Underground activity

     As Simon gave American Idol candidates the boot the sofa rocked, although not to the beat:  North of Tokyo the meteorological agency reported a 5.7 earthquake. After experiencing the back and forth rumble a few times, it becomes routine: Hangers clang in cupboards, furniture bounces, and by the time you realize what happened, it ends. Everyone stocks survival kits (helmets, tarps, water) in the event of a serious one. My guess is that, as with childbirth, all preparation will fall by the wayside when the moment arises.

     On the surface Tokyo is serene, polished by teams of cleaners scrubbing subway stairs, gardeners pruning trees along the dori (avenue) and shop owners sweeping sidewalks with twig brooms. Beneath the surface is another story, as per the rumbling. A banned book called "Tokyo Vice" offers an explanation for why the streets of Japan are safe, with no mention of Shintoism. Speaking at the Tokyo campus of Temple U, the author (a crime reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun) revealed how the yakuza (mob or "ultimate path," as they refer to it) controls government officials and eliminates petty crime by a form of vigilante rule. He blamed the fall of Lehman Brothers on mob accounts of millions of dollars that disappeared without a trace. Predictably, he travels with a body guard.

      "Where will you find a more organized organized crime syndicate than in Japan?" he challenged the audience. Yakuza carry business cards, keep office hours and even have a monthly magazine that keeps fans apprised of their doings. "What do the police do?" was the first question. "Same thing, only they can't act as quickly," was the response.  Tacitly the population supports this system since the yakuza are preferable to the alternative -- gaijin (foreigners). When we arrived in town three years ago, there was a rub-out a few blocks from the Manor. "Nothing to worry about," we were assured. "They only kill each other."

     On Monday Hans will present his talk of Showa era of the 1960s. Hirohito, the posthumously named Showa Emperor, reigned longer than the 123 men who preceded him. On Christmas Day 1926 he ascended to the throne, remained through wartime and broadcast a speech asking his people to "endure the unendurable" in August, 1945. It was the first time that the Emperor's voice was heard by his subjects.