Heil, mein Führer!

[Taro Toporific]

defaced-abe.jpg

Tokyo cops arrest man for adding Hitler moustaches to Abe posters
Tokyo Reporter | 2015-Sep-27
Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Friday announced the arrest of a 71-year-old man after he allegedly defaced political posters featuring Prime Minister Shinzo Abe...
...Takeshi Muto is alleged to have used an oil-based pen to draw a narrow moustache, very similar to that made famous by Adolf Hitler, on an image of Abe appearing on a poster hanging on a fence inside a parking lot in the Kanamorihigashi area of Machida City.
Muto, who has been charged with destruction of property, admits to the allegations. “In considering the current government, it was unavoidable,” the suspect is quoted by police.
More...

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[Yokohammer]

I know it's illegal to deface campaign posters, and I assume other political posters, but the irony of arresting someone for making Abe look like Hitler probably won't be lost on everyone, and may very well just add fuel to the anti-Abe movement.

Funny (and kind of apropos).

[Salty]

So, don`t deface them. Instead, just produce your own and put them up.

[dimwit]

Okay. I've got a bit of a question. Why are political signs even allowed in Japan in non election periods? In Canada they are not, and I suspect the same is true in most other western democracies.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Okay. I've got a bit of a question. Why are political signs even allowed in Japan in non election periods? In Canada they are not, and I suspect the same is true in most other western democracies.

It's called freedom of expression which is something Canadians and Europeans fundamentally don't understand.

[kurogane]

Maybe you're kidding, but I sincerely agree that is one of the things in play here. It's also regarded as educational or as the dissemination of public information: it shows people who their candidates or MPs are and what they stand for.......in ideal terms, and that these are the people putting your tax yens to good use. Japanese do public information better.............hence all the noise and visual pollution...............

[chibaka]

Okay. I've got a bit of a question. Why are political signs even allowed in Japan in non election periods? In Canada they are not, and I suspect the same is true in most other western democracies.

It's called freedom of expression which is something Canadians and Europeans fundamentally don't understand.

No, it's called brain washing, come election time only one face will be deeply embedded in the memory banks. With or without the Hitler 'stache.
Even my apolitical J wife calls him a nazi

[matsuki]

Japanese do public information better.............hence all the noise and visual pollution...............

You deserve a good, hard, cup check for that statement...

[Samurai_Jerk]

Maybe you're kidding

Nope. Anti hate speech laws are a good example.

[kurogane]

I didn't care anyways, but I agree. Now if we could enact some Truck Speech laws to tone down those shouty campaign vans.
Just to clarify, even if only for You Know Who, those annoying vans and all the visual kerfuffle are the unfortunate result of their better public information campaigns, and that ethos in general. When was the last time in any Western Democracy any of us know about were important policy announcements accompanied by a cutesy wootsy comic book information and advice guide?

[Wage Slave]

I didn't care anyways, but I agree. Now if we could enact some Truck Speech laws to tone down those shouty campaign vans.
Just to clarify, even if only for You Know Who, those annoying vans and all the visual kerfuffle are the unfortunate result of their better public information campaigns, and that ethos in general. When was the last time in any Western Democracy any of us know about were important policy announcements accompanied by a cutesy wootsy comic book information and advice guide?

Yep. And the round robin notifications, the well equipped local community centre and so on and on and on. I sometimes think the Americans were right to make really really sure that communism didn't get a chance here. If anyone could have build a super successful communist state it was this lot. And I mean that as a compliment.

[kurogane]

Yes, comrade. You are truly in line with the Spirit of the Party Oh, and as a little confession, the whole Renraku Thing as listed above by Wage Slave drives me beyond batty. Like absolutely frothing. It takes all my will power to overpower my contrarian side and keep up with it. But that's me, not them. They lurv that shiite. Which is cute.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I didn't care anyways, but I agree. Now if we could enact some Truck Speech laws to tone down those shouty campaign vans.
Just to clarify, even if only for You Know Who, those annoying vans and all the visual kerfuffle are the unfortunate result of their better public information campaigns, and that ethos in general. When was the last time in any Western Democracy any of us know about were important policy announcements accompanied by a cutesy wootsy comic book information and advice guide?

Yep. And the round robin notifications, the well equipped local community centre and so on and on and on. I sometimes think the Americans were right to make really really sure that communism didn't get a chance here. If anyone could have build a super successful communist state it was this lot. And I mean that as a compliment.

