Category: Japan

It figures that Japan would have someone become a celebrity for simply knowing how tidy a house:

Joy points upward, according to Marie Kondo, whose name is now a verb and whose nickname is being trademarked and whose life has become a philosophy. In April at the Japan Society in New York, she mounted a stage in an ivory dress and silver heels, made namaste hands at the audience and took her place beneath the display of a Power­Point presentation. Now that she has sold nearly six million copies of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 86 weeks and counting, she was taking the next logical step: a formal training program for her KonMari method, certifying her acolytes to bring the joy and weightlessness and upward-pointing trajectory of a clutter-free life to others. The humble hashtag that attended this event was #organizetheworld.

 Upon entering the Japan Society, the 93 Konverts in attendance (and me) were given lanyards that contained our information: our names, where we live and an option of either the proud “Tidying Completed!” or the shameful “Tidying Not Yet Completed!” In order to be considered tidy, you must have completed the method outlined in Kondo’s book. It includes something called a “once-in-a-lifetime tidying marathon,” which means piling five categories of material possessions — clothing, books, papers, miscellaneous items and sentimental items, including photos, in that order — one at a time, surveying how much of each you have, seeing that it’s way too much and then holding each item to see if it sparks joy in your body. The ones that spark joy get to stay. The ones that don’t get a heartfelt and generous goodbye, via actual verbal communication, and are then sent on their way to their next life. This is the crux of the KonMari — that soon-to-be-trademarked nickname — and it is detailed in “The Life-Changing Magic” and her more recent book, “Spark Joy,” which, as far as I can tell, is a more specific “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” but with folding diagrams. She is often mistaken for someone who thinks you shouldn’t own anything, but that’s wrong. Rather, she thinks you can own as much or as little as you like, as long as every possession brings you true joy.  [New York Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but her methods are catching on with some people in the US which has caused a feminist backlash for whatever reason.

If you are an E-5 or below in Japan life is still going to sort of suck for you if you like to stay out late:

Junior enlisted servicemembers stationed in Japan must now be accompanied after 10 p.m. when drinking alcoholic beverages off base, according to a new U.S. Forces Japan liberty policy.

The policy, which replaces a 2014 version, also creates three new operational levels that allow commanders to place varying restrictions on movement and alcohol consumption.

The changes follow a series of arrests in Japan that last month sparked one of the largest protests against the U.S. military in decades on Okinawa, where half of all U.S. servicemembers are stationed.

“Acts of indiscipline or criminal behavior by U.S. military personnel adversely impact international relations, tarnish the image of the United States military and affect our military readiness,” said an order signed by Lt. Gen. John Dolan, USFJ commander.

Servicemembers in pay grades E-5 and below who drink off base after 10 p.m. must go out with another servicemember, Defense Department civilian worker or DOD family member; if they drink with someone else, that person should be command approved, according to the policy.

Servicemembers in all ranks are banned from drinking alcoholic beverages off base between midnight and 5 a.m., a rule instituted as part of the 2014 policy. In pay grades E-5 and below, a 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. curfew remains in effect.

For junior enlisted servicemembers on temporary duty in Japan, the restrictions are tighter; the new policy requires them to have a “liberty buddy” even if they aren’t drinking, if they go off base after 10 p.m.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

Just another example of how Okinawa has turned into South Korea during the Roh Moo-hyun administration years of the early 2000’s:

The United States and Japan announced new procedures Tuesday aimed at ending status of forces agreement protection for some civilian base workers, two months after an alleged homicide by a contractor touched off massive protests targeted at the American military on Okinawa.

The new procedures would place civilians into four categories and exclude workers from SOFA who already have Japanese residency visas, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday evening.

It remained unclear after a news conference Tuesday whether the new procedures under negotiation would mean fewer SOFA-sponsored jobs; however, the statement calls on the U.S. and Japanese governments to clarify SOFA’s scope by “evaluating categories of positions eligible for status as members of the civilian component.”  [Stars & Stripes]

It looks like contractors are going to have to sit in on mandatory Powerpoint briefs now as well just like servicemembers.

Defense Department civilians and contractors in Japan are now expected to attend the same training events as their active-duty counterparts, Dolan said.

“For contractors and civilians under SOFA, I have added contract specifications that all workers will sign an acknowledgement of SOFA responsibilities, which can later be used, if needed, in any adjudication or incident review,” Dolan said in a prepared statement Tuesday.

Here is another example of the Japanese government putting unreasonable expectations on the US military in Japan:

Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani praised the U.S.-Japan security alliance but also called on the U.S. military Tuesday to “eradicate driving under the influence” of alcohol. Nakatani noted that an Air Force staff sergeant was arrested by Japanese police on DUI suspicion during curfew hours on Monday, despite recent restrictions on Okinawa.

Has Japan ended DUIs in their military?  Of course not because when it comes to large populations there is always going to be crime committed.  What is important is what is the trends of the number of crimes committed?  For US Forces on Okinawa statistics have shown that per capita they commit crime at a much lower rate than the surrounding population.

Working together to strengthen the U.S.-JPN Alliance through improved #SOFA implementation, monitoring and training pic.twitter.com/YcPXmAcUTz

— キャロライン・ケネディ大使 (@AmbCKennedy) July 5, 2016

Like I have always said, with such a large population of servicemembers on Okinawa these incidents are going to keep happening regardless of how many restrictions are put on troops.  So the anti-US activists are going to continue to find reasons to bash the US military presence on Okinawa:

A U.S. airman was taken into custody after being pulled over for driving erratically around 4:30 a.m. Monday and then failing a Breathalyzer test, according to a police spokesman in Okinawa City.

