Hashimoto Toru thread

[Davey]

You might hate him, you might love him but Hashimoto san is not the typical kind of politician. He is being described as the new Sakamoto Ryoma , someone who will/can change Japan.

In this thread I want to share news items related to him, and discuss them.

For the ones that don't know him here is his wikipedia page:
Tﾃ?荒u Hashimoto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


and two of the recent news items related to him:
[h=1][/h][h=1]Osaka's Hashimoto puts municipal workers' tattoos into the limelight[/h]http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120512a3.html[h=1]Hashimoto group seeks party status[/h]



I do not agree with all of his ideas but he has some good ideas such as making it possible for junior high school students to fail a year, and making Osaka prefecture and the city of Osaka one.

Although I have already put a poll on the Facebook page, I placed one in this thread as well with the question: Can Hashimoto san change Japan?

 

[Astroboy]

I'm not sure, but he is a rare person to stick the knife into vested interests - tax eaters - in Osaka.

 

[Davey]

I really think he goes too far with this, and it should not have become such a big deal. All he had to do was warn everyone to not show their tattoos and to cover them, if they would show them they would be fired or a salary cut. But even then...

Osaka mayor to deny promotion if workers fail to answer tattoo survey
OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has informed the city's executive officials in an e-mail that he will not authorize promotions for workers who do not respond to the city government's survey asking employees whether they have tattoos, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

The e-mail, dated May 19, followed the collection of replies for the city's survey, to which 513 workers had not responded as of May 16.

The survey, conducted between May 1 and 10, covered around 33,000 employees, excluding those working for the education board. About 110 responded that they had tattoos, according to the city.

What do you guys think?

 

[Astroboy]

Osaka Mayor Hashimoto is right without any doubt because:

1. Reply to tatto survey is an order of Mayor. Then it's an obligation of employees (municipal workers at Osaka city government)
2. No reply means they violate the ordinance.
3. Thus, those employees shall receive centain punishments.

I suggest employees with tattos to change their jobs.

 

[Davey]

Maybe because tattoos are very common on the netherlands, but I don't understand the deal about it.

I would lye on the survey about my tattoos, of course making sure that nobody will ever find out. Who will see these surveys? The manager, co-workers? I find it pretty private.

 

[Astroboy]

tatto may be common in the Nederlands, and it is becoming popular among young people in Japan as well, but tatto is still a sign of yakuza/outlaw in Japan. If you live in Japan, you may be aware of signage at Onsen spa and Sento (public bath) telling "Please do not enter customer with tatto".

Yes, you can say it's private, and if it's small, or if it's unseeable, it's usually nothing, but you better remember that tatto is not acceptable among ordinary people in Japan. It's just a difference of perception between Japanese and west.... same as whale meat. It's OK as a edible meat to us, but unacceptable to the west.

 

[FrustratedDave]

Maybe because tattoos are very common on the netherlands, but I don't understand the deal about it.
I would lye on the survey about my tattoos, of course making sure that nobody will ever find out. Who will see these surveys? The manager, co-workers? I find it pretty private.

I think he has every right to do what he is doing. He is trying to set a precedence that govenrment paid workers are there for the people. It is still widely taboo to show tatoos in Japanses society and that is relflected by many establishments not allowing people with them to use them. To form an opinion b/c tattoos are may be part of the culture in another country is far from looking at the situation realistically. We have to look at Japan and its culture.

We all know that they are associated with the underworld and for the time being that will not change in the near future. So when the majority of the public are still in that mindset, it goes with out saying that workers that are paid out of tax payers money should abide by the rules. Or as Hasimoto has said, go work in the private sector.
I think it is a matter of choice and as they say , you can't have all your cake and eat it. There are sacrifices that need to be made if you want the security of a public office job.

As for the privacy issue, what are your thoughts on regular drugs tests that companies take on workers in countries like America? I find that more of an invasion of privacy then what Hashimoto is doing.

 

[Petaris]

As for the privacy issue, what are your thoughts on regular drugs tests that companies take on workers in countries like America? I find that more of an invasion of privacy then what Hashimoto is doing.

FrustratedDave:
I wouldn't group these two together. It is known that a person under the influence of drugs could be a danger to others or themselves, especially if operating machinery or vehicles. You can hardly say the same about tattoos.

