In this edition of the Debito.org Podcast, Arudou Debito talks about his upcoming book, HANDBOOK FOR NEWCOMERS, MIGRANTS, AND IMMIGRANTS TO JAPAN. Co-authored with Higuchi Akira and published by Akashi Shoten Inc., Debito tells us what’s in the book, what it’s trying to accomplish, and why he thinks you should consider buying it (Short answer = because it has lots of useful advice about how to secure your visa and job, how to start a business, what you should do if problems arise, how you can plan for your future, and how you can participate in Japan’s Civil Society; in other words, how to live better in Japan, from entry to death. Okay, maybe not such a short answer.)

TPR has already reviewed the book, saying, “Whether you’re a new ‘newcomer’ or an old ‘newcomer,’ the Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants, and Immigrants to Japan is invaluable. The headaches and frustration saved by having accurate information on everything from establishing residency to setting up a business all in one handy volume are incalculable. Best of all, Higuchi and Arudou tackle sticky situations with sound advice that just isn’t available but through experience. Whether you’re new to Japan or looking for guidance on a newfound difficult situation, this book will help cut through the red tape and noise, ultimately helping to get one on a path to productive problem solving. A must-own book for anyone intending to call Japan ‘home’.”

There are also reviews by John Lie, Jeff Kingston, and Alex Kerr, and news of Debito’s nationwide book tour from Sendai to Fukuoka between March 15 and April 1.

HANDBOOK goes on sale from March 15. If you want to order a copy, see details at Debito’s website at http://www.debito.org/index.php/?page_id=582
And he closes out this podcast with a song by Duran Duran which has a distinct Japanese influence…

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 Debito.org 02/26/08: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this edition of TPR News: Pols are unpopular; the MSDF is back in action; the Atago crash; the gas tax; Fukuda visits Korea; 1981 murder suspect arrested in Saipan; more food troubles; the latest business news; and more all around.

Congratulations to the Black Stripe Theater, whose production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross was not only top notch, but also sold out for all five of its performances. Keep an eye on their blog and check back with TPR to find out more about future productions.

Politics

68% of people distrust political parties and politicians and feel that their vote has no influence according to a Yomiuri Shimbun poll conducted last week. Somewhat surprisingly for a poll conducted by the Yomiuri, which tends to get results a bit more favorable of the ruling coalition than other major dailies, over 60% of respondents said they wanted to see an occasional change in the ruling party and 40% of respondents who supported the LDP said they would welcome a change.

Bringing the sole accomplishment of the 2007 extraordinary Diet session to fruition, the Maritime Self-Defense Forces resumed their refueling mission in the Indian Ocean. On Thursday, the MSDF supply ship Oumi supplied a Pakistani frigate with 160 kiloliters of fuel. (Read on …)

Chris Parham, the director of the upcoming Black Stripe Theater production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, sat down with me and had a short chat about the play and the Tokyo theater scene.

BST is planning to bring a couple more shows to the stage during the 2008 season, and Glengarry Glen Ross, brought to life by some of the Kanto region’s most dedicated actors, is likely a sign of big things to come.

Black Stripe Theater’s production of Glengarry Glen Ross hits Theatre Iwato this weekend, February 22nd through the 24th, and tickets are available at blackstripetheater@yahoo.com.

Update:
The Friday and Saturday evening performances (both at 7:30pm) are now sold out.

Tickets are still available for the Saturday and Sunday matinees (2:00pm) and the Sunday evening performance (6:30pm).

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 Chris Parham Interview: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

February 19th

On this day in 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, permitting the relocation of Americans of Japanese descent and Japanese immigrants to internment camps throughout the West. The Executive Order was issued based upon the recommendations Western Defense Command sent to General Headquarters in Washington on December 19, 1941:
(Read on …)

Want free tickets to an event not to be missed? (Click “Read on” or the title for more info.) (Read on …)

Welcome to the twelfth edition of BizCast Japan. In this edition of the program, co-hosts Albrecht Stahmer and Ken Worsley start off by discussing tourism to Japan. In 2007, Japan saw a record 8.3 million international tourists. This figure has been increasing each year, and the discussion focuses on what Japan is doing to attract more tourists, as well as the reasons why Japan still draws fewer tourists per year than regional rivals such as Singapore.

From there, the discussion moves to a new plan that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has proposed that would provide subsidies to companies that switch part-time workers to full-time workers. The government is working towards having more workers enrolled in the national pension system, and the reasons why this particular plan will not work are discussed.

