dg meets world

It seems there is a new alien registration system on it’s way.

The Metropolis Magazine reports:

The Diet is currently debating bills to replace gaikokujin torokusho with a new residency (zairyu) card, which would shift administration of alien registration from municipal offices to the Immigration Bureau.

So what are the government’s plans? And, more importantly, what are the implications for foreigners?

If enacted, the bills submitted by the Cabinet in March would revise three laws—the Basic Resident Registration Law, the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, and the Special Law on Immigration Control—with the government looking to pass them before the end of the current ordinary Diet session on June 3. Once passed, the revisions would become effective in less than three years.

(via)

Of course, the new system will not only have positive but negative points, too.

Positive

According to the immigration bureau, the government’s main aims are to simplify the administration of foreigners by having the bureau handle nearly all paperwork related to immigration and residency; reduce the burden on foreigners living legally in Japan by extending visa periods and relaxing re-entry rules; ensure all legal aliens join social insurance and state pension schemes; track the movement of foreigners more closely; and clampdown on illegal aliens such as visa overstayers by denying them the right to carry the new card.

Negative

However, opposition parties, legal organizations and migrant activists have slammed the revisions. They claim the changes could impose excessive fines for failure to carry the card, make notification of status changes less convenient, and lead to undue dissemination of personal information and excessive monitoring of foreigners.
[...]
The Juki-net cards distributed to Japanese do not have numbers printed on them, and the law strictly protects information on the IC chip imbedded in the cards. But as the revisions stand, numbers would be printed on foreigners’ cards, and a greater amount of data could be kept on the chip. While this would ostensibly enable smoother administration, critics have conjured up an image of a regulatory Big Brother tracking foreigners more rigorously than their Japanese neighbors.

They want to save a lot of personal data on the card (photograph; name; date of birth; sex; nationality; address; visa status, type and expiry date; card number, issue; date; expiration date; working restrictions; and other necessary information), and it’s planned to be used as identification card for banks or libraries.

But one constant factor seems to stay alive: the card will still be another symbol for racism in Japan:

Ichikawa also sees disparities between the treatment of foreigners and Japanese. “The law on resident registration for Japanese permits only the card number to be recorded on the IC chip—not the card—and does not make available information from private establishments such as banks. We want foreigners to be protected in the same way as Japanese.”

Oh, and of course you still have to carry it with you, all the time.

It would still be a crime, however, for foreigners to not always carry the new card. The current law, which the immigration bureau says would not change in the revisions, specifies that aliens must present certification (i.e. the gaijin card) to officials such as immigration inspectors and officers, police officers and maritime safety officers, but mentions nothing about having to show the card as identification to private organizations such as cellphone companies and banks.

About those cellphone companies and banks: I had to show them my gaikokujin torokusho when I wanted to buy a cellphone or open an account. So nothing new there. Is it even possible today to open an account or buy a cellphone w/ a contract w/o the card?

The maximum fine for failing to carry the new card would remain at ¥200,000.

Woah. Not nice…

Anyway, go ahead and read on for yourself, it’s an quite interesting article!

Just for your convience, here is the list of pros and cons for the new card system!

Pros
- Typical length of visa stay changed from three years to five years
- No need to obtain a re-entry permit when leaving the country for less than a year
- Assurance that all legal foreigners will be placed on social insurance and state pension schemes
- Administrative procedure simplified
- Possibility to notify authorities of certain changes of status by email or post

Cons
- Notification of most changes of status must be made at Immigration Bureau rather than at local municipal offices
- IC chip on the new card raises privacy concerns
- Asylum seekers and visa overstayers won’t be eligible to receive the cards, resulting in possible loss of basic health and education services
- Possibility of visa annulment if status notifications are not made within a 90-day period

I, for one, think that the new system doesn’t sound that bad. That is, if you really can notify authorities by email or good ol’ snail-mail.

Just ran across this enlightening article:

ENOUGH with the masks already! インフル予防効果のビミョーなマスク着用は不要 (by Adamu, May 15th, 2009).

