"John R. Yamamoto-Wilson" <john@rarebooksinjapan.com> wrote in message 
news:4fp09sF1ilcccU1@individual.net...
> Japan's actions at the International Whaling Convention have stirred 
> feelings worldwide. The extent of coverage - and the intensity of 
> reactions - outside Japan can be gauged from the following:
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5093350.stm (this was actually 
> BBC online's leading headline yesterday)
> http://www.stuff.co.nz/otago/0,2106,3705743a16195,00.html
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/19/AR2006061900390.html
> http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,19523884%255E663,00.html
>
> But one BBC article - entitled "The Debate Inside Japan" 
> (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5080508.stm) - appears to 
> me, living in Japan, as a bit of a joke.
>
> As far as I can see, there *is* no debate in Japan. I was talking about it 
> with some students yesterday - bright and fairly well-informed people who 
> know about the issue in general terms - but they didn't seem to know 
> anything about the recent developments. My wife hadn't heard anything 
> either, and - despite these headlines around the world - there seems to be 
> nothing whatsoever in Asahi Shinbun, either yesterday or today.
>
> I've even been embroiled in an impassioned debate on the subject in 
> soc.culture.irish, but over here on fj.life.in-japan there's the same 
> silence.
>
> Is there some sort of censorship going on? Are the media ashamed of what 
> is being done in the name of the Japanese people? Or is there a raging 
> internal debate going on somewhere and somehow I've just missed it?
>
> John
> http://rarebooksinjapan.com
>
This is new to me they must be down playing it.
>