JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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papasmurfinjapan
Perhaps you misinterpreted my post - the point I was trying to make is the media should treat this as a crime, not as just another "tragic accident". That is what I mean by the media jumping all over this guy. This is what I stated in my original post. I'm not saying the public should form a vigilante group and take justice into their own hands.
If the child in the car was not his son, I'm sure this would have been much bigger news, and no doubt there would have been criminal charges laid against the driver. Why should he get off the hook because the person he killed was a family member? I don't see how you can treat this as a crime and not "jump on" (lay blame on, criticise) the driver. Anyway, perhaps we just have to agree to disagree on this one.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
Sorry, that has nothing to do with the article. All we know from that is the man was driving a minivan designed for 8 passengers with 10 people inside it. He lost control of the wheel, the van crashed, and the child not wearing the seatbelt was thrown out of the car and died.
My point about pick-ups is my personal experience with the phenomenon of not buckling up.
Now unless I am mistaken caribjustice believes we can turn this tragedy into a lesson without implicating the driver for fear of making him feel "more guilty". I disagree with that, and think if anything, his actions should be closely scrutinized and criticised, and charges of negligence laid. If he killed someone else's kid, surely they would want to press charges. Why should it be any different if he killed his own kid?
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
@ caribjustice
BTW, let me put this into perspective for you and why I am being such a bastard about this. I work with kids, day in and day out. Every day I tell the mothers who pick up their kids to strap them into their seats properly. Some do, most don't... Other than going up to each and every mother's car and strapping the kids in myself, there is little else I can do. I tell them every week, I warn them in newsletters quoting seatbelt statistics etc... no one listens.
Now I hate to be the token gaijin dissing on Japanese society, but there is a complete lack of safety awareness here. Gaijins like me (despite having spent my whole adult life in Japan) telling Japanese mums how to do things just doesn't work. Reasoning with them doesn't work. Showing them videos when you renew your license doesn't work. Stupid "seatbelt week" campaigns don't work. It's time for drastic change. A starting point would be the media's shift from mere "accident" to "culpability" for his actions. They don't have to post his face all over the newspapers, but they need to find fault and lay blame on him for this child's death. It wasn't an act of the gods, it was a completely preventable death. With no blame or no fault of the driver, there is no real lesson learned. People just go on living their happy little lives saying "oh well, he was unlucky. I'm a safe driver so my kids don't need seatbelts.".
Let's pretend it was your kid going to soccer practice in this guys car. He didn't strap your kid in. Your kid died due to his negligence and stupidity. Would you still be so forgiving? If so, you are a better man than me. I'm a bastard about this because I care, so some stranger lecturing me on moral superiority really gets on my nerves, and no offense but wreaks of hypocrisy.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
And you are lecturing me on "moral superiority"? Give me a break.
The man committed a crime. He killed his child. He should go to jail. That is all I am saying. The media should treat this as not just another "tragic accident", but the crime that it is.
If the driver feels more "guilty" in the process of justice being done, then well, shucks, darlin', I don't give a damn.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
It is called a "９２式地雷原処理車" in Japanese.
Posted in: Fire!
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papasmurfinjapan
I don't know about non-Japanese South Koreans, but the North Koreans are easy to spot. They all wear lapel pins of Kim Jong Il, or at least that is what I am told.
Posted in: Maehara's candidacy shakes up PM contest
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papasmurfinjapan
I think he is a disgusting chauvinist in his private life, but when he is on screen he does his job well and is entertaining to watch, so his shoes will be hard to fill. I wonder who will take his place? Imada Koji? Higashino Koji?
Posted in: Comedian Shimada quits show business over reported ties to yakuza
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papasmurfinjapan
I'm no military buff, but it looks like the weapon in question is called a "地雷原処理車" in Japanese. The company that manufactures it calls it a "Land-mine processing vehicle" in English.. そのままやねん。
Why a land-mine processing vehicle fires missiles and why Japan even needs such a thing is beyond me, but at least now we know what it is.
http://www.kyb-ksm.co.jp/soubi/rikuku.htm
Posted in: Fire!
