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As told by Aaron Shepard

Read by Chris Pellegrini

“Van Amsterdam, the baker, is as honest as he can be—but he may have something left to learn.”

A story with a moral, Aaron Shepard’s retelling of this classic tale is a warm, fuzzy one. Fun for the whole family.

Happy Saint Nicholas Day, Merry Christmas, and thank you for listening.

Painting: “The Baker” by Mary Custis Straughn

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On Sunday, November 19, at the Kyushu Basho, Yokozuna (Grand Champion) Asashoryu used a a little-known technique called the Ketaguri (蹴手繰り in Japanese). It’s been causing quite a storm, but more about that later. Check it out:

I’m a bit surprised the announcer called out the name of the move so quickly, though these guys do know the sport inside and out. At any rate, this afternoon, the Yokozuna Council announced that use of the Ketaguri was 横綱がやるべきことではない - not something that a Yokozuna should be doing. And MSN/Mainichi is reporting that Asashoryu has been scolded thusly: 品� �にかける - behave with dignity.

So, Asashoryu’s causing trouble again, no surprises there. What do I think happened? It seems he simply wanted to embarrass his opponent. Maybe he was keeping someone in line. Maybe he was doing exactly what a Yokozuna should be doing. What do you think?

PS - If you’d like to learn the Ketaguri, Sports Click has a page showing how to pull off various sumo moves (in Japanese, with priceless images).

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Society

The ongoing problem of school bullying has been addressed by two groups over the past week. First, the Education Rebuilding Council, a group set up by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after he took office in September, will call for punitive measures against students who bully their schoolmates and teachers who take part in in bullying. The council will recommend that students who bully others could be suspended from school, that prefectural and municipal boards of education establish systems in order to assist schools quickly when serious bullying problems occur, and that teachers who cause or engage in bullying be punished.

Under current application of the School Education Law, a student may be suspended from school if he or she physically assaults a classmate. The Education Rebuilding Council plans to call for the use of school suspensions in cases where verbal, but no physical abuse, has happened. In terms of teachers, disciplinary actions may currently only be carried out against them in cases of sexual assault, causing serious traffic accidents or committing other egregious crimes. The council intends to ask boards of education to review their policies on reprimanding teachers when they are found to be involved in cases of bullying.

(Read on …)

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 TPR News: 11/27/06: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Ken and Garrett discuss the Education Bill (called the “Patriotism Bill” by the Washington Post), Tokyo Governor Ishihara’s unhelpful comments, what people outside the government are doing to address the bullying problem, and why fretting over abductees may be hurting Japan’s ability to deal with North Korea.

Why is MEXT getting it wrong on bullying? Is the kantei pushing for nationalism? Is Japan making a mistake by trying to decrease rice production?

Bonus! Japan’s workers are receiving record high bonuses. Is that a good sign?

These questions and more addressed in everyone’s favorite Japan-based English-language Japanese politics podcast.

Thank you for listening.

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 Seijigiri 13: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Politics

Tokyo welcomed the victory of their man Nakaima Hiorkazu in Okinawa’s gubernatorial election this weekend, immediately seeking talks with him on getting things moving in the stalled US military realignment plan. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki Yasuhisa (who, incidentally, just had a beer with loyal friend of TPR Brendan Jennings) expressed an interest in moving forward with the plan to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which he says will reduce pressure on Okinawa. Nakaima, unlike his narrowly defeated rival, Itokazu Keiko, says he’d accept a relocation within Okinawa, but has unspecified concerns over a controversial V-shaped runway to be built on the new base at Camp Schwab in Henoko Point.

Prime Minister Abe, in Vietnam for the APEC forum, said he was happy that Nakaima had won and that he and President Bush had agreed to steadily move forward with the planned realignment.

Things are looking up for Abe as he moved a step closer to his goal of creating a US-style National Security Council Wednesday when a panel convened to debate the formation and constitution of such a panel, which, in the US, consists of 200 people who report directly to the President. Abe, who would like to consolidate power in the kantei, is likely to push for something similar. Some observers also expect him to use the panel to push for the Self-Defense Forces to be able to exercise the right to collective self-defense and take a more active role internationally. Shiozaki Yasuhisa made a point of telling reporters, “We have assembled a group of true professionals from a variety of specialized fields.”

