Japan's 1st Baseball Strike

It appears that a work stoppage is about to doom the rest of the season here. The players are doing the right thing by sticking up for themselves. Something--no, MANY things--need to be done to get this league on track. The players have the overwhelming support of the fans in this country. Unlike the MLB strike back in the 90's, this strike isn't about the players' salaries. Well, at least not directly.

Due to some of the most inept business practices one can imagine (next to no interaction between the players and the fans, non-existent marketing, etc.), the majority of the ballclubs in this country are struggling to make ends meet. Most of the teams are thought of as advertising for the parent company, and little is done to attract new customers to the ballpark. A lot of the rules governing the way that baseball is presented to the public are also partly to blame for the current mess. Several parent companies are trying to find ways to dump their respective baseball teams, and one of the solutions that they've come up with is merging clubs.

The Orix Bluewave and the Kintetsu Buffaloes, both from the Pacific league, are preparing to do just that. Those two organizations are also planning to send 100 players and personnel packing without a second thought. This is one of the main reasons that the strike is now an issue. If the owners approve the merger, which they are expected to do later this week, then the strike will take effect this weekend. Inter-league play and equal television rights for all baseball teams could have helped avert this problem if they had been instituted a decade ago, but long-term business strategies do not seem to be part of the everyday thinking that goes on in the front offices of these struggling ballclubs.

I have tickets to the game on Sunday. It was supposed to be my first trip to Tokyo Dome. I guess I'll have to find something else to do that evening. J-League...? Nope. I'm not that desperate.

Japan's 1st Baseball Strike

Swallows in a Tailspin

We've just finished losing a whole mess of games to the two worst teams in the Central League. I don't know what's going on. It's really embarrassing.

With the strike looming, it may not matter all that much. However, it sure does hurt when your starting pitchers can't button down the first inning. In the last six games, if memory serves, we gave up two or more runs in the top of the first at least three times.

I'm planning on going to the Tokyo Dome for a game this Sunday. Hopefully we can clean up our act before then.

Swallows in a Tailspin

More Abuse from the Authorities

'I want to clear my name and the name of my country'
High-profile arrest, low-key release spells disaster for Bangladeshi businessman and his compatriots living in Japan.
By TONY MCNICOL

One morning Islam Mohamed Himu woke up to find the Japanese media camped outside his home, and plainclothes police officers banging on his front door.
Islam Mohamed Himu says that he has "lost it all" since his arrest. "I am zero... no, not zero, minus."

"They arrested me in front of my wife, in front of my children. My wife was crying, my daughter was crying, I was crying. I told them 'you have made a mistake' but they arrested me by force."

So began a Kafkaesque ordeal for the 33-year-old Bangladeshi. The morning of his arrest he woke up the proud father of two young children and a successful businessman. Twenty-four hours later he was being interrogated in a police cell and the world's media were linking his face and name with international terrorism.

Himu wasn't to see his wife, son and daughter for another seven weeks and one day.
He was interrogated from morning till night 6 days a week, first in Kanagawa, then for 20 straight days without a break in Tokyo.

During that time, the media speculated excitedly (and wrongly) over the reasons for his arrest: that Himu was an al-Qaeda cell leader; that he was a money launderer and spy for the terrorist organization. Yet when Himu was released he was charged with nothing more than employing two illegal aliens, and was fined 300,000 yen.

Yet the confirmation of his innocence was met with a deafening silence from the very same media that had loudly relayed details of the police's investigation.

He says that his business has been destroyed, his reputation left in tatters. "I can't even send anything by express mail. I try to use my company's name and they say they cannot do business (with me). People still think I am in al-Qaeda."

The first hint Himu had that something was amiss came about a week before his arrest when a TV crew turned up at his office with a photograph of a man they wanted to know if Himu recognized.

Himu remembered him only as "Samir," a man he had met at a mosque in Gunma Prefecture in 1999.

In fact, the man in the photo was Lionel Dumont, a French national suspected of being linked to al-Qaeda and attempting to set up a terrorist cell in Tokyo.

Dumont had lived freely in Japan for several years before being arrested in Germany and extradited to France and was one of several hundred customers for Himu's pre-paid telephone card business. Himu says he had no knowledge of Dumont's alleged al-Qaeda links.

