The Road to Kanreki - Chapter 1
- 4 hours ago
- 24 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
(Kanreki (還暦) is a traditional Japanese celebration of a person’s 60th birthday, symbolizing a "rebirth" or the completion of a full 60-year zodiac cycle. It signifies a fresh start, longevity, and a return to the original birth calendar. It is commonly celebrated with family, gifts, and the wearing of red garments.
Persona non grata
Barely the cusp of spring, and what a change a year makes.
I'm amazed at how quickly all of the populist bleed over from across the pond has gained traction over here.
The result?
It seems that foreigners - 'gaijin', as we are referred to in the local vernacular - are now public enemy number one.
Tourists, residents, migrant workers, international students...I don't think there's really much of a distinction being made as to who is who, or why anyone is here. According to some, we represent what amounts to a collective malignancy that desperately needs medical excision...lest it metastasize and ultimately topple its host.
For those of us who have made lives here, the heat is on. Discrimination has increased, and tighter government controls and regulations are being drafted and implemented with an almost unheard of sense of urgency. Truth be told, in my 35 odd years over here, I've never seen the Japanese bureaucracy move so decisively on any single issue. It's like they think we're on the verge of burning everything to the ground.
Out and about, the vibe seems just a wee bit uglier. More snark and dirty looks. Some of the natives have adopted a new, more confrontational attitude.
What's an aging ex pat caught in this rising tide of bad mojo to do? Recently, I've become a bit more reclusive.
Out and about, I'm trying to react a lot less. Detach. Maybe it's better to let people push in front of me out at the shops, or give aggressive natives the right of way when I really don't have to. Recently it seems more prudent to back down than get into a confrontation I have nothing to gain from.
Sometimes that's easier said than done, though.
Just yesterday, a middle aged guy bulldozed past me in the supermarket queue, eliciting a loud, 'What the fuck?!?' from yours truly. Of course, he acted like he'd done nothing wrong...repeating several times that he was 'with his wife', who was busy minding their kid and dealing with the checkout clerk. Apparently, he'd run to get a package of strawberries at the last minute, and was in a hurry to rejoin her at the register before the cashier had finished scanning everything. Fair enough. In this case, a simple 'sumimasen' (excuse me) would have worked much better than just forcing his way through the narrow gap between myself and the conveyor with absolutely zero acknowledgement. Had he bothered to excuse himself, I would have stepped aside and there wouldn't have been an issue. Instead, he decided to go all 'elbows up', and light my fuse.
Of course the English language expletives started flying. He was shrugging his shoulders and pulling the old 'pure as freshly driven snow' act, pretending not to understand. His contention was that he wasn't cutting the line - he was simply joining his wife, and wasn't in the wrong.
That wasn't the point. His posturing - somewhere between cheek and dismissiveness - really got my blood pumping.
Just as things started looking really ugly, Mina intervened in Japanese, and told him that he should have excused himself or apologized for his bad manners. He continued playing dumb, again repeating the line that he was 'with his wife'. She shook her head and said that it was 'a waste of time', signaling that I needed to de-escalate and back down. All the while, his wife never once turned her head, or addressed the situation. Mina said that she'd made a point of scolding him clearly enough for her to hear what had gone down. As I passed him to go bag our groceries at a far table, he was cursing under his breath, and doing his level best to make me 'invisible' (a favourite move the natives pull when they get caught up in an uncomfortable situation).
I'm sure he'll frame himself as 'the victim', and the incident as another case of a 'gaijin' causing trouble. Cross cultural confrontations always end up this way. I felt bad that I'd let him get my goat. I really have been trying to take a step back and defer...but when he physically pushed me, a line was crossed.
Here's the thing - I have this 'Irish temper'. I'm easy to trigger. Pushing 60, maybe I finally need to learn how to suck it up. I am a minority, and in a vulnerable position. It's not like I have anywhere else to go at this point. I have no legal rights (fun fact - the Japanese Constitution only applies to and protects citizens - a lot of foreigners are unaware of this).
