We Cannot Depend on the Police or the Government - They Are Lazy and Out of Touch With Reality and Common Sense

A couple of stories that caught my eye that really make me wonder about what people are thinking about how the government keeps getting bigger and bigger and getting more and more involved with our daily lives.

Japanese motorcycle police drones... Not protecting the public... 

A tax racketeering group on wheels

On the one hand, average Joe-Happoshu thinks that we need the government to take care of all sorts of things in our lives like retirement, health insurance, rules on wearing seat belts, smoking in public - oh I could go on and on... (I won't talk today about how there is nothing written in the constitution about the government running things like health care)...But, at the same time Joe-Happoshu wants to government to babysit him and his family, he fails to recognize that these very same people are constantly doing things that are the height of incompetence or of questionable judgement.


I want the police and government out of our lives... But can understand the desire of people to have the police protecting us (Duh! That's what they are supposed to do!) Ostensibly that's what they are here for. But here's a story about how the police took a vacation that probably helped contribute to two people getting murdered - a rare occurrence in this country and big news all over the media for these last few months:


Here's a story from the Japan Times: Cops took trip rather than probe stalker - Days later, two women were stabbed to death

CHIBA — Police officers from a Chiba Prefecture station postponed investigating a suspected case of assault and stalking and instead took a three-day pleasure trip to Hokkaido, shortly before the suspect allegedly killed two people, officials said Thursday.

Makoto Yamashita, 58, whose daughter was living in Chiba Prefecture, went to Narashino Police Station on Dec. 6 to file a complaint about a man he claimed had stalked and assaulted his daughter. He was asked to wait a week before submitting his request for an investigation.

Yamashita's wife, Mitsuko, 56, and mother, Hisae, 77, were stabbed to death at their home in Saikai, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Dec. 16.

The suspect is Gota Tsutsui, 27, of Mie Prefecture, the man whom Yamashita wanted to target with the complaint. Tsutsui had sent emails to many friends of Yamashita's daughter that he would retrieve her after murdering her family. The woman had left Chiba and moved in with her parents in Nagasaki Prefecture.

So the dad goes to the police to ask for help after getting death threats from a stalker. The cops ho-hum and suck air through their teeth and the guy is told to come back later... Why he was asked to wait a week is anyone's guess... I guess that it was because the police were too busy protecting the public by handing out parking tickets to prevent a murder (gotta pay for the year-end policeman's party, ya know!)

Then when the news gets out that the police screwed up, they lie about it and try to cover up for themselves:

The Chiba police had earlier said the officers postponed an investigation because they were busy looking into other cases.

The officers traveled to Hokkaido two days after seeing Yamashita, according to the latest findings by the Chiba police.

Riiiiiight. These are the people who we need to increase their annual budget because they are protecting us from evil Yakuza gangsters by raiding prostitution parlors or S&M clubs? Yes. There's dangers everywhere! We can never be too careful!

Yes. I'd admit it. I'd be raiding this every chance I got...

Damn the budget constraints and red ink. We need to increase police department budgets and increase staffing!


The other story involves a well-known Japanese politician who used artificial insemination to have a baby at 50-years-old. This story is also from the Japan Times: Lawmaker Has No Regrets About Giving Birth at 50

Seiko Noda, a 51-year-old Lower House lawmaker, drew wide public attention and controversy by bearing a child at age 50 through artificial insemination. During an interview in February, about a year after giving birth to a boy using ova from a third party in the United States, Noda said she has no regrets. She says her son, Masaki, who has never left the hospital since birth due to serious medical problems, is her "mentor" who trains her as a politician...

...Her private life has been filled with constant travails, however, because she had enormous difficulty having a child. At age 44 she published a book titled "Watashi wa Umitai" ("I Want to Give Birth"), in which she poured her heart out about her burning desire to somehow produce offspring and discussed her experience with fertility techniques.

As a firm believer in private property rights, I believe that the ultimate private property is a person's body. While I think it is odd and perhaps a bit selfish that a 50-year-old woman would want to have a baby, I suppose it would be wrong for me to condemn her just for that.

