Japan is a robber’s playground--if robbers actually existed. As a predominately cash-based society with an unparalleled consumerism that makes even Americans look like conservative spenders, Japanese malls, convenient stores and pretty much anywhere else financial transactions take place are packing tons of unstrapped cash.
For gun control lobbyists, Japan is a realized paradise. The law states that no one can bear firearms (or swords) under any circumstance. The only citizens allowed to possess a weapon at any time are police and the military along with those who have a hunting license weighted with a highly restrictive permit. With one of the world's lowest crime rates and the gun crime rate nearly nonexistent, anti-gun lobbies proclaim Japan as a model society for Americans to follow in their impressionable footsteps.
In an article written by researcher and director, Dave Kopel of the Second Amendment Project, he attests, “Tokyo is the world's safest major city and muggings only occur at the rate of 40 per year per one million inhabitants while New York City's rate is 11,000.” His article, Japan: Gun Control and People Control highlight government statistics showcasing, “Japan's homicide rate is two to three times lower than the U.S. rate. As for handgun murders, the U.S. rate is 200 times higher than Japan's.”
Perhaps history tells the tale of why Japanese society favors a gunless nation. In the late nineteenth century, Japan’s national police force was created and it’s first cohorts were former samurai who were unemployed due to the abolition of feudalism. Considering themselves noble warriors, samurai honored martial arts as a real means of battle and believed guns were for the cowardly. Nonetheless, the Japanese police acquired firearms only when U.S. General MacArthur commanded it in 1946. Even so, in Japanese society today, the government propagates gun control simply by a general lack of interest for carrying or glamorizing guns in their police force.
By way of the gun, Japan could be considered a parallel universe compared to America; however, gun control is not what keeps the crime rate low—it's social control. Japanese society is kept on a tight leash by the government and police force. Questioning the boundaries of personal freedoms and basic rights is rare, which is a key motivator Americans thrive on to better his/her self in society.
This inherent submissiveness in society comes easier to the Japanese than Americans because their country is far more ethnically and economically uniform as well as their voluntary willingness to comply with one of the most unyielding criminal justice system of any democratic nation.
What is even more interesting about the lack of citizen-held weaponry in Japan is how it affects the people's system of worry. For most humans, our basic motivators for survival are the same. We think primitively about the safety and health of ourselves and our families, and the threat of gun violence or robbery is definitely something the majority of Americans have at least an inkling of worry about. We can't leave our doors unlocked or walk onto a crowded bus without a slight suspicion that leads us to check our pockets to make sure nothing's been picked. In the idyllic, unarmed utopia of Japan, this type of petty theft threat hardly exists. Instead, Japanese have more than enough time to worry themselves over other daily occurrences that, to an American, may seem trivial in the grand scheme of survival.
Does America have something to learn from the staunch gun control exhibited in Japan? Perhaps. But, amending an American’s right to bear arms would be the same as telling the Japanese they had to own one. Sometimes no matter how much we have to learn from another culture, we (sadly) stick to our guns.
For more information on gun control in Japan, click here.
Comments
There are several factors that contribute to the low crime rate in Japan. Perhaps most importantly, only about 1.6% of Japan's total legal resident population are foreign nationals and they are biometrically tracked from the moment they enter the country. Also, a high standard of living there where 90% of the population considers themselves middle class allieviates the rift between the "haves" and "have nots". Gun violence worldwide is caused by different religions, different ethic groups, and dissimilar income bracketed citizens living in close proximity to each other. Japan, being a mostly homogenous society, with similar incomes and no religions that spur against each other would obviously be a "utopia". To get rid of gun violence one needs to remove the cause for it, not simply remove the guns. If dissimilar groups cannot kill each other with guns, they will bludgeon each other with bats and the end result will be the same.
D- I don't think there will be any way to remove the cause for gun violence in the world, but it's interesting to see how other cultures out there aren't so trigger happy.
I've lived in Japan for several years now and I would considerate gun control the leading factor in why the country is so safe. It definitely makes the biggest difference in terms of safety. Even if Japanese had the will to use physical violence with a bat, it wouldn't even compare to the threat of a gun.
"Even if Japanese had the will to use physical violence with a bat, it wouldn't even compare to the threat of a gun. "
- Exactly my point. There is no will to commit physical violence because they are not threatened by ethnic or religious groups, or by poverty. As far as comparing gun violence vs. bat violence, ask Alberto Anselmi, John Scalise or even Scott Gregory Hawkins how much less violent bats are than guns. According to the logic presented, Switzerland (where 40% of the population is armed) should be a horribly violent place to live, yet the crime rate is also very low. What you see in Japan is the product of ethnic purity combined with the absence of religious (Christian/Muslim) fundamentalism, and a robust economy that spreads wealth more evenly across the populace. Status quo - if the every Japanese citizen was entitled to buy and own a gun it wouldn't change anything there as a result unless another factor (Economic, Religious, or Ethnic) came into play.
Except.....
Japanese-Americans, with full access to firearms, have an even lower rate of firearms crime than their Japanese cousins. Obviously there is something other than access to firearms at work here. The article also fails to mention Japan's horrendous suicide rate, by means other than self inflicted gunshot of course. Again, something other than access to firearms at work here. One cannot simply compare cultures that easily. As an example, the Swiss have four major resident ethnic groups, and a national requirement that fully automatic battle rifles be kept in private homes. Yet their firearms crime rate is on par with that of Japan. Something other than ethnic uniformity or diversity at work here. What you do find, is that in cultures where respect for the rule of law exists, crime is low, regardless of firearms availability. The opposite is also true. Enforce the laws, put the bad guys away, and America's firearms crime rate would go away as well.
I'm pretty sure former commenters missed the point. The article is saying you can't make a black and white statement about gun control when comparing cultures who are otherwise completely different. It's interesting and doesn't need to involve talk of bat violence.
The article says "gun control is not what keeps the crime rate low-it's social control" --this is that "something other than access to firearms" the NRA member was talking about...let's read before we step on our soapboxes proclaiming knowledge.
I don't think mentioning suicide helps at all or is relevant to this discussion. I think that we can all agree that there are other factors other than access to firearms that are at work and suicide is not one of them.
I enjoyed this article a lot, keep writing!
I wish Americans could live as safely as they do in Japan. If we didn't have the intrinsic desire to tote around weapons for no reason, that would definitely make the biggest difference in terms of our individual safety in this country.
James,
While it's true that Japan saves more per capita than any nation on earth, that does not belittle the fact that it is a highly consumerist country. Since most Japanese don't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on education or new homes, they are left with a much higher disposable income. So, while Americans might be in a net debt because of an expensive house, college for the kids, and a nice new car (even if they don't spend much on nice clothes or at expensive restaurants), Japanese are much more likely to spend a majority of their income on smaller purchases, like clothes, food, and travel (while still remaining out of debt, and saving money).
Comparing apples and oranges isn't healthy. The Japanese Constitution was only put together 50 years ago in a time of peace. The US constitution was put together a few centuries ago in a time to turmoil.
Our constitution is an elightenment era reaction to absolutism and expanding powers of a monarch, Japans made but an occupationary force.
Not only that, but American society revolves around it's military, which feeds back into the public perception that guns are something that a citizen should have. This in turns feeds our military with volenteers, etc. The ideas are deeper then just shooting stuff, but you get the point.
Also, I think you came close to understanding when you described how Americans always push for more rights - a constant theme in our society. If I had a right to have an item, and my entire society is built around protecting rights we have, and reaching for rights we don't, the entire idea of removing the right to arms is contrary to this philosophy.
I think sometimes it's interesting to compare 'apples to oranges'. If we only evaluated our political system from the inside looking in, we would just perpetuate a cycle of ignorance. It's a good thing to see what other countries can do for their people and their society even if that system is implausible in America--at least we know what else is out there. I really enjoyed this article. Thanks.
It is dizzying to think of the consumer habits of the Japanese. They spend more on shopping for daily household items and clothing than any American I have ever met. Not to mention, their extremely overpriced English educations from one of thousands eikawas in the country keeps them continually spending.
'unparalleled consumerism' is right --James probably has never been to Japan before.
D you falter a bit in your reasoning: So 90% of Japanese consider themselves middleclass. They are not unique about this because the same goes for American and Western Europeans. High standard of living in Japan? Whose and what standard? The average house cannot stack up with the average North American's. Besides the shortage of space, most homes there lack central air and immediate hot water. Outside of cities, the standard is much lower. Whatever standard of living they have--it is very costly--higher than North American. You also seem to have it wrong about gun violence. Most of its victims know their assailants--meaning that they are in the same clan, etc. So that wouldn't fit your scenario about gun violence being a matter of cultural or religious warfare within a multiethnic society. Although Japan has a homogenious society and difference of income distribution relatively narrow, Japan still has much social inequality. Also, the gap between the haves & have-nots is widening.
Right on Ray, I was hoping someone who had actual knowledge of Japan would comment. I enjoy this debate--this article is certainly provocative and well-written.
Come on Alli, no reasons, FBI UCR 2008 1.36 million violent crimes reported, USDOJ Victimization report 2007 5.2 million violent crimes unreported, USDOJ study 1993, suppressed by Clinton, identifying average 1.5 million DGU's (defensive gun uses per year), USDOJ Gang activity report 2008 identifying the 1 million plus gang members and proessional criminals being responsible for up to 80% of violent crime in the US? Read Operation self defense on this home page, just from the beginning of September till today.
No unbiased evidence that gun control or bans work, police response times 4 minutes at best, the US Supreme Courts ruling 10 times that the government is not liable for an individuals safety, yeah, no reasons at all to be prepared to defend ones self if necessary.
Japan sure doesnt appear to have a 100 plus billion dollar a year drug habit, a significant portion of broken families and large entitlement systems that only stunt the growth of peoples efforts, yeah no reasons!
One other point: Crime in Japan, just like everything else, is extremely organized. Random street violence, while not unknown, is quite low. The Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) have even openly collaborated with the police in the past to keep random street crime down. In the eight years I lived in Japan, many of my friends told me that they envied me as an American for my "freedom." Japan is a parliamentary democracy, but a very large percentage of the people still feel trapped within the oppressive society. I'm not saying that one is good and another is bad. All I'm saying is that laws and statistics exist within a society, and to think that one can take one specific element from another culture and graft it onto one's own culture is foolish to expect and dangerous to attempt to implement. Japan has lower rates of drug use, and the drug trade is controlled by a stable and powerful organized crime syndicate. Switzerland requires every household to have an assault rifle, but crime is lower.
Jim H--It doesn't sound like this article is attempting to graft specific elements of Japanese culture into American culture or vice versa. It is pretty much saying the opposite--that because of the inherent submissiveness of Japanese people and the oppression of the Japanese government, gun control and a lower crime rate are apparent in society. America is a completely different society for many aforementioned reasons, and it seemed pretty apparent that this writer wasn't trying to implement any kind of Japanese gun policy in America. It was just a clear cut, quick comparison of the two.
Ray, I can't discount your knowledge of conditions in Japan as I've never been there. As far as your second statement "Most of its victims know their assailants" I'd like to point out that the largest percentage of gun "victims" are known criminals and anyone who commits gun violence is by definition a criminal. I see no reason to comtemplate giving up any of my rights to curb what I see as natural selection at work removing these people from the planet. Religion and Ethnic groups do play a large part into violence of all kinds whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. One only needs to watch the 5pm news about Iraq or Pakistan to see that gun violence certainly can be (and is) caused by cultural or religious warfare within a multiethnic society. One last quote as food for thought: "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to permit the conquered Eastern peoples to have arms." - Think about who said this and how it could be seen to relate to Japan's society.
um- is someone quoting Hitler?
Yes, it was Hitler who said that. I did not mean to idolize him in any way. My point is this phrase was uttered within a few years of the post-wwII gun laws enacted in Japan. Perhaps the US may have had some influence in shaping Japan's post-wwII gun laws thinking along the same lines. The Japanese people, by the way, had no qualms about turning their guns against many Southeast Asian colonies and countries killing millions during wwII. Obviously, there is a difference between military and domestic gun violence. Perhaps the Japanese don't shoot each other today because they don't have guns. Or is it because they respect each other enough not to do it? This article portrays the Japanese as a peace-loving people who would never use a gun against another versus us Americans who (sadly) stick to our guns. The placement of the word "sadly" is the clearly anti-gun biased operative word in this article that was meant to inflame gun rights supporters.
Daniel-
If so, why is this the last line of the story: "Sometimes no matter how much we have to learn from another culture, we (sadly) stick to our guns." I do agree that upon rereading the article, it main body is more balanced, but the "parting shot" is a cute play on words that unfortunately undermines that message.
Hey fool. The right to bear arms is GUARANTEED in the U.S. Constitution. What part of GUARANTEED don't you get? Unless you have plans to do away with the 2nd Amendment, keep dreaming. And when China invades Japan in the near future, you and every last Japanese are going to wish they had a gun.
This is probably "feeding the troll," but I would like to respond to "Another globalists shill." 1.) The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights to protect citizens from their OWN overbearing government. I'm not getting ready to move to a bunker in Montana, but that's the only interpretation that stands up to examination and that is generally the way the Supreme Court has interpreted it. 2.) The Chinese are not realistically going to invade Japan at any time in the near future. Japan has no natural resources that would benefit China. Japan's peace constitution means that Japan is no military threat to China. China is having increasing difficulty keeping its own people under control, they aren't going to buy in to a whole new bunch of headaches by invading Japan. Japan serves two important roles for Beijing: A) source of Foreign Direct Investment B) convenient scapegoat. Beijing uses WWII Japan to divert attention from the Cultural Revolution, Great Leap, etc
Come on. The second amendment is somewhat broader than that narrow definition. At the time the Constitution was written, most of the country was unpoliced. I submit that the amendment was also put in place to allow citizens to protect themselves from other citizens in areas that were dangerous at the time (the wild west).
Seems things haven't changed much when you really think about it.
"Interpretation" of constitutional rights that are spelled out to the letter should not be tolerated... but it seems to be happening.
and...Calling someone a troll for voicing their opinion makes me wonder if the same people who would like to repeal (or "interpret") the second amendment are also favor "interpreting" the first amendment as well?
Having been to Japan, the only reason they have such low crime is one vast common culture heavily influenced by traditional Cunfucian values of group unity and social solidarity. That is the exact 180 of what Americans consider their national identity and moral ideal. It is a model that would not work at all in America, under any circumstances.
Let the Nihon be the Nihon and Americans will be American.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!