'western-style' molestation?

[mad pierrot]

Baseball dome boss nabbed for 'western-style' molestation


FUKUOKA -- The former head of the operator of Fukuoka Dome was arrested Monday for molesting two female employees, police said.
Takeshi Kotsuka, 57, former president of Hawks Town, the operator of the major baseball stadium, is accused of indecent assault. The company had sacked Kotsuka as its president at the end of last month for "committing serious illegal acts."
During questioning, Kotsuka denied assaulting the female employees, police sources said. However, some other female employees have filed criminal complaints with prefectural police, accusing him of molesting them too.
In the specific case for which he was arrested, Kotsuka allegedly hugged a female employee who was reporting to the then vice president at his office at Fukuoka Dome Co., the predecessor of Hawks town, in July 2002.
He also hugged another female employee in a meeting room of an affiliated hotel in April this year, according to investigators. The woman was preparing a company meeting.
A number of employees were present as Kotsuka molested the two women, and testified to police about his actions.
Several employees of the company said Kotsuka had openly fondled female employees' bodies or kissed them. He was quoted as saying, "It's a kind of communication," and [B]"Such practices are common in America and Europe."[/B]
In a meeting with the Mainichi Shimbun following revelations of his scandal, he admitted to touching the bodies of female employees.
"I hug my female employees and kiss them, but I think they enjoy it," he told the Mainichi in the interview.
A former executive of Recruit Co., Kotsuka was invited to Daiei, Inc. to rehabilitate its business activities in Fukuoka, including the operations of its professional baseball club Daiei Hawks and Fukuoka Dome, the team's home ground. He was appointed as vice president of Fukuoka Dome and was later promoted to its president and head of the Hawks.
Both the Dome and a hotel operated by Hawks Town were sold to Colonial Capital, a U.S. investment company, in April this year, but Kotsuka remained in his position until he was dismissed at an extraordinary shareholder meeting in late September. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Oct. 25, 2004)

:? Funny, I never knew molestation came in "styles."

Excuses aside, does anyone take this seriously as something cultural? (E.I., is hugging and kissing one's co-workers "Western?")

I would say it's a clear cut case of sexual harrasment. I would hope people reading the newspaper don't take it seriously and assume that anything he said has crediblity.

thoughts?

Original article HERE.

 

[Suki-Yaki]

I thought in America a lady could sue an employer for less than that .. (well either that , or so long for the cradibility of holiwood!)

So it`s kinda dumb to think that in America or europe such things are accepted. Not in such a big company atleast , my opinion.

 

[mad pierrot]

I thought in America a lady could sue an employer for less than that ..

True, they can and have.

Do you think anyone believes this guy?

 

[december]

Poor guy, looking for any excuse he can find instead of just admitting he's a pervert.

 

[gokarosama]

I know a young woman who had spent some time in Australia as an exchange student, and confided to me that she was regularly kissed on the mouth and hugged close by the "father" of the house who claimed: "this is how we do things in Australia."

 

[Ma Cherie]

In America, if a co-worker kissed and fondled a woman, this would be sexual harrassment. There is nothing cultural about this.

"western-style molestation" What in the hell?

 

[Maciamo]

There is an obvious cultural gap between Western countries regarding hugging and kissing. Latin countries (France, Italy, Spain...) are very open to that, and all friends, relatives, and in some cases co-workers do cheek-kiss each others every time they meet (or sometimes also leave each others at the end of the day/meeting). In France, even (young) men and boys cheek-kiss each others. So it's not only a girl thing or male to female behaviour.

In contrast, Germanic people (Scandinavian, Dutch, German, and in this case British people too) are much more restrained and do not normally cheek-kiss (sometimes hug between family members or very goof friends, especially women).

The US being so mixed culturally and ethincally, it is difficult to say which is more usual. I have seen American people kissing family members on the lips, which is a big no-no even for Latins, but in general people do not even cheek-kiss.

Needless to say that cheek-kissing is a no-no in about all Asian countries. The funny thing is that Indians don't mind walking hand in hand with a same sex friend, which would be seen as a sign of homosexuality in the West, especially for men.

Personally, as I am become used to the Latin-style cheek-kissing, I would not consider it (or hugging) a molestation, and I am sure any jury (both male and female) in France or Italy would laugh out loud listenning to such accusations.

I think Japanese are somewhat confused about what is acceptable and what is not. Before the Westernization of Japan, women were just sexual toys and could not even complain for molestation or even rape, as it was the right of men (especially if of higher social status) to use them. That may explain why Japanese women are still much "easier" in average than Western, or even much more Indian or Middle-Eastern ones.

But the US introduced the idea of sexual harassment based on their puritan ideals (meaning that it took less to be accused of sexual harassment as in Latin countries), slowly changing the Japanese attitude to such molestations. Of course, the women were the first to pick up these new ideas, as they were the one to benefit from it, while many men still dismiss "sekuhara" as annoying "imported ideas".

As a result, there are now Japanese women who are very aware of their rights and would sue anybody for the slightest molestation, but others that still think like in old days. Then, I have realised that many of my wife's friends not only didn't mind being cheek-kissed but almost expected it from someone coming from a country with such a custom (my wife even insisted that I cheek-kissed most of her female friends, although I am not very dependant on this custom, and they found it quite amusing).

 

[Lacan]

I am sure any jury (both male and female) in France or Italy would laugh out loud listenning to such accusations.

I did laugh out loud until I realize everyone is dead serious about it ☝

am I a pervert too ?

 

[SkippyDaStudent85]

Wow, just... wow.

 

[gokarosama]

Laugh out loud as much as you like. The fact is the man accused is not French, or Italian, etc. He is a Japanese man. Unless he has spent most of his life abroad, I cannot imagine he was not aware of the awkwardness he was creating.

Molestation? Well, it's an evocative, dangerous term; all sorts of images spring to mind. I understand the tendency to tell these women to lighten up.

But remember, children here don't even hug their parents--though that may be changing. I have met twenty-something-year-old women who have never once been hugged by anybody.

 

[TwistedMac]

I know a young woman who had spent some time in Australia as an exchange student, and confided to me that she was regularly kissed on the mouth and hugged close by the "father" of the house who claimed: "this is how we do things in Australia."

The dangers of being a girl out in the big bad world.
Talk about a guy taking advantage of the situation.

 

[sakurastar]

In England, it tends to me only the wealthier who cheek-kiss. You see it on Oxford and the rich parts of london all the time. Here in Japan, not even friends really hug or anything (at least, thats what my host mum told me), with husbands and wives not even sleeping in the same room let alone the same bed most of the time (again, told to me by my hostmother/tutors). England was more emotionally restricted decades ago as opposed to now, and even though many think we are emotionally retarded still etc (may I say, totally not true), we are nothing compared to the Japanese. Physical contact just isn't done here, so kissing your employees and fondling is a majorly big no-no!

 

[sakurastar]

Obviously...that boss is just another pervert....