Himu's lawyer, Takeshi Furukawa believes that "the police neglected Mr. Himu's human rights, and publicly announced the allegation of his being a member of al-Qaeda to the mass media, though this allegation was completely unrelated to the reasons given for his arrest."

In short, Furukawa says that the police deliberately leaked details of their investigation to the press and implied that Himu was guilty.

The question is why?

Furukawa believes it was an attempt to save face on the part of the police.
The police had been shown up by their failure to apprehend Dumont -- and apparently even to know that he had been in Japan. "It was probably a complete loss of face for the police," he says.

"They had to show the public that they were dealing with foreigners properly as well . . . the police used the media."

On the day of his arrest, the Asahi Shimbun reported on the police's investigation of Himu's office opposite Yokosuka base.

The article had a surprisingly detailed account of the police's actions: an unnamed source in the Kanagawa police was quoted as saying that a foreigner had been seen observing the U.S. naval base through binoculars from Himu's fourth floor office -- something Himu's lawyer dismisses as "completely made-up."

Himu says he chose the location in order to sell phone-cards to soldiers and other foreign nationals at the base, and that, in any case, the view of the base from his office is almost completely obscured by a signboard.

The police for their part have issued a statement to the media saying that "an appropriate investigation took place in adherence with the law."

But Himu's arrest didn't just mean personal disaster for him.

In the following weeks, hundreds of Bangladeshis in Tokyo were singled out for police attention on account of their nationality. And members of the Bangladeshi community say that the numbers of illegal Bangladeshi workers arrested and deported in June was some three times the average monthly amount.

"The police just shut their eyes to the illegal workers because they are necessary to the economy, but when something happens they crack down," says Monzurul Huq, a Tokyo-based Bangladeshi journalist. "Bangladeshis were very afraid the whole time Himu was under arrest."
Since the Japanese media has largely left reports linking Himu to al-Qaeda uncorrected, Japanese people who knew relatively little about Bangladesh in the first place, now associate the country with terrorism.

"Japanese people know that Bangladesh is a poor country and that they are sending Bangladesh help, but suddenly Bangladeshi has been tainted with al-Qaeda."

The problems started the day after Himu was arrested, says Bangladeshi businessman Dulal Chowdhory. "One of my staff's mother came to the office and said her daughter would stop working (for me) because maybe Bangladeshis are involved with al-Qaeda."

Journalist Huq organized a news conference to help Himu tell his story to the Western media, but he questions why the Japanese media has largely failed to correct their mistakes. "No one has apologized . . . is it because Himu comes from a poor third world country?"

Himu says that when he calls friends and businesses connections they ask him not to call again, fearing trouble from the authorities.

His 3-year-old daughter is still has been affected by the shock of seeing 14 police officers enter their home and take her father away by force. Himu's mother in Bangladesh has been sick in hospital since she heard of his arrest.

"I lost my trust, my company. I lost the company I named after my son," says Himu. "What money I had, I lost it all. I am zero . . . no, not zero, minus."

Yet, one Bangladeshi friend has some cold comfort for Himu. Despite his ruined livelihood and reputation, it could be worse, she says.

"At least he is free. If they had found anything at all they thought was suspicious, he could be in Guantanamo now."

Send your comments to: community@japantimes.co.jp
The Japan Times: Aug. 31, 2004(C) All rights reserved

More Abuse from the Authorities

Swallows Claim Sole Possession of 2nd Place!

The game scheduled for tonight has been called off due to that typhoon-thingy that's slowly tumbling north. However, the previous two games, on Friday and Saturday, resulted in wins for the home club!

The Swallows beat the Giants 6-3 last night, and 6-4 the evening before. Ramirez has picked up the pace over the past 10 days or so, and he hit a long-ball during both of the wins this weekend. Dobashi is another highlight this month. He's now hitting around .330, and he's taking care of business at second base.

Ishii and Miyamoto are now back in town after their little swing through Athens (no comment), and that should help shore up our relief pitching and fielding, respectively. Now if we could only get Suzuki to stop being so lazy while playing first base...

The Yakult Swallows have won 14 of their last 19 games! There's still a lot of baseball yet to be played, and there are a good number of us from Section D who think that we've got as good a shot as anyone this season.

Swallows Claim Sole Possession of 2nd Place!