Japan is probably the only nation where communism would have worked.

[matsuki]

Sometimes think the Americans were right to make really really sure that communism didn't get a chance here. If anyone could have build a super successful communist state it was this lot. And I mean that as a compliment.

Sure seems that way and I'm sure many agree....but the more people I meet in the inaka, the less likely I think it would have worked out as well as it seems.

[dimwit]

Okay. I've got a bit of a question. Why are political signs even allowed in Japan in non election periods? In Canada they are not, and I suspect the same is true in most other western democracies.

It's called freedom of expression which is something Canadians and Europeans fundamentally don't understand.

Bullshit. It is called stacking the deck. Name recogition is a huge factor in local elections. By allowing incumbents to advertise during non-election periods you give them an unfair advantage and mocks the notion of free and fair elections. Now maybe coming from a country that doesn't believe in campaign expence limits, the concept of free and fair elections might be difficult to grasp...

As an aside, it seems to me that having posters of the prime minister littering the street seems to be a common theme in many people's democracies.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Okay. I've got a bit of a question. Why are political signs even allowed in Japan in non election periods? In Canada they are not, and I suspect the same is true in most other western democracies.

It's called freedom of expression which is something Canadians and Europeans fundamentally don't understand.

Bullshit. It is called stacking the deck. Name recogition is a huge factor in local elections. By allowing incumbents to advertise during non-election periods you give them an unfair advantage and mocks the notion of free and fair elections. Now maybe coming from a country that doesn't believe in campaign expence limits, the concept of free and fair elections might be difficult to grasp...

As an aside, it seems to me that having posters of the prime minister littering the street seems to be a common theme in many people's democracies.

You're making a lot of assumptions. It's probably just an old poster that no one bothered to take down. Anyway, get back to me when people in places like Canada and France are allowed to express non-PC opinions publicly without fear of legal consequences.

[dimwit]

I agree that Canada, especially universities are full of pc nazies, but political posters rarely express opinions of issues, they are just faceshots. As for the the posters being out of date, I can assure you that here in Matsuyama the LDP updates them about three months, as does Komeito.

[kurogane]

I'll betcha a Double Chocolate Doughnut that it is not just the incumbents' posters. I am quite sure in The Olde Neighbourhood (Kyoto) there were posters of all parties' candidates even between elections. Unless they were all a variety of incumbent. I don't disagree about the psychological effect, but anybody surprised to find out that an East Asian political party might stack the deck to their own advantage has never played a New Year's marathon card game of Dai-Hinmin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daifug%C5%8D
That was when I knew that in many important ways they are a fundamentally cruel or at least unfair people by our ideal ethical standards (though not our actual behaviour, of course). It's also why they are a much more socially sophisticated people than We are.

Also, as an honest question, would you mind so much if there was a government that wasn't either proto-fascist corproate welfare shills or well-intentioned incompetent nitwits (a la the dethroned Supreme Dear Leader Kan-not)?

[Samurai_Jerk]

I agree that Canada, especially universities are full of pc nazies

I'm not even talking about the universities though I think they need a good kick in their collective balls. We have the same problem with that kind of shit in the US. I'm talking about things like comedians getting into legal trouble for making racist or sexist jokes and certain shows being forced off the air by the government because their content is deemed to be hateful. Unfortunately, the private sector in the US is just as efficient at being Big Brother but I still think that's better than it becoming a legal issue.

As for the campaign posters or campaign financing in general, I have no problem with limits on financing and official campaigning activities. However, if an individual wants to leave their poster up, I have no problem with that either.

[dimwit]

Living in Matsuyama, there are probably alot more LDP posters then anyone else, and the situation is likely quite different in Tokyo or Okinawa, but I honestly think that all posters are just eye clutter, and none should be allowed outside of election periods.

[Russell]

Anyway, get back to me when people in places like Canada and France are allowed to express non-PC opinions publicly without fear of legal consequences.

Considering the surveillance activities of the NSA, I doubt whether one can even express certain opinions privately without fear of legal consequences in the U.S.A.

[kurogane]

Fair enough, but the eye clutter is the unfortunate byproduct of the greater freedumb that SJ noted, and The Natives are simply better at ignoring that stuff than we are. I also find the intrusion of that crap, and the advertising flyers, etc. that just end up as windstrewn trash to be a negative aspect of life in Japan, but that's me, not them.

