on cultural generalizations

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Matt

Some people say stuff like this …

Japanese use chopsticks.

Okay, that’s probably true. I mean, I actually have met some Japanese that don’t, believe it or not. But it’s a harmless, certainly useful, generalization. If you’re going to Japan, you’d better get some practice.

Now try this one …

Japanese are honest.

Okay, I mean, perhaps there are some Japanese that are dishonest. But I have no reason to think other than most Japanese are honest — that’s been my experience. This is harmless. Because, I’m perhaps over sensitive on this topic, I often will prefer to say things like “most people in Japan” … but whatever.

Now try this one …

Most Japanese are not honest.

Whoa. You just found millions and millions of people guilty. Hammer on that gavel. Bam. Bam. We have a name for views like this. It’s called prejudice. It’s one thing to give people the benefit of a doubt, it’s another to assign guilt before we’ve ever met them. See my last post on this.

Because I know that there exist specific people in Japan who feel this way, and I don’t want to offer a forum for their views, I am not allowing comments here.

But let’s call a spade, a spade. Assigning guilt to people before you’ve met them, isn’t a harmless cultural generalization — it’s prejudice.

So, yeah, I do think most people in Japan are honest, and maybe that’s a cultural generalization, but it’s a harmless one.

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Honesty in Japan

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Matt

This whole “culture of deceit” thing at debito.org is really appalling.

Here is Debito’s editorial.

Here are some responses in the Japan Times, mine is one of them.

I made many comments on Debito’s blog about this. I went so far as to explain that if one really felt systematic lying was prevalent in Japan, here is how you should approach the issue — but the response was — that’s relativistic — it’s a culture of deceit, period, it doesn’t need to be understood, it’s just wrong. (Debito did say the editor of the paper chose the headline, “culture of deceit,” but the phrase is from the editorial itself. It is the argument that is being made. Please read the editorial and decide about this yourself.)

For the record, my own personal experience with individuals in Japan is that most people are honest. Often people can be a bit more formal or shy or perhaps a little harder to get to know — people might at times react a little too fast to put you at ease … maybe. I don’t know. I’ve lived in Japan 17 years, I don’t find the issue of honesty any more of a problem here than it is anywhere else I’ve been.

If you go to Debito’s blog and look at the comments to the editorial I’m talking about, it’s just breathtaking. Peopling chiming in talking about the problem of lying in Japan — and how they couldn’t live in Japan because the rampant dishonesty was too much to bear.

People who see Japan this way are transfixed on an image, not a reality. They’ve ceased to see individual people — or else how could they say such mean and really ridiculous things? Perhaps the problem is some people in Japan do at times say the same things about themselves. I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to find a book in Japan claiming Japanese are liars — it’s part of a broader ideology that seeks to pigeonhole individuals into seeing themselves as part of one homogenous identity. It’s the myth of Japanese uniqueness played out in full. I completely reject this. I want no part in it.

This is rubbish.

It just like this visual illusion:

You stare at the hat and you’re utterly sure the length is longer than the width, it’s not. Similarly, if you walk around with the idea in your head that Japanese are all liars, then proof of this will come out of the wood work, you’ll see lies everywhere — but guess what — it just ain’t true. Each person in Japan is an individual, just like you. And you know what else, most people in Japan actually are pretty honest — at least that’s my experience.

[I'm turning off comments, I just don't want to have to debate claims like this on my blog. You can go to debito.org or even tepido.org and comment there. Because in the past -- to so many friends -- I've expressed so much support for Debito's blog, I want it clear I do not in anyway support this idea of Japan being a "culture of deceit." If you wish to discuss my views elsewhere -- you have my permission to copy this entire post. You can also send me a message here: "matt at anarchyjapan.com"]

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Coca-Cola in Japan has stricter standards than the government.

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Matt

We drink a lot of bottled water, and we often buy a brand from Coca-Cola. It’s from the Minami Alps. I’m sure it’s probably safe.

Still, consider the following choice:

1. A drink with very minuscule amounts of trace radioactive isotopes regarded as safe via typical government standards.

2. A drink with not even traces of radioactive isotopes.

I would guess to some people, it’s not worth considering, but I have a four year old, so I’d just assume choose 2. To this end, I called Coca-Cola Japan this morning and asked them about their internal standards for all drinks.

The person I spoke with was very friendly and tried to be helpful. Our conversation was in Japanese, so he kept saying more than I wanted to hear. This made it hard for me to get it straight what he was saying. So, perhaps coming across as rude, I parroted back what I thought to be his main points. I then asked him I had gotten it right nor not. He didn’t like this, because he wanted to soften the message — and not have it as stark as I put it, but he could not tell me I was wrong. He specifically told me I was correct. It was:

Coca-cola does indeed have stricter standards than the government. That standard is not zero. So what is the standard? Coca-cola does not publish or make public that information.