I also feel very sorry for her and especially that poor baby who lingers in the hospital and hope that he can recover quickly and lead a normal life...  Well, as normal as a kid could when his mom will be 66-years-old and a senior citizen when he is 15!

Poor child. Of course I do not know details of this case but do know that this poor child has had ten surgeries. I have also worked with charities for children with incurable diseases and have seen those plastic pipes running in their mouths before. I hope this child recovers... But I can't help wonder what this woman was thinking. Is this all an ego problem for this individual?

Like I said, I cannot criticize her for wanting and having a child. I think, though, I can criticize her for doing it while on the public dime and I can criticize her for doing it at 50-years-old while a public figure. Having a child at 50 is risky enough. Doing it while still working is idiocy.

And, on that point, why wait until 50? She even wrote a book about it! Why didn't she do this sooner? The chances of complications with the child and birth defects greatly increase after age 35. Why didn't this woman act sooner for the betterment of her child? 

I think that is irresponsible.

I wonder how a person who is this lacking in judgement and responsibility when it comes to her own body and offspring could be depended upon to care for the well being of society at large? And don't call me a hypocrite! When my own daughter was hospitalized, as this woman's child is, my wife and I decided that she would quit her job and go live in the hospital with that child to care for her. She did that; we did that for 2.5 years. This politician? I'm sure she tries to visit whenever her schedule allows. If she were a dedicated mom, she'd quit her job and go take care of this child. But, like I said, I suspect this is an ego problem.

Sorry of I scoff and this story disgusts me. That poor child didn't deserve this.

Truly, as the days go by, the ruling class become farther and farther out of touch with reality and the common sense of the common man.

Is depending on these sorts of people any way to take care of your family? Is depending on these sorts of people anything less than gross irresponsibility? 

Japan: A Nation of Incorrigible and Depraved Criminals - If you masturbate and view pornography in Japan, you are supporting yakuza gangster activities and can go to jail! Stop it now!

It's difficult for me to admit, but admit I must. Japan is a nation full of law-breaking criminals and desperadoes. Oh sure, not all of them are robbing banks, committing grand larceny, breaking fingers and ankles, trading women in human trafficking, promoting gambling, drug use, sex, prostitution and all sorts of morally wicked deeds. But, well, the proof is in the pudding as they say: Most men in Japan (Japanese nationals and foreigners) are breaking the law with shocking regularity and that includes you if you live in Japan!

"Mukashi no Uta" (昔の歌) 1939 film. Allegedly, this film was financed with yakuza money (like many films in Japan). If you've seen this film or even if you look at this photo, you are supporting yakuza activities! Look away! Save yourself!

You're either with us or you're with the criminals. And, from where I sit, it looks like every male in Japan is a law breaker and should be apprehended and incarcerated until the end of time. 


If you are a male residing in Japan, Japanese national or not (the law is, after all, fair and color blind) then you are a criminal lawbreaker as you support the yakuza most likely on a daily basis!


You should be ashamed of yourself! You despicable low-life scum! How do you sleep at night?


What I mean to say is that roughly 100% of the male population of Japan are eagerly supporting the criminal activities of yakuza gangsters merely by association and, as such, according to new laws on the books of Japan, must be arrested and made an example of in order to protect society. If I were the chief of police in your neighborhood, you'd be the first person whose butt I locked up and threw away the key!

Give you one guess what those circles mean. So if I were, say, the beer vendor at this boxing match, or even this venue owner, or the guy cleaning the toilets, I would be committing criminal acts under the new law by selling these guys tickets to this event or even a beer or popcorn or making them feel like guests. Genius!

This comes as a deep and profound shock to me as I was under the impression that most guys in Japan were regular Joes going to work and trying to earn a living. Little did I know that every male in Japan over 16 years of age is supporting Yakuza activities. Let me repeat that for you so the gravity of the situation really sinks in: Every single male in Japan over 16 years of age is supporting Yakuza activities and therefore needs to be arrested.


