Human Trafficking Sexual Exploitation

Japan accused of giving haven to people traffickers

"Human traffickers operating through a loophole in Japan's immigration law have made the country a target destination for poor workers and landed it on an official blacklist.

Women and girls from the Philippines, farm workers from Indonesia and China and desperate women from the states of the collapsed Soviet Union are brought to Japan under a visa system wide open to abuse, lawyers and human rights groups say.

Last year more than 130,000 "entertainer visas" were granted, mostly to women and girls from the Philippines. Originally meant for dancers and singers, the visa gives bureaucratic cover to bar owners running prostitution rings.

The visas were revealed for what they really are in the Trafficking in Persons Report published by the US Department of State this year.

"Thousands of women are granted these temporary visas in the expectation of legitimate employment in the entertainment or hospitality industries," the report said. "On arrival at their destination, victims are stripped of their passports and travel documents and forced into situation of sexual exploitation or bonded servitude.

... At the moment, the State Department says, Japan does not meet even a minimum standard for prosecution, deterrence or victim support. Of 41 arrests last year only eight were for trafficking.

"Japan's trafficking problem is large and Japanese organized crime groups that operate internationally are involved," the State Department report said.

"Considering the resources available, Japan could do much more to protect its thousands of victims of sexual slavery."

In Nagoya, Japan's fourth-largest city, the coordinator of the Philippines Migrant Centre, Virgie Ishihara, described a virtual underground railway of women escaping from bars and being spirited home through the nearby port city of Osaka."
Sydney Morning Herald, November 27, 2004


This is the most well informed, well written and intelligent article currently available in English on the subject of the organized human trafficking of women to Japan. No further comment needed: much better to click on the link above now and read this excellent report. - Timi

Japanese Volunteer Society

6,800 STRANDED AS WINTER LOOMS
One month on, evacuees still in dire straits

"NIIGATA (Kyodo) One month after powerful earthquakes devastated the Chuetsu region of Niigata Prefecture, residents are still struggling to rebuild their lives before the arrival of winter.

Roughly 6,800 people are still camping out in public facilities, tents -- or even their vehicles -- while thousands of households are waiting for electricity, gas or water supplies to resume after the disastrous temblors threw their lives into turmoil on Oct. 23.

Meanwhile, temperatures continue to dip. The lows in Niigata were roughly between 8 and 13 degrees that week; this week they're projected to fall to between 4 and 10.

The Niigata Prefectural Government is racing to build temporary housing units in time. Winter usually brings heavy snowfall to the snowfall to the area...

In addition to official assistance, Niigata has received over the past month a helping hand from about 50,000 volunteer workers from around the country.

Donations to quake victims have reached 14.2 billion yen, which local authorities plan to distribute to people whose houses were destroyed or damaged.

The quakes -- the most powerful of which struck on Oct. 23 with a magnitude of 6.8 -- and subsequent aftershocks have left 40 people dead and roughly 2,860 injured.

Aside from those who were crushed by houses and buildings in the initial quakes, a number died due to fatigue and stress in the aftermath, as well as from so-called "economy class" syndrome, in which blood clots form during prolonged inactivity, which has occurred among some sleeping in cramped positions in cars."

November 24, 2004


Although not often emphasised in reports worldwide, there has been great support and generousity of spirit shown by many people throughout Japan towards the victims of the earthquake in the Cheuetsu region of Niigata that occured on 23rd October, 2004. As this article emphasises, this support has been not only been in the form of financial assistance through priviate donations, but also though many thousands of people going to the area to help as voluntary workers.

The expression 'voluteer society' come into common use in Japanese following the enormous public reaction of voluntary support and practical assistance, and the material and finacial donations from countless numbers of people from around the country, following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that struck Kobe in Januray 1995. - Timi

Japanese Health Labor and Welfare Ministry Reviews Mental Health Care Guidelines

Japanese govt mental health care guidelines to get review

"The Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has decided to review its guidelines for companies on mental health care for employees for the first time since they were drawn up in 2000, ministry sources said Saturday.

Though the current guidelines center on preventative care for mental health, an increasing number of company employees are suffering from mental illnesses such as depression due to work-related stress.

Therefore, the ministry will totally revise the guidelines to include stipulations about what actions companies should take if an employee develops a mental illness.

