Freed From Captivity in Iraq, Japanese Return to More Pain (as Traitors!)

[JohnOneillsMemory]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/23/international/asia/23JAPA.html
>snip<

Three of them, including a woman who helped street children on the streets of Baghdad, appeared on television two weeks ago as their knife-brandishing kidnappers threatened to slit their throats. A few days after their release, they landed here on Sunday, in the eye of a peculiarly Japanese storm.

>snip<

"You got what you deserve!" read one hand-written sign at the airport where they landed. "You are Japan's shame," another wrote on the Web site of one of the former hostages. They had "caused trouble" for everybody. The government, not to be outdone, announced it would bill the former hostages $6,000 for air fare.

>snip<

To the angry Japanese, the first three hostages — Nahoko Takato, 34, who started a nonprofit organization to help Iraqi street children; Soichiro Koriyama, 32, a freelance photographer; and Noriaki Imai, 18, a freelance writer 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 an anti-war group — were equally guilty.

Pursuing individual goals by defying the government and causing trouble for Japan was simply unforgivable. But the freed hostages did get official praise from one government: the United States.

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My gawd, the inhumanity. This shows that people are prone to acting like wild animals and turning against people who break with the pack to display their humanity.

The woman is heavily medicated and devastated. She's cracking from doing what she knows is the right thing and being totally rejected and shamed for her troubles. Horribly sad. Groupthink kills.

And, of course, the US gov't killing machine milks the PR value for domestic consumption. It must support anyone who wades into that quagmire of death to clean up its mess.

[Sequoia]

1. Outrageous, Bring them here.

What is up with that Nation of Japan that they would act that way? I sure don't understand at all.

[Kagemusha]

3. Because they said they wanted to go back.

And that outraged a nation.

But just blaming the Japanese people is so much easier, isn't it.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

4. Actually, this kinda thing happens in the US, too.

I remember in the 80s when humanitarians went to Nicarauga and were excoriated and demonized for their efforts.

Americans crucify people for 'disobeying' the government all the time.
It's a common groupthink trait.

Everybody seems to love sharing an enemy.

[loudsue]

2. Just shows how very different cultures can be...

We have NO BUSINESS being in Iraq, and trying to remake those people in our own image. Countries and cultures have their OWN values, and many more than not are nowhere NEAR as broad-minded as even the most conservative of our people are.

The U.S. has much to learn about the ways of the world before we go around telling everyone they should be like us. How would we feel if the Japanese were telling us we all had to conform to their ways?

It's just wrong.

:kick::kick:

[daleo]

5. Isn't there a Japanese saying "the nail that sticks up gets pounded down"

I guess defying the government and going against the consensus opinion of society is difficult there. Still, who knows how much spin the story gets by the time it is translated to English.

[lostnfound]

6. You beat me to it! there is such a saying nt

[BlueCollar]

7. I'm so sorry for them

I hope this passes soon...

[Moderator]

8. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=504430