DEAR JAPAN - YOU DO NOT NEED TO WEAR MASKS IF YOU ARE NOT SICK OR PARTICULARLY AT RISK FOR SWINE FLU!!
In Japanese for clarity:

日本の皆様へ：豚インフルエンザを予防するには、マスク着用の効果は低いのである。これはＷＨＯの発表でも明らかであり、日本の各メディアでマスクの推薦は、十分な裏づけがあるとは言えないだろう。

[...]

English translation:

People of Japan: Sanitary masks have little effect in preventing swine flu. This is clear from WHO reports and indicates that the Japanese media’s recommendations to wear masks do not have sufficient basis in fact. [...]

Like I said many times before: stop overreacting! It’s not helping the issue!

You are just being used!

Worst of all is the uncritical recommendation of masks by the Japanese media (as can be currently seen on the Asahi.com front page), flying in the face of WHO recommendations. Considering that the pharmaceutical companies (who make the masks) are ubiquitous advertisers in the media conglomerates (this blogger caught a documentary with one drug company executive laughing his ass off at how easy it is to sell masks), it is probably difficult to push back if it’s suggested that masks are the answer.

And here is another thing.

My girlfriend just wrote me about another stupid thing. Apparently the university where she is working just canceled their participation in the annual NAFSA (homepage) which is held in the USA. Of course, swine flu is the reason behind this idiotic decision.

I bet my life that right now, if they could, they would reestablish 鎖国 (sakoku, lit. locked country, or chained country), ie lock up the country, so no one can get in or out. And all those who trespass regardless will be shot. There, problem solved.

BTW: Here is a nice little list of things the Japanese paranoids have done so far. And it provides the prove that one can catch the flu even without going abroad.

Those unlucky enough to enter the country on a plane containing a flu carrying passenger will be forced to undergo 7 days of quarantine if they happen to be seated within a risky distance of the flu carrier.

Oh, and we have racism, too!

Josai International University had to cancel an academic conference because it was feared that its international guests would cause flu infections.

And I just have to comment on this one!

A panel of experts believes the virus may already be spreading throughout Japan. Those who may already be infected may not show symptoms for several days, and when they do, they will have likely spread it to other unsuspecting victims.

TOLD YOU!

But, the most perverted thing is that they started “to kill” everybody who does not follow mass hysteria!

Three high school students and a teacher from Osaka who were the first people in Japan confirmed to have the new flu have become the target of malicious phone calls and e-mails, local board of education and municipal officials said Friday.

[...]

“A few people called us to express their sympathy for the students, but the majority of the calls were spiteful,” said a spokesman in the city’s crisis-management division, adding that many were critical of the patients for not wearing protective masks during their stay in Canada.

[...]

“One of the schools has been receiving 20 to 30 calls of complaint a day,” the spokesman said, noting some of the comments were too horrible to repeat.

“Many people (who called the schools) criticized the students and teacher without really understanding their situation,” he said.

(via Japan Times)

QED: People are stupid.

PS: Here are some German information about the whole flu mess.

Update: A shopping area was not very crowded, and many of the people shopping were wearing masks.

the universitykindergarten:

Aoyama Gakuin University is phasing out traditional methods of taking attendance at its School of Social Informatics, in favor of free GPS-enabled iPhones.

The faculty began providing Apple iPhone 3Gs to all 550 staff and students Friday, using the GPS function to determine whether they are in school or not. The university will initiate full operation of the system in the autumn. The school also has plans to expand their use to setting simple tests and questionnaires, submitting homework and reviewing class video materials.

(Mainichi Japan, via)

And that’s why I’ll never attend a Japanese university. Again. I was at one for a 1-year exchange program, but I’ll never enlist in one to get a full degree. It’s just too damn ridiculous, I mean, they treat you like little children, they have those stupid rules no grown up can take seriously.

It’s like a kindergarten for grown ups there, and most of the students aren’t studying at all, because they are too busy with either アルバイト (part-time job), 部活動 (or サークル動: club activities) or 就職活動 (job search: they start with it in the 3rd year and are at it till the end). And even when they manage to show up in classes the level of their studies is really, really low. Espescially in human science studies or (western) language (especially En

Just found this:

Japan’s lingerie maker Triumph International Japan… displays the “Konkatsu Bra” or “Husband hunting Bra”… to encourage women to hunt husband [sic] …

(via and via)

Words can not describe the awesomenesscraziness of this crapinvention.

