Edward, thank you for another great ‘ohuro podcast’. As you know, I always listen to your show while taking my bath. I must find a waterproof iPod, cause I’m listening from speakers in the next room. I would enjoy the music more with a waterproof iPod. Do they make such a thing?
You mentioned the Human Rights Report by Countries, 2008 issued by the US Department of State, on the Mar 11. I read the whole section on Japan.

I was interested by many sections but two which are important are,
The report states that Japan has a free and open internet but fails to report that the government intends to enact Law so that it can fully control the Japanese internet by 2010. If that happens, I suppose the US Department of State will report on that in 2011.

The other section was on foreign crime, here in Japan which is always manipulated by the media, and others. Since last year, I’ve posted a number of long posts about this on my blog, and which must be of concern to many others, judging by the high number of hits those posts get.

There is one section in the US Department of State Report, which says it all, clearly and simply, and I quote it here:-

“Despite legal safeguards against discrimination, the country’s large populations of Korean, Chinese, Brazilian, and Filipino permanent residents–many of whom were born, raised, and educated in Japan–were subject to various forms of deeply entrenched societal discrimination, including restricted access to housing, education, and employment opportunities. There was a widespread perception among citizens that “foreigners,” often members of Japan‑born ethnic minorities, were responsible for most of the crimes committed in the country. The media fostered this perception although Ministry of Justice statistics showed that the “foreigner”‑committed crime rate, excepting crimes like illegal entry and overstay, was lower than the crime rate for citizens.”

That one statement does it for me and satisfies my intellectual need on the subject of foreign crime in Japan. Now I can stop writing about it.

Thank you