I sometimes get people asking me why my posts are so critical of Japan (especially regarding the legal system, discrimination and prejudices, and why I am living in Japan if so many things bother me.

It seems however that those people have only read the most critical of my posts and not seen what stands beside them. Out of 4000 posts on this forum, only a few are really critical and mostly of the government. Many of my readers just don't see how passionate I am about Japan. I have spent thousands of hours writing most of the hundreds of articles in the Culture, Glossary, Language and Practical (including Travel Guide) sections of this website; something I would never have done had I not been deeply interested in Japan (probably more than most people who claim an interest in the country). Please keep this in mind when reading my posts, and you will understand what may seem at first undue criticism.

As I explained here, if I criticise a few things related to Japan, it does not mean that I dislike Japan on the whole. For me rational criticism is clearly distinct from personal sentiments. I am the kind of person who can coldly criticise one's friends or relatives without having bad feelings toward them. Some problems just need to be identified and solved, especially if they concern people or things you care about. To understand me people must first understand the Latin/French/Italian proverb "Who loves well chastises well", as it suits me very well.

For example, the main purpose of criticising a country's economical and political system is to point out the problems and hope for improvement In Japan's case I cannot keep mum because continuing like this, Japan is doomed in the long run. Otherwise, when I write about most apsects of the Japanese culture (e.g. history, Shinto, Buddhism, traditions, festivals, sightseeing, kimono, food, fireworks, anime, etc.) I not only have positive views, but have done more than 99.9% of all other foreigners interested in Japan to promote the Japanese culture via the practical, culture, language and glossary sections of this website. I can hardly be called a Japan-basher. But I am not a blind Japan-lover either. I am a mixture of both - balanced.

Note that my rant about Japanese people only concerns 2 things : education and discrimination. In my views, the discriminatory practices I encountered in Japan mainly come from ignorance or misinformation fed to the population via the education system and media. If I may put it this way, the two "evils" that spoil the spirit of the Japanese people are the education sytem and the media, both of which are closely monitored by the government. So the source of all evils, be them economical, social or educational is always ultimately the Japanese government.

As they (the government) don't seem to realise it, and the people don't not do much to change things (because they are just too passive and compliant due to the education system), someone needs to take care of letting the world know the truth about Japan, and hopefully, when enough people around the world will have become aware of the situation, there might be some pressure from outside to change things, as in Japan history has shown that things just do not change (even for centuries on end) if there isn't some kind of external pressure (be in Perry for the Meiji Restoration, or MacArthur after WWII).

Why do I spend so much time and energy to improve the situation in a country that is not mine and which I could leave anytime I want ? People who can't empathize with my posts would probably never understand. It's called passion and (cynical) idealism. Living in Japan with my Japanese partner, these two characteritics of my personality force me to react to everyday situations, reflect about the causes of the problems I come across, analyse how the society in which I live works, and find solutions to improve ir. I have lived in several European countries, and did the same as for Japan.

As a matter of fact, before coming to Japan I wrote hundreds of pages about things that had to be changed about European politics, economy or educational system. I submitted the relevant dosuments to a few leading politicians or university professors. But there was IMHO much less to complain about in Europe than in Japan, as most of the issues were already common knowlege, and the solutions were already being tackled by the various governments and the EU. Looking at how much progress has been achieved in the EU in the last 10 or 20 years, I can only applaud. But looking at the same period of time in Japan, all I see is that the situation has mostly deteriorated, except for a few minor, but notable positive changes, such as the increasingly better position of women in society or a few measures to revive the economy.

Some of the motivations behind my criticism is aimed at improving the situations of long-term foreign residents in Japan (eg. experience of discrimination), but some is more idealistic, like getting rid of government corruption. Other things are a mixture of both, such as like improving the education system, which I want based on my own ideals to improve the Japanese society and the relations between Japanese and foreigners, but also because I wouldn't like my future children, who will probably be born or spend at least part of their childhood in Japan, to be raised with the current dysfunctional and indoctrinating education system.

I came to live in Japan mostly because of my Japanese wife, and cannot move to another country so easily for this reason. But I am not the kind of person to sit idly by when seeing a dysfunctioning system. Wherever I live I call my home, and now this home is Japan and I am resolved to make it a better country for everybody, and that hopefully the Japanese people and government will benefit from the insight of someone who can compare their country and system not just with one other country, but several, as Japan is my 7th country of residence.