Had the trog in question decided to escalate by calling the cops and lying, I'd likely be sitting in a jail cell for up to three weeks, with absolutely no legal recourse.
After decades as a resident, perhaps I'm finally becoming more keenly aware that I really don't belong here.
It's their country.
The Enemy (part one)
It's no big secret that the majority of Japanese have never been terribly fond of our ilk to begin with, but up to now, the natives have mostly kept their inherent racism and xenophobia under wraps - a bit like a dirty family secret. Something they tuck behind the curtains or sweep under the carpet in mixed company...for the sake of appearances.
Those days are gone.
In this 'new era', 'gaijin' seem to be the go-to scapegoats for everything wrong with contemporary Japan - and as I mentioned - no distinction is being made as to who is who. Tourist, migrant worker, student, resident...to the undiscerning native, we are all the same.
All outsiders. All a nuisance.
Here is an uncomfortable truth...the country needs us. Japan needs tourists, international students...and foreign residents. With plunging birthrates and a rapidly greying society, someone has to fill the nation's rapidly depleting tax coffers.
Japan also desperately needs migrant workers to come in and fill a growing plethora of low paying and decidedly unglamorous jobs the natives simply have no interest in doing. Said workers are solicited abroad, and arrange to come at significant expense to themselves and their families. Prior to making this costly journey, they are required to demonstrate a minimum level of Japanese language proficiency, so as to get work permits which entitle them to a maximum stay of five years. It's a costly gambit, and they ultimately stand to gain very little.
Once here, they face discrimination and are often treated like 'untermensch' by the natives. Uncomfortable truth? Their hard, underpaid work literally keeps the wheels of this society turning.
I find it odd that the very politicians who opened the gates for this now indispensable work force over a decade ago, are now implementing a raft of draconian new measures to clamp down on them, and make it even tougher for those who would endeavor to come in the future.
Is it particularly wise to launch a broad based, xenophobic campaign against foreigners when their presence is actually an economic necessity?
No one is getting rich working shit jobs over here. It's pay cheque to pay cheque...with no promise of a green card after three years of toil and sacrifice like in the U.S. or Canada. Just discrimination and second class treatment, and the expectation that you get on a plane and go back where you came from after your five years are up - without exception.
Why don't the J-natives like us?
The usually litany of reasons. We stand out. We have different customs, and/or don't speak the language much, if at all. We're noisy. We're dirty and we stink. Our cooking smells permeate the immediate areas we live in, generally grossing out our neighbours and passersby alike. We don't separate our garbage correctly.
These are standard complaints that you hear everywhere there are newcomers or migrants - not just here in Japan.
They're eating all of our rice!
News flash...the Japanese yen is currently sitting at around ¥159 to the U.S. dollar. Inflation is rampant. With Herr Trump's new war on Iran paralyzing the oil shipments Japan desperately relies on for survival, across the board prices look set to increase even further.
Once prices here go up, they either settle in for a time, or just keep increasing incrementally.
The price of rice started going through the roof last year, and despite government assurances that it would stabilize, and gradually begin to drop after last autumn's harvest, it's remained stubbornly high. One can only assume that even though there are currently adequate supplies, the broad temptation to continue withholding stockpiles to create an artificial shortage (so everyone in the supply chain can keep soaking relatively helpless consumers for as much cash as possible) is hard for the nation's rice syndicates to resist.
If people simply stopped buying it, the situation would inevitably change...but that will never happen.
The Japanese simply can't forgo their rice.
Then there are the tourists...and yeah, while some of them are definitely shits, they inject a massive amount of badly needed cash into the economy. The natives were crying rivers during the three years of enforced COVID Sakoku - when the country was essentially off limits to foreign guests. Now that the tourists are back in greater numbers than ever, they are to blame for everything.
Last year, at the height of the 'rice shock', when supermarket shelves were devoid of the nation's staple grain, some went so far as to blame inbound tourists for leveling the country's rice stocks, and leaving none for the natives.
'They ate all of our rice!'
'They're like locusts!'
"Out, damned spot! Out I say!"
