Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010

Suffragette City

Metropolis should be commended on providing such a coherent alternative point of view to the rightwing hysteria on this issue.

However, the article does perpetuate one fallacy: the 1995 Supreme Court judgment did not find that permanent residents in Japan have a constitutional right to vote. In fact, the Court found the exact opposite: that the “right” to vote in general under the Constitution is restricted to citizens, and that the reference to the right of “residents” to elect their local governments should be interpreted as citizens resident within a particular local government area. However, the Court did concede that it would not necessarily be unconstitutional for the Diet to pass a law granting permanent residents such a right.

It was this “loophole” that the DPJ had intended to test with the permanent resident suffrage bill. It will be interesting to see the outcome of the almost inevitable constitutional challenge that will follow the first local election at which permanent residents can vote, should such a law pass.—jrhe9823*

I was a bit surprised to read your article on the disenfranchised. I thought your magazine was pretty much for Westerners—Americans and English. I was moved. I was encouraged. It’s a brave act to write such an article without fear of Japan’s right-wingers.

I am one of those Korean descendants, zainichi, of the so-called third generation. We are not newcomers or immigrants who arrived here under our own free will. We are the descendants of those who were kidnapped and brought to Japan. I hope more people read your article, and start to think about suffrage of foreigners and legal immigrants in Japan.

Anyway, I have been a reader since Metropolis was Tokyo Classified. Thank you for your article.—Jeong

The writer quotes an Australian resident of Japan as saying, “We pay our share and contribute to the place we live. This should justify our right to vote.”

Stuff the “right to vote.” I’d much rather keep the tax I pay in return for not being allowed to vote. Any chance of Metropolis doing an article on the ins-and-outs of avoiding tax in Japan? That’s something I’d read.—karoshi*

Wii worries

Regarding “No Wii Can’t” (The Last Word, June 18): For those of us averse to “real” exercise for one reason or another, the Wii can be a good starting point. Thanks to the Wii Fit board and software, I’ve been getting 20-30 minutes of perfectly legitimate exercise every morning, more than I ever got before (I work at home), and lost almost 50 lbs as a result. Now that I’ve lost some weight, I’m more motivated to get out and walk around, even swim at the municipal pool, and I give credit to the Wii for much of that progress.

Oh, and my living room is big, bright, and airy—hardly the dark, hellish cubicle of Mr. Chester’s imagination—sk4ek**

Yes, I can go for a walk every day—and do. But I can’t go water-skiing every day, or save the world from a horde of zombies, or be James Bond. It’s not an either/or question, Mr. Chester. It is possible to have a full and varied social life, take part in athletic activities and have a muck-about on the Wii as well.

I’d love to see this bloke going away on holiday. “But I can’t go to the beach—I’m driving a car…” —IvanCoughalot**

*Taken from the Metropolis online comment threads
**Taken from the Japan Today online comment threads