'Teflon' Ozawa portrait hung at Diet with other old-timers

This is almost funny. A politician who seems to all intent and purposes to model himself on former disgraced Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has 'paid' to have his own portrait painted and hung on the walls on the Lower House.

Apparently the offer of having your portrait hung in the Diet building is open to any political who notches up 25 years of (dis)service.

I could understand if they'd hung it in the members bar, on top of the dartboard.

You can read the typically 'dry' story from The Japan Times here:

Ozawa portrait hung at Diet with other old-timers | The Japan Times Online

Ichiro 'Teflon' Ozawa

Is there nothing that will stick to this dinosaur of a politician?

Last week I read that one of the prosecutors had messed up the evidence (surely Ozawa had arranged it?) so making it inadmissable in court.

This article from the Japan Times gives the latest where the court appointed lawyers are using a precedent set in prosecuting a gang boss to try and convict Ozawa of violating the political fund law. The comparison between gang boss and Ozawa seems very fitting.

Three years in jail sought for Ozawa | The Japan Times Online

After reading that I think you'll see why he deserves the 'teflon' moniker.

The curious mound

Since learning that they're about searching for bones in the park behind my house I've been having a search on the internet. Last time I checked, about six years ago, there was only one website detailing unit 731's links to this area of Shinjuku. Now it seems that there is a lot more information online.

Of particular interest keyboard site: http://www.hellodamage.com/top/2009/04/29/unit-731-walking-tour-of-ookubo/

The site details a walking tour of the area and has loads of pictures of the "local sights", the park that is about to dug up is shown near the bottom of the page and decided as having a mound. My children loved playing on this mound, I hope it doesn't turn out to be covering a sinister secret.

New Excavation in Shinjuku for the Victims of Wartime Biological Warfare Programme

For almost as long as I've lived in this part of Tokyo, I've heard stories of the area's murky connection to the infamous Unit 731. For those not familiar with unit 731 is was an (alleged) branch of the Japanese Imperial Army and carried out biological experiments on prisoners of war in Manchuria (north-west China.)The Japanese Government has refused to acknowledge the units activities, although it has acknowledged the units existence.

Anyway this area where I live in Shinjuku, Tokyo was the location of a medical school linked to the unit during the war. On the arrival of the US forces at the end of the war staff were ordered to bury any evidence of (any) experiments. And so the stories began.

In 1989 excavations for a new building discovered human remains that were of non-Japanese origin and had suffered various traumas, including skulls with holes drilled through them or sections of the skull cut away. While this may seem to have been proof that experiments may have taken place, tests were inconclusive and the remains were explained away as having being brought back to Tokyo from battlegrounds for research.

In 2006 a former nurse at the facility, Iishi Toyo identified three sites where she may have, under orders, buried human remains.

Last year, February 2010, there was an opportunity to excavate a site in Toyama Park that had been used by the International Medical Center of Japan for accommodation. Apparently nothing was found and the site now lies empty.

Okay now onto today's letter from the local community organisation. It seems the playground area behind my house is top on Iishi's list of possible sites. The playground was part of the Wakamatsu Jutaku building. This, until August last year, housed government employees and their families from the various ministries but now lies empty.

The plans are to dig four trenches 2m deep across the play area. The longest trench will be 20m long. Work will start properly at the end of January/beginning of February after fences and access have been secured.

It's quite hard to believe that the playground that until fairly recently my children had enjoyed playing on, may in fact cover secrets from some of Japan's most darkest moments.

Unit 731-The Search Continues

Just received a letter from the local community detailing the ongoing search for victims remains buried after the closure of the Shinjuku base of unit 731 at the end of the war.

Will post more later but if you want more background information, the wiki page is a good as any place to start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

Top English Language Websites in Japan

Living in Japan means that you may not fully enjoy the covenience of the net due to the language barrier. Of course by learning to read some Japanese (difficult) or by opening the page in google's translator (easy) you may be able to shop online just like the Japanese do...albeit very slowly and with a certain amount of trepidation in not knowing if the process was successful until the goods arrive at your door.

Sometimes though I've come across a website that is just so good that it begs to be shared.

One such website I had the pleasure of shopping with recently is the wine shop ENOTECA
, their English language website is so well written and contains all of the features/information as found on the Japanese side. Prices are reasonable, look for the mixed bottle cases that offer fantastic value with Japanese and English wine tasting notes included the box. You can also specify delivery days and times which is great if you're out at work all week and want a case of wine delivered on Saturday
or Sunday morning.

Back to the title of top English language websites in Japan and I feel I should provide a list, well:


Amazon Love it, or hate it, still the most convenient and one of the cheapest sources of English language books and almost anything else for that matter. And all in English, even customer support will answer e-mails in English.

The Japan Times Keep up with "some" of the news in Japan. Not quite up to international standards but not a bad online read.

ENGLISH OK Originally a kind of shop/bar/restuarant listing site where the staff, or a member of the staff, could speak English. They seem to have branched out into other areas recently but the listings can still be found on www.eok.jp/

Metropolis Recently revamped and looking better for it. Still the best site for reviews of what's hot, and what's not, in Tokyo.

That's all I can think of, off the top of my head. If you have any recommendations then please send me a message.

It's almost a year ago to the day ...

It's almost a year ago to the day when Mr.Fukuda stepped down as leader of the LDP and therefore Prime Minister of Japan. Today it was the turn of Mr.Aso to step down as leader of the party, the difference this time was that he wasn't the Prime Minister anymore. His party was well and truly battered in yesterday's election by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)

What this means for Japan is difficult to say, the DPJ made many promises during the campaigning but whether they can actually deliver remains to be seen. (Personally I'm looking forward to the 26,000 yen monthly allowance for each child, I've got three!) What is true is that the LDP's stranglehold on power has been broken after over 50 years in power, not strictly true as in the mid-nineties a socialist alliance won an election but as the factions bickered and changed allegiances it was all over after a year. This time the consensus seems to be that the DPJ can hold itself together to make some real (and badly) needed reforms to the system.

Not quite the thrill of Labour gaining election victory in 1997 but still refreshing to see Japan waking up to a two party system after all this time.