From: masuda@fcs280b.ncifcrf.gov (Michiaki Masuda)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american,soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Japan/US comparison
Date: 12 Oct 92 17:08:06 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center

In article <1992Oct11.200945.27185@leland.Stanford.EDU> underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
>In article <Bvw09w.5q8@ncifcrf.gov> masuda@fcs280b.ncifcrf.gov
>(Michiaki Masuda) writes:
>>In article <1992Oct10.000951.20083@leland.Stanford.EDU>
>>underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:

.....
>The University of Kyoto and the University of Tokyo are widely regarded by
>the Japanese as the #2 and #1 universities in Japan.

   Japanese tend to rank the universities based on difficulty or 
competitiveness in the entrance exam ("hensa-chi", you know?).
I don't know if anyone has tried to make more comprehensive scale to
measure the universities.
 
.....
>Not every Japanese research program in the graduate schools is worse
>than the corresponding American program, but it's _generally_ true.

  Not every American has a lighter skin than Japanese, but it's _generally_
true. 
  What good do these generalizations do?

>>>The best research university is the University of Tsukuba.
>>>  It's entrance procedure is
>>>strikingly similar to that for major research institutes in the USA.

>>  Not quite. University of Kyoto produced several Nobel Laureates. 
>>...

>Note that the University of Kyoto has been in existence much longer than
>the University of Tsukuba.

   You admitted that the graduates of Tsukuba are too young to be its faculty
staff? Then, who are making the University of Tsukuba such a good institution?
Which universities produced those staff?

   I'm not saying that the University of Tsukuba is inferior. However, I 
don't see any good reason to call it the best.

>>... I sometimes feel that my living standard in Tokyo was much higher
>>than mine here in the US.

>This is an outright lie.

   What do you know about my personal life? What do you know about my
personal feeling?
   You'd better be careful when you call someone a liar. Otherwise, you'd
look rude at best.

>What Mr. Masuda feels doesn't change the fact that consumer prices
>are higher in Japan than in the USA.

   First, who tried to change the fact?
   Secondly, if the higher the price the lower the living standard, USA's 
living standard would be lower than that of many third world countries.

>>>  The closed markets, too, have driven
>>>consumer prices to levels that are 20-30% more than prices of similar goods
>>>in the USA.

>>   Which was partially effective in stimulating the domestic economy.

>Here's another typical Japanese comment.

   Because I'm a typical Japanese... oh well, maybe not.

>  It partly evades the inequity
>of closed markets and puts a positive spin on it.

   I don't understand the point. Would you rephrase it with more plain
expression?

>Then, I presume that Mr. Masuda must feel that it's okay if America
>increases the price of every Japanese automotive import by 180%,
>the same effective price increase experienced by American vehicles
>exported to Japan.

   If Americans are happy with the price, Japanese would not be able to
interfere so much with what's happening in the American domestic market.

>>>  There are lots of other annoyances, of which many Japanese are
>>>aware.

>>   And many of which are "greener grass of the next door."

>Not to my knowledge.  Many Japanese who stay in America for 1 or 2
>years for their overseas assignment don't want to go back to their
>home company.  They'd rather work at an American firm.
      ^^^^^^^
   "Company" not "country." Right?  

>As for "greener grass of the next door", that's an outright lie.

   You ARE rude.

>Very many Japanese who have never lived in America see it as a
>3rd-world like nation riddled with crime, drugs, and gangs.

   Those who saw the LA riot on TV might have thought that the US is even
worse than third-world countries.
   However, do you think that very many Japanse are interested in making
a trip to the US just to see a third-world-like scene?

>  Why?
>That's the way in which America is portrayed in Japanese newspapers.
>The other thing that they mention is how America is an economic
>bully that is harrassing Japan to open up it's markets.

   First, we have a freedom of press in japan, too.
   Secondly, your way of reading Japanese newspapers seems incomplete.

>Maybe, the Japanese do have 1 or 2 comments that might suggest "greener
>grass of the next door", but the overall perception is just what I've
>told you (only for those Japanese who have never actually lived here).

   Based on what? Something that you heard from a couple of Japanese 
friends? 

>>>  The Japanese will begin to think more about the world beyond
>>>its shores in terms that are not confined solely to economics.

>>  They have already. Look at the innumerable Japanese tourists in New York,
>>L.A., Paris, London, Melbourne...

>Mr. Masuda, you don't know jack about what I'm talking about, do you?

   I hope I'm smarter than you think I am 8-). But maybe, I'm not.
I've never had an opportunity to receive glorious American education.

>I'm talking about setting up organizations like the Peace Corp.

  Don't you know Japanese "seinen kaigai kyouryoku-tai"?

>I'm talking about overseas pure-charity aid (with no funny strings that
>require the recipient to buy Japanese products) to undeveloped countries.

  Are Japanese forcing them to buy Japanese products even though they want
to buy American, German, Russian, French...?

>  *A good example is the following.  If I recollect correctly,
>   Bangladesh recently lost several villages due to massive flooding.
>   President Bush immediately authorized the US forces to deliver
>   tons of food and medical supplies to the stricken areas.

   Good job, Mr. Bush.
   More immediate response than to burning L.A. 
   More immediate response than to Andrew-devastated Florida.

>I'm talking about acting as a peace negotiator among warring foreign
>nations (without the USA/United Nations having to ask Japan to do it).

   Then, someone would start to claim that Japan is selfish and dangerous?

>I'm talking about allocating half the room in the Hiroshima A-bomb
>museum to graphic pictures (like the ones showing the A-bomb victims)
>showing what Japanese soldiers did to Northeastern Asians during WWII.

   Are you trying to cover up some A-bomb-related history? I wonder why
you said, "allocating half the room in the Hiroshima A-bomb museum" instead
of "constructing a new museum."

>I'm talking about acknowledging that WWII was a war in which human
>lives were lost, not just Japanese lives.

   I agree, and most Japanese already have this concept.
Do you know how strongly the Japanese public opinion opposed the cooperation
in the Gulf War.

>>>(Then, it's time to boot China out of the permanent council of the UN
>>>and to put Japan on it.)

>>   Or to change the rule to put Japan without booting China?

>Because we should not tolerate the presence of a nation that is an
>un-democratic gross-violator of human rights, China should be booted out
>--pronto.

   Pronto? How democratic had the Chinese government been before the 
Tien-an-mon?

>By the way, the Japanese have a funny view of the world.

   You have a funny view of Japan and Japanese. Well, maybe, just different
from mine.
 
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Seikatsu no imi wa nan desu ka.            \|  |`      | Don't buy from Toyota;
>Shitte itara oshiete kuremasen ka.          | -+-      | especially, don't buy
>                                           /| / \      | from Capitol Toyota in
>Copyright 1992.                 Disclaimer:  1 + 1 = 3 | San Jose, California.
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   "Living standard" no imi wo oshiete kuremasenka.

Michiaki Masuda