As always, the Tokyo Reporter has the story. I will add my comments in between paragraphs. Please refer to: How to Spot a Yakuza Front Company

On October 5, the National Police Agency announced a revision to the Anti-Organized Crime Law to be submitted to the ordinary session of the Diet. The initiative follows anti-gang ordinances adopted by all prefectures and administrative divisions that same month.

Crucially to the general public, the latter legislation prohibits ordinary citizens from assisting the business activities of criminal organizations.


So what these morons are saying is that if I take my dirty laundry to the corner dry cleaner, which I am unaware of is actually a front for a Yakuza company, I can get fined and in trouble and eventually jailed. What bullocks! 


My question is: what's to stop some cop from abusing his power and use this law to take revenge on former business partners and people he doesn't like? What's to stop him from coming down on a legitimate dry cleaning business when it just so happens that his family owns the other dry cleaners in the same neighborhood? 


But I digress...

Media outlets, celebrities, and the sporting world have subsequently been monitoring their own activities.

No. They haven't. They've been pissing and moaning about how stupid these new laws are and an obstruction of business.

Shukan Taishu Venus (Feb. 22) sets about determining what commoners can do to protect themselves from unknowingly associating with crime syndicates.

There are thousands of yakuza front companies operating in Japan, says the tabloid. “I used to work at such an organization,” confesses a freelance writer. “Many other employees did not know, however, that a gang group was behind it.”

Hello!? Did they say, "commoners?" How about peasantry? Then they go on and say that the employees didn't even know the company was owned by yakuza so how in the hell are the customers supposed to know? Jeez!

To avoid working for such a firm, the writer suggests research. “You should at least check the company’s name on the net,” the source says. “While it is important to see what users on bulletin boards say, what’s crucial is to know the number of years it has been in business and its history.”

Idiocy! Check the company's name on the Internet? Riiiiiiiight. If it says "A yakuza corporation" on their web page, then you'll know something might not be kosher. This writer is a moron too. Since when is it the employees job to make sure that company shareholders aren't up to hijinks?


As one friend told me, "If I put my money into any bank in Japan, I cannot be sure that the yakuza are not involved... After all, all big banks the world over are corrupt, dishonest businesses!"

Companies that change their names and lines of businesses frequently are suspect, says the writer, adding: “Companies that use simple English words such as ‘consultant’ or ‘create’ following a name is certainly dubious as it is an attempt to establish a good image just from the sound of the name.”

English words? Heavens! Consultant? Create? My god! Just to show you how incredibly dumb this is, I did a Google search using the words, (コンサルタント 東京　株式会社) "consultant," "Tokyo," "corporation" to see how many companies, or references to those companies, in Tokyo I could find. I received a total of 38,000,000 hits! Thirty-eight million!

The only straight line these people who wrote this law could write is if their brains were hooked up to an electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure their brain activity. That should be plenty to prove to anyone who has any trace of cranial activity that this article and this law is complete and total bullsh*t!

Now, let's take this nonsense even one step further and I will prove to you why every man in Japan over 16 is, according to the new law, a criminal or supporting criminal activities. And that includes you, pal!


♫ Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? ♫

I wrote about this just the other day. Please refer to Anti-Crime (Anti-Yakuza) Laws in Japan Completely Insane - Yakuza Gangsters (or those suspected of ties) can't play golf, go to Disneyland, eat at McDonald's or order Domino's Pizza either! Idiotic Laws!:

The asinine laws that went into effect last October make associating with Yakuza a crime. Yes, yes, blah, blah... But what does, "associating with Yakuza" mean? I checked Merriam-Webster dictionary for "Associate" it said:

Associate: (transitive verb)

1) to join as partner or friend

2) to join or connect together

3) to bring together into a relationship in any of various intangible ways (as in memory or imagination)

Ah! Number 3 is the tricky one. So, if you are living outside of Japan, and I live here and if you and I were to meet, you could associate me with the Yakuza because the Yakuza are from Japan too! See how this works?

