An unfortunate update; from The Japan Times, 11/14/16.
The Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that said the Osaka city office’s 2012 probe into whether its workers had tattoos was legal, court officials said last week.
In a decision dated Wednesday, the court’s five-member Second Petty Bench rejected an appeal from the plaintiffs after the Osaka High Court last year overturned district court decisions in favor of the two employees. The workers had refused to comply with the city’s investigation.
At issue was the city’s move in May 2012, under the leadership of then-Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, to inquire if 33,000 employees had tattoos. The city required them to reply in writing whether they had any tattoos on visible parts of the body, including the hands and neck. They were also asked to answer on a voluntary basis whether they had tattoos elsewhere.
The move came after an incident in which a city worker showed a tattoo to children at a welfare facility.
The two employees who had refused to comply with the probe had no tattoos but refused to submit the required documents, arguing that the investigation was an infringement on their right to privacy. The two were reprimanded in August that year and later brought their cases to court, seeking to have the reprimands invalidated.
In December 2014, the Osaka District Court ruled that the city’s investigation was illegal on anti-discrimination and privacy grounds and ordered that the disciplinary measure against city worker Tadasu Yasuda be invalidated.
Yasuda, a bus driver, had sued the city office after being reprimanded. He was subsequently urged by his boss to drop the suit, and was transferred to a desk job when he refused.
“Whether people have a tattoo or not falls into the category of information carrying a risk of causing discrimination, the collection of which is prohibited under a city ordinance for the protection of personal information,” the district court said in its ruling.
Yasuda filed a separate lawsuit seeking to invalidate his transfer of assignment. He won the case at two lower courts, and the city is now appealing.
In February 2015, the same district court issued a similar ruling on a lawsuit filed by Atsuko Mori, a nurse at a city-run hospital.
But later that year, the Osaka High Court reversed the earlier lower court decisions, saying the city’s check does not “cause discrimination unlike in cases in which one’s criminal record or race (is revealed).”
The city government has, since fiscal 2013, been checking for the presence of visible tattoos on potential new recruits. In the 2012 investigation, 114 workers reported they had tattoos.
Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/14/national/crime-legal/supreme-court-upholds-osaka-citys-tattoo-check-workers-legal/
Click here for previous VAOJ coverage.
Showing posts with label tattoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tattoo. Show all posts
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Thursday, December 18, 2014
"Osaka court rules tattoo check on city employees illegal"
Sometimes the courts do the right thing... Story from Japan Today, 12/18/14:
The Osaka District Court has ruled that Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s order to check whether municipal office workers had tattoos was illegal and constituted an invasion of privacy.
The court handed down the ruling on Wednesday in a damages suit filed by a 56-year-old city bus driver, Tadasu Yasuda, who was transferred to a desk job after he refused to answer questions on whether or not he had a tattoo, Sankei Shimbun reported Thursday. Presiding Judge Kenji Nakagaito invalidated the transfer and ordered the Osaka municipal government to pay Yasuda 1.1 million yen in damages.
The judge said ordering employees to reveal if they have tattoos or not encroached on individuals’ privacy and carried a risk of creating workplace discrimination. The court also ruled that the plaintiff should be reinstated to his previous position as a bus driver.
The tattoo check, which was requested by Hashimoto in May 2012, involved 35,000 city employees who were asked to reply in writing. Of those who answered, 114 said they did have tattoos on their arms or legs, while six refused to disclose whether they had any tattoos or not, Sankei reported. Those six, including Yasuda, were subjected to disciplinary action. Yasuda said later that he did not have a tattoo, but refused to cooperate with the investigation because he felt it was an invasion of his privacy.
When he launched his anti-tattoo campaign, Hashimoto said at the time that “citizens feel uneasy or intimidated if they see tattoos (on workers) in services and it undermines trust in the city.”
Although small tattoos are now a common means of self-expression in Japan and are no longer indicative of gang membership, Hashimoto threatened to dismiss any city worker who has tattoos. “We need to have possession of this information. Anyone who doesn’t respond to the survey should be reported to HR and passed over for future promotion. This all goes without saying,” Hashimoto said.
Japanese media reported that Hashimoto first brought up the issue after learning that a worker at a children’s home threatened kids by showing them his tattoos.
Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/osaka-court-rules-tattoo-check-on-city-employees-illegal
Click here for previous VAOJ coverage of this story.
The Osaka District Court has ruled that Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s order to check whether municipal office workers had tattoos was illegal and constituted an invasion of privacy.
The court handed down the ruling on Wednesday in a damages suit filed by a 56-year-old city bus driver, Tadasu Yasuda, who was transferred to a desk job after he refused to answer questions on whether or not he had a tattoo, Sankei Shimbun reported Thursday. Presiding Judge Kenji Nakagaito invalidated the transfer and ordered the Osaka municipal government to pay Yasuda 1.1 million yen in damages.
The judge said ordering employees to reveal if they have tattoos or not encroached on individuals’ privacy and carried a risk of creating workplace discrimination. The court also ruled that the plaintiff should be reinstated to his previous position as a bus driver.
The tattoo check, which was requested by Hashimoto in May 2012, involved 35,000 city employees who were asked to reply in writing. Of those who answered, 114 said they did have tattoos on their arms or legs, while six refused to disclose whether they had any tattoos or not, Sankei reported. Those six, including Yasuda, were subjected to disciplinary action. Yasuda said later that he did not have a tattoo, but refused to cooperate with the investigation because he felt it was an invasion of his privacy.
When he launched his anti-tattoo campaign, Hashimoto said at the time that “citizens feel uneasy or intimidated if they see tattoos (on workers) in services and it undermines trust in the city.”
Although small tattoos are now a common means of self-expression in Japan and are no longer indicative of gang membership, Hashimoto threatened to dismiss any city worker who has tattoos. “We need to have possession of this information. Anyone who doesn’t respond to the survey should be reported to HR and passed over for future promotion. This all goes without saying,” Hashimoto said.
Japanese media reported that Hashimoto first brought up the issue after learning that a worker at a children’s home threatened kids by showing them his tattoos.
Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/osaka-court-rules-tattoo-check-on-city-employees-illegal
Click here for previous VAOJ coverage of this story.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
More tattoo controversy in Osaka: "Female Osaka school clerk's pay docked over tattoos"
From Japan Today, 2/1/14:
A 23-year-old woman who works as a school clerk in Osaka has been disciplined for having tattoos.
The woman had her salary cut for one month for violating ethical rules, the Osaka board of education said, NTV reported Friday.
According to the board, the woman got three tattoos from 2012 to 2013: one on her left arm and two on her left ankle. There was an anonymous call to the school complaining about the tattoos, which prompted the board to investigate the case.
NTV reported that the woman has agreed to have her tattoos removed.
This is the first time an Osaka government employee has been punished for having tattoos since Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto announced an anti-tattoo policy in June, 2012.
Hashimoto conducted a compulsory survey in which all employees of the city government were pressured to provide information about visible and concealed tattoos. Hashimoto said the local government would block the promotion and advancement of any city employee who declined to respond to the survey asking them if they have tattoos.
The survey was criticized by lawmakers and teachers throughout the prefecture, where about 800 teachers and other school workers refused to respond, saying it infringed on their right to privacy.
Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/female-osaka-school-clerks-pay-docked-over-tattoos
VAOJ has long been covering this tattoo controversy. I have had students who have done research on tattoos in contemporary Japan. The difference between yakuza and other (dare I say western influenced) tattoos is quite obvious. Tattoos for visual kei and other popular culture fans are becoming more common as well. One might wonder why Osaka mayor Hashimoto is so concerned about tattoos when there are other more pressing issues to consider... Personally I would not mark my body with ink. But I know many people who have done so with their tattoo having an extremely personal and important meaning. Should they really be socially punished?
A 23-year-old woman who works as a school clerk in Osaka has been disciplined for having tattoos.
The woman had her salary cut for one month for violating ethical rules, the Osaka board of education said, NTV reported Friday.
According to the board, the woman got three tattoos from 2012 to 2013: one on her left arm and two on her left ankle. There was an anonymous call to the school complaining about the tattoos, which prompted the board to investigate the case.
NTV reported that the woman has agreed to have her tattoos removed.
This is the first time an Osaka government employee has been punished for having tattoos since Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto announced an anti-tattoo policy in June, 2012.
