s) to handle? Most probably yes since she and her family have been blasted in Japanese language blogs and websites.

Wake up people. Nothing is dropped and kept quite in Japan out of respect of the victim UNLESS there was nothing to pursue on the Japanese-side. The media and certain elements would milk this until the cow ran dry. There is much to pursue on the US-side and I hope that the perp gets what he deserves. Whether we hear additional details of this in the media, behind the scenes bargaining is still going on. The only downside is that the Japanese government must now shine the light on the screw up by the Aegis crew / MOD in handling the accident that killed a fisherman and his son.

Stayed tuned, more news coming your way! There is ALWAYS more to the story!

Let me know what you think.

I have blogged about crimes committed by US military personnel and Japan’s knee-jerk reaction in dealing with the United States. The latest incident involves a 22-year old sailor, Olatunbosun Ugbogu, that alledgedly killed a Japanese taxi driver. The fact that the Nigerian national was not spotted reentering and leaving the base is likely to call into question the base’s security system.  Before I get to much into the discussion, there are a few terms that the reader must understand: the Japan-US Joint Committee and the Status of Forces Agreement: (Source:  MAINICHI (Page 3) (Abridged slightly), April 8, 2008) 

Question: When a U.S. deserter from Yokosuka Naval Base was arrested on murder and robbery charges, newspapers reported that he was handed over based on a concurrence of the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee. What does the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee do?

Answer: It serves as a venue for the governments of Japan and the United States to discuss such matters as the use of bases by U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) and the legal status of U.S. service members. It is based on the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, which was concluded based on the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. In the latest case, the U.S. sailor was in the custody of the U.S. military, so the Japanese side sought his handover through the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee, and the U.S. side agreed to do so.

Q: Difficult. What is the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)?

A: It is a treaty specifying arrangements requiring Japan to provide USFJ with facilities and areas and criminal procedures against U.S. service members suspected to have committed crimes. Under the SOFA, the United States is not required to hand over service members before indictment. But a schoolgirl rape incident in Okinawa in 1995 resulted in strong calls in Japan for revision of the SOFA. Given the situation, the U.S. side has decided to hand over even before indictment its service members who are suspected to have committed heinous crimes, such as murder and rape. Since 1995, Japan has made five pre-indictment handover requests through the Joint Committee. Of them, the U.S. side agreed to do so in five cases.

Q: Who are the members of the Joint Committee?

A: The Japanese side is led by the North American Affairs Bureau chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the U.S. side by the USFJ deputy commander. Other Japanese members are mostly senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry. But when, for instance, livestock is affected by a U.S. military drill, senior Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry officials join the committee, and when contamination of soil on a U.S. base becomes a problem, senior Environment Ministry officials do the same. The members meet about twice a month either at a MOFA conference room or the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo’s Minami-azabu in turn.

Q: Is what is determined there made public?

A: Agreements on return of land and other matters are posted in the Defense Ministry’s website, but sensitive military information, such as the sites of U.S. military communications facilities, is not made public. Because vital agreements connected to the Japan-U.S. security setup are reached by this framework, some people call the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee as the “security mafia.”

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An interesting video that I came across the other day. A different take on Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water. What do you think? Zu 

 

 Smoke on the Water - Japan Version: Play Now | Play in Popup | Play Now | Play in Popup | Download