Then there are the foreigners who have settled here. Everyone has a different story.
Me?
As recounted in previous dispatches, I first came after I finished art college, back in 1989. I was all of twenty two years old. I bounced back and forth between here and Vancouver a couple of times before I came for what ended up being 'the long haul', back in early 1994.
Fast forward to March, 2026
I hold a permanent resident visa. An 'Eiju-ken'. Prior to that, I held a 'Spouse or child of a Japanese national' visa. I carry a Zairyu (Resident) card with me everywhere I go. Not keeping it on your person at all times can result in serious penalties. While the visa is 'permanent' (as long as you don't end up in trouble with 'the law'), it does require a wee bit of maintenance. The physical card itself is good for 7 years, after which it needs to be 'extended'. This procedure is pretty simple, and typically involves a morning trip to Immigration to submit a single page application, have a new picture taken, and get your new card. Thus far, swapping out your card is free...though that may change in the near future. This process can be undertaken two months from your card's expiry, and it's highly recommended to get on it as soon as you hit the two month mark, so as not risk any possibility of being caught up in a desperate last minute rush, and somehow missing the deadline. According to what I've been reading, failure to carry, or renew a zairyu card on time may now be considered a case of 'malicious non-compliance' with Japanese law, and be grounds for visa revocation. They are literally looking for any reason these days.
Foreign residents of various classifications (short and long term) currently account for just under 3% of the country's population.
How is it possible that such a small minority can be causing the nation at large so much grief? Is any of this fear mongering really legitimate...or is it yet another testament to just how effective viral social media smear campaigns can be at spreading toxic disinformation.
As fixed address residents, we are highly visible within our communities. While we may feel anonymous, the J-natives definitely take notice of us. They know where we live, who our spouses and/or children are, our daily routines, where we shop, and who we socialize with. They know which cars we drive, or bicycles we ride. Which trains we take, where we shop and sometimes even where we work. It's like we're constantly being surveilled.
I've had people I've never met suddenly approach and offer commentary if I've deviated even slightly from my usual routine.
Case in point...
Mina and I were waiting at the crosswalk on our way to the station early one morning a few years ago, and this guy who looked to be retired, maybe in his late 60's or early 70's suddenly comes out to Mina with, "Oh, he's not out running in the park this morning?", right out of the blue. Mina kind of shrugged it off. No intro or outro. That was it, and he just continued on his way. 'Do you know that o-san (older guy)?', 'Nope'. 'Weird. I guess you are famous around here. That's why you have to careful. People's eyes are always on you'.
I recall Mme Lord Vader's mother telling me more or less the same thing years and years earlier. 'Watch out for the neighbour's eyes'.
It's kind of creepy.
Sometimes neighbours or locals will offer daily greetings around the danchi, and sometimes not. No one ever introduces themselves. Every once in awhile there's some side eye. Until recently, stuff like that was easy enough to blow off, but with all of the anti-foreigner sentiment going around these days, you just don't know who you're dealing with anymore.
Are they pissed off because Amazon delivered their shit to the wrong building...or are they part of the growing 'anti-gaijin' cohort?
*(These days, most of the Amazon delivery people are foreigners)
The Haters
Within the last year, more and more haters have been standing up to be counted. Like their MAGA cousins across the pond, I guess they feel like they're finally part of something.
During the last couple of election cycles (in November of last year and then again, a little over a month ago) most parties vying for local representational seats were obligated to feature 'anti-foreigner' agenda components to attract new or undecided voters.
It seems like a good dose of nationalism and xenophobia is what your garden variety J-native really wants these days.
Among said 'agenda components' were plans that would effectively see a capping of the number of foreign residents allowed per district to a maximum of 5%, an aggressive 'ICE style' rounding up and deporting of all illegals and 'undesirables' (the definition of which remains fairly open-ended), a drastic raising of administrative fees for visa applications, extensions and renewals (to be raised by as much as 3000% in some cases), and a crack down on foreign residents who may have fallen behind on their tax, health insurance and/or national pension obligations.
