Sisters found stabbed to death in fire-damaged apartment

[groovewonder]

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20051117p2a00m0na028000c.html

OSAKA -- Two sisters were found murdered in an apartment here after firefighters were called to battle a blaze in the unit, police said.

Firefighters received an emergency call at about 3:40 a.m. on Thursday saying smoke was coming out of an apartment in Osaka's Naniwa-ku.

...yada yada yada...

Other residents in the area said they heard screams for help at about 2 a.m., and investigators said it was likely the pair had been killed around this time. (Mainichi)

...

What in the hell is wrong with Japanese people. Residents in the area heard screams for help at 2 a.m. and did NOTHING?... Firefighters received and emergency call at 3:40 a.m.? 1 hour and 40 minutes later? WTF?! Somehow this doesn't surprise me, but WTF?!

[cstaylor]

If you had an ineffective police force protecting you, would you stick your neck out in what looks like a mob hit?

[groovewonder]

I like to think that, yes, I would do something. I would probably wake all the neighbors and arm myself with kitchen knives and baseball bats. That's just rediculous.

[jim katta]

What in the hell is wrong with Japanese people.

give me a fucking break. here in new york, there are stories published regularly about people hearing blood curdling screams and doing nothing. it's true, screaming in new york city, 90% of the time will not save your ass. it's like that in huge cities that are overcrowded.

as for police response time, and hour is a bit crazy, but it's also not unheard of here in new york.

please with the 'what's wrong with japanese people' crap. they're just people living in congested cities like the rest of us. there's nothing specifically "japanese" about what happened.

[Spidey]

What in the hell is wrong with Japanese people.

give me a fucking break. here in new york, there are stories published regularly about people hearing blood curdling screams and doing nothing. it's true, screaming in new york city, 90% of the time will not save your ass. it's like that in huge cities that are overcrowded.

as for police response time, and hour is a bit crazy, but it's also not unheard of here in new york.

please with the 'what's wrong with japanese people' crap. they're just people living in congested cities like the rest of us. there's nothing specifically "japanese" about what happened.

Are you saying that this is some kind of "big city syndrome?" I would beg to differ. I live in a relatively small town and I have had an experience that would contradict what you previously stated.
At about 7 in the evening I started to hear something coming from outside. I couldn't figure out what it was so started to listen more intently. As I went through different possible images of what it could be, I decided to step outside to take a look. Mind you about 30min had past since I had initially heard the sound. As soon as I stepped outside I realized that the sound was that of a woman screaming from one of the apartments near mine. Being in a foreign country, I must say that I was at a loss as to what I should do next. As the screamng became more intense...first I must say that many more people than just myself would have been able to hear this screaming but I was the only one that seemed to be worried about it. As the screaming became more intense and fearful, I decided to start beating on the door for someone to open up. No response and still I was the only one outside. I then decided to call my girlfriend to have her contact the police for them to come and check it out. In the meantime the screaming had toned down to just wimpering. About 20mins later the police arrived, knocked on the door while annoucing themselves, spoke to the man involved, listened to his explanation an quickly decided that it was merely a simple domestic dispute and left.

I guess my point is this. If you are living in a society where the cultural norm is to not get involved, then it doesn't matter if you are living in a big city or not. The tendencies will remain the same. I on the other hand had a harder time dealing with this situation since the culture that I come from tends to want to intercede if at all possible. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that one is better than the other. Merely different.


S

[Hokgwai]

What in the hell is wrong with Japanese people.

give me a fucking break. here in new york, there are stories published regularly about people hearing blood curdling screams and doing nothing. it's true, screaming in new york city, 90% of the time will not save your ass. it's like that in huge cities that are overcrowded.

as for police response time, and hour is a bit crazy, but it's also not unheard of here in new york.

please with the 'what's wrong with japanese people' crap. they're just people living in congested cities like the rest of us. there's nothing specifically "japanese" about what happened.

Dude, I don't know what part of NY you are from but these days, (especially post 9/11) New Yorkers are not that apathetic anymore....maybe 25 years ago, when crime was a serious problem in those days....but I believe if a New Yorker heard a disturbance like someone screaming for help, they would do something....we're not the type just to sit around and do nothing anymore.

[jim katta]

Dude, I don't know what part of NY you are from but these days, (especially post 9/11) New Yorkers are not that apathetic anymore....maybe 25 years ago, when crime was a serious problem in those days....but I believe if a New Yorker heard a disturbance like someone screaming for help, they would do something....we're not the type just to sit around and do nothing anymore.

By posting this you've revealed something about yourself--no matter if you deny it.

You are either 1) a recent transpant to new york--still bright eyed and bushy tailed, 2)cloistered in some building where everyone loves each other (a RARE, RARE thing in nyc), 3) most likely living in the outer surburbs or new jersey/long island, 4)don't even really live in new york--just visited

I am from Manhattan (downtown), and I've lived in every borough except Staten Island. I did not make those comments casually. And the fact is, the Cleaner and Less Crime new york has gotten, the WORSE people's attitudes have gotten towards each other in terms of caring. In the 70s and 80s, if a guy snatched a woman's purse, if a couple of guys were anywhere around, 9 times out of ten, the thief would get chased down, get a beating and the woman would get her purse back. "Now" if a crime like that happens, people are mostly indifferent, and at most will graciously put down their $5 latte, whip out their $500 Razor phone and dial the police. As for the 9/11 attacks; the honeymoon of new yorkers being warm and fuzzy to each other lasted exactly 6 months, at which point people went back to stepping over each others dead bodies to get to work. Dude, I don't know what new york YOU are living in (or if you even really live there), and I don't know if you've ever been to Tokyo, but in terms of cities, the places are becoming more and more alike. People generally don't have the TIME to give a fuck, New York is hardcore and expensive, and it doesn't suffer the unfortunate/victimized easily. Not my rules, I still love new york, but that's the reality, you can keep living the fantasy if you want.

[jim katta]

[Hokgwai]

.....over 30 years in NY. Born and raised, bub. HARLEM.

sadly, there are disgruntled NY'ers who don't give a F#$% as you put it....but they don't speak for all of NYC, now do they?

'nuff said. [/quote]