Japan's First Female PM

Great news. Honestly. I don't care for Takaichi Sanae, she's right wing, the usual anti-foreigner BS, but a woman PM, Japan's first. So, well-done. A couple days ago I asked a student (car otaku) which candidate he supported, and why. "Takaichi. Because she drives an older Supra".

Tropes That Never Die

An article in Japan Today about foreign kids not enrolled in Japanese schools. Typical of the comments section on that site, regardless of the topic: "At least in primary school here, most children get a decent education, the indoctrination begins in middle school" A favorite trope of the expat community. Here's the philosophy of the Niigata City BOE: 誰もが安心して学び、生涯を通じて自己実現できる社会の実現」**を基本とし、「これからの社会で自信をもって自己実現していける子どもを育てる」「学びの循環による人づくり・地域づくりを進める」「地域と一体となった学校づくりを進める Google translate: >Building a society where everyone can learn with peace of mind and achieve self-fulfillment throughout their lives''** is the basis of ``nurturing children who can self-actualize with confidence in the future society'', ``promoting human development and community development through the cycle of learning'', and ``promoting the creation of schools that are integrated with the local community Not much indoctrinating going on here.

University Cafeteria

"Foreigners have no fundamental human rights" in Japan

That's according to Saitama assemblyman Moroi Masahide. Assemblyman in Saitama blasted over remark on foreigners’ rights | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis https://share.google/pWADI3CVB4xijCdip One wonders how many share his view. Well, Japan's Supreme Court, for starters: A 2014 Supreme Court ruling declared that foreign nationals, even permanent residents, are not legally entitled to welfare benefits in Japan, overturning a lower court decision that favored a Chinese woman in Oita. The court's rationale centered on interpreting the term "citizen" in the Public Assistance Act, concluding that only Japanese citizens have a legal right to benefits. This ruling solidified that foreigners' eligibility for welfare is a discretionary matter, not a guaranteed right. The Chinese woman, a life-long resident of Japan and taxpayer, argued that she was eligible based on her good standing with tax authorities. So, you get on with your life, leave, or naturalize. Those are the options.

The Vanished - Afterword

Mauger and Remael's book is utter garbage. Unless you like your 'journalism' fabricated, falsified. Google was around in 2014, when the English translation was published; Benjamin, Hector, Charles- any reason you didn't spend a few minutes Googling? Tourists with preconceptions, not journalists. Ignorance of the language, plain ignorance, facts that don't add up, no facts at all- none of this deters Lena et al. Finally, here's Lena.

The Vanished: -17: Fin

March 11, 2011. Lena's breathless claim at the bottom of the page is utter bullsh*t. I was here. Like millions in Japan, I was glued to Japanese TV for days. We knew. Nor would I trust Stephane's testimony. He visits Fukushima's no-go zone after the disaster:

Take a dive here And here

The Vanished- 16: Tojinbo Cliffs

Mauger and company visit the famed cliffs of Tojinbo, which she describes as "two hours from Tokyo City". Well, the flight from Haneda to Komatsu (nearest airport), Ishikawa, takes an hour. From there it's about 45 minutes to Tojinbo, Fukui, by car. Did the budget stretch to airfare for three and a rental? Overland from Tokyo the journey takes seven hours. (Did they even go there?) Anyhow, Mauger says they've been invited by Shige Yukio, a retired police officer and founder of an NPO whose mission is suicide prevention at the cliffs. Later that day the following bizarre scene unfolds:

So, just like that, it's off to Osaka.

The Vanished - 15: Planet Toyota, and a Mitsubishi

Still in Toyota City. Aichi Prefecture. Lena claims to meet one Peruvian named Freddy who arrived in Japan in 1991 and began working for Toyota that year. According to Lena, he was a temp worker (yes, for nearly 30 years!) and has been laid off by the manufacturer, which she says is letting people go in large numbers in 2010 (?) despite an 8% increase in sales over the previous year (makes no sense, given Toyotism and Just in Time production). Or what year is it? Lena doesn't enlighten. (In any case, Japanese labor statistics don't support her assertion.) Anyway, Freddy wonders- (see photograph)

Problem is, this pic (oh la la, tres symbolique) was taken not in Toyota (or anywhere else in Aichi, for that matter) but in Osaka. Busted by the blue plate. Again. Did Stephane even snap this, Lena? Oh. And the car? It's a Mitsubishi.

The Vanished- 14: Lena Goes to Toyota, Aichi, and Splains Some Things

In which we travel with Mauger and friends to Toyota City, Aichi, to meet "connections". Home to Toyota Motor Corporation, of course, and Lena claims that people are fleeing the "jewel of Japan [which] has been sinking in the recession." Since 2008, and she knows this how? Because "(t)hey say". Let's consider a couple of bits straight off. First: What does the government say about Toyota's population? 2005- 400K 2010- 413K 2015- 414K So that's that. Lena is too preoccupied with her preconceived notions about Toyota (and Japan) to be distracted by mere facts. Moreover, she senses something sinister in "Planet Toyota", where everything is named, you guessed it, Toyota. As in Toyota Station, Toyota Post Office, Toyota Elementary School, Toyota Hospital.. A bit like Niigata City, with its 新潟小学校、新潟高等学校、新潟大学、新潟中央郵便局, 新潟市民病院... A bit like anywhere. "In 1959, the Japanese government renamed the small city of Koromo, known from then on as Toyota City." Nope. This is not the DPRK, Lena. The city assembly did, for multiple reasons: 1) the kanji rendering Koromo were difficult to read: 挙母 (Good luck getting 'Koromo' from that-in fact, Toyota's headquarters adopted katakana: コロモ); 2) to avoid confusion with a city of the same name in Nagano; and 3) to identify the city as home to Toyota Motor Corp.

Drop in sales in 2010? Nope. Toyota reported an 8% jump for that year.

The Vanished- 13: Did You Even Read It?

High praise for this tripe comes from from Benjamin, Hector, and Charles. "Hats off", exclaims Benjamin. (Of prestigious Keio University, no less-just goes to show). From Hector: "I feel the word johatsu will stay in my heart forever." That's unfortunate. From Charles: "I hope the book will be translated into Japanese." Honestly, Chuck, I hope not.

The Vanished-12: Miyamoto Naoki (not Naori), Vanished 2002, 3/3.

In which our investigator finally meets the family of an evaporated, only to get his name wrong. And a couple other things. Lena's new interpreter, one Jun (what happened to chubby guy Guy?), introduces her to detective Hayashizaki, who in turn sets up a meeting with the Miyamoto family. On 3/3/2002, their younger son, 25, disappeared. Two days later the coast guard (not the "Ocean Tokyu Ferry company", Lena) in Fukuoka phoned to say that his belongings had been found in one of the cabins. Now, Mauger gets the surname right: Miyamoto. Only, she's wrong about his prenom: it's Naoki, not "Naori". I would say I'm shocked at the incompetence. But at this point...

Again, Miyamoto was 25 at the time, Lena. How did you get both his name and age wrong? Beyond pathetic. But beyond pathetic is not beyond Lena Mauger. Clearly. And where was interpreter Jun? As amateurish as his employer, apparently. Link: 宮本　直樹 | 特定失踪者問題調査会 https://share.google/d5EmfBTylIswSmTi7

The Vanished-11: 5.5 Million Evaporated

Apologies, Dear Readers, for this tedious and repetitive series. We get the idea, enough already. Yes, but I must soldier on. Positive note: the end approacheth.

Page 122: in which we encounter the astonishing figure 185,000- the true number of evaporateds, annually. Let's see, I arrived 30 years ago, that's 30X 185,000= 5.5 million. That's impressive hush hush. "Burial"- Hmm. Few Japanese opt for that.

The Vanished - 10: Otaku and Hikkikomori

Mauger visits Akihabara, The Maid Cafe. Where she meets "Picchi", one of the staff, dressed as Cinderella. Who frequents the establishment? Otaku. Nerds, geeks, those with a manga/ anime monomania. Mauger descibes them as "recluses living out their passions alone, holed up in a room, isolated on the Japanese archipelago". (Except when they're patronizing the cafe, of course.) That would be hikkikomori, Lena. Apparently our correspondent is unaware of the distinction. Bless her. She's really trying. Really, really hard.

The Vanished- 9: More of the Geographical

Sanya, we are told, "cannot be found on any map." Okay, whatever. But 'Sanno'? Blue plate to the left of the meter: 山王一丁目15. That would be Ota Ward, south of Shinagawa, on the way to Kawasaki and Yokohama. Haneda Airport. Nowhere near Sanya, Arakawa/ Taito. Chubby filmmaker/ interpreter garcon Guy's been napping on the job.

The Vanished -8: Interlude

A couple of gems. 1)"There is another world, but it is in this one." Profound observation by French surrealist Paul Eluard. But of course. I'm surprised that, after 72 pages, we have yet to encounter Foucault, Derrida, Barthes. Perhaps those luminaries are waiting in the wings. 2) "Sanya is not what he (Stephane, our photographer) imagined evaporation to be- vibrant, romantic, like in literature or film." Aww. Stephane wants his money back. There you have it, the problem with these French tourists' project. Thanks, Stephane, for distilling it, unwittingly.

The Vanished- 7: Sanya

Sanya (山谷): straddling Taito and Arakawa Wards in Tokyo. According to the book jacket:

"A little learning is a dangerous thing", as someone famous once observed. Search for 山谷 online, and you'll find it. The name was changed, in 1966, though not because the area was/ is "notorious for its petty criminal activities". Rather, names change: Tokyo used to be Edo, Niigata (where I live) Echigo... And a word on vending machines: those offering alcohol shut off automatically at 11:00 (23:00). By law. I know, from experience.

The Vanished-6: More Geographical Oddities

"Shunsuke Soda left Tokyo seven years ago to settle in Yamanashi province (sic) in northern (sic) Japan." Chubby filmmaker Guy, I'm beginning to lose faith in you. Yamanashi is neither a province (though it is a prefecture), nor would even the most deranged cartographer place it in "northern Japan".

The Vanished-5

Our intrepid investigators- a reminder, they don't understand Japanese, though chubby Guy apparently does- visit the home of an evaporated. "Tim" is the eldest son. Really? A Japanese couple, this is. "Upstairs, lying in her bed, the grandmother clears her throat." Did she? Lay eyes on her? The family mutt? The point is?

They "used to live among the cherry blossoms in Saitama", the eldest "the son of tanners" . Tanners, traditional outcasts, did not live near the best blossom viewing spots, Lena. Or perhaps you mean they no longer reside in that prefecture. Or perhaps you don't have a point at all.

The Vanished 4: More Pesky Facts

120K in the mid- 90s? Nope. In fact, the National Police Agency reported 80,030 missing persons in 1995. Sigh. Chubby Guy. You really, vraiment should have stayed with filmmaking.

The Vanished 3- Geography

To the list of things modified or left anonymous we can add facts and truth. But we are not done, dear reader. In fact, we have only reached p. 17. From p. 18:

I'll keep it simple: Hananoyu is not in Shizuoka City- it never was- but Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Dear reader, I apologize: you've already decided between Guy and the sextant, further examples are but superfluous.

The Vanished 2- More Facts

Mauger and friends travel by shinkansen from Tokyo to hot-spring town Atami, Shizuoka. Why? Because our journalist has been told that people on the run "wash away their pasts in the sulfurous steam of the baths before being reborn elsewhere". Whatever. Because bustling hot-springs resorts are the perfect place to disappear, and easy on the pocketbook. Our investigators stroll through town asking for the evaporated people, Where are they, the 'johatsu'?- and are met with evasion, in Mauger's telling (it's not just Americans that are ugly overseas). Finally, they are directed to one Doctor Uchida, "the physician of the springs". Meaning? So they troop off, locate the good doctor, ask him about vanished people and hot springs (well, Guy does, presumably). Doc Uchida shares this:

Now, either the sawbones is in his dotage or, as I prefer to think, it's complete bullsh*t. Fukuda murdered a co-worker. Former. Singular. This was in Matsuyama, Ehime. During her 15 years on the lam, from 1982-1997, she was in a number of places: Nagoya, yes, Osaka, yes, Kanazawa and Fukui, yes and yes, but Shizuoka? No.

