Asia After Hours

With municipalities all over Japan trying to conserve electric power during the dog days of summer, incidents of public obscenity are on the rise, reports Nikkan Gendai (Aug. 11).

On August 9, a 33-year-old cop assigned to the Toyama prefectural police was apprehended for breaking into a police dormitory facility, allegedly on the hunt to purloin feminine undergarments.

A day earlier, a 49-year-old NHK producer was nabbed for trying to surreptitiously shoot photos up a woman’s dress, and a 56-year-old instructor at a primary school in Nara was arrested for groping. On August 7, a 26-year-old member of a university’s administrative staff was nicked for fondling a female white collar worker’s thigh on a bus. And a 26-year-old civilian employed by the police in Miyazaki Prefecture was arrested for attempting a sneak shot with his camera.

What is it with all these supposedly respectable people, pillars of society who hold down cozy, stable jobs, who suddenly go off the deep end and turn into leering perverts?

A government worker tells the tabloid he thinks it’s because of the power-saving campaign now in force.

“The stricter the working environment at government offices, the more efforts are being devoted to reduce power consumption,” he explains. “The air conditioner thermostats are arbitrarily set to 28 degrees Celsius no matter how hot it gets. On the one hand, the workers there understand why these measures are necessary, but on the other, they are sweaty and uncomfortable. It’s cooler to go somewhere else.

“Because people are so irritable we’re also seeing more arguments and quarrels in the workplace. So when these workers stomp out of their offices in a bad mood, and then see so many women strutting around in even skimpier garments than usual, I suppose they just flake out.”

It is said that acts of groping and perversion around JR Osaka station are up this year by 40 percent. Behold, then, what the Fukushima nuclear reactor accident hath wrought. (K.S.)

Source: “Setsuden no natsu, kokukan mo hiito appu,’” Nikkan Gendai (August 1, page 7)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: 4%

The operation of a deri heru business, that is, an out-call service, can be a dangerous venture — so much so, believes Flash (Mar. 15), that it was likely one factor in the mysterious death of a woman in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Haruna Fukuda, 27, a housewife from Kanazawa City, went missing from her home on February 6. A former cameraman employed on commission at public broadcaster NHK, Yasutaka Wako, 35, was questioned 11 days later by investigators from the Ishikawa prefectural police. He slashed his head at his parent’s home in a suicide attempt the next day.

On February 24, Fukuda’s body was found buried on the beach in Uchidamachi, about 12 kilometers from where her car was previously found abandoned. Investigators reported that Fukuda had been stabbed in the neck and been dead for between two and three weeks. Wako was subsequently arrested for abandoning her body.

Fukuda had a three-year-old child with her husband, whom she married four years ago. They also bought a house last year. Her father had managed an electrical shop in the town of Shikamachi, but he closed it down to start a “staffing services agency.”

That agency is one of the approximately 300 deri heru clubs in Kanazawa. (The article includes a graphic from the Web site of this club, which opened three years ago.) Fukuda helped her father by working as a receptionist and in keeping the books.

The headquarters of the club is in Toyama Prefecture — for its lax regulations — and sent ladies to Kanazawa and Toyama in building up its client base. “It was known for good-looking girls and high-quality services,” says an individual affiliated with a fuzoku magazine. But the shop has been unreachable since the day Fukuda’s body was discovered.

The magazine notes that Waka was in substantial debt to Fukuda (3 million yen) and her family (5 million yen). The article postulates that the source of the funds was the out-call business. Fukuda told her parents on the day she disappeared that she was meeting Waka to collect the money.

The cameraman was working on a contract basis via a production company. “He married three years ago and has a child less than one year old,” says a local mass-media person. “He was about to buy a house, so everything seemed going well for him, including his work covering the prefectural government. His clothes did stand out and he was popular among the ladies, but it’s shocking to know that he is a suspect.”

He turned to freelance after March of last year. “He wanted to start up a company, and thus needed some capital,” says an acquaintance of Wako. “But he became contracted with another production company, which allowed him to keep his post with NHK. So he didn’t need to start up that company.”