Okay. And that was that.

Now here is a guess. Coca-cola (Japan) has bottlers all around Japan. So probably they have bottlers that are in the areas most affected, which would be in Tohoku. Those bottlers probably have different standards than bottlers in areas less affected. As such, Coca-cola (Japan) might not have the same standards throughout the country, even if they are stricter than the government’s. In fact, that might be what the customer service rep was trying to explain to me. But he was emphatic that he could not give me any specific numbers.

I put in a request that they start doing so.

If you would like to contact Coca-cola (Japan) yourself, you can do so at this number (in Japan only):

0120-308509

Posted in radiation and health | Comments Off

Japan’s Tea Industry Facing Shortage as Nuclear Radiation Taints Shipments – Bloomberg

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Matt

The government decided yesterday to curb shipments of dried tea leaves containing more than 500 becquerel per kilogram of radioactive cesium and ordered a halt in shipments from the eastern prefectures of Ibaraki, Chiba, Kanagawa and Tochigi where tainted produce was detected. Japan’s tea production, including fresh and dried leaves, was worth 102.1 billion yen ($1.3 billion) in 2009, according to the agriculture ministry.

The decision came after Shizuoka prefecture, Japan’s largest growing region representing about 40 percent of total output, declared its green tea was safe. Governor Heita Kawakatsu said last month tests on fresh leaves and drinks showed they contained cesium amounts well below the government levels. Still, cesium levels in dried leaves could be about five times higher than fresh leaves, said Yasuo Sasaki, senior press counselor at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

via Japan’s Tea Industry Facing Shortage as Nuclear Radiation Taints Shipments – Bloomberg.

I’m not sure how this will work in practice, but at least on paper here, this sounds like they are being very careful. It’s good news that they are now focusing on the dried leaves, as opposed to the fresh leaves. Better safe than sorry.

Posted in Fukushima reactors, Japan, Japan news | Comments Off

Fukushima effect: Japan schools take health precautions in radiation zone | The Guardian

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Matt

Ignoring official assurances that the exposure limit and current radiation readings in the area posed no threat to children’s health, parents and teachers in Otama and five other communities in Fukushima prefecture started removing and burying topsoil from school playgrounds. At schools where mechanical diggers were hard to come by, parents shovelled the soil themselves.

The cleanup drew a dismissive response from Yukio Edano, the government’s chief spokesman.

“Based on guidelines by the education and science ministries, there is no need for [soil] removal,” he said.

But Oyama’s principal, Hiroyuki Ando, said parental pressure, and the fear of the possible effects of long-term exposure to contaminants in the soil, had left him with no choice.

“We were worried about high radiation levels, particularly caesium in topsoil, so we consulted scientists and the local education authorities and removed the soil ourselves,” he said.

The steps produced immediate results: radiation readings in topsoil outside Ando’s school dropped from 1.32 microsieverts to 0.25 microsieverts an hour, compared with a pre-disaster reading of 0.04 microsieverts.

via Fukushima effect: Japan schools take health precautions in radiation zone | World news | The Guardian.

Well, time will tell, won’t it? In ten to twenty years we’ll have a really good idea of just how safe or how dangerous these levels of radiation were … I don’t think it’s fair to subject these children to such tests.

Posted in Fukushima reactors, Japan, Japan news | Comments Off

Fukushima Water Found to Have More Radiation Than Released Into Atmosphere – Bloomberg

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Matt

The amount of contaminated water rose to about 105 million liters 28 million gallons from 100 million liters on May 18, and may start overflowing after June 20, the company known as Tepco said in a statement today. Radiation in the water is estimated at 720,000 terabecquerels, general manager Junichi Matsumoto said at a media briefing in Tokyo.Tepco has pumped millions of liters of water to cool three reactors that melted down at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi station after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out power and backup generators, crippling its cooling systems. With Japan’s rainy season in full swing, heavy downpours threaten to flood the plant and leak more radiation into the sea, soil and air.

via Fukushima Water Found to Have More Radiation Than Released Into Atmosphere – Bloomberg.

There’s so much wrong here, it’s hard to know where to begin … it seems to me that the government should be in charge of this clean up operation not TEPCO, and that far more resources should be being used now than are currently being used. So long as TEPCO remains in charge, I would guess that cost remains an overwhelming factor. And everyday, you here about a new way the government wants to a) keep TEPCO from going bankrupt and b) stick them with some new cost they’ll have to eventually pay some how. This doesn’t make any sense to me. Why doesn’t the government just put TEPCO in receivership and then handle the clean up operation. My guess is that there are bureaucrats who don’t want to foot the bill here because they lack political courage. There are high level interest groups protecting themselves as opposed to pushing for what would represent the best policy for everyone.