A few weeks ago, Sohei Kamiya, nascent proto-guru of the anti-foreigner nexus, Sanseito, also posited that all foreigners should have their visas revoked at retirement age (60-65), then either leave Japan voluntarily, or face deportation back to their respective points of origin. According to the Sanseito platform, Japan has no need for elderly, infirm gaijin collecting pensions or using health insurance funds intended for Japanese nationals (even though we've paid in to these schemes for years and years, the same as the natives).
Among the aforementioned xenophobia 'crowd pleasers' are plans to establish new minimum Japanese language requirements, and mandatory 'cultural assimilation classes' for people who can afford to seek permanent residency.
Up to now, language requirements only came with applications for naturalization - that is, full citizenship and the right to carry a Japanese passport. Not even Trump's loathsome MAGA Nazis require minimum English language proficiency to qualify for a U.S. green card. As for the proposed 'Mandatory Cultural Assimilation Classes'... the way that it's being touted doesn't seem much different from programs the Chinese government has put in place to deal with the 'integration' of the ethnic Uyghur population on the nation's western flanks.
It also smacks of the same kind of thinking that inspired those horrible, criminally abusive residential schools that were set up across Canada (1834-1997) for the sole purpose of essentially kidnapping and erasing the cultural identities of generations indigenous children.
'Christianizing the cannibals', if you will.
At the core of all of this is a burgeoning groundswell movement to 'Keep Japan Japanese', and protect the nation from the ills of foreign influence.
According to hardliners, only foreigners who demonstrate the will to submit, fully assimilate and comply with cultural norms and government mandates (pertaining to outsiders) will be considered welcome. They emphasize that while they don't hate gaijin 'as such', Japan has no interest in foreigner's traditions, cultures, languages or identities. They should be prepared to leave those pieces of baggage at the door, or simply not bother coming.
All of this brings to mind a big controversy back in Canada in the late 80's, centered around whether a Canadian Sikh who had joined the RCMP had the right to wear his Dastar (a traditional long cotton wrap, usually worn over a smaller turban), and whether doing so went against the force's uniform dress code, making it impermissible.
Bigots came pouring out of the woodwork, barking, 'This is Canada! Act Canadian and follow the rules, or go back to your country!' At the core of the argument was this individual's constitutional right to maintain his beliefs and practice his religion, and whether doing so in any way interfered with his ability to serve in the RCMP. Long story short, after a bitter and ugly battle, the individual in question prevailed...though the larger debate about diversity in Canadian institutions remains something of a contentious flashpoint. This whole thing spotlighted a troubling schism in Canadian society.
What these bigots seemed to either outright deny (or be blissfully unaware of) was that these 'migrants' - principally those from the Indian sub-continent and China, had helped build the country - specifically, the nation's railroads, public works and infra structure, at no small cost to themselves and their families. As such, they are an intrinsic part of Canada's history, and diverse cultural identity.
The bigots aligned themselves with a white, European colonialist narrative. They somehow conveniently forgot that they themselves were descended from old country immigrants, and that they lived on largely unceded First Nation's territory. In simple terms, stolen land. In their view, inferior people - manual labourers largely from Asia or the Indian sub- continent had stolen their birthright, and jeopardized all the hard work and sacrifice that their 'superior' ancestors had made to 'build' the country.
Fear of Diversity
I miss Canada's multicultural mix. Ideally, a country's ethnic diversity should be celebrated...not feared.
Over the last decade or so, I'd started noticing some things changing over here. There seemed to be a little more diversity creeping in. A few foreign faces started appearing in my classes over at Insecthead's kindergarten. There were suddenly some Indian looking people working in the supermarket and local conbini.
Out at Tachiya (the sprawling discount supermarket over in Minato-ku where we shop on Sunday afternoons) it seems like half the crowd are from abroad. People from the Indian sub-continent, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malaysians, Brazilians. I often joke with Mina that it feels like the same crowd I used to see when I went to do my spouse visa renewals at Immigration. The diverse crowd means a demand for more diverse products. We can buy things there that aren't easily found in standard Japanese supermarkets.