Hashimoto conducted a compulsory survey in which all employees of the city government were pressured to provide information about visible and concealed tattoos. Hashimoto said the local government would block the promotion and advancement of any city employee who declined to respond to the survey asking them if they have tattoos.
The survey was criticized by lawmakers and teachers throughout the prefecture, where about 800 teachers and other school workers refused to respond, saying it infringed on their right to privacy.
Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/female-osaka-school-clerks-pay-docked-over-tattoos
VAOJ has long been covering this tattoo controversy. I have had students who have done research on tattoos in contemporary Japan. The difference between yakuza and other (dare I say western influenced) tattoos is quite obvious. Tattoos for visual kei and other popular culture fans are becoming more common as well. One might wonder why Osaka mayor Hashimoto is so concerned about tattoos when there are other more pressing issues to consider... Personally I would not mark my body with ink. But I know many people who have done so with their tattoo having an extremely personal and important meaning. Should they really be socially punished?
Monday, September 10, 2012
Osaka Mayor Hashimoto Does It Again... And Again. He's Cutting Funding to Human Rights Museum, Korean Schools, Bunraku, etc....
Those living in Osaka, Japan or anywhere else need to know what the current mayor of Osaka is doing based upon his own preferences and desired images of Japanese culture. This is especially true as his power grows and his local group becomes a national political party.
Hashimoto is cutting funding to Liberty Osaka, the only human rights museum in Japan. Why? Tessa Morris-Suzuki writes in her recent Japan Focus article (9/3/12):
The Osaka city government has until now provided a crucial part of the museum's funding, but the current city government, headed by mayor Hashimoto Tōru, has decided to halt this funding from next year, on the grounds that the museum displays are ‘limited to discrimination and human rights’ and fail to present children with an image of the future full of ‘hopes and dreams’ (Mainichi Shinbun 25 July 2012).
See the whole article: "Out With Human Rights, In With Government-Authored History: The Comfort Women and the Hashimoto Prescription for a ‘New Japan’"
Link: http://japanfocus.org/-Tessa-Morris_Suzuki/3818
Hashimoto has cut funding for Korean schools in Osaka. Why? Among other reasons, according to a recent Japan Times article (9/2/12), he doesn't like Korean schools displaying portraits of Kim Jong Il:
In March 2010, then-Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto announced the prefecture would stop paying subsidies to Korean schools that refuse to meet four criteria, including the removal of portraits of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
The Osaka Prefectural Government stopped paying subsidies to one of the corporation's high schools in the 2010 academic year after determining it did not meet the provisions. It ended payments to most of the operator's elementary and junior high schools in the following school year because Kim's portrait adorned faculty rooms. For the current fiscal year, the prefecture didn't even allocate a budget for the subsidies. Meanwhile, the Osaka Municipal Government cut off subsidies to the schools when Hashimoto became mayor in 2011.
See the whole article: "Osaka faces Korean subsidy suits"
Link: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120902a7.html
Hashimoto is cutting funding for Bunraku puppets (an art form originating in Osaka). Why? According to a recent Mainichi article (7/27/12), he didn't like the performance:
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who recently declared he would freeze subsidies to an association for Bunraku, a centuries-old form of puppet theater, expressed his dissatisfaction with a Bunraku show he saw on July 26, describing the performance as "unsatisfactory."
"I understood that this is an art that should be preserved as a classic (art form), but the last scene was plain, and lacked something," Hashimoto told reporters after watching "Sonezaki Shinju" (The love suicides at Sonezaki), a classic play based on the work of renowned 17th-18th century dramatist Chikamatsu Monzaemon, at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka's Chuo Ward on the evening of July 26.
"The staging was unsatisfactory," the mayor added in his comment on the play, which has not been changed since it was reintroduced to the public in 1955. "Does it really have to follow the old script that precisely?"
See the whole article: "Osaka mayor Hashimoto calls classic Japanese play 'unsatisfactory'"
Link: http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120727p2a00m0na006000c.html
Granted, Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City have terrible budget problems. But these cuts and others seem to be done by the whims and personal views of Hashimoto. These budget cuts, along with his witch-hunt for city employees with tattoos and his insistence of standing for the Japanese flag and national anthem provide insight into this man and the kind of changes he wants to do in the creation of his image/view of Japan.