Fukuda and Wako seemed to have a relationship that went beyond money-lending, one that included attending live reggae shows, reveals the same acquaintance. “They were close for the last few years,” the source says. “He used to say that the basics of having a love affair included the ability to change emotions between the time you spend with your mistress and your wife; it’s got to be cut and dry, and don’t get involved with one asking you to get a divorce.”

Fukuda had also changed. “She used to bring her child every August to the local festival,” says a resident of Shikamachi. “But last year, she looked more provocative. Everyone was wondering what happened to her.”

Fukuda’s husband seems to be lost. His eyes were not able to focus when Flash spotted him at a convenience store with his child in his arms.

A love affair between newly weds, a lucrative deri heru business, and an investment with no future — too many mysteries, concludes the article. (A.T.)

Source: “Satsugai sareta bijin zuma ninki deliheru-ten keiei no kao,” Flash (Mar. 15, pages 102-103)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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While public broadcaster NHK is regarded as a conservative channel, Shukan Asahi Geino (Sep. 9) reports that it has been broadcasting some sexually-charged programming of late.

The August 22 airing of “Tokyo Kawaii TV,” a program dedicated to female fashion, focused (quite literally) on cleavage. The program was designed to empower women, informing them on various methods for presenting their chests when they wear bikinis. The program kicked off with interviews of girls at Shonan Beach. It probably goes without saying that the camera was primarily positioned below the neck area.

Back at the studio, host Ikki Sawamura, an actor, asked his counterpart, recording artist BENI, about the theme of the program. BENI responded, “cleavage.” Sawamura then quickly fixed his stare at BENI’s.

Then two girls who have bikini complexes arrived. One was an attractive graduate student from the University of Tokyo. The other was a girl who possessed nice assets and wishes to become a gravure idol. Sawako Nakata, a stylist who specializes in developing attractive breast lines, and Yuko Takasaki, who is known for homemade bikinis, served as cleavage consultants.

Nakata redesigns the concept of the simple bikini. By sewing bikini cups in a certain way, she can force all the volume toward the center. She also adds silicon and lemon-shaped pads. The college student was excited and indicated that she was eager to share the new swimsuit with her boyfriend.

Takasaki employs an idea of adding a ring to bikini strings which allows breasts, whose shape goes outward, to face toward the center. The potential gravure model showed how she built up her cleavage by pulling some flesh from under her armpit areas to the front part of her body and against her breasts. The final step involves tightening her breasts down so that the extra flesh doesn’t become too loose. When watching this process live, Sawamura was at a loss for words.

Similarly smutty, says Asagei, was NHK’s “Asa Ichi” program that aired on June 23. It covered the issue of sex (actually the lack thereof) among couples beyond their 40s. The tabloid reports that the host used the word “sex” 30 times during the show, which recorded an 11% viewer rating.

Columnist Yoichi Matsuo finds this new direction to be a positive.”NHK has in the past regarded eroticism as something of a taboo,” he says. “The irony inherent with how NHK has evolved should be acknowledged. It is likely that older generations will not welcome this but, but young people will approve.”

Not just the young, snaps Shukan Asahi Geino, middle-aged men will welcome this softened approach as well. (K.N.)

Source: “NHK ga shiroto no oppai miseta! Gamen ippai ni kyonyu ga yurete…” Shukan Asahi Geino (Sep. 9, pages 42)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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Popularity: unranked

Ever since weekly tabloid Shukan Shincho reported (in its May 27 issue) that sumo wrestlers frequently gamble on professional baseball games with organized crime members, the Japan Sumo Association has been on the defensive.

On Sunday, the association decided to dismiss 34-year-old wrestler Kotomitsuki and his stablemaster Otake. Other wrestlers and senior advisors received punishments.

Recent revelations that Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate members have been supplied with ringside seats for past matches — ostensibly so that fellow gangsters behind bars can catch a glimpse of their compatriots on television — have also soiled the image of the pastime.

Two days after the firings, NHK announced that it would not provide a live broadcast of the upcoming tournament in Nagoya as a result of viewer complaints and sponsorship cancellations over the ongoing scandals.

Yet very little has been explained regarding the intricate connections the grapplers have with mobsters and just how they were gambling on ball games. For that, The Tokyo Reporter turns to a back issue of Flash (June) for a little insight.

