Job Discussion Forums

[dbooster]

[sidjameson]

Reisender, good post. I wrote more or less the same thing 2 pages ago except that it read like it had been written by someone who had graduated high school. Yours was sharp and articulate.
I bet you haven't been in Japan that long. Don't do what I did and sacrifice the grey matter for the mighty yen.

[sallycat]

ok. the pornographic flyer thing -- yeah, it offends many japanese women too. you can get a sticker from the police to put on your mailbox saying that you don't want any pornographic junk mail. but beyond that, it depends where you live. different city councils have different bylaws. the kyoto city council dramatically increased the fines for distributing pornographic flyers and there was a huge reduction in the number distributed. hopefully other city councils will follow suit.

as for the "near-child" porn, if you genuinely believe the girls in the videos are underage, that's illegal, and you could go to the police. if they are 18 year olds dressed to look underage, there's not much you can do.

[Sour Grape]

Thanks to those who posted about getting in Dutch.

You learn something every day.

[fox1]

[AndyH]

Another suggestion for fox1(not that i actually expect you to do it): Leave Japan and go back to where you came from!!! If this type of stuff really gets on you so much, and the culture here is so bad, why don't you leave? However, you are likely to find the same stuff almost any place you go. Ever hear of Jeanbenet (sp?) Ramsay, the little girl who was killed in Colorado about ten years ago? Google it.

[wintersweet]

I wonder if the OP is referring to 11-year-old Saaya Irie:
http://japundit.com/archives/2005/05/31/693/#comments

I had to remove images of her from another website because she's so young (or is claimed to be so young). There was another article about her popularity that I ran across somewhere, but I don't have the link anywhere and I sure don't want to go looking for it.

Another Japundit post about a 9-year-old gravure star:
http://japundit.com/archives/2006/05/08/2439/#comments
(EDIT: Their source on that one is WaiWai, so who knows.)

[sallycat]

fox1 i have no idea why what i said offended you.
if it's a case of genuine 11 year olds in sex magazines, it is probably illegal. find out if it's legal or not and then start a campaign to do something about it. simple.
and, you know, a campaign somewhere more useful than on an internet notice-board.

[Glenski]

[Brooks]

yes.
What I have done is have a sign by my mail box in Japanese saying "don`t give me junk mail." It does work mostly.

[Yawarakaijin]

I wonder if the OP is referring to 11-year-old Saaya Irie:
http://japundit.com/archives/2005/05/31/693/#comments

Another Japundit post about a 9-year-old gravure star:
http://japundit.com/archives/2006/05/08/2439/#comments
(EDIT: Their source on that one is WaiWai, so who knows.)

Wintersweet I think those links are really informative. I really did not feel like weighing in on this one because I thought it was a moot point without a representation of the flyers in question. I've seen the stuff with 18 year olds pretending to be younger and even that got under my skin a bit but those sites you linked are absolutely disgusting. They are not disgusting because im a churchie (I have never been in my life) and they are not disgusting because im an ethnocentic newbie who has never left north america. They are simply disgusting.

If those images are anything like what the op recieved in his mailbox I would be furious as well. I think it does say something about a culture than permits the exploitation of children in that manner. It doesnt say everything about the culture but it does say something.

Most put in their two cents in a adult manner, for the guy/gal? who could'nt muster anything more than "if you dont like it go home" you strike me as nothing more than a mere apologist. If I ever see a perv snapping pictures of your little girl at the beach maybe I'll just look away and say "hey, thats the way it is here."

[fox1]

[fox1]

[fox1]

[newyorkbunny]

Hi Fox1,

I am uncomfortable with the seemingly open acceptance of pornography in general in Japan and find underage pornography absolutely abhorrent - including pornography that portends to be child porn (but is not). However, the only way I have been able to deal with it in my 19 years of being intimately acquainted with the Japanese and Japanese culture is to turn a (an almost) blind eye. If I did not do this, I would have severed ties long ago - and that is not an option for me.

The Japanese do not have the Judeo-Christian background those in the West do and so have developed their own unique code of ethics and morality. With the decline of religous devotion of the young (this, granted, is a huge understatement), what argument can one have against what is happening? The compass by which standards can be judged is not the same as in the West.

I agree that those who say if you cannot take it, then return home are not being helpful. I applaud you for speaking out and standing by your convictions. I do voice my disapproval to all my Japanese friends and colleagues when the subject is raised but to appreciate all that is wonderful and positive in Japan, I try not to dwell. However, that does not mean that you should follow suit. In fact, the older I get, I am finding I am less tolerant and more prone to speaking out.

There are strange, odd and at times unacceptable facets of every culture. That does not make things right but I suggest we all find our own friends and surround ourselves with good, honest folk who agree with our moral values. I am absolutely certain that one day things will turn around in Japan but it will be up to the Japanese to push for new values.

Sorry for the ramble that probably makes no sense, I am up past my bedtime and exhausted.

nyb

ps. There seems to be an increasingly negative tone on this board - let's all try and respect each other's viewpoints. Sarcasm and trying to 'be smart' flies in the face of helpful and constructive advice and kills the spirit of goodwill. Don't you agree?