It felt like Japan was finally starting to open up. Maybe this was going to be the way out of the nation's falling birthrates? New blood rejuvenating the country...pushing it into the future. Evolution.
It seems that some vested interests in high places have no interest in seeing this type of shift fully manifest itself.
Agitators have been busy sowing the seeds of latent xenophobia and racism on popular social media sites and exploiting YouTube for all of it's reach and potential.
Sadly, it seems to be working.
So...two steps forward, and three steps back. Is this really where Japan is headed?
Backwards?
Back in the Day...
Thirty five years ago, Japan was the world's second largest economy, and learning English was a big thing. The 'Welcome' mat was out. Teaching gigs were plentiful, and the pay was competitive. There weren't many resident foreigners here at all...and there was very little tourism. While living here took a bit of getting used to, the natives were generally pretty nice.
At the first school I worked at in Hyogo Prefecture, we were told not to speak Japanese at work, or with the students, even if we happened in to them off premises. It seemed like everyone everywhere wanted a piece of the action. To practice their English on us, take pictures of us - you name it. At first it was kind of amusing. Being treated like some kind of celebrity felt novel and fun...but it got old pretty fast.
Back then, the J-natives were outward looking, curious and ambitious. A lot of Japanese wanted to travel, and make foreign friends...to 'live in a larger world', as some students used to tell me. To them, learning English was like the golden key to more opportunity.
Of course, there wasn't any internet. No virtual link to everything back home. You were basically on your own. The only other foreigners you'd typically see would be other English teachers in their 20's or 30's, mostly from Canada, the U.S., Australia or New Zealand. We'd usually gather in local watering holes, or the odd 'gaijin bar', and network. We'd go out drinking all the time. Japan was something of a paradise for problem drinkers back in the day.
If I wanted English language reading material, I'd have to hoof it over to Kinokuniya or Maruzen. If I was lucky, sometimes I could corner a copy of The Japan Times at my local train station's newsstand kiosk. If I wanted to watch something in English, I'd have to go rent a video, or wait for the 2:30 am re-runs of I Love Lucy or The Rockford Files on Japanese terrestrial TV.
Life over here could be pretty isolating. My monthly long distance phone bills were usually crazy. The year's highlight would invariably be a two week trip back home to see friends and family around Christmas. That's not to say that there weren't fun or memorable times to be had over here in the interim...but Japan wasn't a place that you'd actually come to for the enjoyment of it.
Apparently, times have changed
Fast forward three and a half decades, and things have pretty much reversed.
The Rise of the Weebs
With the economic boom of the late 80's and early 90's 'bubble era' long gone, there just isn't the loose cash floating around for the pricey leisure pursuits (like travel or language acquisition) the previous few generations enjoyed.
Today, only 17% of Japanese have a passport.
Learning English is something they drag their arses through at school because they have to. They use A.I. to do their English homework and assignments. As everywhere, young people's lives revolve around friends, SNS, and the feeds they scroll through on their handsets.
Western media (music, movies and TV shows from English speaking countries) has become niche. Japanese audiences want domestic or regional content. Anime features are hits at the movie theaters - not Hollywood blockbusters. J or K pop groups sell out stadiums faster than the most famous western artists...and very few even bother coming, anymore.
At the same time, the online spread of J-pop and 'otaku' (hyper fan) culture has somehow caught the imagination of a growing sub-set of Gen Z misfits. Japanese anime, manga, pop music and cos-play fashion trends have started to gain large international followings. Japan has become something of a Mecca for the world's disenfranchised, socially inept twenty-somethings. Their 'spirit animal'.
Witness the troubling rise of the weebs...a geek sub culture of anime nerds and 'wannabe Japanese'.
Add the post-COVID junk currency status of the yen to this curious mix, and 'presto!'.... Japan has become a place that a great many of these 'challenged' young people want to visit...and re-visit. Some of the more ill informed have even made it a life's goal to move here and 'become Japanese', or some such nonsense.
