Carol’s Reviews > True Crime Japan: Thieves, Rascals, Killers and Dope Heads: True Stories from a Japanese Courtroom > Status Update
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Carol
is on page 240 of 256
Japan doesn’t appreciate pot stirrers. The Japanese saying, “The nail that sticks up is hammered down “ is often used to describe how society deals with those being awkward by seeking change. Virtually every organ of the Japanese state disdains those who make waves; probably none more so than those who run the prisons.
— Oct 09, 2023 06:53PM
Carol
is on page 153 of 256
Most drug defendants refuse to reveal names, citing the potential threat dealers could pose to their loved ones. But for those who answer, by far the most common explanation given in Matsumoto District Court is to say they bought it from a (choose one from each category) foreigner, black person, or Iranian in Nagoya, Osaka, or Tokyo. 🙄
— Oct 04, 2023 07:36PM
Carol
is on page 125 of 256
Whereas in other countries, defense lawyers often explain criminality by citing a defendant’s dysfunctional background, low intelligence, or history of addiction, in Japan, mothers (rarely fathers) are commonly blamed for having spoiled or dominated their boys, making them … weak-willed and irresponsible, and ultimately vulnerable to the lure of criminal life.
— Oct 04, 2023 05:51PM
Carol
is on page 106 of 256
Groping is considered a misdemeanor in most countries and it rarely lands perpetrators in jail. But in Japan, penalties range from a fine to a 10-year jail sentence, the upper limit reflecting the fact that men groping female strangers is a very large social problem there. In bigger cities, where packed trains provide ample opportunity for anonymous hands, groping is particularly rampant.
— Oct 04, 2023 05:08PM
"Japan must surely be the only country in the world where organized crime groups have a publicly available postal address."
They also have exams, arranged by the higherups and engage in furious spring cleaning on a yearly basis, at least.
About blaming foreigners, that's not just something defendants come up with on their own. Police will very often ask about foreigners being involved in whatever, even down to pickpocketing and the like. If you lodge a complaint a koban, odds the cops will ask you, "was it a foreigner".
This can, and has, terrible consequences. Like when the horribly mangled body of a Vietnamese little girl was found and the police focused almost exclusively on the Vietnamese community. It makes some sense, minors in particular as almost always the victim of those closest to them, but the focus was such that it took quite a while to find the actual culprit, a very Japanese teacher.