Justice...Still a Few Months Away

I've bumped into my friend, the one who has been dealt a low-blow by the police in this city (Tokyo, Japan), a couple of times since he was freed on bail. It seems that the right to a speedy trial is not something that is on the books here. He's yet to witness a day in court that has amounted to anything that might be called 'progress'.

There have been reports that corrupt police officers around the country have taken to making up incidents, and filing the required paperwork, so as to inflate their own job-performance records. I have no idea whether this is a related incident, but it's definitely food for thought.

My prediction is that this one could drag on for a bit. Trials in Japan don't involve juries, and the number of hearings that are required to complete a court case is astronomical. As I mentioned in my last post, this friend of mine is incredibly fortunate to be able to afford a lawyer. It is my guess that very few foreign detainees are so lucky. There is also that often overlooked number, 99. This number is the percentage of cases taken up by a prosecutor in Japan that result in a conviction.

Justice...Still a Few Months Away

How the Tokyo Mitropolitan Police Deals With People From Out of Town

This is a story about a friend of mine here in Tokyo who was thrown in jail for being from the wrong country. It was recently revealed in the media that the police found a connection between a French national who had lived in Japan for a year and al-Qaeda. They scoured his old phone records and threw about five other guys of middle eastern descent in jail.

My friend, Ghadir, was not one of those men of course. He's a permanent resident here who attends (minor oversight by the prosecution) a Christian church and works as a translator in the court system. He knows his rights as a resident of this country, and he was determined to get the fair treatment that he is entitled to.

Ghadir is very lucky. He has a lot of friends here, and a good support structure. I'm pretty sure that he'll come out OK despite Japan's 99% conviction rate for cases that go to trial (yes, you read that number correctly). He's also very lucky because his family was able to help him post five million yen bail!

My question is--how many other men are locked away in jail right now because they happened to be from the middle east and got caught in the Setagaya police's fishing expedition? My guess is that most of them don't have the large contingent of friends and supporters that Ghadir is blessed with. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

The following is an article from today's Japan Times.



CONFRONTATION THAT GOT OUT OF HAND
Iranian's charge of brutality vs. word of police

By HIROSHI MATSUBARA
Staff writer

Jailed for two months and charged with obstructing justice, Ghadir Esmaeili, a 34-year-old Iranian permanent resident in Japan, claims he's a victim of police brutality, although other than his damaged eye he lacks damning visual evidence like the notorious video footage of L.A. police beating Rodney King.

Ghadir Esmaeili, an Iranian on trial for obstructing police, explains to his lawyer Tsuguhide Suzuki how he was roughed up by officers from the Setagaya Police Station on April 4.

Esmaeili claims he was confronted by police, was roughed up even though he was cooperative, and was allowed to leave but was then placed into the system when he vowed to lodge a complaint.

Setagaya police meanwhile have an array of claims against him, ranging from allegations that he shoved a sergeant, even in the presence of more than a dozen other officers, that he appeared to be high on drugs, although this was never substantiated, and that he identified himself as a member of al-Qaeda who had a bomb in his car.

Esmaeili's troubles began shortly after noon April 4 in a parking lot in the Taishido district of Setagaya Ward, where he had driven to visit his girlfriend's apartment.

Two Setagaya Police Station officers, including Sgt. Toshikazu Suzuki, initially confronted him and demanded to see some identification, allegedly because he was acting suspiciously. Later that day, he found himself under arrest and facing charges of obstructing police. He also claims he was beaten repeatedly before his arrest.

"I acted calmly and fully cooperated with police. They were the ones who became rude after they learned I am Iranian and one-sidedly beat me," said Esmaeili, a translator who came to Japan in 1991 and lives in Higashi-Murayama, western Tokyo.

"This is how Japanese police view foreigners, especially Iranians, who in their minds must either be drug dealers or some other type of criminal," he added.

A Setagaya police spokesman declined comment on the case, saying the matter is pending before court.

Following his arrest, Esmaeili was held at the Setagaya Police Station for nearly two months and is currently on trial before the Tokyo District Court. He claims that during his incarceration, he was questioned by police for only two hours and by prosecutors on two other occasions.

In their opening statement in May at the start of Esmaeili's trial, prosecutors claimed he refused to comply when two patrolmen, including Sgt. Suzuki, asked him to show his passport in the parking lot for a housing exhibit at around 1 p.m. on April 4.