Journalist Hiroshi Iwaisako provides more information about Hashimoto and perhaps his rationale for budget cuts and other actions in a recent article at Nippon.com (7/24/12); his report/perspective is more serious/formal than other descriptions of Hashimoto that have appeared in other sources.
See the article: "What to Make of Hashimoto Tōru?"
Link: http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a01103/
See also: "Hashimoto sets new national party, names it Nihon Ishin no Kai" by Eric Johnston (9/9/12)
Link: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120909a1.html
As for tattoos, Hashimoto might benefit from reading this article: "Top Arizona court rules tattooing is protected speech" (9/7/12)
Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48948732/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/#.UE1RGxhhNFQ
People need to know what Hashimoto is doing along with his so-called rationale. Is this what we want for the future of Japan?
Link to Liberty Osaka Human Rights Museum: http://www.liberty.or.jp/topfile/human-top.htm
Hashimoto is cutting funding to Liberty Osaka, the only human rights museum in Japan. Why? Tessa Morris-Suzuki writes in her recent Japan Focus article (9/3/12):
The Osaka city government has until now provided a crucial part of the museum's funding, but the current city government, headed by mayor Hashimoto Tōru, has decided to halt this funding from next year, on the grounds that the museum displays are ‘limited to discrimination and human rights’ and fail to present children with an image of the future full of ‘hopes and dreams’ (Mainichi Shinbun 25 July 2012).
See the whole article: "Out With Human Rights, In With Government-Authored History: The Comfort Women and the Hashimoto Prescription for a ‘New Japan’"
Link: http://japanfocus.org/-Tessa-Morris_Suzuki/3818
Hashimoto has cut funding for Korean schools in Osaka. Why? Among other reasons, according to a recent Japan Times article (9/2/12), he doesn't like Korean schools displaying portraits of Kim Jong Il:
In March 2010, then-Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto announced the prefecture would stop paying subsidies to Korean schools that refuse to meet four criteria, including the removal of portraits of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
The Osaka Prefectural Government stopped paying subsidies to one of the corporation's high schools in the 2010 academic year after determining it did not meet the provisions. It ended payments to most of the operator's elementary and junior high schools in the following school year because Kim's portrait adorned faculty rooms. For the current fiscal year, the prefecture didn't even allocate a budget for the subsidies. Meanwhile, the Osaka Municipal Government cut off subsidies to the schools when Hashimoto became mayor in 2011.
See the whole article: "Osaka faces Korean subsidy suits"
Link: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120902a7.html
Hashimoto is cutting funding for Bunraku puppets (an art form originating in Osaka). Why? According to a recent Mainichi article (7/27/12), he didn't like the performance:
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who recently declared he would freeze subsidies to an association for Bunraku, a centuries-old form of puppet theater, expressed his dissatisfaction with a Bunraku show he saw on July 26, describing the performance as "unsatisfactory."
"I understood that this is an art that should be preserved as a classic (art form), but the last scene was plain, and lacked something," Hashimoto told reporters after watching "Sonezaki Shinju" (The love suicides at Sonezaki), a classic play based on the work of renowned 17th-18th century dramatist Chikamatsu Monzaemon, at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka's Chuo Ward on the evening of July 26.
"The staging was unsatisfactory," the mayor added in his comment on the play, which has not been changed since it was reintroduced to the public in 1955. "Does it really have to follow the old script that precisely?"
See the whole article: "Osaka mayor Hashimoto calls classic Japanese play 'unsatisfactory'"
Link: http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120727p2a00m0na006000c.html
Granted, Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City have terrible budget problems. But these cuts and others seem to be done by the whims and personal views of Hashimoto. These budget cuts, along with his witch-hunt for city employees with tattoos and his insistence of standing for the Japanese flag and national anthem provide insight into this man and the kind of changes he wants to do in the creation of his image/view of Japan.
Journalist Hiroshi Iwaisako provides more information about Hashimoto and perhaps his rationale for budget cuts and other actions in a recent article at Nippon.com (7/24/12); his report/perspective is more serious/formal than other descriptions of Hashimoto that have appeared in other sources.
