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With more than 99 percent of indictments leading to convictions, Japan has a reputation for being tough on crime. What that figure does not take into account, however, is that prosecutors are hesitant to bring cases to trial unless they can be assured a conviction.
The Ministry of Justice recently released figures for 2007 that showed only 43.6 percent of all criminal cases went to trial. And the figure is even lower — 13.3 percent — for criminal charges against personnel connected to the U.S. military.
The data …

Zurui: I don’t know if “Made in China” has the same ring to an aircraft carrier but this is one Chinese product other than tainted gyoza that will catch the attention of Tokyo. It should also give Aso and the next prime minister (PM) of Japan (I think a new PM will be in place before Golden Week) firepower to expand the might of Japan’s Self Defense Forces (SDF). With the current fence-sitting and back-and-forth from Tokyo regarding the SDF’s role in combatting piracy off the coast of Somalia, I …

The Stars & Stripes reports that the Japanese government has decided to allocate $689 million during the next fiscal year for projects related to realigning U.S. forces in Japan.
According to an announcement late Wednesday by the Ministry of Defense, about $345 million will be set aside for moving about 8,000 Marines and their families to Guam, a move expected to be complete in 2014.
That’s a sharp increase from the $4 million allocated for the project in the 2008 budget.
Also included in the budget is $93.9 million for construction of a …

I received an email from a college student asking me to recommend books on Japan. Below are five books that I use for research and teaching. 

The African-American Encounter with Japan & China, Black Internationalism in Asia, 1895-1945 (Gallicchio)
African-American Views of the Japanese (Kearney)
Japan Rising (Pyle)
Japan’s Reluctant Realism (Green)
Japanese the Manga Way (Lammers)

Click here for additional recommendations, and my views, on Japan! If you are interested in purchasing any of the books, you can order via Amazon (and help Black Tokyo earn a small commission which will be used to pay …

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The Japanese Foreign Ministry distributed to journalists in late November a paper titled: “Dispel five misunderstandings about the incoming Obama administration and Japan-U.S. relations.” The paper lists five growing concerns…

Observing Japan posts a follow-up to “The alliance is dead, long live the alliance.” After seeing the response to my recent post on the US-Japan alliance, I find it necessary to develop a few ideas further…
First, MTC rightly points out that an alliance based on the partnership of Japanese conservatives and their counterparts in Washington is by no means doomed, because the organizations pushing this line “deal death as a matter of course. They will not be deterred by mere logic, economic constraints or human feeling.” I fully grant this point. …

In a special to The Japan Times, Robert Dujarric (Director of the Institute of Contemporary Japanese Studies at Temple University Japan, Tokyo) writes: 
Japan’s ruling establishment hoped that John McCain, surrounded by “friends of Japan,” would win the race to the White House. Conservative commentators fear that President-elect Barack Obama will neglect Japan while paying too much attention to China.
These concerns are unfounded. There is no evidence that the Japan-U.S. alliance fares better under Republicans than Democrats. Although there are real reasons for Tokyo to worry about relations with the United …

DPJ Leaders and National Security Figures from US Democratic Party Hold Talks with an Eye on Administration Transitions

That is the headline for this Sankei report. According to the article, Naoto Kan, Yukio Hatoyama, Katsuya Okada, Seiji Maehara—the DPJ’s four ex-leaders—and other DPJ members met national security figures from the Democratic Party yesterday at a hotel in Tokyo. Hatoyama even held a press conference, where he explained, “We received a valuable piece of indication that it is important to deepen exchanges between the U.S. Democratic Party and the DPJ.”
So who were these Democratic figures? …

This is a good read but I have a few differences of opinion. Nothing new, right? I always find something to disagree with. Anyway, I will save my banter for later and will only say that the “elites” of Japan need to learn how to multitask and focus on Japan’s security by supporting a structure that is beneficial to both Japan and their allies. I am really sick and tired of the bitching and moaning from the LDP and DPJ politicians. Most of these guys need to retire anyway.
To ensure …

I have previously blogged about Japan slowly returning to “normal nation” status in the international community. I believe that Japan’s Self Defense Force (SDF) will play a larger role “militarily” in the years to come, especially since there is nervous talk in Tokyo regarding the US-Japan security relationship. The article below is another example of how Japan will test the constitutional waters regarding the SDF’s use of force.

This in from the ASAHI : The government, now studying measures [to protect Japanese tankers and other commercial ships] against pirates that are rampant …

BT’ers are probably familiar with my views/comments on the 1995 rape of the 12-year old Okinawan girl. I will not comment on the film since I have not watched it.
“Never let them forget.”
That’s the tagline for “The First Breath of Tengan Rei,” a new independent film that focuses on an Okinawa woman who travels to Chicago to confront two Marines who abducted, raped and left her for dead a decade ago.
And if the story line sounds familiar, it should. The directors loosely based some of the plot on a 1995 …

I am afraid that Japan might head in a direction that will tie its hands tighter because of its masochistic view of history that is gripping Japan today. I am concerned that unless someone stops it, Japan might fall in the near future.

Zurui: Tamogami holds no punches in his interview. His view of white nations has been “quietly” discussed at various levels of government and I am extremely curious how this will play out in the Japanese media. I am also very curious curious to hear what he thinks of President-elect …

Japanese government officials believe that the Alliance Transformation and Realignment Agreement (ATARA) between the U.S. government and Japan should be revisited and reviewed, which would cause a delay in the relocation of 8,000 U.S. Marines to Guam.
And apparently, President-elect Barack Obama’s diplomatic staff agree.
Democratic Party of Japan vice president Seiji Maehara said recently that President-elect Barack Obama’s diplomatic staff considers the proposed relocation plans of Marines from the Futenma base to Camp Schwab in Nago, “unfeasible,” according to the Mainichi Shimbun. 
Maehara had met with Obama representatives during a June visit to …

Michael Auslin’s new report (with Christopher Griffin) is up at the AEI website: The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era.
For nearly five decades, the U.S.-Japanese alliance has underwritten peace and security in the Asia Pacific. The alliance has allowed for the forward basing of tens of thousands of American troops and cooperation between the two countries on a wide range of security issues. The alliance is being tested today by the economic and military rise of China, the continuing crisis in North Korea, and the struggle to maintain the tide of …

Punishment for drunken drivers will become dramatically tougher under proposed revisions to the enforcement regulations of the Road Traffic Law coming into effect next June, the National Police Agency (NPA) said.
Under the new rules, those found with 0.25 milligrams or more of alcohol per liter of breath will receive a penalty of 25 points from their license, up from 13, and lose it on the spot. Between 0.15 and less than 0.25 milligrams will incur 13 points instead of 6, earning a 90-day suspension.
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The Justice Ministry has released statistics showing the numbers of cases indicted and dropped over crimes and other incidents involving U.S. military personnel in 2007. Public prosecutors indicted 48.6% of all cases, including those violating the Road Traffic Law and other specific laws. However, when it comes to criminal cases like robberies and thefts, the indictment rate was extremely low at 13.3%. 
In the breakdown of indicted crimes, traffic law violations were overwhelming at 286 cases, followed by vehicular manslaughters at 30 cases and bodily injuries at 7 cases. Among dropped …

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Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq 
Preamble 
The United States of America and the Republic of Iraq, referred to hereafter as “the 
Parties”: 
Recognizing the importance of: strengthening their joint security, contributing to world 
peace and stability, combating terrorism in Iraq, and cooperating in the security and 
defense spheres, thereby deterring aggression and threats against the sovereignty, 
security, and territorial integrity of Iraq and against its democratic, federal, and 
constitutional system; 
Affirming that …

The government is considering special legislative measures to send Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to waters off the coast of Somalia in order to guard commercial freighters against pirates. The MSDF’s antipiracy operations would be limited to offshore areas near the Somalia coast. The MSDF would guard not only Japanese commercial ships but also foreign ships. The government will decide whether to present a bill to the Diet at its next ordinary session after seeing the attitude of the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto). The planned legislation will likely …

The Japan Times reports that Liberal Democratic Party member Taro Kono said Thursday he has submitted a proposal to an LDP panel he heads calling for the Nationality Law to be revised to allow offspring of mixed couples, one of whom being Japanese, to have more than one nationality. The panel will scrutinize the proposal, but there is no time limit to formalize it as “this is not something that needs to be done anytime soon,” he said.
Under the current system, Japan, in principle, requires Japanese nationals who also hold citizenship in another country to choose one or …

On Election Day in the United States, several hundred people, including American diplomats, scholars, journalists, and government officials, gathered at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo’s Toranomon district to watch CNN’s live coverage of the election results on the large screen.
An American woman shed tears as she watched Barack Obama declare victory in the battle to become the president of the United States on January 20. A  Japanese Foreign Ministry official said bewilderedly: “This is not necessarily good for Japan.”
The reason the official was worried is because the Foreign Ministry’s North …

Japan, U.S. to carry out basic review of Korean contingency tactics, focusing on over a dozen items, including selection of airports 
It has been learned that the Japanese and U.S. governments have begun to work on a basic review of the joint tactical plan of the U.S forces and the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) for meeting a regional contingency, such as a Korean Peninsula emergency, as well as a Japan emergency. This was revealed on Nov. 10 by multiple informed sources. More than a dozen items from the plan are up for …

Thank you Veterans for your loyal service to the United States of America. Please know that we most deeply appreciate the sacrifices you have made to keep America and its allies free.
Semper Fidelis!
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Here is a follow-up to an earlier post, Seijigiri #50, by Trans Pacific Radio’s Seijiri - Politics.
Now that Barack Obama is the President-elect of the United States, Seijigiri co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley are back with a look at how the Obama presidency might work within the context of the US/Japan alliance.
This release is broken into three broad categories: First, the background of the US/Japan alliance is considered. Second, the expectations of an Obama administration itself are examined. Finally, our co-hosts consider what impact changes in Japanese domestic politics …