Under these new laws, obviously written by people with the intelligence of chimpanzees, "associating with a Yakuza" is not limited to things like you being a card-holding gang member or their "friend" and hanging around with them at the billiard room; it's not limited to your driving in their getaway cars while they rob banks or standing around as watch out while they have "a problem in communication" and wind up roughing up uncooperative, er, "customers." It means that if you suspect that someone is a Yakuza, yet you treat them like anyone else, you could be fined or sent to prison.

If contact with the yakuza continues despite all this, a person risks up to one year in the hoosegow and a fine of ¥500,000 ($6,400).

It hit the golf industry hard.

“If customers are yakuza, we ask them to leave even if they're in the middle of playing," said the general manager of Akabane Golf Club (Mainichi newspaper article in Japanese). He is also the chairman of the Council of Golf Clubs for the Expulsion of Organized Crime in Tokyo. How would he know if someone is a yakuza? "We refer the names of suspicious people to the police,” he said.

And the pizza delivery industry is in uproar. 

"We don't know if the address we deliver to is the place of a yakuza," said the Delivery Business Safety Driving Council. But don't panic. "One or two pizzas are OK,” the Council said, “but delivering a huge amount of pizza, knowing that the customer is a yakuza is a no-no." They're planning to invite police officers to a study meeting with restaurant owners.

So it's not rocket science; if you do anything or support anything or any business run by the yakuza, then you are guilty of aiding, abetting and supporting criminal organizations and, as such, violating the new laws on the books.

Stop! You are violating the law! Close your eyes right now. This is your last warning!

Now let me show you how it is that, if you are a male in Japan, then you are guilty of supporting the yakuza and should be arrested. Everyone knows that, in Japan, the yakuza have their hand in the entertainment business. Nowhere else is this hand more evident than in the "adult entertainment" business. That means hostess clubs, dating services, prostitution and pornography. 


Yes, that's right: Pornography. Is there anyone who thinks that the yakuza do not control the pornography industry in Japan? 


Now, what's that got to do with you, you ask? Don't lie to me. Everyone knows that 98% of all men admit to masturbating and the other 2% are liars. I know what you are doing! You might say that it is nobody's business what your right hand does while viewing pictures like the one above, but, let's face it; you are a normal red-blooded guy, right?


According to the Healthy Strokes web site, 100% of all men masturbate:


Some authorities say 100% and that there are no exceptions. According to a survey of more than 10,000 males by the web site HealthyStrokes.com in the second half of 2007, 99.15 percent reported masturbating currently. Limiting the scope to those over 18 (your question refers to "men"), 99 percent report masturbating currently. All of those males report having masturbated in the past.


Okay, so it's not 100%. It's 99% (and the other 1% are liars). So, like I said, everyone knows the Yakuza control the porno industry in Japan. And what's the problem with that? Someone has to do it. It's not like your local bank, postal service or hospital is going to diversify their businesses and get into the porn industry (although there's always more openings for nurses!) 


So that means every time you view photos of sexy Japanese girls or Japanese porn, you are supporting a business run by the yakuza and, in turn, violating the new laws.


So, ultimately that means when you view porn (that is most likely created by yakuza run organizations) that includes sexy Japanese girls, you are a criminal...


Or, if you don't masturbate, then you are a liar. Which is it? 


We definitely need more intelligent laws like this on the books, wouldn't you agree?

Go to jail. Go immediately to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200!

Anti-Crime (Anti-Yakuza) Laws in Japan Completely Insane - Yakuza gangsters (or those suspected of ties) can't play golf, go to Disneyland, eat McDonald's or order Domino's Pizza either! Idiotic laws!

I've railed repeatedly on the idiotic laws in this country concerning the Yazuka gangsters, prostitution, gambling, drug laws and other areas of wasteful public spending trying to control morality, and other victimless "crimes," but today I found one more law that just takes the cake.

Before, someone pointed out to me that the Yakuza are involved with human trafficking and I think that the Japanese police might be useful in putting a stop to that. But, like in yesterday's article about arresting a restaurant owner because his girls (supposed waitresses) were sitting down at table and talking with customers, I think the laws on the books are absurd. Trying to stop Human Trafficking? Okay. Stopping victimless "crimes"? No.


