Category Archives: child safety

The First Year Wall (Part 1) – Gakudo and the Kid

Posted on April 26, 2018 by

Three weeks ago, our youngest daughter went to nursery school for the last time. The following Monday, she started gakudo (学童, short for 学童教育 gakudokyouiku, which is usually translated as “after school program”). Since both my wife and I work … Continue reading →

Posted in child safety, coming of age, education, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, parenting, school | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Self-reliance starts young

Posted on April 12, 2016 by

Two weeks ago, my daughter graduated nursery school. Last week, my grandmother passed away (my daughter’s great-grandmother). Today, my daughter walked to elementary school for the first time. And the cycle continues… This is cherry blossom (sakura) season in Japan, … Continue reading →

Posted in child safety, education, Japan, Japanese culture, parenting, school | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taking Leave: 2015 in review

Posted on December 30, 2015 by

Taking Leave: 2015 in Review! Continue reading →

Posted in book, book signing, child abuse, child safety, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, parenting, Paternity leave, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The barriers go down…with the past…

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

The smiling bear stickers that adorned the walls of the barricade are long gone, sacrificial victims to an eager child’s exploring hands. But my kids loved these things. Continue reading →

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More updates on Amazon Japan’s child porn and abuse images

Posted on March 20, 2015 by

I previously posted in October about the child abuse images and pornographic materials being openly sold on Amazon (also on Rakuten and Tsutaya). An online protest was started shortly thereafter, and Amazon Japan responded by (partly) removing the most offensive items. … Continue reading →

Posted in child abuse, child safety, international hub, Japan, Japanese, Japanese law, Japanese society | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

BREAKING NEWS: Amazon Japan offices raided

Posted on January 25, 2015 by

The Asahi Shinbun is reporting that on Friday, January 23, 2015, Japanese police raided the offices of Amazon Japan on suspicion of violating anti-pornography laws. This web site reported on the illegal sales of child abuse images back in October 2014, when decrying … Continue reading →

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Cultural relativism? Hardly. It’s the LAW

Posted on October 16, 2014 by

“This is not an “it’s OK, it’s Japan, it’s a different culture” issue. It is a violation of an international treaty signed by Japan… Continue reading →

Posted in age of consent, child abuse, child safety, Japan, Japanese law, Japanese politics, Japanese society | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment