The role of firearms in Japan??

[finity]

Well lets put it this way. This aint Japans first dance with disaster and I grantee you they will get through it with far more dignity than Americans did during the New Orleans Katrina flood.

Yes it seems they have a long history of dealing with disasters...

YouTube - Godzilla Music Video


On a more serious note, I agree with you. Our response to Katrina was pathetic.

 

[Wild Deuce]

First of all, I never once said that there would be rioting. I said their spirit of self sacrifice would be put to the test if they were watching their own families faced with starvation, thirst and disease.

... All human beings and all cultures are not the same. ...

You are correct on cultures and human beings not being the same. However, I said human nature is the same (not individual humans).

I have no doubt that the Japanese will fare better than most people did in some of those other disasters mentioned. The reason will be because the response will be so much better. Even in post WWII Japan, the Allies were right there to start the rebuilding. It was hardly hopeless.

BTW, I have lived in Japan and can say that it's not as pretty and perfect as some believe. The darker side of Japanese culture just hides better.

 

[Bushido Devil Dog]

...not many firearms in japan, the police only carry batons

I was told the the JAPANESE collect wooden copies of guns

We were once, but after taking the love for Jesus out of the classroom and replace it with the love of money, we reap what we sow...

....


Let me pass on some knowledge...


The Japanese Police most certainly DO carry pistols on duty:

The riot police, and the ones on pencil-pusher duty don't, but the regular beat, Koban (police box), and traffic cops are armed with revolvers.

For there not being many firearms in Japan, I have personally seen/held M-1As, AR-15s, M1-A1s, a Winchester 1894 (looked original), and a H&K PSG-1, among others weapons. All legally owned with police approval. While not as prevalent as the States, guns can be a hobby for those willing to jump through the hoops/endure the whole fist to get their "mother may I" card from the police. (ADDED) Handguns are a no-go though.



The Japanese don' need to collect "wooden guns" ( ) because two of the best/most realistic Airsoft guns makers are Japanese companies:



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...And Japan has been able to maintain an enviable low-crime rate, despite the fact the "the love of Jesus" was never *in* the classroom, being a Buddhist/Shinto nation. How in the world have these heathens ever managed to become a modern superpower without Jesus to keep 'em from robbing, raping, and killing each other??!? ...the mind boggles.

...the Japanese don't lack for shame, like most Americans. They're much more likely to be too busy helping each other to think about looting and criminality.

EXACTLY. The reason the crime is low here is because doing the right thing is still generally in fashion, and Japan doesn't have what I call the "culture" of "F*** You!!" There isn't even a Japanese word or expression that contains the same amount of hate, contempt, and disrespect that those two words do in English.

As I was walking from Tokyo to Shibuya after Friday's earthquake, people were still polite, obeyed the traffic lights, and were obeying the common sense rules of courtesy and behaviour that should be universal. --> Don't push, Don't use the chaos to commit evil, help others out...what bizarre concepts!! I will be starting a-boots-on-the-ground thread on my personal experience of the Japan earthquake in a day or two...

While I agree with Kirk's post above, I can't recommend Ruth Benedict's book merely for the fact that when she wrote it she had actually never been to Japan yet. To me this is like a book about how to shoot being written by someone who has never even touched a firearm . An intelligent writer of such a book may make some lucky guesses, but will not truly *know* the subject until they have EXPERIENCED it for themselves.



My ...

 

[rich8483]

im concerned about the availability of new wii shipments.

 

[finity]

Bushido,

Thanks for putting some common sense into this thread.

 

[Westside]

I will try and find the link, there was a video from a school graduation that was occurring during the earthquake and if you watch closely when the started to collapse the first thoughts of others were to rescue those trapped in the rubble not run and wait for help. I wish this mindset would take over here in the states.

if I can find the video I will post a link to it.

 

[Specialized]

Different culture or not, there are some constants ... human nature and the need to survive. There is no denying that the Japanese do things differently and have been raised differently. However, your spirit of self sacrifice would be put to the test when you are watching your own family suffer with starvation, thirst and disease. There are already reports of water hoarding.

Actually, there were pictures and descriptions of citizens waiting, in line, for water this morning on the news. the lines were several hundred yards long and the line was pretty close to single-file, taking five or six hours to get through. The Japanese are a very old, proud, and structured culture, with a deeply-rooted sense of humility and community. I'll be very surprised if any significant unrest takes place.

Specialized

 

[Rocket57]

Looters will be shot...

I was living in San Francisco during the 1989 Loma Prieta quake. I think people were looting before the ground stopped shaking.

 

[indianajoe]

Let me pass on some knowledge...

Good post.

Following with commentary from The Telegraph: Why is there no looting in Japan? – Telegraph Blogs

 

[mutt]

I spent a fair amount of time in japan when I was in the navy

In my experience one thing completely missing from that culture is a sense of entitlement

It was nice

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The B Dog is correct about Ruth Benedict's book. It was originally a study for the U.S. military.

I believe it still serves as a foundation to understanding Japanese culture.