Please refer to: Police Raid Clubs in Tokyo Hosted by Porn Stars ad Arrest Managers - More Nonsense From the Police and Wasting Tax Money - Yes, There are Photos. Why Do You Ask?

On February 24, officers took managers Yuji Isa, 51, and Hiroaki Kato, 30, and two other employees of club Pippi, located in the Roppongi and Shinjuku entertainment areas, into custody for allowing female staff members to sit and serve at the same table as customers — a violation of the Law Regulating Adult Entertainment Businesses.

I thought that must be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard of; arresting managers because waitresses are sitting down on the job and talking to customers. 

Like I said, "I thought that must be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard of." Well, it's not. I was wrong. It's not even close to the stupidest thing. Today's topic is the stupidest thing... 

"Arrest that woman and bring her to me for proper disciplining!"

The asinine laws that went into effect last October make associating with Yakuza a crime. Yes, yes, blah, blah... But what does, "associating with Yakuza" mean? I checked Merriam-Webster dictionary for "Associate" it said:

Associate: (transitive verb)

1) to join as partner or friend

2) to join or connect together

3) to bring together into a relationship in any of various intangible ways (as in memory or imagination)

Ah! Number 3 is the tricky one. So, if you are living outside of Japan, and I live here and if you and I were to meet, you could associate me with the Yakuza because the Yakuza are from Japan too! See how this works?

Under these new laws, obviously written by people with the intelligence of chimpanzees, "associating with a Yakuza" is not limited to things like you being a card-holding gang member or their "friend" and hanging around with them at the billiard room; it's not limited to your driving in their getaway cars while they rob banks or standing around as watch out while they have "a problem in communication" and wind up roughing up uncooperative, er, "customers." It means that if you suspect that someone is a Yakuza, yet you treat them like anyone else, you could be fined or sent to prison.

These two guys played Yakuza in a movie. That means, under the definition of 

"associated" that they have something to do with the Yakuza, right?

No. I am not making that up. Think about that for a minute. What does that mean?

Let's say you run a, say, flower shop and you get a telephone order to deliver flowers to someone, if you know or suspect that the person is a Yakuza, and you fill that order, you could be in violation of the law and subject to arrest and penalties.

Don't believe me?

Testosterone Pit reports in, "No More Golf or Pizza for the Yakuza":

Tokyo's organized crime exclusionary laws went into effect in October—and they're already wreaking havoc. The laws criminalize doing business with bōryokudan ("violent group" or colloquially yakuza). In an ingenious twist, paying off the yakuza in an extortion racket is also a crime. Now restaurants have to stop paying protection money. Even victims of blackmail—hush money is an outright industry in Japan—commit a crime if they pay.

First, there's a warning. But if violations persist, authorities will add the business or person to a public list of perps who have a "close relationship" with the yakuza. Instant loss of face. And then the financial nightmare: customers flee, banks shut their doors, government agencies won't renew licenses, office leases get terminated—all based on the organized crime exclusionary clauses in their contracts. Individuals may lose their jobs, as comedian and TV host, Shimada Shinsuke, found out.

If contact with the yakuza continues despite all this, a person risks up to one year in the hoosegow and a fine of ¥500,000 ($6,400).

It hit the golf industry hard.

“If customers are yakuza, we ask them to leave even if they're in the middle of playing," said the general manager of Akabane Golf Club (Mainichi newspaper article in Japanese). He is also the chairman of the Council of Golf Clubs for the Expulsion of Organized Crime in Tokyo. How would he know if someone is a yakuza? "We refer the names of suspicious people to the police,” he said.

And the pizza delivery industry is in uproar. 

"We don't know if the address we deliver to is the place of a yakuza," said the Delivery Business Safety Driving Council. But don't panic. "One or two pizzas are OK,” the Council said, “but delivering a huge amount of pizza, knowing that the customer is a yakuza is a no-no." They're planning to invite police officers to a study meeting with restaurant owners.

Jesus! Is this stupid, or what? Are we living in Nazi Germany or, even worse, the United States? The guy who said, "How would he know if someone is a Yakuza or not?" is completely correct. It's not like underworld organization members wear a uniform everywhere they go or dress on the field like baseball players do. 