And of course, that is not the end of the story! There is more! For example the “Chopstick Bra”, which seems quite useful.

And than there is the eco-friendly solar bra. I kid you not!

Japan, land of the killer robots from outer-spacebras for the eccentric woman.

I just ran across this very sarcastic (or better satirical?) Zeit Gist (misspelling of the German term Zeitgeist) article written by Kris Kosaka and published in the Japan Times Online:

Women, know your place
One guaranteed way out of Japan’s demographic mess

The article reflects upon the current negative demographic situation of Japan and the women’s role in it. It’s worth reading. I, at least, couldn’t stop smiling while I read it.

Here are some quotes for your entertainment:

Never have I met such a wide variety of overqualified housewives. The waste confounds my slight mathematical ability: How much money thoughtlessly wasted through the years on cram schools and education, on overseas travel, violin lessons? It’s time Japanese society eliminated this harmful contradiction, since Japanese women must not be prepared for anything except spousal care and child-rearing.

I propose all Japanese women, at the age of 10, enter matrimonial arts academies. The curriculum will center on how to make life pleasant for men and children, and such courses as “Household Funds” or “How to Raise a Chauvinistic Male” will ensure society regains a clarity and unity of purpose so lacking in today’s confused world. Seminars such as “How to Pour Beer into your Husband’s Glass with Minimal Foam” or “Bathing Children While Maintaining a Pristine Bath” will ensure Japanese women learn the skills and develop the talents necessary for their existence. The arts and sports will not be forgotten: In order to maintain their global reputation for beauty, Japanese women should also take classes such as “Ten-Second Makeup and Skin Care” (including the many uses of a black parasol and elbow-length gloves) and “How to Run in 7-inch Heels while Chasing a 2-year-old.”

Japanese society would crumble if women were allowed back into the workplace, as the traditional Japanese male loses the ability to distinguish laundry detergent from rat poison, an egg from an artichoke, homework from the gas bill as soon as he marries.

Any Japanese woman who does not apply herself to her studies, or insists on an alternative career to the home, should be scheduled as soon as possible for sterilization. No need to waste taxpayers’ money and their teachers’ time if these misinformed women refuse to adhere to their natural vocation. Such women will probably welcome such measures, as their bodies will no longer be able to provide conflicting messages to their mind’s unnatural desires.

Although this is all very sarcasticly written, but the author offers some helpful advice on what must be changed in order the solve this problem, too.

There is an alternative, but I am reluctant to enter such uncharted, disputed waters. If Japanese corporations and the men who run them force their employees to embrace a work-life balance; if such novel concepts as work-time flexibility, leaving when your work is done instead of when your boss leaves, being rewarded for merit instead of seniority become commonplace; if Japanese families realize the benefits of having a father actually present and active in home-minding and child-raising; if Japanese women admit the only way they can have a family and a career is to have a man physically present and willing to take on some of their traditional roles . . . well, perhaps things could change.

And, of course, this article lead up to a follow up article, because there were quite a lot readers’ reactions. HAVE YOUR SAY: Women, know your place: some readers’ responses

You should really take some minutes and read those, too. It’s quite entertaining. Like, for example, this one by Mutaz Rehman from Muscat, Oman.

The real problem lies with the Japanese women themselves. When they become overqualified, earn good salaries, possess strong personalities and hold high-level positions, it becomes very difficult to have sex with them, even if the woman concerned is your legal wife.

The German blog entry “Emanzipation? Nein danke!” by tabibito deals with the same topic. He refers to the article “”40代vs.20代の婚活闘争” (yonjūdai baasasu nijūdai no konkatsu tōsō - Der Kampf am Hochzeitsmarkt bei Frauen in den 20ern und 40ern)” published in the Japanese AERA magazine (May 4th, 2009). He also provides a link to the offical summary of said magazine article: 40代vs.20代の婚活闘争. And if you understand German you should check out the ongoing discussion in the comments on his blog, too. Quite interesting.