In one or two other sections, I have broached on the subject of child abuse. This is a very important issue that is having serious consequences on Japanese society. I would like to take a more in depth look at some of the problems here.
Therefore, the subject matter is unpleasant and contains some explicit and graphic descriptions. 

Mama And Papa San

Parents must take full and complete responsibility for their children's well being, health, safety and education. A fact that many of today's parents do not seem to understand, or are, in some cases, unwilling to be responsible adults. You only have to look at the car drivers in Japan to witness this for yourself. Children sans car seat or any other kind of restraint, jumping up and down, playing in the front seat, while one of the parents drives along without a care in the world. Do Japanese parents care so little for their children ?
What the neighbors, friends and relatives think is far more important than their own children's safety.
I live north of Tokyo, the drivers in this prefecture must be some of the worst (Osaka and Nagoya come first and second). I have seen on numerous occasions, pre-schoolers, playing, walking around in the car, etc., while the parent is breaking many traffic rules. Speeding through a red light, not indicating when turning a corner, driving on the sidewalk, and on and on.
My wife witnessed one horrifying scene recently. A two or three year old was on Papa's lap in the driving seat and steering the car. Of course the child had no seat belt, this was on a very busy and dangerous road. I'm sure that the child would thank Papa if there was an accident and the child went through the windscreen.
That is just one example of irresponsible parenting.
The government is supposed to be bringing in new legislation to tackle the problem of unrestrained children in cars. But, as usual, I'm sure it will not have any "teeth" to it. Child seat companies are advertising quite a lot on TV nowadays, but it will not change parents ridiculous attitudes until it becomes fashionable to ensure the safety of children in cars. very few parents will act alone in this matter or any other matter concerning children, if it goes against prevailing groupist opinions.
Child abuse at home, is far more widespread than anyone would wish to believe. Child abuse is a taboo subject as it used to be in England.
a recent survey by the Center For Child Abuse Prevention in Tokyo, found that out of 500 mothers surveyed, 44 of them had abused their children and 150 others had a leaning towards abusing their children. It was found that the risk of abuse was tripled if the father had no responsibilities with child rearing.
In fiscal 1997 there were 5,352 consultations and complaints to counseling centers across the country. In over 50% of the cases, mothers were responsible for abuse. child abuse included, negligence, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and general neglect.
As much as I respect the above organization, these figures are only the tip of the iceberg. There is no information for example, of how many children are abused by other family members or strangers.
Japan needs to face these issues in the open and deal with them in a most strenuous way.
I recently concluded some research into child pornography on the internet. This was the most sickening kind of research that I have ever undertaken. The results of which were passed on to the National Police Agency.
Japan is the undisputed world champion of child porn. So called Lolita sites all have the jp site address. Japanese girls as young as 2 years old are shown in sexually explicit poses. Foreign children as well. There is one infamous site that has a notice board for perverts and pedophiles to request information, exchange sickening photo's, etc.
In one example, a man, maybe English or American was requesting advise on how to "break in" a six year old girl, who's mother he was dating. I have no idea what kind of advise he received. Other messages were asking for 6-12 year old boy and girl f**k pictures.
some "elders" as they describe themselves on the notice board, give information to "newbies" on how to surf safe (avoid police traps on the internet), "backdoors" into pedophile sites, how to remove masks from photo's, etc. This board really opened my eyes to the shear number of sick people out there in cyber land.
This is all legal in Japan. Child protection laws barely exist. Pedophiles from all over the world come to Japan, because the laws are so lenient, if they are caught in the act of taking pictures of minors in the nude. Even having sex with a minor is still not a very serious offense.
The senile lawmakers in Japan have a lot to answer for. They have very little regard for children, the evidence of which is the feeble protection children receive under the law.
Twelve year old girls turn to prostitution, in order to buy the latest fashion goods. The "law makers" have not seriously done anything to curb this practice.
young and old men "buy" school girls, for sex. Some of those same "men" must have children of their own.
Men read manga (comics) showing explicit rape scenes of children. The children are sometimes depicted as enjoying the experience.
Japanese men have no shame, reading such filth on public transportation. I even sense sometimes, that they believe themselves to be macho, for openly displaying their predilection.
Sometimes, TV shows have 10 years or older girls on their program, wearing gym slips, the cameras often hone in on their backsides or genital areas. Is this in good taste? Is this what viewers in Japan want to look at?
Old fools in Japan bemoan the falling morals while at the same time saying nothing about the above problems. Children are not disciplined by a large number of so-called parents. They give in to their every wish and desire. A pre-schooler may have it's own pocket telephone nowadays. Parents then, cannot understand why the children end up as delinquents. Or, parents have no other option but to start abusing the children who they have waited hand and foot on.
I, and also my wife, scold our children if they misbehave, whether it be in a supermarket or in a restaurant. Japanese often look at us obviously thinking that our children are "poor things" . Nowadays both our children can behave outside. We can go to an expensive restaurant and relax with our children. My oldest daughter sometimes points out the naughty brats, with disgust. The parents of those "naughty brats", look completely incapable of dealing with their own children. They also cause other diners discomfort when their children run around a restaurant screaming and shouting at the tops of their voices.
On NHK channel 3, every morning there are some children's programs, starting at 7:30 am. My children used to watch them every morning. Until around the second week of April (1999) a program was aired called Hitori de dekirumon (I Can Do Anything By Myself). This is a regular NHK children's production and has never given offense before. But to my horror this program began by showing two groups of elementary children on a bus. One group were Japanese and the other group were foreigners. The foreign children were spread across the seats and generally behaving very badly, not letting the Japanese children sit down.
Why did NHK feel the need to show such a scene ? It has never happened to my knowledge, that a group of foreign school children have acted in this manner. I have seen on many occasions, foreign school children on their way or coming back from the international schools in Tokyo. I have never seen them behaving in such a bad manner.
On the contrary, Japanese school kids usually act in the manner that NHK accuses foreign children of behaving. Spread out on bus or train seats, eating, drinking, smoking, swinging from the straps or luggage racks, standing on the seats, racing up and down the train, sometimes with a parent or parents sitting down and just watching their children act in this very unsociable way.
I did write a strong letter of complaint to the head of children's TV at the NHK headquarters in Tokyo. I would be surprised if I ever receive an answer. The program smacked of xenophobia, typically and also historically, foreigners are blamed for all the woes that befall Japan.
It seems that the above story about NHK, highlights those responsible for education and the well-being of Japanese children are unwilling or unable to tackle the very real problems of falling morals, head on.
I believe that children from the time that they are born, need role models. Those role models are usually parents, teachers, relatives, senior citizens and even politicians.
from all of the above, none of them appear to want to take responsibility for teaching children a decent code of conduct. Educating children about self discipline is impossible if the educator has no self discipline of his or her own.
How long will it be before kids start going to school with guns, instead of knives as they do now ?
The police have proudly netted a record amount of drugs, so far this year. How much slipped through, onto the streets in Japan ? Who is taking these drugs ? I think that Japanese children are being placed in a dangerous position. Look at what has happened in the USA, drug use in schools, appears to be commonplace. Deranged children going into their school and massacring their schoolmates and teachers, has become a regular event.
School girls selling their bodies, youths carrying knives, dropping out of school, causing bodily injury to other children or adults. Lounging around train stations or on street corners at night. This has the appearance of copying their delinquent Western counterparts, but the route cause must be weak and ineffectual parenting and little guidance from their "betters".

