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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Japan Heaps Hatred/Scorn on Returned Hostages |
| 2004-04-23 |
| EFL What the . . . ? The young Japanese taken hostage in Iraq returned home this week, not to the warmth of a yellow ribbon embrace but to a disapproving nation’s cold stare... "You got what you deserve!" one Japanese held up a hand-written sign at the airport where they landed. "You are Japan’s shame," another wrote on the Web site of one of the hostages. They had "caused trouble" for everybody. The government, not to be outdone, announced it would bill them $6,000 for airfare. Treated like criminals, the three have gone into hiding, effectively becoming prisoners inside their own homes. The kidnapped woman was last seen arriving at her parents’ house, looking defeated and dazed from taking tranquilizers, flanked by relatives who helped her walk and bow deeply before the media, as a final apology to the nation. Dr. Satoru Saito, a psychiatrist who has examined the three twice since their return, said the stress they are enduring now is "much heavier" than what they endured during their captivity in Iraq. Asked to name their three most stressful moments, the ex-hostages told him, in ascending order: the moment when they were kidnapped on their way to Baghdad; the knife-wielding incident; and the moment they watched a television show, on the morning after their return here, and realized Japan’s anger with them. "Let’s say the knife incident, which lasted about 10 minutes, ranks 10 on a stress level," Dr. Saito said in an interview at his clinic today. "After they came back to Japan and saw the morning news show, their stress level ranked 12." Beneath the surface of Japan’s ultra-sophisticated cities lie the hierarchical ties that have governed this island nation for centuries and that, at moments of crises, invariably reassert themselves. The ex-hostages’ transgression was to ignore a government advisory against traveling to Iraq. But their sin, in a vertical society that likes to think of itself as classless, was to defy what people call here "okami," or, literally, "what is higher." To the angry Japanese, the first three hostages — Nahoko Takato, 34, who started her own non-profit organization to help Iraqi street children; Soichiro Koriyama, 32, a freelance photographer; and Noriaki Imai, 18, a freelance writer also interested in the issue of depleted uranium munitions — had acted selfishly. Two others kidnapped and released in a separate incident — Junpei Yasuda, 30, a freelance journalist, and Nobutaka Watanabe, 36, a member of a pro-peace non-governmental organization — were equally guilty. Pursuing individual goals by defying the government and causing trouble for Japan was simply unforgivable. |
| Posted by:sludj |
| #21 This article was stolen from the New York Times without credit. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4659 2004-04-28 11:42:16 AM |
| #20 And, The amount of it is equal to a general airfare. Is this unfair? The amount doesn't become 0.1% of the amount that Japanese Government paid. I think that Japanese Government is fair. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4538 2004-04-24 1:02:30 PM |
| #19 Cannot you understand why Japanese people blaming three hostages? There are many reasons, which were not reported outside of Japan, why many Japanese blamed them. They had deep relation to the group which professed itself to being anti-America and anti-Japanese government. When three people were kidnapped, their family criticized government powerfully on only a point that "They were kidnapped for Japanese government having dispatched the Self-Defense Force in Iraq, and to withdraw the Japanese Self-Defense Force right now from Iraq" since a beginning of the case, repeatedly. The groups, which supported them and their families, have Anti-America and Anti-Japanese goverment thout, and they thout that this case was a chance, and put on a display of an anti-war campaign on a large scale. Many Japanese saw through true intention of such doubtful groups. In Japan, past, a similar group hijacked an airplane, and Japanese goverment payd large sum of money to the group, released members of the group which have been arrested, and helped them to take refuge in North Korea for life of a passenger, and that was the bitter experience for Japanese goverment and many Japanese citizens. In Japan, there is such experience and many Japanese embrace a feeling of hatred for people using life of a person simply as a tool for one's political opinion and a political action. Japanese citizens criticizing three hostages does not blame volunteer activity itself, and does not blame rashness itself either. Many Japanese feels sense of incongruity in an act of such a group in the rear of the three persons, and are blaming such groups' unnatural activities. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4538 2004-04-24 12:46:29 PM |
| #18 And to think, without Rantburg I would have taken this article at its word. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-04-23 7:26:17 PM |
| #17 The story also exaggerates by using the words "scorn and hatred heaped..." I think "disapproval" would be a better word. The writer uses one sign at the airport as proof that they have been universally reviled - and that's simply too much. The interview with the psychologist is also bullsh*t. All stress they experience now is because they're in the spot light and what they did was not smart. This doesn't mean that the Japanese are overly callous. |
| Posted by: John in Tokyo 2004-04-23 7:21:19 PM |
| #16 Jen, the Japanese media and websites had the same speculation about this being a scam that we do. Unless there has been new evidence in the past few days, this is at the level of speculation only. John in Tokyo is on the money in decrying the "exoticization" of the story, which seems to happen a lot when our media write about Japan. The truth is that you have in Japan the same sorts of useless idiots and the anti-idiotarians who oppose them that exist anywhere, and this story is playing up the opinions of those for whom the speculation about the scam rings true. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H. 2004-04-23 11:29:49 AM |
