J@pan Inc Newsletter<br>The 'JIN' J@pan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>in Japan.<br>Issue No. 469 Wednesday June 11, 2008, Tokyo<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>
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More about PBXL: <a href="http://www.pbxl.jp/aboutus2">http://www.pbxl.jp/aboutus2</a><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>Violent crime in Japan<br><br>The recent horror story of the Akihabara truck rampage/knife <br>
murders is deeply shocking and challenges our most optimistic <br>and hopeful inclinations. The scenes of bloody limbs and <br>computer generated simulations of the tragedy impress us with <br>the reality of what, to most of us, is unthinkable. Looking to <br>
the murderer's psychological profile, childhood and troubled <br>relationship with society can give us some clues as to how he <br>might eventually have cracked, but it will never really solve <br>the mystery of how and why this tragedy happened. There are <br>
plenty of people with woeful and abusive pasts who would never <br>perpetrate such a hideous slaughter. <br><br>For the media, crimes such as this are times to satisfy the <br>public's morbid fascination with such bloodbaths and uncover as <br>
many gory details as possible – many publications also manage to<br>use the opportunity to provide titillating 'background <br>information' (see <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/node/3395">http://www.japaninc.com/node/3395</a>). The other <br>
common theme is that many writers and editors will bring up <br>similar incidents that have occurred recently, for example, one <br>AP report on the incident catalogues various knife crime <br>incidents going back until 2001 (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/6czwa6">http://tinyurl.com/6czwa6</a>).<br>
<br>There is nothing essentially wrong with such reporting, but <br>during these periods, it is possible to lose a sense of <br>perspective. It is right that we scratch our heads and examine <br>social, legal and cultural changes that might prevent such <br>
nightmares re-occurring however, for those searching for some <br>comfort, it is worth reflecting that homicide in Japan has <br>generally been following a pattern of decline. According to <br>recent research published in the journal 'Homicide Studies' <br>
(David T Johnson, June 2008), 'there has been such a steep <br>decline in the propensity to kill among young Japanese men that <br>their murder rate is now about one tenth what it was 50 years <br>ago.' Johnson claims that although demographic factors partly <br>
explain these statistics (there being fewer young males who are <br>the most common killers), he suggests that Japan has done <br>comparatively well in restricting the availability of weapons <br>and that its culture of 'postwar pacifism' (or post war <br>
passivism?) has permeated beyond the area of foreign policy.<br><br>There is also, sadly, nothing unique about the nature of <br>Japanese ultra-violent crime. For every decapitation or random <br>shooting that has happened in Japan, it is possible to find <br>
similar examples in countries all around the world. For regions <br>that are in the midst of war, similar incidents happen on a <br>daily basis. It has always been the prerogative of the older <br>generation, who write the laws and the headlines, to accuse the <br>
younger generation of moral deficiencies in the wake of such <br>violent outbreaks. However, the evidence Johnson considers <br>reveals a reality in which the younger generation in Japan is <br>less likely to murder its peers than the previous one. <br>
<br>In terms of how it compares internationally, according to <br>Bloomberg, 'Japan's crime rate remains low by international <br>standards, with 1.1 homicides per 100,000 people in 2005 <br>compared with 3.5 in France, 3.2 in the UK and 5.6 in the US, <br>
according to official statistics.' While these statistics do <br>little to set our minds at ease about the events of last Sunday,<br>Japanese society should not perhaps entirely lose hope that the <br>younger generation may be our savior rather than our slayer. <br>
<br>Peter Harris<br>
Editor-in-Chief<br><br>++FEEDBACK<br>Want to comment? It is now even easier to voice your opinion<br>than ever before! Simply post a comment below this article<br>online at <a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin469">www.japaninc.com/jin469</a><br>
<br>--------NEW GADGET BLOG: TEKRONOMICON.COM------------------<br><br>In collaboration with Gadget Watch, Gadget blog Tekronomicon<br>offers a detailed look at select gadgets - shiny and strange,<br>from gizmo ground zero in Tokyo.<br>
See the gadgets introduced in Gadget Watch,<br>with photos and more at: <a href="http://www.tekronomicon.com">www.tekronomicon.com</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>++EVENTS<br>
-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>250 Bilingual JET candidates looking for work<br><br>The JET Programme Alumni Association of Eastern Japan<br>(<a href="http://www.jetaa.com">http://www.jetaa.com</a>) has its annual job fair<br>
(<a href="http://www.tokyojobfair.com/">http://www.tokyojobfair.com/</a>) at the Tokyo International<br>Forum on June 14th from 13:00-18:00.<br><br>Target more than 250 registered bilingual foreigners completing<br>their contracts and former JETs, many of whom have had a wide<br>
range of experience. Sponsors will have exposure to the whole<br>JET and JET alumni community.<br><br>Current and former JET Programme (<a href="http://www.jetprogramme.org/">http://www.jetprogramme.org/</a>)<br>participants are invited as candidates.<br>
Tel. 03-4550-1524 / Mobile. 090-9674-7312 or E-mail:<br><a href="mailto:info@tokyojobfair.com">info@tokyojobfair.com</a><br><br>---------- Metropolis and eigoTown.com Party --------------<br><br>Metropolis-Tokyo's favorite lifestyle magazine and<br>
eigoTown.com - Japan's premier English language learning<br>website - join together on June 14, 2008 to bring you<br>The Metropolis and eigoTown.com Party.<br><br>Roppongi hotspot Alife will host over 500 revelers for an<br>
evening of fun with people from different backgrounds<br>coming together to eat, drink and make friends!<br><br>Tel: Metropolis(Will Thompson) 03-45502759.<br>Nearest stn: Roppongi. <a href="http://www.metropolis.co.jp/party">www.metropolis.co.jp/party</a><br>
<br>CORPORATE SPONSORS WELCOME<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br>-Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo<br>- 5-Year Anniversary - Monday, June 16th --<br><br>Title: 'Secrets of Entrepreneurial Success'<br>
<br>Speaker: Mr. Allen Miner - Founder and Chairman<br>and Group CEO of SunBridge Corporation Group<br><br>After being EA-Tokyo's first speaker in June 2003, Mr. Miner<br>will return to share his secrets of entrepreneurial success.<br>
<br>After joining Oracle in 1986, Mr. Miner was dispatched to<br>Japan where he founded Oracle Japan. After successfully<br>growing Oracle's business and taking the company public he<br>left in 1999 to establish SunBridge Corporation, a company<br>
that provides a variety of growth-enabling services to<br>start-ups and global enterprises.<br><br>Please sign up early while seats are available.<br><br>Date/Time: Monday, June 16th, 7:00 pm<br>Location: Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan<br>
Language: English<br>Website: <a href="http://www.ea-tokyo.com">http://www.ea-tokyo.com</a><br><br>-------------------- ICA Event - June 25 ------------------<br><br>Speaker: Henry Ng, Head of Professional Security Services<br>
-Asia, Verizon Business<br><br>Topic: Bridging the Security Management Gap:<br>How to Move from Point Solutions to Process<br><br>Details: Complete event details at <a href="http://www.icajapan.jp/">http://www.icajapan.jp/</a><br>
(RSVP Required)<br>Date: Thursday, June 25, 2008<br>Time: 6:30 Doors open includes light buffet<br>Cost: 4,000 yen (members), 6,000 yen (non-members)<br>Open to all-venue is The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan<br>
<a href="http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map">http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map</a><br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br>