Staff Sgt. Christopher Aaron Platte, 27, assigned to Kadena Air Base, was driving in the Chatan area near the Jagaru highway intersection when police spotted a car moving in a zigzag manner, the spokesman said.

Police conducted a Breathalyzer test after smelling alcohol on his breath. They said he denied drinking, then tested just under 0.04 percent blood alcohol content, above Japan’s legal limit of 0.03.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

Hopefully the relationship between Korea and Japan continues to improve where this summit does take place:

President Park Geun-hye plans to travel to Japan for a trilateral meeting with her Chinese and Japanese counterparts, according to Lee Joon-gyu, the nominee for Seoul’s ambassador to Tokyo, Wednesday.

This will be Park’s first trip to Japan since her inauguration in 2013. The visit is expected to spur normalization of the ties between the two countries, according to analysts.

This year, Japan holds the rotating chair of the trilateral talks, expected to take place in November following their foreign ministers’ talks in October, according to Japanese media outlets.

“The trilateral talks between Korea, China and Japan are scheduled to be held in the second half of the year in Japan and President Park’s visit for the meeting is expected to play an important role in bettering bilateral relations,” Lee said in a diplomatic forum.

“Both countries need to take advantage of this visit as an opportunity to advance bilateral ties.” [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

This test may not seem like much, but it is actually pretty significant because for the first time Japanese and South Korean naval ships were working together to share radar data as part of a missile defense exercise:

The US military said the drills, called Pacific Dragon, would enhance the “already strong relationship of all three nations participating”.

No missiles were fired, said the US Third Fleet, but each country tested its Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and tested communications and data collection.

The Aegis system allows warships to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles while they are still in space, before there is any danger of causing any damage.

North Korea is banned by UN resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology. [BBC]

You can read more at the link.

Sort of good news for servicemembers stationed in Okinawa:

The period of unity and mourning that was imposed for U.S. forces on Okinawa following the slaying of a 20-year-old woman will end Monday.

Established U.S. Forces Japan liberty policies will continue in effect “with a few modifications,” according to a statement issued Friday by III Marine Expeditionary Force. All celebrations and concerts, including fireworks displays associated with the July 4th holiday, already had been canceled.

Cinderella Liberty went into effect May 27 after a U.S. civilian base worker, Kenneth Franklin Gadson, was arrested in connection with the death of Rina Shimabukuro. He has been charged with illegally disposing of her body, and police have recommended additional charges of murder and rape resulting in death.

“We are part of the Okinawan community, and share in mourning and honoring the victim, her family, and grieve with the people of Okinawa,” the statement said. “On behalf of all U.S. forces, we continue to stand united with the people of Okinawa during this time of mourning. Our prayers, thoughts and condolences are offered to the family, friends and loved ones who lost their family member tragically.”  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read the rest at the link, but basically servicemembers still have a 12AM-5AM curfew and cannot drink between those times.  They also need a battle buddy to go off post with.  So it is basically what the rules in the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea used to be.

This is yet another example that Okinawa has turned into South Korea circa 2002:

An overflow crowd of some 65,000 people packed a sports stadium Sunday to demand that U.S. forces leave Okinawa and drop a plan to move Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to a more remote area on the island.

Similar demonstrations were also scheduled in 41 of Japan’s 47 prefectures. More than 7,000 people gathered outside the Japanese parliament building in Tokyo to join the demand for a U.S. pullout and to bash Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

A recent rash of crimes, including the slaying of a 20-year-old woman that has been linked to a U.S. civilian base worker, have tapped into Okinawa resentment over the disproportionate number of U.S. troops here, compared with the rest of Japan, and a sense of abandonment and betrayal by the central government even after it regained control of the island in 1972.

With U.S. servicemembers, family members and others with SOFA status strongly encouraged to avoid the protest area, Gov. Takeshi Onaga called for a total withdrawal of Marines.

“I will never forgive the inhumane and brutal act that trampled women’s human rights. I am indignant,” said Onaga, who won election on an anti-base platform.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but it is interesting that the anti-US base Governor is only calling for an end to the US Marine presence on the island.  It would be interesting statistic to see if the Marines really do cause more crime than the other service branches on Okinawa?  It has already been shown that the US military overall commits far less crime per capita than the local population, but of course none of this matters to activists looking to use any crime they can to advance their political agenda.  It is an impossibility for such a large population of US military servicemembers on Okinawa to be completely crime free which means the activists will continue to find incidents to protest.

Even in the worst of times of US-ROK relations during the Roh Moo-hyun administration years there was never government officials driving around with blue lights on their cars looking to harass US servicemembers like what is currently happening in Okinawa:

 Japanese officials are patrolling areas in southwestern Okinawa in an effort to prevent crimes near U.S. military bases and entertainment districts.

The team, composed of about 40 staff members from Okinawa government agencies, was created after a former Marine working at Kadena Air Base was arrested May 19 in connection with the death of a 20-year-old Okinawan woman, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported Wednesday.

The patrol vehicles, which use blue rotating lights, are on the streets between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., the report said. The number of police officers patrolling the island prefecture is also expected to increase.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read the rest at the link, but this looks like pure political theater.  Some government official driving around with a blue light would have done nothing to prevent the tragic murder of Ms. Shimabukuro.