“It is not just the rikishi (wrestlers), it is also former grand champions (yokozuna) and sumo officials who are betting on baseball,” a senior member of a Kansai boryokudan, or a yakuza group, explains to the tabloid. “The gamblers stay at inns in the countryside with people affiliated with gang groups and bet on games. Some officials will have their wives there. Relatives of gangsters who are running the gambling ring will also be in attendance. This practice has a long history; it didn’t start just yesterday.”

Revenue collected from baseball betting has historically been one means of income for yakuza groups. “The practice started in the Kansai area in the ’60s,” says a journalist who covers criminal activities. “In the ’80s, it spread to extend nationwide.”

The source says that a single game can see between 10 million yen and 100 million yen change hands.

The betting system is much more complicated than simply picking a winner. In each game, a betting line, or hande, is determined by a bookmaker. This number is based on a variety of factors, including the strength of the teams and the scheduled starting pitchers.

“On the day of the game, the hande of each game is decided by noon and passed to a yakuza messenger who will then distribute them to the gamblers by email,” explains a person affiliated with gang groups. “All bets must then be placed by 2 p.m. that day.”

Two different types of hande are generally applied. Flash provides a photo of a mobile phone screen that displays hande data for the games of May 24. As an example, the favored Yomiuri Giants are given a hande of 1半5 (which is read ichi han go) over the Orix Buffaloes. This means that should the Giants win by a single run, wagers on the Giants are considered losing bets. If the Giants prevail by two, punters will receive a return of 50 percent. If the difference is three or more, then bettors will get even money returned.

In another case, a 1.5 hande is applied to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters over the Yakult Swallows. This translates as follows: should the Ham Fighters win by a single run, bettors receive a 50 percent return; and even money is reached for a two-run difference or better. The magazine notes that Nippon Ham Figher star right-hander Yu Darvish will often receive a 2.3 hande, meaning a whopping three-run margin would be required for even money.

It should be noted that a 10 percent commission gets taken off the top by the gang group on all wagers.

Interestingly, starters in the Central League are guessed at — a necessity given the league’s tendency of not naming starting hurlers in advance. On May 24, both Yudai Kawai and Kenta Asakura were listed as probables for the Chunichi Dragons against the Rakuten Eagles.

“At least three games must be wagered on,” says the same senior gang member from Kansai. “The money must be paid each Monday. Bets are commonly between 10,000 yen and 1 million yen.”

The same source says that the bets are usually placed by company presidents, members of the sumo world and entertainment figures. Betting on high school baseball also takes place, with gamblers often wagering on games involving their alma maters.

“Since the wrestlers train in the morning, they have time during the day to check the hande numbers,” says the senior boryokudan member quoted previously. “In the afternoon, they’ll have their bouts. So at night they’ll watch the baseball games.”

Sumo and the criminal underworld have a long history, says Flash. “Years ago, sumo wrestlers visited cities and towns in the countryside on special tours,” says the crime journalist. “The people sponsoring the events — which means providing the catering, security and lodging — were local leaders and gang groups.

“Nowadays, the tours don’t happen, but the intricate relationship still exists,” the same journalist continues. “At the sumo stables, for example, it is still up to the yakuza to provide security and transportation, and should there be trouble with a particular wrestler, it’ll be the yakuza who’ll keep it away from the media.”

Sumo watchers feel that the sumo world needs to change its culture if it wants to transcend from mere entertainment to actual sport. “The wrestlers are always receiving everything, always having everything done for them,” explains a person connected to sumo. “If this doesn’t change, they’ll never be able to sever the ties with gangsters and move forward.” (K.N.)

Source: “Kakukai to boryokudan ‘kuroi kankei,’” Flash (June 15, pages 9-11)

Note: Brief extracts from Japanese vernacular media in the public domain that appear here were translated and summarized under the principle of “fair use.” Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the translations. However, we are not responsible for the veracity of their contents. The activities of individuals described herein should not be construed as “typical” behavior of Japanese people nor reflect the intention to portray the country in a negative manner. Our sole aim is to provide examples of various types of reading matter enjoyed by Japanese.

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