See the article: "What to Make of Hashimoto Tōru?"
Link: http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a01103/
See also: "Hashimoto sets new national party, names it Nihon Ishin no Kai" by Eric Johnston (9/9/12)
Link: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120909a1.html
As for tattoos, Hashimoto might benefit from reading this article: "Top Arizona court rules tattooing is protected speech" (9/7/12)
Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48948732/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/#.UE1RGxhhNFQ
People need to know what Hashimoto is doing along with his so-called rationale. Is this what we want for the future of Japan?
Link to Liberty Osaka Human Rights Museum: http://www.liberty.or.jp/topfile/human-top.htm
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Announcement: The Royal Anthropological Institute's Body Canvas Photography Competition
I recently received information about this interesting photo contest dealing with the body as canvas. The submissions they are looking for are Engaging photographs that explore biological, cross-cultural and social elements of body art and modification in relation to these categories:
1) Tattoos and Scarification
2) Piercings and Body Reshaping
Deadline for submissions 30th September 2012.
For further information and submission guidelines please visit: www.discoveranthropology.org.uk
Take a look at previous photo competitions on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/raieducation
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
"Osaka mayor's survey finds 10 education professionals with tattoos"
From Japan Today, 6/27/12:
The controversial local government survey in Osaka, in which all employees of the city government were pressured to provide information about visible and concealed tattoos, has found a further 10 people with tattoos working in schools in the prefecture, Fuji TV reported.
The survey, requested in May by right-wing Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, was criticized by lawmakers and teachers throughout the prefecture, where about 800 teachers and other school workers refused to respond, saying it infringed on their right to privacy.
Hashimoto launched the crusade to eradicate tattoos from the public sector, saying that the local government would block the promotion and advancement of any city employee who declined to respond to the survey asking them if they have tattoos.
A local lawyers’ group asked Hashimoto to cancel the investigation, calling it a violation of human rights. However, the survey was pushed through by the mayor.
Initially, the survey found that 110 workers reported having tattoos, including sea turtles, moons and dolphins. Many of the respondents work in public transport and the city waste disposal departments.
This week, the survey turned up 10 school workers with tattoos. One is believed to be an elementary school teacher and the other nine are thought to work as janitors or in school cafeterias, Fuji TV reported. Eight of the respondents said their tattoos were not visible. Two said that they were visible, but that they covered them up during staff meetings to avoid disciplinary action.
There has been speculation in the press that Hashimoto’s crusade may have been influenced in part by his father and uncle, who are rumored to have been gangsters, Fuji reported. However, the it is not known whether the two men had tattoos.
Link: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/osaka-mayors-survey-finds-10-education-professionals-with-tattoos
A similar story in the Daily Yomiuri Online, 6/27/12, included this quote:
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto told reporters, "I've heard the teacher [with the tattoo] wants to have it erased, and I hope the teacher has it done in a way that doesn't shame the teaching profession."
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120626004417.htm
Click here for previous VAOJ coverage of the Hashimoto tattoo issue.
The controversial local government survey in Osaka, in which all employees of the city government were pressured to provide information about visible and concealed tattoos, has found a further 10 people with tattoos working in schools in the prefecture, Fuji TV reported.
The survey, requested in May by right-wing Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, was criticized by lawmakers and teachers throughout the prefecture, where about 800 teachers and other school workers refused to respond, saying it infringed on their right to privacy.
Hashimoto launched the crusade to eradicate tattoos from the public sector, saying that the local government would block the promotion and advancement of any city employee who declined to respond to the survey asking them if they have tattoos.
A local lawyers’ group asked Hashimoto to cancel the investigation, calling it a violation of human rights. However, the survey was pushed through by the mayor.
Initially, the survey found that 110 workers reported having tattoos, including sea turtles, moons and dolphins. Many of the respondents work in public transport and the city waste disposal departments.
This week, the survey turned up 10 school workers with tattoos. One is believed to be an elementary school teacher and the other nine are thought to work as janitors or in school cafeterias, Fuji TV reported. Eight of the respondents said their tattoos were not visible. Two said that they were visible, but that they covered them up during staff meetings to avoid disciplinary action.
There has been speculation in the press that Hashimoto’s crusade may have been influenced in part by his father and uncle, who are rumored to have been gangsters, Fuji reported. However, the it is not known whether the two men had tattoos.