The ministry plans to draft the new guidelines by the end of next fiscal year and will instruct companies to comply with them...

... The new guidelines will also present measures to improve conditions in the workplace to make it easier for suffering employees to receive medical treatment as quickly as possible"

Medical News Today, 22 Nov 2004

Internet Suicide Pacts

Suicide pacts leave 6 people gassed in cars

"Three young people were found dead in a car in Fukuoka Prefecture early Sunday in what appeared to be a group suicide, only hours before three others were found dead in similar circumstances in Hyogo Prefecture...

... Police said the three people -- a 21-year-old university student from Fukuoka, a 20-year-old part-time worker from Oita Prefecture and a 25-year-old man from Osaka Prefecture -- did not appear to have had connections in the past, and investigators said it was likely they had met through the Internet and decided to commit suicide together.

At about 2 p.m. that day, another three people were found dead in a car in Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture. They were identified as a 41-year-old man from Osaka's Higashiyodogawa-ku, a 23-year-old unemployed man from Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, and a third-year university student from Sanda, Hyogo Prefecture.

Burned briquettes were also found in this car, leading police to suspect that they had committed suicide. Police said there was a possibility these three victims had also met through a suicide site on the Internet"

Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Nov. 22, 2004

Niigata Quake Shelter Victims Anxiety Depression

Shelter life making quake victims lose sleep, hallucinate

"NIIGATA -- One in four people forced to live in shelters following the quakes that devastated parts of Niigata Prefecture at the end of last month are suffering from sleeplessness, it has been learned.

And many people are suffering from fear of aftershocks and even hallucinations, Niigata prefectural health officials have found.

Officials gathered information from 153 care teams that included psychiatrists and clinical psychologists working at shelters between Oct. 26 and Nov. 5. Data on 1,270 quake victims was collected.

The most common condition affecting people at the shelters was sleeplessness, with 458 incidents reported, 27 percent of the total number of people.

Of the 642 problems reported among elderly people aged 65 or over, 174 were all "sleeplessness."

The second most common condition was "fear of or anxiety about the future or aftershocks," reported in 314 cases, followed by "lethargy" in 34 cases, "irritation" in 30 cases, "depression" in 26 cases and "hallucinations and delusions" in 10 cases."

Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Nov. 18, 2004

Niigata Quake Shelter Victims Anxiety Depression

Shelter life making quake victims lose sleep, hallucinate/a>

"NIIGATA -- One in four people forced to live in shelters following the quakes that devastated parts of Niigata Prefecture at the end of last month are suffering from sleeplessness, it has been learned.

And many people are suffering from fear of aftershocks and even hallucinations, Niigata prefectural health officials have found.

Officials gathered information from 153 care teams that included psychiatrists and clinical psychologists working at shelters between Oct. 26 and Nov. 5. Data on 1,270 quake victims was collected.

The most common condition affecting people at the shelters was sleeplessness, with 458 incidents reported, 27 percent of the total number of people.

Of the 642 problems reported among elderly people aged 65 or over, 174 were all "sleeplessness."

The second most common condition was "fear of or anxiety about the future or aftershocks," reported in 314 cases, followed by "lethargy" in 34 cases, "irritation" in 30 cases, "depression" in 26 cases and "hallucinations and delusions" in 10 cases."

Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Nov. 18, 2004

Doctor hits immigration center health care

Doctor hits immigration center health care

Doctor hits immigration center health care
Long detention in packed cells spawns medical ills getting little attention

"... Emotional strain is also a serious problem, as the period of detention at the center has grown to about 13 months on average, he said. His report states that many detainees suffer from severe depression and post traumatic stress disorder.

PTSD, according to Yamamura, is common among people in detention seeking asylum. They start having flashbacks of their experiences in their home countries of being detained and persecuted.

"Depression can be caused by such factors as the fear of deportation and the anxiety of not knowing how sick they really are," Yamamura said. "And more recently, separation from family members has become common, which can be very stressful for a person."

A man in his late 40s seeking asylum, who declined to be identified, was held at the facility in Ushiku for more than a year until 2003. His wife was also detained, while his children were placed in a child welfare consultation center.

Not only did he suffer from hypertension, but also severe depression. He attempted suicide a number of times.

"I was just so shocked and sad to be separated from my family," he said. "I cried every day, dreaming of being together with my family again. But after a while, I lost my memory. To this day, I have no recollection of attempting suicide."