*(it will be interesting to see how this 'Japan Boom' weathers what may be a protracted American/Israeli war in the Middle East. As fuel and consumer prices continue to surge, I think 'Destination Japan' will gradually lose most of its shine. Early indicators are that its already started to)
The Tourists
Weebs aside, in recent years, the country has also seen general inbound tourism explode. When the last COVID era travel restrictions were lifted in April 2023, the floodgates opened and Japan was suddenly on everyone's travel itinerary. Again, it's no secret that the weak yen has continued to play a significant role in stimulating demand, and the continued high numbers of overseas 'guests'.
It's fairly safe to say that the natives weren't really prepared for a constant; at times overwhelming influx of selfie snapping, non Japanese speaking 'Tic-Tok' tourists, anime dorks, bargain hunters and pleasure seekers.
Tourism is a double-edged sword. It can bring in badly needed revenue, but it can also physically degrade destinations that simply weren't meant to accommodate relentless, massive crowds of visitors.
Then there's the stress on local people. Most visitors are largely ignorant of the country's language and customs, and simply expect to be waited on and served. In some cases they cause problems, and run afoul of local rules, customs and regulations. They pack local buses and trains, making it hard for the resident population to go about their daily routines without encountering delays and inconvenience. They talk loudly on public transportation, where the unspoken rule is to be quiet. When they can't find public trash receptacles, they simply give up on carrying their garbage back to where they're staying, and just dump it 'wherever'.
Of course, the list of grievances goes on and on.
Are these tourists rude and annoying? In some cases, most definitely...but that's the price one pays for soliciting tourism, and raking in the substantial revenue the industry generates.
When J-native's over-react to these visitor's non-adherence to or flat out ignorance of their seemingly endless and often esoteric/obscure list of etiquette do's' and don'ts, it amounts to a bit of a national embarrassment. When the natives have fits every time tourists don't follow the rules, it simply betrays the overtly provincial nature of an all too often hopelessly self obsessed people.
Yet, angry they get...and angry they stay.
According to a vocal and growing subsection of native's, the foreign 'guests' have come in, taken advantage of their 'omotenashi' (traditional hospitality), and misbehaved. Never mind that they pay heaps of cash, and support scores of businesses. The J-natives feel disrespected and slighted, and feel a need to take it out on someone. Perhaps the nearest facsimile.
That's where the foreign resident community comes in.
The Enemy (part 2)
We are easy targets. Hitting out at us is like shooting fish in a barrel.
It's much easier to penalize the country's foreign community for the transgressions of a few shite tourists, than perhaps attempt to address the true nature of the problems facing contemporary Japan.
This type of thing is prime click-bait, and currently all over social media.
On the fringes, rising populist, ultra-nationalist political parties like Sanseito have seized on rising anti-foreigner sentiment, and even agitated the situation in a bid to attract supporters. It seems that there are a lot of disenfranchised, uninformed people on the growing fringes of Japanese society that feel left behind, and are looking for a scapegoat. Sanseito gives them a sympathetic forum where their grievances at least appear to be heard and validated.
Sanseito provides a sense of community, and plays on the irrational fears of its supporters in much the same way Hitler's fledgling National Socialist Party played on the concerns of disaffected Germans in the mid-late 1920's. It's little surprise that Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya - a former supermarket manager - drew his principle inspiration watching the rise of Donald Trump's MAGA movement while in the U.S., purportedly 'studying English' in the run-up to Trump's first term.
It's also no secret that one of Trump's principle inspirations was Adolph Hitler.
It should actually read 'gaijin'...
In Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent 'snap election' gambit, Sanseito came out a big winner, gaining 13 seats in the House of Representatives, for a new total of 15. Going from a paltry 2 seats to 15 lends an urgency to the group that it previously lacked. It also mirrors a rather worrisome socio-political trend.
Moving to the centre right, new faces to mainstream politics like Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party - the LDP's new junior coalition partner) and the DPP (Democratic Party for the People) have also taken up hawkish, anti-foreigner positions. While not as hardcore as Sanseito or Nippon Hoshuto (The Conservative Party of Japan), they have adopted more hardline positions to draw on growing racist and xenophobe attitudes in the broader population.