Link: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/osaka-mayors-survey-finds-10-education-professionals-with-tattoos
A similar story in the Daily Yomiuri Online, 6/27/12, included this quote:
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto told reporters, "I've heard the teacher [with the tattoo] wants to have it erased, and I hope the teacher has it done in a way that doesn't shame the teaching profession."
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120626004417.htm
Click here for previous VAOJ coverage of the Hashimoto tattoo issue.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
"Hashimoto clashes with Osaka officials over tattoo survey"
And on and on it goes... From Japan Today, 5/23/12:
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who launched a crusade to eradicate tattoos from the public sector last week, has announced plans to prevent the promotion and advancement of any city employee who declined to respond to a survey asking them if they have tattoos.
Although small tattoos are now a common means of self-expression in Japan and are no longer indicative of gang membership, the right-wing Hashimoto initiated a survey in Osaka that asked employees of the city government to provide information about visible and concealed tattoos, such as how long they had had them. He has also threatened to dismiss any city worker who has tattoos, Fuji TV reports.
The poll found that 110 workers reported having tattoos, including sea turtles, moons and dolphins. It has been reported that many of the respondents work in public transport and the city waste disposal departments. The government is considering whether to ask public servants with tattoos to find other employment, Fuji reported.
“We need to have possession of this information. Anyone who doesn’t respond to the survey should be reported to HR and passed over for future promotion. This all goes without saying,” Hashimoto told a news conference, according to Jiji Press.
So far, 513 employees have declined to respond to the survey which was given to about 33,000 workers. Hashimoto says they will be pressed again to give the information before disciplinary steps are taken. “If they insist on having tattoos, they had better leave the city office and go and work in the private sector,” he said Tuesday after the results of the survey were released.
Around 800 teachers and other education professionals have so far refused to respond to Hashimoto’s survey, in the belief that it infringes on their right to privacy. A Kansai-based lawyers’ group has also reportedly asked the city to cease the investigation, which it claims violates workers’ human rights, Fuji TV reported.
Education professionals were to be included in the “investigation” from Wednesday, but the city’s Board of Education has put off the start date and requested that head teachers’ opinions be heard first.
During Hashimoto’s mayoral campaign, weekly tabloids in Japan claimed that his father and uncle, now deceased, were both gangsters, although it was not reported whether they were tattooed. Nikkan Gendai also reported that a cousin of Hashimoto is in prison for manslaughter. Hashimoto has publicly commented on the stories and has not denied them.
Link: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/hashimoto-clashes-with-osaka-officials-over-tattoo-survey
Update: New article from The Daily Yomiuri Online, 5/31/12:
15 employees defy Osaka tattoo survey
A total of 15 Osaka city employees refused to respond to a survey conducted this month to search out tattooed employees, reportedly saying the survey "violated privacy" or "was not conducted in an appropriate way," it was learned Wednesday.
The city government said it will take disciplinary measures, including salary cuts and reprimands, against those who did not complete the survey, as it considers their refusal to be disobedience of a direct order.
The survey was conducted on about 35,000 employees, according to a city official. After May 16, the city instructed 513 employees who did not respond to the survey to respond. Fifteen, however, still did not respond, including those who did not return the survey form and those who refused to fill in blanks other than the one for the respondent's name.
"There should not be an organization in which 'Honesty doesn't pay,'" Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto told the press, referring to employees who responded to the survey honestly.
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120530004730.htm
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, who launched a crusade to eradicate tattoos from the public sector last week, has announced plans to prevent the promotion and advancement of any city employee who declined to respond to a survey asking them if they have tattoos.
Although small tattoos are now a common means of self-expression in Japan and are no longer indicative of gang membership, the right-wing Hashimoto initiated a survey in Osaka that asked employees of the city government to provide information about visible and concealed tattoos, such as how long they had had them. He has also threatened to dismiss any city worker who has tattoos, Fuji TV reports.
The poll found that 110 workers reported having tattoos, including sea turtles, moons and dolphins. It has been reported that many of the respondents work in public transport and the city waste disposal departments. The government is considering whether to ask public servants with tattoos to find other employment, Fuji reported.