Also, since when is it the duty of the pizza delivery guy or a privately run business to determine if someone is a gangster or not? What if the guy's wife or kids answer the door? I don't think most kids have a clue as to what daddy does at work, especially in this country.

Delivered to you in under 30 minutes or you're under arrest!

Have you ever seen the 2001 movie Traffic? That was the movie with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. She was the wife who had no idea that her husband was a drug trafficker and had gangland ties. Well, you know, it's not like people brag about being a Yakuza. Sure that was just a movie but that part is completely realistic. Most people who are involved with illegal activities don't advertise... Funny that. Whether those activities should be illegal or not is another story.

I'll bet many children, and some wives, of Yakuza might suspect but are not sure what "Daddy" does when he goes to work. I am pretty confident that when he comes home to relax he doesn't tell them, "Yeah, today was a tough day at gangster HQ. I had to break the knee-caps and elbows of three different people! Three! Can you believe it? Boy, I'm beat!"

These laws are idiocy. Total and complete idiocy.

I have also read somewhere else that this is actually a case of Japan's Amakudari whereby retired government officials, after retiring, take cushy jobs in the private sector. These new laws are actually designed to help those retired people (in this case retired formerly high ranking police officers) take jobs as a sort of "legal advisor" to privately run corporations to advise them as to how to handle the new laws. So they are, actually, a scam.

That makes sense to me. It makes sense because these laws are too stupid on their own to not have some sort of ulterior motive. There can be no other logical explanation for coercing the public and private businesses into supporting your local police department.

As government is wont to do, they will create a crisis where none exists and thee use that crisis as a way to get money. That's what government's do. In fact, it seems that is the only thing government is efficient at doing. 

Anyone who would buy a ticket to a Bon Jovi concert 

whether real or counterfeit, should be shot!

In the future I guess we'll have to show ID to prove that we're not gangsters in order to get a pizza or burger delivered to our door. Also to reinforce the point of how stupid this actually is, forget about deliveries; what happens if a gangster looking guys walks up to a counter at a McDonald's and orders a burger? Is the 18-year-old clerk to determine if he is a possible criminal or not?

God! his is so stupid on so many levels it makes me want to pull my hair out.

If the Japanese people and businesses put up with these asinine laws they'll be getting what they deserve in the near future. You can get a glimpse of that future by getting on an airplane and flying to the USA to see the lack of freedom those people have.

I'm going to do everything I can to fight this idiotic trend. I hope you will too. We don't need Japan to become like the United States more than it already has.

Old Skool Yakuza Gangster Assassination - New Skool Government Fear Mongering

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." - Rahm Emanuel

Well, as it has been said, never to let a good crisis go to waste, a gangland killing in Japan has gotten the police and the mass media in a huff to show the population of Japan just how much serious danger they, and their children, are in. What ever will we do? Well, obviously, we need to rely on the police to protect us from these senseless gangster killers who are out to kill us all and eat our children. Read on.

Yakuza are going the way of the samurai... The ones I see never dress nice like this anymore.... They only dress nicely like this in the movies...

It looks like the Yakuza gangsters in Japan have really fallen on tough times. It seems that things are so bad that they've started eating out at crummy family restaurants. What ever happened to the classy joints these guys used to hang at at? You know, guys like Don Corleone who would only go to those ritzy members-only clubs that were filled with those classy hot dames like you see in the movies?

Yeah. Like this. High class women... Gentlemanly attitude

Gangsters hanging out at family restaurants!? I mean, has business gotten that bad? My business is bad too but I never go to family restaurants like Denny's. I hate that place. Family restaurants are over-priced and the food isn't good at all (excepting the salad bar at Sizzler's). And trust folks, even though I don't go, I do know that Denny's in Japan is MUCH better than Denny's in the USA. Denny's in Japan is actually kept very clean and the service is good (well, this is Japan, after all).


But, that's not the point. Never mind.


It seems that in Chiba, a Yakuza guy walked into a Denny's restaurant, pulled out a gun and blew away another Yakuza guy who was sitting there. I think it was a planned "hit" because there was no big scene or fight before the shooting.   


