What's he on about now?

In case the articles, essays and opinions throughtout this site just weren't enough for you, here's my online diary (a.k.a. 'blog'). It's as close as you'll come to the inside of my head, so don't say I didn't warn you
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   Monday, August 14, 2006

   GODZILLA? WASN'T US

I confess I've never been a fan of Japanese culture. I've never been to the country and my only Japanese friend was a self-proclaimed 'banana' so all I've really encountered is the zany kitsch, the perverse comics, the irritating cutesiness, the creepy vending machines and the deeply-disturbed horror movies. In short, I feared the entire culture was insane.

But now I know better -- I've been blaming the victim. A new study shows an alarming rise in the rates of mental illness in Japan -- and it's our fault:

Statistics indicate that 60 per cent of workers suffer from “high anxiety” and that 65 per cent of companies report soaring levels of mental illness...The trend is put down to Japanese companies’ attempts to globalise by adopting working practices more closely in line with US and British models. Larger numbers of temporary staff, a greater willingness to sack people and greater pay disparities are the downside.

A spokesman for the Mental Health Institute said that the emphasis on individual performance was driving Japanese workers — particularly those in their thirties — to mental turmoil. “People tend to be individualised under the new working patterns,” he said. “When people worked in teams they were happier.”

This is especially awkward news when one factors in this trend:

The increasing incidence of breast and colon cancer in Japan following the Westernization of the Japanese diet. The rising consumption of milk and milk products, meat, eggs, oil, and fat that has occurred in Japan since World War II correlates with an increase in the incidences of breast and colon cancer over the past several decades. According to the National Cancer Institute, this increase is “consistent with the Westernization of the Japanese diet during recent decades, particularly with an increased intake of fat.”

And having recently honoured the 61th anniversary of our dropping atomic bombs on Japan, I think one big, massive "gomen nasai" is in order. The mayor of Hiroshima, Tadatoshi Akibi, suggested one way to apologize: "that nuclear arms-possessing nations fulfill their obligation to sincerely carry out negotiations aimed at nuclear disarmament."

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed, saying, "We will observe the pacifist clause of the constitution, maintain the principle of nuclear nonproliferation and lead international efforts to achieve lasting global peace."

My apologies, Japan -- you may not be so crazy after all.

Labels: insanity, Japan