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EMIRELADEROyesterday at 11:26 PM2 repliesview on HN

The virtues you mention are not a consequence of the tortuous treatment described in the post though. Conditions could rise to Western humane standards and the underlying Japanese culture that allows for such peaceful living would still remain.


Replies

hackyhackytoday at 1:18 AM

You can't take the Japanese criminal justice system out of Japan. It's part of a larger whole.

The Western mentality, especially in the USA, focuses on independent will. The government is not supposed to stop people from making choices that are bad for society or bad for themselves. In Japan, the mentality is that every person has an obligation to work with society and to fit in at all costs. The Japanese criminal justice system exemplifies that spirit, but it touches all areas, such as employment, personal relationships, behavior in public, talking to strangers, etc.

In short, if you want to have the advantages of Japan, you need to take it with the disadvantages as well.

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cjbgkaghtoday at 12:16 AM

I don’t know what is humane about skid row et al.

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