The Japan Times Reports in "Mobster Dead in Eatery Shooting":

CHIBA — An apparently underworld member gunned down another yakuza in a crowded Denny's eatery in Togane, Chiba Prefecture, and then fled, police said.

The shooter, thought to be a gangster in his 60s, remains at large. The victim, Yoshiaki Furukawa, 62, from Kujyukuri, also apparently a yakuza, was shot in the chest. The gunman fled by car from the Denny's Togane Bypass outlet at around 10:05 a.m.

Police, who suspect the killing stemmed from money troubles, set up checkpoints on key routes.

Furukawa entered the Denny's with four others at 8:45 a.m. He started talking with the gunman, who came in shortly before 10 a.m., at another table near the door before he was shot.

"I heard a loud bang real close, just a few meters away from me," said one customer. "When I looked over my shoulder, a man was lying on the floor, bleeding."

So, the Yakuza are out shooting each other in what looks to be a planned event and what to the police do? They scare the entire eastern half of Japan by telling people to take their little children home from school and setting up roadblocks for someone who they don't even know what he looks like.

The female news reporter on the left at the start of the video is amusing in how much she tries her best to look serious and that she actually cares. Also notice the dozens of police and intentionally high visibility at the crime scene. They must have sent every single policeman available to make for great news video!

From the description of the Japan Times quote above the only thing that this news report adds is that the shooting was near a Denny's that is near two schools. I hate to sound like a Negative Nelly, but, well, yeah. The Denny's is near a train station, like probably every Denny's in Japan. Nobody in their right mind puts a family restaurant - or a school - too awfully far from a train station, especially when we're talking about big Japanese cities. Nevertheless, this gives the broadcasting station enough "gunpowder" to be able to scare everyone that the Yakuza are coming for your children! The underlying message being that we need the police to protect us from these out-of-control demons.


Once again, the police will use this incident as some sort of proof that we need more police protection and more laws clamping down on the Yakuza (which has been ongoing for this last year). I think that sort of notion is complete and absolute nonsense. Let me explain and add some perspective to this.


From the Associated Press:

Japan, where very few people own guns, averages 124 gun-related attacks a year, and less than 1 percent end in death. Police often raid the homes of those suspected of having weapons. 

And may I add this from the Asia-Pacific Law Review: 

Gun crime does exist, but in very low numbers. There were only 30 crimes committed in 1989 with shotguns or air rifles. With no legal civilian handgun possession, Japan experiences in an average year less than 200 violent crimes perpetrated with a handgun, of which almost all are perpetrated by Boryokudan, organised crime groups. Most gun crimes involve only unlicensed possession, and not the commission of another crime. 

Anyone can see that the hype doesn't reflect the reality. We don't need more laws curtailing whatever it is that the Yakuza are doing, especially ridiculous things like scalping tickets and we certainly do not need to increase police or government budgets.


We need to cut government spending. With our public debt at 229% of GDP, we certainly do not need to use these sorts of excuses to increase police budgets for crimes that kill 127 people a year (and nearly all of them perpetrated against gangster by gangsters - not regular people) in a country of 127 million people. Heck, in 2010 over 350,000 people died of cancer... 


But laying in a hospital bed with tubes in ones nose doesn't make for good or exciting TV news, now does it? Shootouts and panic are much better for increasing budgets and asking for more taxation. 




Thanks to Japan Times and News on Japan

Major Japanese Magazines and Writers Come Out Agreeing With You-Know-Who on Yakuza Legislation

Well, look at what we have here! It's not often that I get to blow my own horn so allow me the indulgence: 


Tokyo Reporter has the story that Nikkan Gendai as well as some very famous Japanese writers have come out publicly against proposed legislation that is supposed designed to curtail Yakuza activities:

Since its institution in October, the prefectural legislation has been called “overkill,” with critics calling it a violation of basic human rights since gang members and their families are first and foremost people.

“Laws should be enforced based on deeds and not on a person’s social status,” Sataka said.