Davey:
That being said this is Japan and they discriminate on a lot of things that the US and other countries don't. Do I think its right that they are discriminating against people with tattoos? No. But it is a different culture and they have their own beliefs and traditions and whether we agree with them or not we should at least respect that its not our place to tell them they can't discriminate based on those beliefs and traditions in their own country. Until there is a law, like equal opportunity in the US, they can set whatever requirements for employment that they like and you will just have to live with it no matter how much it sucks. You can always try to get a law passed that does set some standards but that effort will likely take a while to bear fruit and may not even be possible unless you decide to naturalize. At which point feel free to make your opinion/position known. Most of you have not naturalized, but you choose to live in Japan anyway even knowing there are things you don't like. When it comes down to it nowhere is perfect but, as I said, you can always try to change things for the better!

 

[FrustratedDave]

FrustratedDave:
I wouldn't group these two together. It is known that a person under the influence of drugs could be a danger to others or themselves, especially if operating machinery or vehicles. You can hardly say the same about tattoos.

That is a very blanket statement, especially when a lot of companies test for marijuana use which can be detected weeks after use, so it is not necessarily used just ensure safety in the workplace. So , yes I see a lot of similarities between this topic an that of drug testing when it comes to invasion of privacy and comparing the two is not unreasonable.

Davey:
That being said this is Japan and they discriminate on a lot of things that the US and other countries don't. Do I think its right that they are discriminating against people with tattoos? No. But it is a different culture and they have their own beliefs and traditions and whether we agree with them or not we should at least respect that its not our place to tell them they can't discriminate based on those beliefs and traditions in their own country. Until there is a law, like equal opportunity in the US, they can set whatever requirements for employment that they like and you will just have to live with it no matter how much it sucks. You can always try to get a law passed that does set some standards but that effort will likely take a while to bear fruit and may not even be possible unless you decide to naturalize. At which point feel free to make your opinion/position known. Most of you have not naturalized, but you choose to live in Japan anyway even knowing there are things you don't like. When it comes down to it nowhere is perfect but, as I said, you can always try to change things for the better!

Many American companies have company polices regarding tattoos and piercings as it will ultimately be seen as a reflection of their company and not for the better. You make it sound as if America allows tattoos across the board???

 

[Petaris]

That is a very blanket statement, especially when a lot of companies test for marijuana use which can be detected weeks after use, so it is not necessarily used just ensure safety in the workplace. So , yes I see a lot of similarities between this topic an that of drug testing when it comes to invasion of privacy and comparing the two is not unreasonable.

That is true, but at the same time if they used marijuana two weeks ago, can you determine if they will use it again? When you have peoples safety to worry about it probably isn't worth the risk to assume it was a one time event. Also, you are comparing something that is illegal* with something that is not illegal.

*Yes, I know it is legal under certain circumstances in certain states but one would assume you would then have the official documentation to prove that to your workplace.

Many American companies have company polices regarding tattoos and piercings as it will ultimately be seen as a reflection of their company and not for the better. You make it sound as if America allows tattoos across the board???

I have heard of policies about tattoos, but from my understanding they are usually just "make sure its covered up", also some piercings may be restricted for safety reasons, in which you could just take the rings/whatever out, and even if it is for appearance reasons they could just ask you to not wear the ear/nose/lip rings at work. You can't just take tattoos off for your work day, but covering them up is usually doable.

I am not familiar with what will happen to the Osaka government employees who have tattoos, if they just ask them to keep them covered up at work I wouldn't have any problem with that. If they fire, demote, or deny promotions to them then that, in my opinion, is going too far unless it was a known requirement for employment when that individual was hired and the policy and penalty(s) were made known to them before they accepted the job.

 

[FrustratedDave]

At present, they are only penalizing employees if they don't answer the questionairs, by means of no promotion, but no firings as of yet.

 

[Davey]

I think he has every right to do what he is doing. He is trying to set a precedence that govenrment paid workers are there for the people. It is still widely taboo to show tatoos in Japanses society and that is relflected by many establishments not allowing people with them to use them. To form an opinion b/c tattoos are may be part of the culture in another country is far from looking at the situation realistically. We have to look at Japan and its culture.