Despite what he has gone through, however, the man is not critical of Japan's immigration policy.

"We are in Japan, and I believe that we must respect and follow the rules of the government," he said.

But the medical care at the immigration center, he added, needs to be improved.

"None of the detainees trusts the doctor inside the immigration center," he said. "All that doctor does is give you many different kinds of medicine, none of which has any effect. And sometimes, (staff) won't even let you see the doctor, ignoring your claims of feeling ill."

After the man and his wife were given provisional release and reunited with their children, he has received outpatient treatment at Yamamura's hospital. His blood pressure has gone down, but he still suffers occasional memory lapses, according to Yamamura.

There are many more in need of medical attention, Yamamura said, adding that he submitted the report to prod the Immigration Bureau into correcting the situation.

"Most of these serious illnesses could have been prevented if (the detainees) had been released much earlier," Yamamura said ..."

The Japan Times, November 16, 2004

Typhoon Flood Evacuees ASD PTSD

Flood evacuees complain of stress disorders, Japan

"Several evacuees from the flood in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, caused by Typhoon No. 23, have complained of acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms, including dizziness, depression and insomnia, Toyooka Hospital said Tuesday.

The evacuees have complained of recurring nightmares about floods and have had trouble sleeping.

According to the hospital, if the symptoms worsen, it might be a sign of the more serious post-traumatic stress disorder. The Toyooka municipal government has sent nurses and other health-care workers to shelters to look after the mental health of the sufferers."

Medical News Today, 04 Nov 2004

Niigata Quake: Mental health care needed

Quake inflicts mental wounds

NIIGATA--Communities already struggling with an aging and dwindling population have been hit hard by the Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake that rocked the mountainous region Saturday.

Fourteen of the 31 people killed in the earthquake by Monday were thought to have died of shock, not physical injuries.

They died from heart attacks brought on by shock.

Despite plummeting temperatures, residents are choosing to put up with inconvenience and stay in evacuation areas, giving rise to mounting concerns for the health of evacuees, especially elderly evacuees.

The Japanese Red Cross Society has set up a first aid station on the grounds of Ojiya Primary School, dressing the wounds of the injured and administering intravenous drips to those in need. A handful of beds have been set up in a tent next to aluminum cases containing enough medicine to treat 200 people.

From Sunday afternoon to Monday evening the Red Cross treated about 200 residents at the first aid station.

Red Cross, local and central government medical crews of doctors, nurses and paramedics arrived in the region after the first wave of earthquakes hit.

The region was hit hard by natural disasters this summer, including torrential rains and typhoons. Local residents are under extreme stress following the earthquake.

Even residents whose houses survived the quake could be found sleeping in cars and evacuation sites, fearing returning home while aftershocks continue. The drop in temperature is making life harder for evacuees.

"It must be tough for elderly people to live in an environment with no privacy," said JRCS's Takaharu Horiguchi, 59, a doctor who had rushed to the region. "People have to sleep in cars or evacuation centers, causing them a lot of stress. Some elderly people are showing stress related symptoms, such as low temperature, low blood pressure and stroke."

===

Different from Hanshin quake

Unlike the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, where nearly 90 percent of victims were killed by collapsing buildings and fire, shock killed a number of people in the Chuetsu region.

In all seven devastated localities, including Ojiya, more than 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or over. In Yamakoshimura, a village isolated by the quakes, about 40 percent of the population is aged 65 or over. Eleven of the the 14 victims who died from shock were aged 60 or over.

A man who had received a dialysis treatment and then gone to evacuate by car collapsed as soon as he drank a cup of water.

Another man with a heart problem who, according to witnesses, looked exhausted each time he fled his house during the aftershocks, was found dead the next day.

"The condition of chronic disease sufferers may deteriorate after a shock like a big earthquake," said Kimitaka Tajimi, a professor of emergency and intensive care treatment at Akita University. "If patients have more active secretion of a hormone like adrenaline, they may well suffer an irregular pulse that could lead to sudden death."

===

Mental health care needed

After emergency medical relief has been provided, locals will need support to overcome psychological trauma wrecked by the earthquake.

According to an organization that provided counseling services for about five years to survivors of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, many survivors suffered anxiety, irritability, sleep disorders and depression as well as communication problems. Some suffered alcoholism.

