You commit negligence and someone dies? Go to prison. The police commit negligence and someone dies? Go on vacation - with pay!

Let's talk about the "Good Ol' Boys network" of corruption and a corrupt government and the police...

What would happen to you at work if you shirked your duties and went off on a vacation leaving important matters unattended?


You'd most probably lose your job because your boss would fire you immediately upon your return (if he didn't fire you while you were gone).


What would happen to you if, in the course of your daily affairs or duties, you made a serious mistake in judgement that resulted in someone getting seriously injured or crippled for life?


You'd most probably would get sued in court and be paying money for the rest of your life and go to jail.


What would happen to you if you made a mistake driving a car and hit someone by accident and injured them or killed them?


Depending upon the circumstances, you might lose your driving license, go to jail or even lose your house, family and your job. 

What would happen to you if, in the course of your duties at work or at home, you committed negligence that resulted in death? 


You would probably go to jail for a long time... No matter what, you'd lose your job and be sued in court and be paying money for the rest of your life. You'd probably lose your house and family too.


How about if you knowingly committed negligence that resulted in the death of, not one, but two people? What would happen to you then?


Oh, you'd lose your job in disgrace, go to prison for a long time and lose everything you owned and cared for....


How about if you worked for the police department and knowingly committed negligence that resulted in the death of, not one, but two people? What would happen to you then? 


Nothing much. You'd get "disciplinary action." A slap on the wrist or two. That's it. You wouldn't lose your job. You wouldn't take a pay cut. You would basically not have to face any of the penalties that the rest of us would face in the real world.


That's how it goes in Japan (and most countries today) as, you see, there are different laws for the peasants (you and me) and the ruling classes (politicians, rich, and government workers). That's what has happened in Chiba, Japan after the facts came out that when a father reported a stalking case to police in December of last year the police were too busy to take care of it. You, see, the police were busy planning a drinking vacation up north so they told the father to come back after they were back from vacation... While the cops were away, partying on the public dime, the man's wife and his mother-in-law were murdered by the stalker.


The Mainichi News has the story in Disciplinary action taken against Chiba police superintendent in stalking probe case

A police superintendent and 20 other police members were subjected to disciplinary action on April 23 over a case in which officers put off the handling of a stalking complaint and went ahead with a pleasure trip just days before a related double-murder took place.

Chiba Prefectural Police Superintendent Satoshi Kamada was handed a National Public Safety Commission warning, after his supervisory responsibility was questioned. Action was also taken against 20 other police members including then Narashino Police Station head Hitoshi Oba, who was served a reprimand. Police officials said Kamada had not received a report on the pleasure trip, but they judged that as a superintendent heading a probe into the series of events, he bore responsibility.

He was given a "warning"? Heavens! Is there a heavier penalty? Perhaps a handwritten note? It will say something like, "Next time we'll be serious!" And then, gasp, his "supervisory responsibility was questioned"? My god!


How about firing his a*s or serving up his head on a platter?

The double-murder took place on Dec. 16 last year. Mitsuko Yamashita, 56, and her 77-year-old mother-in-law Hisae were fatally stabbed, and police arrested 27-year-old Gota Tsutsui, who had been in a relationship with Yamashita's 23-year-old daughter, on suspicion of murder.

The daughter and other family members had earlier approached police in Chiba, Mie and Nagasaki Prefectures, seeking assistance and filing reports. On Dec. 6, 2011, they visited Narashino Police Station in Chiba Prefecture to try to file a report, but police put off questioning the daughter until Dec. 12.

The police pleasure trip took place between Dec. 8 and 10 last year, leaving the section chief of the station's criminal investigation department and the head of the department's life safety division absent from the station. However this fact was not mentioned in a report on the police probe into the case. Because of this, police apparently judged that the superintendent could not avoid punishment.

"Police apparently judged that the superintendent could not avoid punishment"?! Punishment? What's that? Did they make him sit in the corner for a day? Or did his friends ignore him in the police cafeteria? How about e loses his chance to buy raffle tickets at a discount for the end-of-year policeman's ball? 


It has been reported that the police chief has been "dismissed." But don't misunderstand what that means, folks. He was dismissed from his post. He wasn't fired, nor will he lose his job or pay or retirement pay. He was dismissed from his position.


He'll be back as station chief, at that station or another district, in no time. That's how it works. This sort of thing has happened many times.


That the people are not in an uproar over this is just astounding. I've spoken with several Japanese citizens about this case and, while they are disgusted, they shrug their shoulders and basically all told me the same thing: that this sort of episode happens often. 


The basic story is as I have related: The in-charge person is "disciplined." This "discipline" is announced in the mass media... Later on, it is revealed that the extent of the discipline is a 3 to 6 month transfer to another section only to be transferred back to their former job after that time. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.


It's all a part and parcel of the "Good Old Boys network."


Though dealing with the police in Japan is not nearly as dangerous or risky as dealing with the police in the USA, it basically comes down to the same thing, ultimately: There's different rules for our rulers and for us.


As the economy worsens and the government drains to lifeblood out of the working public to pay for unsustainable government spending and debt, one has to wonder just how long this will go on until something breaks.


The people shouldn't have to tolerate this. This is Japan, not the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany or the United States.