Job Discussion Forums

[leeroy]

As we all know, "foreigners" are smelly, lazy, have big noses, and are riddled with STDs... Statistically, the last part might be closer to the truth than we'd care to admit.

South Korea: (pop. 48,289,037 (July 2003 est.) )

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 4,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 220 (2001 est.)

Japan: (pop. 127,214,499 (July 2003 est.) )

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 430 (2001 est.)

Australia: (pop. 19,731,984 (July 2003 est.) )

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.)

United Kingdom: (pop. 60,094,648 (July 2003 est.) )

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 34,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 460 (2001 est.)

United States: (pop. 290,342,554 (July 2003 est.) )

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.6% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 900,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 15,000 (2001 est.)

Source: The CIA World Factbook (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html)

So Australia and Japan both have 12,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. The difference being that in Australia there are 20m people, and in Japan 130m.

Japanese people have sex too, right? What is so different to make South Korea and Japan so (relatively) HIV-free compared to the western nations listed above? I understand that they aren't that keen on condoms over in that part of the world either - so what's the secret? Something in the rice?

[Spike]

[april]

I agree. Japanese people are very big on saving face. Statistics are no proof as they're easily manipulated. Same with crime rate. It's my belief there are many many cases of rape and other sexual crimes each year in Japan that go unreported.

[foster]

Lack of testing is the main cause of low numbers. China is just finding that out and their numbers are SOARING!!

As for the crime stats in Japan, when I lived there, I heard that many rapist pay off the families to keep quiet and not report them. Also, I think many crimes are undervalued and therefore they dont report them or can't be bothered.

In my 2 years there, there were a few people I worked with who were victim to on the street grabbings and men wanking in front of them, men who would follow them and try to touch them. When they went to Nova head office and asked for someone to go with them to the police station, they were ridiculed. If they went to the cop shop on their own, the cops played dumb.

Sure, if we didn't report any crimes or HIV, then it must be lower and it never happened....right?

[bshabu]

I agree. There is a report of the news recently about women who go in for pregnancy check-ups, only to find out about being positive for HIV. Where did they get it from? The baby? I doubt it. The report mentioned nothing about where? Not to mention the husbands?

I would want to see a follow-up on the news in the coming years.

[cafebleu]

One thing you must keep in mind - telling lies is acceptable in Japanese society in a way that it is not in western societies. Sure westerners lie, their politicians lie, etc, but is in no way comparable to the enormous tatamae that seeks to obscure reality here.

Everything from the deep-seated, crisis of corruption in Japanese politics and business (organised crime controls many apparently legitimate businesses here in a way that makes the relatively small mafia look like a kids` street gang, politicians are receiving secret pay offs and monies that make most western politicians look squeaky clean) to sexual assault realities are masked by the national pastime of official deception. I have heard from Japanese friends whom I trust that rape is far more common than even the western media believe - the stereotype of safe Japan is true to a point but at the same time denies the reality of sexual assault.

Sure, we all know about rapes committed against women living by themselves in the UK, Europe, USA, Aus, NZ, etc, but face it, it has not been usual for Japanese women up to now to live by themselves. Such stranger rapists have not had the opportunity until now in Japan. Rapists in Japan have tended to be more close to home and while I am not saying this is usual, the attempted rape of an elementary school child by a teacher in a school in Honshu during schooltime is indicative of the fact that all is not what it seems to be regarding Japanese crime and sexual crime statistics. I think the same goes for medical statistics.

I believe Japan`s HIV statistics are far, far greater. In the UK it is usually the perverts and the sexually starved who go on sex/child sex tours of Asia. In Japan it is not unusual to find your average salaryman with a family and kids going off on the sex tours - in some male circles they are considered a normal fact of life. These same men are getting infected and bringing HIV back to Japan. I have heard that gay men infected with HIV are encouraged to go off for medical care in Europe and to stay there if they can to avoid any embarrassment for their family.

Remember, too, there is no obligation for the doctor to tell a patient here that they have a life threatening disease. No legal obligation whatsoever. I knew a family whose grandpa had cancer. He was never told and up to the day of his death was ignorant about it.

If this is usual in Japan, why would doctors and family be discussing the stigma of being HIV positive?
I have lived in Japan some time and I am not being patronising when I say I have learnt to accept that social, medical and other attitudes can be about 50 years behind what we are used to in our own countries. Not I say `can` - I don`t say that applies to every situation here.

[homersimpson]

The World Health Organization believes the actual numbers of HIV cases in Japan are far higher than the "official" government statistics. Regarding rape, many cases in countries around the world go unreported to law enforcement for a variety of reasons (social, legal, personal, etc.). In Japan, despite the seeming conservative face of society, it is a highly sexualized culture. One need only to look at how members of Morning Musume are dolled up on a regular basis. And I'm sure we've all seen the DVDs of the "bikini models" on display behind the counters at the local Lawson; many of those girls are in the 13- to 16-year-old age group.

[markle]

[cafebleu]

No, I haven`t and I am not a guy either! Probably Cambodia should be added to Thailand - although the most prominent attention has been given to that sicko who went by the name of Gary Glitter.

[markle]

my point was that the bulk of the patrons of the bar scene in Thailand Cambo and the Phillipines are not your typical 'perverts and sickos' but ordinary middle class guys with wife and kids not unlike a 'salaryman'. the difference is that a salaryman is more likely to admit to doing it.