Elderly people face greater difficulty adjusting to a new environment, are more susceptible to psychological trauma and take longer to recover, according to the organization.

The organization said that the concerns of local residents need to be heeded before stress and fear snowball.

Following a request from Niigata Prefecture, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on Monday evening dispatched an advance team of four doctors, including a specialist from the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan, Kohnodai Hospital, who had provided mental health care to survivors of the Great Hanshin Earthquake.

Those hit by the most recent quake will also will need long-term medical support for both psychological and physical trauma.

Toshiharu Makishima of the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center advised that evacuees should talk openly about their anxieties.

"Residents should understand they may experience a variety of symptoms including insomnia, headache, stomachache, irritability and sudden shivering--as part of a natural reaction to fear of aftershocks and stress at evacuation sites, where there is little privacy," he said. "City officials may also need support as they are under heavy pressure from local residents."

Meanwhile, Shuji Shimazaki of Kyorin University said governments needed to prepare for treating more elderly people.

"Because of the aging population, it is important to set up systems to transport those suffering deteriorating health due to chronic disorders such as heart disease, kidney disease and high blood pressure, while also allocating types of patients to hospitals beforehand," he said. "As temperatures decline, evacuees need access to warmth and food. They also need to have regular health checks so that any complications from heart disease or high blood pressure can be detected early."

Yomiuri Shimbun, Fall 2004

Niigata Quake Children Need Mental Care

Post-quake stress rattles Niigata kids

"NIIGATA -- Children here have been under tremendous stress since the Oct. 23 earthquakes because of the fear of further aftershocks and the strain of living in emergency shelters, local officials have said.

More than two weeks after the quakes hit and destroyed houses in Niigata Prefecture, mental care for shocked children is urgently needed, they added.

... In Tokaichi, Tokaichi Primary School teachers have reported that at least 30 students are showing symptoms of stress.

Some students don't want to attend school because they are afraid the building could collapse, while others cannot sleep unless their mothers are with them and have a tendency to cry in the morning.

"Parents and teachers should create an atmosphere where they can easily talk with their children," said Hideyuki Kanda, a member of a consultation team set up in Kobe at the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake who visited Ojiya Primary School to look after victims. "With counselors, we have to carry out mental care programs."

Mainichi Shimbun, Nov. 9, 2004

Domestic Violence

Police to offer more support to victims of domestic violence

"The National Police Agency decided Thursday to offer more support to domestic violence victims by allowing them to talk with perpetrators at police stations and help them escape from their assailants, agency officials said.

The counter-domestic violence measures have been established following an enactment in May of the revised law to prevent domestic violence, under which perpetrators are required to leave their homes for two months and stay away from their spouses and the children.

Under the new measures, which will be enforced on Dec. 2, police will also help the victims hide their whereabouts from the perpetrators. "

Kyodo News Service (via Yahoo Asia News), November 4, 2004

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Gene

Gene found for obsessive disorder

"WASHINGTON - U.S. and Japanese researchers said on Thursday they had found a genetic mutation that causes obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental illnesses and said some patients had a second mutation that made their conditions worse.

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The rare finding could make it easier to discover good treatments for the disorder, one of the top 10 leading causes of disability worldwide.

Dr. Norio Ozaki of Fujita Health University School of Medicine in Toyoake, Japan and colleagues at several U.S. institutions ﾑ including the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University ﾑ worked on the study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry."

Reuters, 4 November, 2004

Post Quake Stress Illness

Blood clot fears for Japan quake evacuees

" TOKYO, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Authorities in an earthquake-struck region of northern Japan are warning people sleeping out in their cars that they run the risk of falling ill with blood clots, so-called "economy-class syndrome".

"We've asked people staying in their cars to move into six- person tents," said a spokeswoman for the Niigata prefectural government. "We are also asking them to take caution and make sure to move their bodies once in a while."

Experts have expressed concern about the impact of stress-linked ailments.

In Kobe, one in seven people died from stress-linked ailments or other illness after the quake, but this time the number of such deaths has been about half the total, said Akiyoshi Nishimura, assistant professor at Yokohama City University.

Stress is likely to remain an issue for survivors, with authorities saying that while aftershocks were subsiding, vigilance was still needed."

Reuters Alertnet News, 30 October, 2004