| #15 Muck4do: LOL! |
| Posted by: Evert Visser in NL 2004-04-23 11:15:14 AM |
| #14 Jen; for sure, they're true. In fact, the rumors about the scam mainly centered on Noriaki Amai, the "DU munitions writer", and a message board post on a thread about meeting up with one of the future-"hostages" for a big plan ... |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2004-04-23 11:14:33 AM |
| #13 japan protesers think ofa very good trick shawn penn shuld try this |
| Posted by: muck4doo 2004-04-23 11:14:04 AM |
| #12 Anon1, I don't think the Japanese are in love with authoritarianism at all. They simply have a strong cultural inclination against individualism. I think its Buddist but it could be Confuscist influence. Even if these three are legit they went against the governmet policy designed in a paternal way to protect the citizens and protect the government from this sort of incident. If it was authoritarian the people/gov might have pushed for them to be arrested. I hadn't heard they folks worked with the bad guys, its possible, but seeing that the bad guys tried to grab at least one of every coalition member it seems unlikely. Being peaceniks or lefty war-protestors probably made them easier to grab, and intimidate, that's all. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2004-04-23 11:07:26 AM |
| #11 John, we heard rumors on this side of the Pacific that the hostages were peaceniks or Lefty war-protesters. Any truth to that? |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-04-23 8:44:33 AM |
| #10 Hiaku easy to write when the em dash is allowed to impower the masses |
| Posted by: HalfEmpty 2004-04-23 8:43:26 AM |
| #9 This piece is absurd. It looks like it's supposed to be news but it's full of opinion and unsubstantiated assertions. Bringing up the concept of "Okami" was is needlessly exotic and esoteric when describing Japanese culture to NYTimes readers. How about mentioning regular politics? Like the fact that the Koizumi gov't was naturally angry since the hostages had caused them to have nightmares about a replay of Aznar's defeat in the wake of the Madrid slaughter. Nobody wants to have their policy whold policy held hostage. Comparing the Foreign Ministry to the Foreign Ministry during Pearl Harbor is just ridiculous. Powell's comment was obviously diplomatic blather. No, they did not receive hero's welcomes - and they don't deserve them. I think this guy overstates the level of callousness shown in the press. There was lots of news coverage of their plight. |
| Posted by: John in Tokyo 2004-04-23 8:42:56 AM |
| #8 Note that this NYT hit piece against an entire nation did not even mention the widespread belief among Japanese that the incident resulted from sort of collusion between kidnappers and their alleged victims. "Two others kidnapped and released in a separate incident — Junpei Yasuda, 30, a freelance journalist, and Nobutaka Watanabe, 36, a member of a pro-peace non-governmental organization — were equally guilty." Horse manure. Notably, no evidence is presented that Watanabe and Yasuda were subjected to the same disapproving treatment, and they were not billed for air fare. The NYT's collective psychoanalysis of an entire country, bordering on racism, is simply a smokescreen for the real issue, growing public awareness of active collusion among various media, activist groups, and terrorists. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2004-04-23 8:27:08 AM |
| #7 Maybe that is just it. Maybe in the eyes of the Japanese, they aren't victims, that Japan figured out they were being scammed. Think here folks. Of the 5, only one is identified as someone actually helping the Iraqi children. The rest are a freelance writer, journalist, and a photographer, with the last one from a pro peace NGO. Only one looks like they were there to help. The rest were there to get in the way and interfere. |
| Posted by: Ben 2004-04-23 5:41:17 AM |
| #6 I see nothing to gloat about in evidence that culturally Japan is still in love with authoritarianism. Because I suspect that these three were anti-war idiotarians does not mean I think that the correct response to their kidnapping is to blame the victim (I don't believe they planned to do it to themselves, due to the rash of other kidnappings that occured). I am sorry the Japanese don't instead turn their anger to the Jihadis who think that kidnapping aid workers is acceptable behaviour in a theatre of war. |
| Posted by: Anon1 2004-04-23 4:43:01 AM |
| #5 Lucky, you have it all totally wrong!!! Acted selfishly equally guilty, simply unforgiveable. Haiku, man, haiku! |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-04-23 2:48:32 AM |
| #4 And I feel like a fool for falling for their stunt. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-04-23 2:23:34 AM |
| #3 I felt the same thing. It's like the grown ups weren't into this kind of Hollywood stunt. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-04-23 12:49:58 AM |
| #2 And these three just might have scammed the entire world. I saw enough info in various places, such as a email by one of them bragging about the big deal he was involved in that would fool everyone, that they are suspect, at least. If it was a scam, they certainly received at least a taste of what they deserved. As for breaking the norms of Japanese society, well, I just have insufficient information. They certainly knew better, even if I / we didn't. I feel a grim satisfaction - so I guess my suspicions exceed my sympathy. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-04-23 12:43:15 AM |
| #1 Acted selfishly, equally guilty, simply unforgiveable. Grasshoppers. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-04-23 12:32:13 AM |