I hardly ever see signs of positive sexuality here in Japan, Mostly sex ads (pinku chirashi) on poles and in phone booths, nude women in “news” magazines or comic books in the convenience stores, and always bra and underwear ads on trains where a woman casually stands around in her undies while most women here dress head to toe. Sex is fun, showing your body can be too, but none of this makes me feel sexually real and alive, rather it pushes me down into this submissive object box, imprisoning me not to speak out or say anything. The other day I was on the train and the man next to me wiped out his “news” magazine, a full page of tits jammed in my face. I could hardly ignore it, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything which angered me more. I knew if I did speak out, no other women would rush to support me, rather I felt that I would be the offensive one, not him. Children walk by and see these kinds of mags and ads all the time. The other day I walked by the magazine rack to see a magazine portraying a woman as a little girl, coyly showing her panties. Isn’t this suggesting child porn as in Japan only girls wear those school skirts, not women? The thing that fucks me up more is that no one says a damn thing. And it is not like Japan doesn’t have its fair share of teachers inappropriately touching girls and boys, rape, and most recent to come out in the news, gang rape. These images as women as girls, as objects of male pleasure- how can this NOT affect men and women’s view of gender and sexuality? Male Japanese politicians have had a lot to say on women and their roles in Japan and their ideas don’t seem to be much different than 50 years ago. Here are a few quotes ponder and act up about.

On July 4, 2003 in Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda (also minister for gender equality), commented that with the increase of rapes in Japan, women “seem to be really asking for it”. The former Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshiro Mori, said, “Men involved in a recent university gang-rape were virile.”

太田誠一衆議院議員
大学生らによる女子大生集団強かん事件を“集団レイプする人は、まだ元気があるからいい。正常に近いんじゃないか。”（2003/6/26@Kagoshima） Commenting on the group rape by university kids, “the men who do group rape still have ‘GENKI’ (happy/good energy), fairly close to being normal.” Another translation of this- "Gang rape shows the people who do it are still virile, and that is OK. I think that might make them close to normal," Ota, a 57-year-old House of Representatives

森善郎衆議院議員
少子化問題についての講演で“子供をたくさん作った女性が、将来国がご苦労様でしたといって、面倒を見るのが本来の福祉です。ところが子供を一人も作らない女性が、好き勝手、といっちゃなんだけど、自由を謳歌して、楽しんで、年取って・・・税金で面倒見なさいというのは、本当におかしいですよ。”（2003/6/26@National Kindergarten Rengo, Kyushu District Conference）
During the lecture on ‘SYOUSHIKA’(society having less and less children), “What welfare really means is that the nation would, in the future, take care of the women who had made more children. But, it is nonsense that these women who don’t have any children, enjoy their life, growing old, then coming us to be taken care of by our Japanese taxes”

To give Ota a little message, check out-
www.otaseiichi.gr.jp/

And Mr. Mori can be contacted at-
議員会館】
東京都千代田区永田町2‐1‐2　衆議院第２議員会館309号
電話：03‐3508‐7059

And Mr. Nishimura can be reached at-
sakaioffice (at) n-shingo.com

I encourage you to say all and do all.