Of course, the big winner was the sitting Prime Minister and LDP frontrunner Sanae Takaichi, herself a histrionic, serial lying, hard right ultra-nationalist. Buoyed by almost unheard of poll numbers that suggest 70% of the Japanese public support her (just over 56% actually voted), she has cast herself as contemporary Japan's answer to the U.K.'s 'Iron Lady', Maggie Thatcher. As I mentioned in the previous dispatch, Takaichi has a legacy of troubling and deeply problematic behaviour.
In perhaps the election's most startling turn, it seems that the youth vote played a significant role in her decisive win.
Post election 'man on the street' interviews aired on local news programs invariably featured groups of giggling females in the 18-30 demographic, enthusiastically referring to Takaichi's fashionable handbags, the fact that she played drums to K-pop at a recent meeting with South Korea's president Lee Jae Myung, or that she makes them feel 'represented' .
They seem to have missed that she also comes down firmly against any possibility of female succession in the Imperial household, holding tight to the relatively modern idea that only an individual of the direct male bloodline can ascend to the position of Emperor.
So much for being a progressive, and pushing against the entrenched patriarchy. Truth be told...she has never in her career been a friend to women's causes.
Off to the Races (prelude)
Now Witch Sanae is off to the old douche king's garish gold plated pit of snakes in Washington. Two weeks into Donald and Bibi Netanyahu's unprovoked war of aggression on Iran, her timing leaves more than a bit to be desired. I think it would have been more prudent to hang back and reschedule. Donald's mood swings are all over the map. She will face a formidable amount of pressure and gaslighting, to say the least. Will she cave? Will Japan be the only country within America's shrinking sphere of influence to get dragged in to this potential World War 3 level carbuncle?
I'm afraid she'll fold like a cheap deck chair...or worse.
Recent polling suggests that almost 80% of the natives would be firmly against Japan joining in any U.S. led military adventure against Iran. It's fairly clear that entering the Strait of Hormuz at this stage of the game could only be described as a suicide mission - and a clear violation of Japan's post WW2 Pacifist Constitution.
Of course, the Americans should know that. They authored it.
'Don't mention the war!'
Top of the news feed at 6 am this morning, Takaichi and Trump are sitting with their respective lackeys in Donald's gilded playroom, surrounded by model airplanes, with the world's media camera's rolling, and he promptly puts his foot in it.
When asked by a member the Japanese press why he hadn't consulted with allies like Japan prior to bombing Iran, I guess temptation got the best of the Douche King. After answering that it would have spoiled the surprise, he followed on by bringing up Japan's historically shared penchant for 'surprises' - vis-a-vis its 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour.
Maybe this clumsy dig was meant to establish a good natured sense of 'dishonourable camaraderie' between these dubious 'partners'? Digging up the past in mixed company is so classy.
Witch Sanae refrained from any direct response, but shot a look at her advisors, bit hard on her pencilled in lower lip, and tried to maintain a neutral expression...of which the Japanese are masters. Definitely awkward. A real Fawlty Towers moment.
It appears that the meetings were heavy on arse kissing and lip service, and low on any real commitments from either side. It's sure that the Japanese side left a king's ransom on the table. Nothing shuts King Donald up like a raft of lofty promises, tied off with a shipping pallet of shiny gold bars.
Shortly thereafter, a joint statement was issued on behalf of the NATO leaders and Japan, committing to doing what they could to aid in resolving the Hormuz issue - within the limits of their respective legal frameworks. There was no mention made of anyone sending 'warships' or military hardware of any sort.
Within hours of Takaichi's departure, Donald was back in front of the mikes, grousing over China and Japan not sending in their respective naval forces.
It was as if this much touted meeting had never happened.
'Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble'
Witch Sanae's overseas 'performance' has been the object of some debate over here...too much arse kissing - or the deft maneuvering of a veteran bar hostess, as she handles the endless gripes of a cantankerous, old 'shacho' (company president) customer at her bar?