Nikkan Gendai believes that police are aware that an opposition movement may spread, which would render the legislation to be ineffective.

I wrote at length about this in Legislating Morality. I also complained that carte blanche laws and rules that hurt people and their families due to guilt by association could not possibly be legal and is not up to standard in a so-called democratic nation that respects human rights. I also wrote that I was extremely suspicious of this sort of legislation. Refer to: Japanese Insurance Companies Stop Payments for Jews, Catholics, Cross-dressers, Left-Handed People, Club Members, Punks and Yakuza

The recent crackdown on the Yakuza in Japan is not motivated by any recent domestic developments or problems on the home front. I submit to you, dear reader, that this crack down is motivated partly by US government pressure and is just another of many scams being perpetrated by our government to steal money to help pay for the financial disaster that the western governments (Japan included) have engineered that is about to befall on all of us regular people in the working class. On top of that, it is just another boondoogle for a government agency (the Japanese police) to try to justify massive public tax expenditures and to try to avoid budget cutbacks next year... 


Well now we have the Nikkan Gendai and these writers agreeing with me but, as was expected, they have a bit more inside information that I do and accuse the government of hijinks on a different level. They accuse the government of creating these new laws to protect the Good Old Boys network in Japan whereby retired government workers (read retired police fat cats) get high paying jobs at private firms after retirement. They call it Amakudari here.


More from Tokyo Reporter:

According to Miyazaki, the real point of the legislation is the preservation of amakudari, or the process by which government officials assume positions at corporations upon retirement.

“At the time of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty in 1970, many policemen were recruited,” Miyazaki said. “This is a big problem in guaranteeing them an amakudari positions upon retirement. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and, Tourism and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry are different. Retired police officials do not have any special skills that can be carried forward into the business world. However, if laws (related to organized crime) become more strict, companies would need former officers for consulting purposes.”

The article notes that the January 28 issue of Toyo Keizai magazine says that there are 83 listed firms, including Sharp Corporation, NYK Group, and the Chugoku Electric Power Company, that have former police officials on staff.

Therefore, the strengthening anti-gang laws at the prefectural and national levels would require more former police officials “to descend” into positions within corporations for compliance reasons, Nikkan Gendai says. 


Here, once again, as I have repeatedly stated; the government always has some sort of motivation (not the public good) for what it does. It is the goal of all governments, be they Democratic, Communist, Fascist, Socialist to use whatever crisis exists to expand upon themselves and increase the size of government. History shows us this to be true.  


This nonsense is a waste of our tax monies. Japan is up deep serious economic problems. We have debt at 229% of GDP. Total debt at 492% of GDP. A declining population which is destroying the savings rate and our productivity and these idiots in government and the police are concerned about ticket scalpers, hot young actresses, mutually consented sex between adults, and members only clubs... And they are concerned that the Yakuza are involved with all of the above and, heaven forbid, making TV shows?!

Obviously with criminal intent

Don't want to get off the point too much, but, as an example; what people need to realize is that the mafia are and have always been involved with entertainment business in the west too! In Japan the Yakuza have been involved in the entertainment business in Japan for easily over 400 years. Here's two choice tidbits from Wikipedia:

"They are very prevalent in the Japanese media..."

"Despite uncertainty about the single origin of yakuza organizations, most modern yakuza derive from two classifications which emerged in the mid-Edo Period (1603 – 1868): tekiya, those who primarily peddled illicit, stolen or shoddy goods; and bakuto, those who were involved in or participated in gambling."

If you want to see just how much more absurdist this entire thing gets. Here is the original Tokyo Reporter story that the - surprise! - Yakuza are involved in TV! Heavens! What will we ever do?  Hot Young Female Japanese Actresses, Yakuza Gangsters, Sex and Japanese TV and Mass Media - This Post Has it All!!! 


... In the meantime, drip drip drip... nuclear waste leaks at Tepco, our debt grows by the minute, idiots want to double sales taxes so that we can pay for government expenditures (such as chasing skirts on TV sets) the economy stumbles... And the Keystone Cops want to chase ticket scalpers and skirts?... Doomed, I tell you!