Update: 23/12/99

Since writing the above article, laws have been strengthened in Japan, and the police appear to be trying to close down the above www sites and preteen magazines seem to have disappeared from general view. But the underlying problem has not been erased, certain men still will get hold of the material, a lot of teen sites are membership only (password protected) who knows what lies beyond those portals? The magazines and videos will still be sold under the counter. It is more important than ever to contact the police if you should come across such material. It does not matter if it is a relative or friend, that person needs psychiatric help, before he or she seriously hurts a child.

What should we all do:
I could only say to you, if you are a Japanese adult, to not take a back seat where children are concerned, do something positive about this serious decline in civility and morality. Don't blame foreigners, blame yourselves !
I would strongly urge you to contact your local police station, if you are aware or suspicious of anyone abusing a child, buying, dealing in or keeping pedophile material.
Freedom of speech has nothing to do with the protection of our children. The WWW will be a better place for everyone, once the disgusting pedophile sites have been eliminated, and pedophiles in general!

The relatively new section of The Anti Pedophile Network.  They have extended their website to include an ever expanding section of laws, sex offender lists and statistics. If you cant find it there, it probably does not exist on the internet!

Help find a missing child. Call 1-800 - THE- LOST ( 1 - 800 - 843 - 5678 )

行方不明の子供たちを探してください。心当たりのある方は1-800-843-5678まで連絡してください。

"We support the work of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children".

わたしたちは全米ナショナルセンター・フォー・ミッシングチルドレンの活動を支援しています。

Click the link below, to visit this site.