NY Times: Japan Is, Like, So Weird

On Saturday on my way back to New York I picked up a New York Times at the Providence Amtrak station. I know Saturday newspapers are less read but the silliness on the front page cannot go without comment. Two articles about Japan that day were:

"Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place" on the front page, written by Martin Fackler.

and

"A Font of Commentary Amid Japan's Taciturn Royals" was Saturday's profile, written by Norimitsu Onishi.

What is the average reader to make of this country Japan?

The hiding place article describes a Japanese clothing maker who fashions outfits to resemble vending machines and mailboxes so Japanese can hide from criminals. Notice the headline is "Japanese wear the hiding place" just like ninjas. Is this ninja behavior a widespread trend? No. Although the designer has sold only 20 costumes, it merits a front page article. The point of the piece? The designer "said that while her ideas might be fanciful, Japan’s willingness to indulge the imagination was one of its cultural strengths." I can picture the Times editors fishing for a point.

The royals article profiled Japan's Prince Tomohito of Mikasa. Onishi portrays the prince as an alcoholic nihilistic recluse. The prince's duty? "The royals, he said, could fulfill their duties simply by 'waking up in the morning, eating breakfast, eating lunch, eating dinner, then going to sleep, repeating that 365 days a year.'" I don't know many people in Japan who know or talk about the prince. But I know people were reading these articles because they were both among the top ten most emailed list on Sunday. The oddball stereotype of Japan is alive and well.

Now, I understand that these two fluff pieces are meant to entertain. They were a lot of fun, but I could put them in context because of my firsthand experience with Japan. I also find it ironic that one of the themes of the Brown University conference I was returning from was that mainstream media treats its readers like simpletons. (If you want to read quality reporting in English about Japan, read Sebastian Moffett of the Wall Street Journal.) It makes me worry about the countries I don't know much about. Can I trust newspapers to give me an accurate portrayal?

I just hope newspapers aren't creating a nation of Vinnie Barbarinos, the TV personality famous for his insight, "It's like so weird."

A Stronger Japan: Some Like It, Some Don't

Norimitsu Onishi reports in the New York Times today that Japan is buying weapons that blur the lines between defensive and offensive use:

Japan is acquiring weapons that blur the lines between defensive and offensive. For the Guam bombing run, Japan deployed its newest fighter jets, the F-2’s, the first developed jointly by Japan and the United States, on their maiden trip here. Unlike its older jets, the F-2’s were able to fly the 1,700 miles from northern Japan to Guam without refueling — a “straight shot,” as the Japanese said with unconcealed pride.

The summary of Onishi's article titled "Bomb by Bomb, Japan Sheds Military Restraints" mentions that this change in Japan is "rattling nerves in northeast Asia." Although Onishi only sites two top Korean officials to back up the assertion, the claim is probably true, given South Korea's suspicion of the Japanese military, North Korea's outright hostility toward Japan, and China's rivalry for regional dominance.

But what about Southeast Asia?

I wonder why the article didn't mention the other side of the coin, that in Southeast Asia, many welcome a stronger Japan to balance China. In my trip to Asia this summer, I found senior observers in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore not only in support of a more assertive Japan but also in favor of a stronger Japanese military. Many see Japan as a transparent, accountable actor with a good track record.

I guess the answer you get depends on whom you ask.