BTW, both Canadian and British university course leaders are being strongly pressured to avoid terms like Colonial or Primitive even in critical examinations of these historical phemonena because it is seen to be Microagressive and can lead to Negativised Psychological Orientations amongst Racialised Students............or a synonymous term not far enough away from that to not be scary. I actually welcome all the Pundis and Hootytooties and even some of the Mohammedans, but we really need to start thinking about telling immigrants to just STFU and say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Canada.

Russell,
A good point, but I think one criterion is that the expression must be public.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Anyway, get back to me when people in places like Canada and France are allowed to express non-PC opinions publicly without fear of legal consequences.

Considering the surveillance activities of the NSA, I doubt whether one can even express certain opinions privately without fear of legal consequences in the U.S.A.

That's a problem but it's not the same issue.

BTW, both Canadian and British university course leaders are being strongly pressured to avoid terms like Colonial or Primitive even in critical examinations of these historical phemonena because it is seen to be Microagressive and can lead to Negativised Psychological Orientations amongst Racialised Students............or a synonymous term not far enough away from that to not be scary. I actually welcome all the Pundis and Hootytooties and even some of the Mohammedans, but we really need to start thinking about telling immigrants to just STFU and say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Canada.

Trigger warnings are the latest craze at universities in the US.

It's getting to the point where regardless of the context you shouldn't say "rape" for example because there might be a rape victim in the room and that word could trigger her (or his) PTSD.

[dimwit]

Ok, so if the posters are just electoral detritus why should anyone give a shit if someone defaces it? Serves them right as I see it.

The fun thing about it all, is why the opposition parties have never raised a fuss about this as for the most part they would be the beneficiaries of such a change?
Cognitive dissonance perhaps.

[matsuki]

I honestly think that all posters are just eye clutter, and none should be allowed outside of election periods.

THIS X 9999999999999999999

Even in BFE Niigata, in the deep mountains....there are sun-faded posters of all kinds of politicians, in their ganbare-pose, all over.

As to the OP....I heard about a couple where the husband sold the wife's manga for 100yen (for booze!) and was arrested/prosecuted for it. A campaign poster doesn't cost much more than that to print at Abe volumes...at what point does petty theft or "destruction of property" become unreasonable for the police to take seriously? They refused to even file a report when that crazy bitch wrecked my apt and slashed my airbed.

[kurogane]

Trigger warnings are the latest craze at universities in the US. .

Yes, I had forgotten that term. It's a personal favourite of mental wankery: the very existence of the term can trigger an event it is designed to prevent That might even trump "microaggression" for mental buffoonery dressed up as wisdom for trauma junkie retards and simps. I wonder what is going to happen when the Baby Boomers that didn't beat or berate their spineless self-worshipping children enough realise they have created a monster beyond their control and that not even they in their shining magnificence can coax it back into the bottle.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Ok, so if the posters are just electoral detritus why should anyone give a shit if someone defaces it?

They shouldn't but the guy would probably be in trouble if he had done the same thing to a Pocari Sweat add or a poster for the local matsuri. It's possible this arrest was politically motivated but there's no reason to think so based on the little information we have.

[wuchan]

Ok, so if the posters are just electoral detritus why should anyone give a shit if someone defaces it?

They shouldn't but the guy would probably be in trouble if he had done the same thing to a Pocari Sweat add or a poster for the local matsuri. It's possible this arrest was politically motivated but there's no reason to think so based on the little information we have.

there is a law that says a person can not mess with political things like posters.

[matsuki]

Ok, so if the posters are just electoral detritus why should anyone give a shit if someone defaces it?

They shouldn't but the guy would probably be in trouble if he had done the same thing to a Pocari Sweat add or a poster for the local matsuri. It's possible this arrest was politically motivated but there's no reason to think so based on the little information we have.

there is a law that says a person can not mess with political things like posters.

...or obnoxious assholes with megaphones. Remember this?

Edward Jones, 34, was seized by the candidate's supporters and marched to a police station close to Higashi-Tokorozawa Station in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.
Mr Jones was charged with violating the Public Offences Election Act.
Article 225 of the law says that infringing upon the freedom of a candidate in an election by interfering with their speech can be punished with a prison term of up to four years or a fine of Y1 million (£7,440).
A spokesman for the Saitama Prefectural Police told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Jones remains in custody. He informed police after his arrest that he was an English teacher and had been drinking with a friend before the incident on Saturday.
Police declined to provide further information and officials at the British Embassy in Tokyo could not be contacted for a comment.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... tions.html