After that, Panasonic, Sony, and Blu-Ray are discussed. With Wal-Mart announcing plans to stock Blu-Ray and not rival HD DVD players, the battle between Blu-Ray and HD DVD effectively seems to be over. In fact, just hours after this show was recorded, Toshiba announced that it would give up on HD DVD development.

The next part of the show focuses on capital injections. Wal-Mart, Seiyu and JAL are discussed, and Wal-Mart’s plans for Seiyu are put under the spotlight. Finally, the show ends with a discussion on increasing wheat prices. The Ministry of Agriculture is set to raise prices on imported wheat by 30%, and the consequences of this decisions are examined.

As always, thank you for listening. We hope to be back with our next release very soon!

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 BizCast Japan #12: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this edition of TPR News: A Marine stands accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Okinawa; Iwakuni moves closer to hosting US jets; the gyoza scandal continues as most people say they won’t eat Chinese food; the latest business news; and much more.

Politics

The top story of the past few days has been the arrest of a US Marine in Okinawa for the rape of a 14-year-old junior high school girl on Sunday. We’ll have more on the crime itself in the Society section.

The case, of course, has serious political ramifications as well as criminal ones as it arouses greater opposition to the Marines’ never popular presence in Okinawa among the locals, leading to protests which could slow the relocation of the units currently at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Camp Schwab, a process already dogged by environmental concerns and the opposition of Okinawa’s relatively new Governor Hirokazu Nakaima. The rape and the furore surrounding it could also force the US to consider accelerating construction of a base on Guam to which many of the Marines based in Okinawa are set to be moved.

The assault, at least the eighth sex crime perpetrated by American military personnel in Okinawa since the end of World War II, could also spark a reevaluation of Japan’s defense agreements with the US, including Japan’s share of the financial burden for the relocation of the Marines to Guam. While Tokyo has supported the Marines’ internal moves in Okinawa and their presence in the prefecture, which is home to 75% of the US forces in Japan, it has had to apply significant pressure to the Okinawan government and local groups in order to move things along. Needless to say, Okinawans are not becoming any more amenable to giving the US military what they and the central government want. (Read on …)

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 TPR News 02/15/08: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As the outrage over the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by a US Marine in Okinawa continues to swell, an incident comes to light that not only adds to the mistrust and anger felt toward the US military by many of the people who live near their bases in Japan, but also demonstrates the difficulty of gauging the scale of the problem.

The US military announced Thursday that four US Marines at Iwakuni Air Station are being charged by the US military with gang-raping and robbing a 20-year-old woman in Hiroshima last October and with disobeying orders. A hearing is being held to decide whether or not to try the four in courts martial. (Read on …)

Are all rapes equal?

The facts are still a bit slim, but it appears that another young girl has allegedly been raped by an American Marine in Okinawa.

For many, the most recent assault, involving a junior high school girl, brings back memories of several other rapes that have happened over the years. The most notorious in recent memory was the rape of a 12-year-old girl by a Navy Seaman and two Marines on September 4, 1995.

The victim in Sunday’s attack, a 14-year-old from Okinawa, was allegedly raped by a 38-year-old Marine in a car in Chatan-cho, Okinawa prefecture. The perpetrator has been taken into custody by the Japanese police, and the government is using all of its powers of protest.

If the allegations are true, then this is a despicable act that deserves all the condemnation in the world. A man took advantage of a junior high school girl and we should be thankful that the police were able to apprehend him so quickly. At this point everyone seems to be up in arms, and one doesn’t have to wander far to find a politician who believes that this might negatively affect the strategic relationship between the US and Japan.

That said, it is unfortunate that this level of indignation is reserved for only certain instances of rape.

(Read on …)

Arudou Debito issues his second and final podcast from his speech at Waseda dated January 22, 2008, regarding Japan’s multicultural future. Skipping right to the Q and A session, the floor is open for about 40 minutes for feedback from the audience. After 27 minutes, Debito offers six minutes of counterarguments and clarifications, including a brand new idea about Academic Social Responsibility.

Download from http://www.debito.org/index.php/?p=1224

If you want to hear the presentation from Amnesty International Kawakami Sonoko and the feedback from discussant Dr Katsuma Yasushi, the entire two hours of the forum is available at

http://www.debito.org/index.php/?p=1208

And again, no Duran Duran tracks open or close the podcast. Sorry. Next time.

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 Debito Waseda #2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download