The prosecutors further claimed that Esmaeili later threw his alien registration card at the officers, grabbed Suzuki's uniform by the chest, shook him violently and ran away, shouting obscenities.

According to the indictment against Esmaeili, the patrolmen caught up with him 30 minutes later aided by a dozen other officers, but he continued to act violently, pushing Suzuki in the chest.

Esmaeili, on the other hand, claims he realized that defying police would only cause more trouble and that he fully cooperated when the two officers questioned him, immediately handing over his alien registration card and driver's license.

Esmaeili told The Japan Times that when the officers realized he is Iranian, they asserted that he therefore must be a drug dealer. He claimed they then pinned his arms behind his back, and punched him several times while heaping insults on him.

According to Esmaeili, the two officers backed off when he told them he would call the Iranian Embassy. He claimed he then walked away, but more than a dozen policemen later flocked to the area and searched his car.

The officers found nothing illegal, he said, noting the officers then told him he could go. But about an hour later, after he accompanied them to the police station and threatened to complain to their chief about the violence inflicted on him, he said he was instead placed under arrest.

Although the two initial officers reportedly claim it was Esmaeili who was violent, he is the only one who apparently sustained an injury, and he was never charged with assault.

Following his release, a doctor determined that Esmaeili had suffered serious damage to the optic nerve of his left eye.

Other aspects of Esmaeili's case are questionable.

He said that after his encounter with the two patrolmen, he was able to place nine calls with his cellular phone, including a complaint he lodged with the Metropolitan Police Department after he arrived at the Setagaya Police Station -- a move not usually allowed a criminal suspect. His cell phone records apparently back up his claim.

Esmaeili further claimed he was able to drive his car from the lot to the police station, giving four officers a ride in the process.

"Police later came up with the story that Esmaeili violently obstructed police out of a desperate attempt to cover up their abuses," argued lawyer Tsuguhide Suzuki, who is representing Esmaeili.

"Esmaeili's arrest and lengthy detention also appear to be aimed at teaching a lesson to those who defy police, especially foreigners," the lawyer said.

Sgt. Suzuki testified in Esmaeili's trial on June 30, reiterating his claim that it was the defendant who consistently acted in a violent manner while he and the other officers tried to calm him down.

When asked why he thought Esmaeili was acting suspiciously in their initial encounter, Suzuki said the defendant avoided eye contact and was holding a video cassette that he suspected contained illegal stimulants. Suzuki admitted, however, that these circumstances would not ordinarily prompt him to question a passerby.

He also claimed he had learned from experience that foreigners often carry weapons, noting it is a common notion among police that foreigners require "special handling" because they are usually bigger than Japanese policemen.

Suzuki also claimed Esmaeili threatened him by shouting that he was a member of al-Qaeda and had a bomb in his car. The sergeant added that he felt "there is a cultural difference (between Japan and Iran)" and also that he thought Esmaeili must be high on drugs.

Esmaeili denies he made any such assertions.

The Japan Times: July 7, 2004

How the Tokyo Mitropolitan Police Deals With People From Out of Town

Swallows 6 -- Giants 4

We won! We finally won! I screamed my lungs off, and we held on for the win. It was a bit of a home run derby there for a while! I think four of our guys hit one yard today.

I've decided to stop yelling so much at Petagine when he comes to the plate. He still feels too much at home when he visits Jingu, and he regualarly hits one out of the park. I yelled several impolite things at him on Saturday, and as usual he parked one in right center. On Sunday I kept my mouth shut, and he didn't have that much impact on the game. I will test this theory further and report back.

Aside from Uehara, the Giants' bullpen is pretty thin. They've got a bunch of goofy guys in their who aren't nearly as effective as their salaries suggest they should be. Not that I'm complaining or anything...

Swallows 6 -- Giants 4

Swallows 2 -- Giants 8

It happened again. The Swallows beat the crap out of the Giants last night, but we got blown out this evening. I still have yet to witness a game where the monopoly is cut down. They threw Uehara at us tonight, so that didn't help. And Billy Martin helped a few runs come around with his less than stellar work in right. To his credit, he did have a couple of base hits, but then he whiffed with two men in scoring position during the middle innings.

I'm going back for more tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will hold, and I'll get to see the Swallows beat them with my own two eyes. One question...has anyone in this country ever heard of a salary cap?

Swallows 2 -- Giants 8