Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Current Affairs

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Research ruse?

Amid the usual controversy (although not from within the country), the Japan Fisheries Agency has begun its official research program to capture 120 whales. In conjunction with the Institute of Cetacean Research, the program is designed to study how the eating habits of whales affect the marine ecological system.

Preliminary research activities have been conducted since 2002, and as well as studying the whales eating habits, the mammals’ weight, length, and age will be investigated and recorded.

Oh, and once this research is completed, the whale meat will be sold at various fish markets…

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Deviants disallowed

Monday saw the first early morning “women-only” carriages operating in Tokyo. Previously the infamous Saikyo Line only had such coaches in use late at night, but with reported groping incidents roughly tripling from 778 cases in 1996, to 2,201 in 2004, the East Japan Railway Company decided such drastic action was necessary.

women only train japan
Surely worth a smile ladies? Not even a grin?

Reaction to the new service (irrespective of the picture above) was generally positive. Tomoyo Okamto, a 27-year-old office worker, spoke for many women by saying, “I had been worried only because men are in the same carriages in the morning. I’m relieved now.”

And despite the extra crush in the regular (and presumably women-free) carriages, there was a similar sense of contentment. Middle-aged company employee Hitoshi Ishida was happy as, “it’s a good change because I no longer have to carry a bag and hang onto a strap to avoid being mistaken for a molester.”

women only train japan
Not today young fella

Yet as well as praising the new system, Ishida-san brought up an interesting point. “If other carriages are more crowded as a result, the railway operator should set some other coaches aside for elderly people.”

This proposition, despite making a lot of sense, could however open a huge can of worms, with all manner of people and social groups pushing for their own carriages. And in an attempt to get in first, I’ve already sent a request to Japan Railways for a “British blokes in their 30s carriage”.

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Salary man surrender

The government has recently promised to spend 37 billion yen on programmes to help youngsters find gainful employment. And judging by these graduates pictured at a recruitment fair this week, many prospective employees are very happy about it.

salary men

All of them shouting in unison, “We surrender ourselves to countless hours of unpaid overtime, the complete subservience to the outdated hierarchical system, and also the eventual health problems due to enforced socialization with our customers and superiors.”

Or something along those lines.

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Media miscreants

Public broadcaster NHK has recently been having a torrid time due to a well publicized embezzlement scandal, and allegations of censoring a program due to governmental pressure. And now to add to its woes, a company employee has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old high school girl on a Tokyo commuter train.

It turns out however that 36-year-old Ko Sasaki’s ignominious arrest might be merely the tip of a very large iceberg. As a blacklist currently being circulated details numerous cases of disciplinary action within the company over the last 6 years. Incidents involving prostitution, peeping Toms, molestation, and sexual harassment.

Due to the disproportionately large number of cases, I’ve only listed a few below. Most of which never made the news, and the majority of the perpetrators escaped prosecution due to pressure allegedly asserted by NHK.

nhk japan

October 1999. An employee was dismissed and fined 500,000 yen (2,500 pound) after paying for sexual favours from a high school student he met through a telephone club.

May 2000. A department manager caught stealing ladies underwear from a nearby stadium locker room. The man was eventually dismissed, but charges of breaking and entering were dropped.

February 2001. A department manager again, which makes you wonder what kind of training they are given. This one was found guilty of molesting a female student on the train. He was suspended from work for 5 days (although there’s no mention of demotion) and penalized 50,000 yen (250 pound).

November 2001. An employee caught filming up a woman’s skirt at a train station. Resulting in a 5 day suspension and a similar 50,000 yen fine.

February 2003. Another upskirt aficionado. This worker was rumbled whilst in action with his digital camera. He too was suspended for a week, but received a heftier penalty of 200,000 yen (1,000 pound).

July 2003. More train groping to finish off with. This media molester received a 5-day suspension and a 50,000 yen fine.

Never a dull moment at NHK eh? Apparently many of the suspensions were/are covered up so fellow staff members don’t find out. But with this information now doing the rounds, any employee taking a couple of days off for a bout of the flu will surely have tongues wagging upon their return.

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Grim facts

Figures recently released show that suicides in Japan rose to a record high of 32,109 in 2003. Resulting in a number over 30,000 for the sixth straight year.

Unsurprisingly Japan’s economic woes have borne the brunt of the blame, with more than a quarter of the cases in 2003 being linked to financial issues. But a couple of statistics appear to paint a decidedly bleak picture in regards to employment itself, as opposed to unemployment.

Broken down into days, Mondays had by far the highest number of suicides, whilst at the opposite end of the scale Saturdays had the least.

I think that speaks volumes, don’t you?

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Sanyo’s shameless suggestion revisited

The other day I wrote about Sanyo suggesting its employees spend a considerable chunk of their own money to help boost faltering sales. With the proposed amounts starting at a staggering 200,000 yen (1,000 pound) for rank-and-file workers, and 500,000 yen (2,500 pound) for section managers.

As expected, the comments this post garnered were overwhelmingly critical of Sanyo. Except one that is. A response rather surprisingly from the company itself. Who the person is, and what position they hold wasn’t disclosed, but the IP address confirms the reply came from Sanyo. And as such it’s a response far too interesting to be left buried in the archived comments. So here it is.

Clarification:
1. It is recommended/encouraged.
2. Employees can buy their quota or promote the sales equivalent of such.
3. Executives have a 700,000 yen target.
4. Sanyo sells homes, does reform of homes, car loans, home solar power systems, plasma TVs, heating and cooling systems in addition to small home appliances, so meeting the quota might not be too difficult if you are in the market for high end products.
5. There is a Hello Kitty toaster and hot sandwich maker too.

Now to be honest, I feel this clarification makes the whole sorry affair seem even worse (if indeed that’s possible). The fact that it’s a recommendation leads one to suspect that non-compliance will result in the employee being disadvantaged in some form or another. And the option of going out and trying to cajole unsuspecting punters into buying Sanyo products in order to reach the necessary target isn’t what I’d call a favour. Whether it be a house, heater, or home appliance.

Even the mention of a Hello Kitty toaster isn’t enough to distract attention away from Sanyo’s sneaky shenanigans.

hello_kitty_toaster

Is it?