My take?
Frau Takaichi is basically a crusty old Snack Mama. So is her sidekick, Dirty Katayama. The pair reek of too many years cooped up in dark, smokey rooms downing whiskey sours and catering to corrupt old men. You can see it on the PM's face, and hear it in her tone of voice. A real class act.
While the jury seems to be out, there are definitely murmurs of dissatisfaction in the domestic press. Mina picked the following piece up on her news stream, and I translated it verbatim (hence the awkward cadence)...
"Ashamed to be Japanese - Kihei Maekawa (Representative of the Modern Educational Administration Research Association) I don't see Japan as a country and myself as an individual as one, so even if a Japanese person wins a gold medal or a Nobel Prize, I praise the recipient, but I don't feel "proud to be Japanese." Conversely, even if a Japanese person commits a crime, I rarely feel "ashamed to be Japanese." However, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's words and actions at the Japan-U.S. summit made me feel ashamed to be Japanese for the first time in a long time. She suddenly hugged Mr. Trump. She arbitrarily called him "Donald" even though he didn't call her by her name. She tried to speak in difficult-to-understand English and failed. She called Mr. Trump's son "handsome." She tried to read Mr. Trump's expression like a dog watching its master. She laughed gleefully when she saw the picture of the autopen that Mr. Trump had placed in place of the portrait of former President Biden. She froze and couldn't say anything when Mr. Trump mentioned the attack on Pearl Harbor. What's most shameful is that he said to the very person who started the war in Iran, "Only Donald can bring peace and prosperity to the world." That's an extreme level of flattery. Those who cry "pro-China" when someone tries to have dialogue with China—why don't they call this "pro-America"? I feel ashamed as a Japanese person because I'm the sovereign of a country with such a dull, vulgar, and servile prime minister. We must somehow get this prime minister to resign as soon as possible."
Witch Sanae getting loose at the White House. All that hand holding and arse kissing must be thirsty work. I guess it's a good thing her wig didn't slip off.
Curiously, a lot of the natives seem more offended by the Japanese reporter who asked Trump why he didn't feel any need to consult with key allies before going to war against Iran, than Witch Sanae's oval office 'performance'.
It's nice to see that the J-folk have their priorities in order.
As far the Americans go, I can't help but wonder what their threshold for Trump's endless shenanigans is? When is enough actually enough? Does the world at large really need to endure three more years of this shit?
Back to the Base
Back in Deadbeat City, the weather has started reflecting the change of seasons, with the sakura buds slowly starting flower park side, and up the Horikawa. This year's cherry blossoms are a welcome distraction from the recently sour overall atmosphere, and an increasingly hellish daily news stream.
From here on out, we're heading into the nicest season of the year, and in a month, the Golden Week holiday period will be upon us. With war in the headlines, money scarce and prices shooting through the roof, it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere. If anything, I'm just looking forward to spending some quality time with Mina, catching up on some sleep, and maybe going and doing something that doesn't involve supermarkets, appliance shops or home centres.
I've kind of hit a bit of a wall with the language study. I still try to do a bit of drilling and review every day, but sometimes my motivation just isn't where it should be. The next hurtles will be kanji (an endless catalogue of Chinese characters), and the backwards pleasures of Japanese grammar. Maybe it's a convenient excuse, but for now, I feel like I need to make sure that the kana sets I've spent all these months drilling and copying into notebooks actually stick. As I've lamented in previous dispatches, there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to cover every base I need to. Truth be told, with the atmosphere being what it is, I haven't been out interacting with the natives at all lately. All the negativity these days is exhausting.
More medical appointments coming up, too...my bi-annual kidney stone review and a new skin oncologist. Fingers crossed as far as all that goes.
That's where I'll leave it for now. For those of you who've bothered to stick this one out to the finish line, you can pick up your shiny blue ribbons at the exit...and have a lovely spring.
Oh...and of course you'd do well to remember that, 'no matter where you go....there you are. There, and nowhere else'
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