The Vanished 1: Fact-check: Vanishing Act

Mauger first published on Japan's 'evaporated' in 2009 in the magazine XXI, so presumably she and her collaborators visited Japan earlier that year or, more likely, 2008. From the jacket: "Every year, nearly one hundred thousand Japanese vanish without a trace." Mauger's book lacks a bibliography, so readers are left to dig into this surprising claim themselves. (Because it is a head-scratching figure and invites digging.) Really? 100K? No trace, never found? Here are the numbers, courtesy of the National Police Agency. From the year 2008: 84, 739 missing persons reports, 78, 668 cases closed. Let's consider the first year for which both figures are available, 1966: 91, 593, and 63, 667, respectively. Finally, in 2022: 84,910 and 80, 653. The data goes back to 昭和31, or 1956, and since then the annual figure for missing persons has reached or exceeded 100K in just 11 years. Not only that, but never have "nearly one hundred thousand people" permanently vanished. Habemus Corpus. Just where did Mauger get her numbers? Chubby Guy? Methinks the filmmaker's Japanese skills did not extend to internet searches in the language. Or was it "facts are so passe"? Or perhaps the triumvirate decided they were entitled to their own.

"The Vanished"- Introduction

In which Lena Mauger, avid traveler and magazine journalist, and Stephane Remael, photographer, propose to tell of "The Evaporated People Of Japan In Stories And Photographs". A tall order for Mauger and Remael, as neither speaks Japanese, and Translate wasn't a thing. So they enlist the services of one Guy (no surname), a "chubby filmmaker on the cusp of retirement". (Is any of that relevant? Meaning not particularly busy, thus free to tag along as Lena chases this non-story?) At least he's got a Japanese wife and some degree of Japanese fluency, apparently- so this Guy is on board as interpreter. As night falls over the Place de Clichy, Guy regales Mauger with "all the little things that, for him, make Japanese living so serene". You know: "the feminine gentleness, the elegance of movement, the efficiency of public transportation". Was chubby guy having her on? Place de Cliche. Anyhow, it's Guy who mentions "*a strange phenomenon: every year, thousands of Japanese people leave their homes and never return." According to our filmmaker, **Japan has more missing persons than any other country. Now, I don't want to put too fine a point on it, but there's something(s) slightly off about this tete a tete: if Mauger first hears about this phenomenon from Guy, then what was the subject of her original investigation? Anyhow, "there we were, two months later, foreign to this enigmatic culture, our only compass being our guide's perseverance in the face of shadows..." Nauseating, I agree. As for the "compass"- we shall see in later installments whether a sextant wouldn't have been the smarter choice.

* One of the few accurate claims in the entire book. In fact, tens of thousands are reported missing every year, with all but a few thousand found within 72 hours. Lena vastly inflates this figure. But of course. Because, Mon Dieu, the story. Among the 2-4K not found annually: those who have come to grief, whose bodies are never located; those suffering dementia who wander off with no ID; and, the truly vanished, those who do not want to be found, for any number of reasons. ** Sure about that, Guy? Take a peek at figures for the US.

Behind the Curtain: Japan and Korea

Just saw an informative deep-dive on NHK into efforts to recover the remains of Japanese and Koreans lost in industrial accidents during WWII. 長生 Coal Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture, 1942, February 3: a cave-in occurs, claiming the lives of 136 Korean forced laborers and 47 Japanese. Until this summer, no remains had been recovered, though descendants of the Japanese victims had petitioned their own government in vain for help. Steps up the Korean government, dispatching divers to help in the search. Result: discovery of some remains, and bope of more to follow. Who made this happen? Groups representing Japanese families, their Korean counterparts, and the Korean government. Japanese authorities have been MiA. Why the reluctance to help? Doing so would require the country to confront the issue of Korean forced labor. A touchy issue, even 83 years on? One wonders. No, one doesn't. Consider the 30-year campaign (resolved in 2024) by Sado Island, Niigata, to have 佐渡金山 recognized as a World Heritage Site. Same complication: forced labor, Korean. Back to the coal mine: ironically, Yamaguchi Prefecture was home to the late right-wing PM Abe, murdered for his (and his political party's) ties to the Korean Unification Church. Ironies upon ironies. (Japan- Korea fraught- from the Japanese perspective, at least. Also, let's not forget wartime so-called comfort women, which Japan hasn't recognized as sex slaves, hence the "comfort women" fudge.) Mainichi Shinbun story here photo