Of course we shouldn't look too much at other countries, but tattoos are getting more common, and most of the people that confessed that they have tattoos, have small ones. And just because you have a small butterfly on your shoulder other co-workers will start treating you differently, it's a bit too much i.m.o.

As for the privacy issue, what are your thoughts on regular drugs tests that companies take on workers in countries like America? I find that more of an invasion of privacy then what Hashimoto is doing.

Drugs and tattoos is something I don't think you can compair because drugs are in most of the casses illegal and can have influence on your work behavior more than a small butterfly.

If someone does have large tattoos and it is visible, than he or she should indeed not be working infront of the public.

---------- Post added at 22:29 ---------- Previous post was at 22:25 ----------

Another article about him:

Admirers call him outspoken; enemies prefer to say irresponsible. He's called civil servants "the termites of public finance." When asked what should be done with certain government departments he doesn't hesitate to say, "Dismantle everything and start from scratch." Most politicians probably reflect at some point in their lives that what the people need is a good dictatorship, but Hashimoto actually lets those words pass his lips...

He grew up in an Osaka slum, the son of a minor figure in the yakuza, Japan's mafia. When he was six, his father committed suicide and Hashimoto was raised by his impoverished mother. Yet he became a lawyer, with a degree from the highly ranked Waseda University, an early sign of fierce determination...

He disdained both the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in favour of his self-invented party, the Osaka Restoration Association, or One Osaka. His clear goal is the prime minister's office, where he hopes eventually to decentralize power, bring the budget under control and end the 25 doldrum years of the economy...

Read the whole article her:
In Japan, no one has ever seen a politician quite like Toru Hashimoto | Full Comment | National Post

 

[FrustratedDave]

Of course we shouldn't look too much at other countries, but tattoos are getting more common, and most of the people that confessed that they have tattoos, have small ones. And just because you have a small butterfly on your shoulder other co-workers will start treating you differently, it's a bit too much i.m.o.
Drugs and tattoos is something I don't think you can compair because drugs are in most of the casses illegal and can have influence on your work behavior more than a small butterfly.
If someone does have large tattoos and it is visible, than he or she should indeed not be working infront of the public.
---------- Post added at 22:29 ---------- Previous post was at 22:25 ----------
Another article about him:

That article just drives the point home that tattoos retain the ability to instill fear in the common citizen. The trouble started not b/c "visible tattoos" , but b/c a worker showed his tattoos to some kids (Implying that the tattoo was not visible), which is obviously a threatening action here in Japan.

You could mount similar argument with the butterfly tattoo that there is no harm in doing a bit of pot in your free time where it will have absolutely no effect in your workplace? But, Drugs are still not allowed.

Fact of the matter is, there is still no way that you can govern what is an acceptable size for a tattoo in a society that associates them with the Mafia. Unfortunately the prejudice is still here and even a young innocent girl sporting a little butterfly tattoo could thought of to be involved with the Mafia, even if it was indirectly through a boyfriend or a husband. The fact remains it still invokes uneasiness in the general public due to the "unknown" that that person may have a connection in one way or another.

 

[Davey]

Not the latest but Hashimoto has said he is not heading for National politics yet.
Osaka Mayor Hashimoto says entrance into Diet may not be necessary - The Japan Daily Press

Hashimoto should focus on Osaka first for the upcoming years, and from there on he can maybe try to enter the national politics.

 

[Davey]

Forgot to share it with you guys but he is pretty active on twitter as well (all in Japanese though)

https://twitter.com/#!/t_ishin/

 

[Davey]

I'm not really interested in sending my kids to school on Saturdays, and I think Saturdays and Sundays (or any other 2 days in the week) should be time to spend with the family. But for those families whom are too busy and if the children need to have more attention it might be a good idea.

What's your opinion? Is Hashimoto doing a good job opening the school again on Saturdays?

Osaka to reintroduce Saturday classes for elementary schools

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has announced plans to reopen Osaka's elementary schools on Saturdays. The move is purportedly part of an attempt to combat delinquency and educational failings in the city.

Starting with five schools next week, Osaka will restart Saturday classes in all of its elementary schools from fiscal 2013, Sankei Shimbun reported Saturday.

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