This leadership paralysis can only eventually lead to negative consequences down the road.

Posted in Fukushima reactors, Japan | Comments Off

In Japan, a Culture That Promotes Nuclear Dependency – NYTimes.com

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Matt

As Kashima’s story suggests, Tokyo has been able to essentially buy the support, or at least the silent acquiescence, of communities by showering them with generous subsidies, payouts and jobs. In 2009 alone, Tokyo gave $1.15 billion for public works projects to communities that have electric plants, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Experts say the majority of that money goes to communities near nuclear plants.And that is just the tip of the iceberg, experts say, as the communities also receive a host of subsidies, property and income tax revenues, compensation to individuals and even “anonymous” donations to local treasuries that are widely believed to come from plant operators.

via In Japan, a Culture That Promotes Nuclear Dependency – NYTimes.com.

Excellent article, I would encourage people to read it in full. Again and again, it’s clear that free market forces would not lend themselves to nuclear power. Nuclear power is sustained via government support and subsidy of one kind or another. To me, this is revealing.

Posted in energy policy, Japan, Japan news, nuclear power | 3 Comments

Japan Shifts on Child-Custody Treaty – WSJ.com

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Matt

The contentious issue straddles legal and cultural differences between the two countries. In Japan, custody is typically granted to one parent, most often the mother, and there is no joint custody available under Japanese law. Some in Japan have balked at signing the treaty, arguing it might force the Japanese parents to return their children to their former spouses against their will.”

It will be important to implement a new system that is different from the existing one but to do so in a way that doesnt leave [Japanese] mothers feeling vulnerable. However, it is most important to consider the children,” said Katsuya Okada, the secretary general of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, on Thursday. “Children should be able to see both their parents.”

But while the policy shift would be symbolically significant, any major change would take time. Political paralysis has gripped Tokyo, with Mr. Kan facing calls for resignation not only from the opposition but also from members of his own party.

A cabinet spokesman said the bill on the child-custody treaty isnt expected to be submitted in the current legislative session, which ends June 30.

via Japan Shifts on Child-Custody Treaty – WSJ.com.

Too often debate around these issues surrounds particular individuals, but the point is without a legal framework, parents lack any means of resolving these issues fairly. Whatever the case may be, if a Japanese parent can get their children to Japan, they are given default custody — it doesn’t matter the particulars.

Unfortunately, it sounds like Japan will still be dragging their heels on this issue.

Posted in customs and culture, Japan, Law, politics | Comments Off

FT.com – Tokyo has no option but to cleave to China

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Matt

While talk of a new industrial revolution may sound optimistic, recall that some of Japan’s best-known companies, including Panasonic, Sharp, and Toyota, laid the foundation of their manufacturing business atop the wreckage of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. For a repeat, China may be the key.

via FT.com / Comment / Opinion – Tokyo has no option but to cleave to China.

Yoichi Funabashi argues Japan has no option but to cleave to China. Here are some of his key points:

1. Because of uncertainties in the energy supply and as factories have received a lot of damage increasing production in China is now looked at as a good solution by some manufacturers.

2. China may be seeking to promote this by trying to acquire coveted technology from now-devastated Japanese parts manufacturers.

3. Guo Dinping, deputy director of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, argues this is a turning point in Japanese-Chinese relations.

4. Japan should embrace this in order to improve the Japanese-Chinese relationship. A secure relationship between the two countries will improve stability and the chances for peace in region.

5. China made a kind gesture by sending relief missions to Japan after the quake.

6. Mutual distrust runs deep, but this can be overcome.

Posted in China, economics, Japan | Comments Off

In Japan Reactor Failings, Danger Signs for the U.S. – NYTimes.com

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Matt

Mr. Yoshida wanted to vent as soon as possible, but Mr. Muto was skeptical whether venting would work, the person said, requesting anonymity because he is still an adviser to the government and is not permitted to comment publicly. “There was hesitation, arguments and sheer confusion over what to do,” he said.

The executives did not give the order to begin venting until Saturday — more than 17 hours after the tsunami struck and 6 hours after the government order to vent.

As workers scrambled to comply with their new directive, they faced a cascading series of complications.

via In Japan Reactor Failings, Danger Signs for the U.S. – NYTimes.com.

This is a very interesting article. It discusses how long it took to vent and the decision process. It also notes that a similar problem could occur at American reactors.

Do you think the same type of accident that happened in Japan could happen in the United States?

Posted in Fukushima reactors | 1 Comment