I've never understood Japanese culture myself, nor do I really want to after reading this article. Perhaps the fact that I am partially Japanese makes me even sadder. I think regardless of whether they had any consent or not from their government, it's still beyond me how they could be shunned for attempting to help other people, which is what I'm assuming they were doing. In America, they'd get a medal and be praised for having courage, yet in Japan they're shunned and treated as traitors. Definitely more then the rising and falling of the sun separates these two cultures.
Despite all that, the saddest hostage situation I've ever seen took place here in America, between Jimmy Carter and Reagan. The fact that anyone would use hostages as a means to get elected is terrible.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/archive/lost10.html
Perhaps no country truly is a free society because we are never free of corruption.
Take care all.
