nofj16 claims that Japan is terrible, that no one should go there. But why should we believe him/her? Just because it's on a website with statistcis? Where are the facts? Did he/she cite their sources? And if so, are they credible? I looked up this so called "quote" from Edwin O. Reischauer. It doesn't exist. Google in the first line of the quote and you'll find nothing. In fact, Mr. Reischauer was "was the leading U.S. educator and noted scholar of the history and culture of Japan, and of East Asia." [wikipedia] He was also, in fact the U.S. ambassador to Japan from 1961-1966 [/www.sais-jhu.ed]

So now who do you believe? Whoever nofj16 is, it's clearly just hate against the Japanese in general, trying to tweak your opinion of them with a few false statements. Read his/her 'A-Z list' of the "real Japan": nofj16's page.

I don't need to fill this site up with nonsense. I'll let you decide for yourself whether Japan is evil or not. But let me say this: How many things on that list are purely Japanese facts? Does not America have half, if not most of the same qualities that nofj16 has listed? We have asbestos, we have bribery, we have "dango", etc. It's not only Japan who does these things. The United States isn't completely innocent.

Another issue that is arising is fingerprinting foreigners. Yet the U.S. had a similar policy after 9-11 [media link of article] so why should we treat Japan's decision badly if they want to enforce safty upon her own people? Don't you think that United States citizens would have been outraged had we not taken stricter precautions after terrorist attacks?

A final argument is whaling in Japan. We call it cruel and tell children to ask Santa for toys that aren't made in Japan. They're not yet old enough to make decisions for themselves. But does anyone see how their steak got onto their plate? What that chicken went through to get to your stomach? It's all cruel what we do to these animals, yet we eat them anyways just because "they taste good". Though I don't support their whaling, I'm not about to go telling Japan what they can and cannot do. It's just not right. Just because America is the big guy on the block doesn't mean we can push people around telling them what to do. The U.S. needs to learn to keep her obnoxiously large nose out of other people's buisness.

I don't write all this just out of spite for nofj16. I do it because I care about the well-being of people just like me: people who love Japan and don't want to see it torn apart by feuding about her buisness. 

Make your own decisions. 

Find your own facts. 

Don't rely on other people. 

Use your own brain to determine right from wrong.