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papasmurfinjapan
They don't need an army to take over Japan. ^p^
Posted in: Fire!
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papasmurfinjapan
lol... so true
Posted in: Fire!
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papasmurfinjapan
I hate to sound pessimistic, but Maehara is no Koizumi, and will probably be in and out within a year. Still, he's the best card the DPJ has at the moment, so why not give him a chance?
I've never thought of Maehara as charming and at ease before the camera. The word "emotionless" seems to come to mind, like asagoe points out. He speaks coherently... perhaps that's what they mean by "at ease".
Posted in: Maehara's candidacy shakes up PM contest
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papasmurfinjapan
And how exactly would you use this incident to educate families without pointing out the faults of the driver and the fact that he is the only person to blame for the death of his son?
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
They should be shamed and made an example of in the media. If that acts as a deterrence for others, then at least the child's death won't be in vain.
Just calling it an accident and saying "oh, haven't they suffered enough?" achieves nothing. The driver (father?) committed a crime, you know. His negligence killed his child. Yes, it adds insult to injury, but he should go to jail.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
Something car manufacturers can do to help is:
make curtain airbags standard features on all cars, instead of making it an option.
make an annoying buzzer go off if someone is not wearing their seatbelt (not just the driver).
Both of those are standard features on most Japanese cars overseas, so why not here?
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
I agree, but they have to start somewhere and 12,000 seems about the going rate for what the police would consider a minor offence. I guess that is another problem that needs to be dealt with - not wearing a seatbelt or putting a seatbelt on your child is not a "minor offence", it is gross negligence that can result in death - as in today's story. I am interested to see if the driver is going to be charged with anything or if they will let him go.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
FYI check out the following link http://rules.rjq.jp/tensuhyo2.html
座席ベルト装着義務違反 点数１ 反則金の額 ０円
I think the only way to get both the public to follow and police to enforce this law is to add a fine of at least 12,000yen or more. Hit these folks where it hurts and they'll step in line.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
Either the police in your area have a good scam going, or laws differ in each prefecture. As far as I know there is no fine for not wearing a seatbelt. You lose 1 point off your license, that's all. I guess that is why police don't bother enforcing the law - because it creates more paperwork for the boys in blue but no revenue.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
It was a minivan presumably designed to seat 7 or 8, with 10 passengers. So by default at least 2 people weren't wearing seatbelts. The child was no doubt one of them.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
Until one of these idiots loses control of their car or runs a red light and crashes straight into you.
I don't know if you have ever lived in Japan or what decade you are referring to, but seatbelts are mandatory for both front passengers and have been for some time now. The front seat belt law is enforced somewhat.
What many don't know, or choose to ignore is it is also mandatory for children to use a child seat and seatbelt. The problem is the police don't enforce this law, so people don't think they need to follow it.
It is now also mandatory to wear a seatbelt in the backseat, and I'm pretty sure most of the population know that, but choose to ignore it too.
The fault is ultimately with the driver (or adults in the car) who fail to strap their kids in safely, but the police must also share some blame choosing not to enforce the law. If they started pulling over mums who didn't strap in their kids and slapped them with a hefty fine, I can guarantee almost everyone would start putting seatbelts on their kids almost immediately.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident
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papasmurfinjapan
I agree, it does suck to jump on the family, but it needs to be done. The media should jump all over them - this was a totally preventable tragedy. The parents must feel terrible that they lost their son, but the driver should be charged with gross negligence resulting in death.
I'd be interested to know what car they were driving.. Those popular box wagons that every second family seems to drive (Stepwagon, Voxy etc)... can be dangerous if the driver doesn't know what he/she is doing - Tall cars with a light body and high centre of gravity holding up to 8 passengers?? That may be fine for driving 50 in the city, but not for driving 120 on the expressway.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy dies after being flung out of van in highway accident