(Read on …)

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Yoko (not her real name) got her dream job working at a famous firm in Tokyo - the prestige of a high position, real responsibility, and 50% more money than she’d been making in retail. It had been a hard road - she’d learned English, gone to a business school, brushed up on her formal and business Japanese, and done the best she could to learn the ins and outs of traditional Japanese companies, knowing that such knowledge certainly wouldn’t hurt.

When she announced that she’d been chosen from among several candidates, she was surprised and overjoyed. The odds had been against her. While a beautiful, impeccably- mannered lady, she had never been a flight attendant, as all of the office staff had (being a flight attendant was more of a marker of social status than a job skill, as the business was finance with no foreign clients) and she was twenty-nine, almost at the unemployable age of thirty, whereas most of the girls in the office had left Japan Air Lines for this particular company at twenty-five or twenty-six. Now she was to be the junior secretary, the second-highest office lady in the office, working directly for the venerable CEO and his son, the Vice President. She had to keep the boss’s packed schedule in line. She had to make sure everything went smoothly at the conferences. She had to make sure everything ran so smoothly, no one noticed it was being done. She even had a budget as large as her own salary to take care of any and all minor purchases in the office.

Thank goodness her sempai, the senior secretary, was a nice lady.

(Read on …)

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 Bully, knock it off. Teacher, wake up!: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Society

On Thursday, the Diet’s House of Representatives (the lower house) passed an education reform bill that would revise Japan’s 1947 Fundamental Law on Education for the first time. The law, which is has been dubbed the “Patriotism Bill’ by the Washington Post, is intended to boost students’ awareness of culture and tradition as well as foster a love for country.

The vote was boycotted by members of Japan’s opposition parties, who do not think that enough time has been given to review and debate the bill. Many are also upset that the LDP has apparently rigged ‘town-hall’ style meetings by planting questions and paying attendees to ask planted questions or make favorable comments. The LDP has counter-argued that no was was paid to ask specific questions; rather, meeting attendees were paid 5,000 yen each to be introduced by the MC.

(Read on …)

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 TPR News: 11/20/06: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

On Wednesday, we published an article with the title Japan Bullying and Suicides in the International News. At the time, what struck us as being notable about the coverage was the absence of US-based sources. That has changed.

Several US media sources, and especially the Associated Press, have picked up on the ongoing saga over the past few days. Here’s a look at what’s been published:

Monsters and Critics started it off of November 15th with an article called Bullying is Behind Teen Suicide Wave in Japan.

On November 16th, the issue was quiet in US sources, but on the 17th, the AP story was released and appeared all over the Western media:

(Read on …)

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In this special discussion edition of Seijigiri, Garrett and Ken discuss the ‘Japan lobby’ and the role it plays in influencing American politics and foreign policy. In particular, we look at the role played by the Japan lobby in the defeat of US House Resolution 759, which would have called upon Japan to acknowledge, apologize for and make amends for its practice of forcing women into sexual slavery during the second world war.

As always, thank you for listening.

Links to further reading on related issues:

Ken Silverstein’s Cold Comfort: the Japan Lobby Blocks Resolution on WWII Sex Slaves was published by Harper’s on October 5, 2006.

The Boston Globe published a piece on the process that killed House Resolution 759.

(Read on …)

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 Seijigiri #12: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The endemic problem of bullying in Japan’s schools and its link to a recent string of suicides is picking up some steam in the international press. Here’s a look at what they’re reporting:

First, thanks to Japan Probe for making us aware of this story, from the MSN-Mainichi in Japan: On Tuesday, The Ministry of Education received seven more letters from students who say they intend to commit suicide because of bullying, in addition to the seven letters received last week. One student wrote: “Teachers did nothing for me. I may be dead by the time this letter has reached you.” Two similar emails have also been received.

The Times of London online has recently (within the past few hours) posted a story covering Japan’s bullying, recent suicides and letters to the Ministry of Education.

(Read on …)