Current Affairs

When Matsui went to play Major League Baseball, the Japanese media went into a feeding frenzy. A similar kind of furor surrounded Nakata when he first went to ply his trade in Seria A.

Now these two are both professional sportsmen and media celebrities, and whether right or wrong, the famous have come to expect such attention. Many of them indeed openly courting the media.

But now the Japanese Ground-Self-Defence Force (GSDF) have arrived in Iraq, they are being accompanied by an equal (if not greater) degree of hysteria and harassment.

From all accounts the tracking of the GSDF has been similar to a car chase. Like the paparazzi following a movie star. Apparently two cars amongst this trailing pack actually collided with each other, and another vehicle almost ran over an Iraqi child.

Due to Japan’s constitution, this is admittedly a historic (and very controversial) occasion, but similarly a very dangerous one. In this respect it certainly warrants in-depth coverage, but not the kind generally given to sport stars and singers.

“I can’t consider sumo — a battle between two fat guys — as a sport for intellectuals.”

French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy shows his unique approach to winning friends and gaining influence. Apparently he didn’t consider the Sumo jibe quite enough, as he went on to say that Kyoto is a grim city.

He’ll never make Foreign Minister. Although there again…

I’m not aware of a recent rift between George W. Bush and Tony Blair, but judging by the picture below, the U.S. President seems to have a new pet. A nice wavy haired Japanese poodle by the name of Koizumi.

From all accounts it’s as well trained as its British predecessor.

Walkies!

This video/song is hilarious. Well worth checking out.

If the words son, asshole, and idiot, haven’t quite spelled out whom it’s about, I’ll give you a few more clues. He’s arguably not the brightest, his eyes are a way too close together, and fingers crossed he’ll be looking for a new job next year.

So go on, have a listen.

“It’s not really necessary to use a condom, because I can always have an abortion.” Emiko, a 19-year-old woman who says she sleeps with three or four “friends,” but doesn’t worry about getting HIV/AIDS.

Ok, we all realize how one comment from a teenager is hardly indicative of the thought and actions of a nation, but the young lady in question sadly may not be alone.

HIV infections have steadily been rising in Japan, and attitudes such as this (plus a general lack of information) have certainly been playing their part. The facts below appear to prove that such a blasé disposition is becoming more common.

By gender men accounted for most of the infections, but restricted to the 15- to 19-year-old group females accounted for 68.8 percent of the infections. In the 20- to 24-year-old group the figure reached 57 percent.

A separate survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that the number of artificial abortions carried out by women under 20 climbed from 26,117 in 1995 to 46,511 in 2001. The number of issued condoms dropped from 1.1 million to 840,000 during the same period.

Pretty telling statistics I think you’ll agree. And whilst they don’t point towards an epidemic as such, they surely should be seen as a cause for concern for those in charge. But alas, in Japan it would appear that it’s often easier to stick your head in the sand and blame it on somebody else.

I don’t think I’m too far off the mark to say that many Japanese still see HIV as a foreign disease (apparently that’s the main reason that foreigners aren’t usually allowed in most of the entertainment establishments that abound in Japan). And so therefore it’s not something to be overly concerned about. The same thing happened to a certain extent with the SARS breakout last year. Some people were even heard to mutter that Japanese people simply couldn’t catch it. I kid you not.

But with the Japanese sex industry being such big business, and it supposedly being common practice for a client to ride bare back if he pays extra, the warnings are clearly there. Combine this with attitudes of the teenager quoted above, and the signs of a potentially big problem are there for all to see. As long as you have your eyes open that is.