“We need to have possession of this information. Anyone who doesn’t respond to the survey should be reported to HR and passed over for future promotion. This all goes without saying,” Hashimoto told a news conference, according to Jiji Press.
So far, 513 employees have declined to respond to the survey which was given to about 33,000 workers. Hashimoto says they will be pressed again to give the information before disciplinary steps are taken. “If they insist on having tattoos, they had better leave the city office and go and work in the private sector,” he said Tuesday after the results of the survey were released.
Around 800 teachers and other education professionals have so far refused to respond to Hashimoto’s survey, in the belief that it infringes on their right to privacy. A Kansai-based lawyers’ group has also reportedly asked the city to cease the investigation, which it claims violates workers’ human rights, Fuji TV reported.
Education professionals were to be included in the “investigation” from Wednesday, but the city’s Board of Education has put off the start date and requested that head teachers’ opinions be heard first.
During Hashimoto’s mayoral campaign, weekly tabloids in Japan claimed that his father and uncle, now deceased, were both gangsters, although it was not reported whether they were tattooed. Nikkan Gendai also reported that a cousin of Hashimoto is in prison for manslaughter. Hashimoto has publicly commented on the stories and has not denied them.
Link: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/hashimoto-clashes-with-osaka-officials-over-tattoo-survey
Update: New article from The Daily Yomiuri Online, 5/31/12:
15 employees defy Osaka tattoo survey
A total of 15 Osaka city employees refused to respond to a survey conducted this month to search out tattooed employees, reportedly saying the survey "violated privacy" or "was not conducted in an appropriate way," it was learned Wednesday.
The city government said it will take disciplinary measures, including salary cuts and reprimands, against those who did not complete the survey, as it considers their refusal to be disobedience of a direct order.
The survey was conducted on about 35,000 employees, according to a city official. After May 16, the city instructed 513 employees who did not respond to the survey to respond. Fifteen, however, still did not respond, including those who did not return the survey form and those who refused to fill in blanks other than the one for the respondent's name.
"There should not be an organization in which 'Honesty doesn't pay,'" Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto told the press, referring to employees who responded to the survey honestly.
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120530004730.htm
Friday, May 18, 2012
Update: 110 Tattoos in Osaka
From The Daily Yomiuri Online, 5/18/12:
Osaka govt finds 110 tattooed employees
The Osaka city government has learned 110 of its employees have tattoos.
The number includes 73 employees of the Environment Bureau, 15 of the Transportation Bureau and seven from the Public Works Bureau, suggesting sections involving fieldwork such as garbage collection and subway operation employ many tattooed workers, officials said Wednesday.
The findings were based on a survey conducted this month of about 34,000 employees, excluding teachers.
The city government plans to establish rules on tattooing for workers. It will also instruct employees to keep their tattoos out of sight during work hours and is considering relocating tattooed employees.
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120517004663.htm
Previous VAOJ coverage here.
Osaka govt finds 110 tattooed employees
The Osaka city government has learned 110 of its employees have tattoos.
The number includes 73 employees of the Environment Bureau, 15 of the Transportation Bureau and seven from the Public Works Bureau, suggesting sections involving fieldwork such as garbage collection and subway operation employ many tattooed workers, officials said Wednesday.
The findings were based on a survey conducted this month of about 34,000 employees, excluding teachers.
The city government plans to establish rules on tattooing for workers. It will also instruct employees to keep their tattoos out of sight during work hours and is considering relocating tattooed employees.
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120517004663.htm
Previous VAOJ coverage here.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Oh no! Osaka garbage collectors with tattoos!
Here's an update on the tattoo situation in Hashimoto's Osaka. Story from The Daily Yomiuri Online, 5/14/12:
50 Osaka City Bureau Officials Sport Tattoos Despite Ethics Code
About 50 employees in the Osaka city government's Environment Bureau said in a survey they have tattoos, despite an ethics code that frowns on such body decorations, according to sources.
The city bureau enacted an internal ethics code in May 2010 stipulating its officials should not have tattoos or similar body decorations.
Last year, however, some Osaka residents reported to the city government that they had seen garbage collectors with tattoos.
In March, the city government conducted the survey on all of about 3,200 officials in the Environment Bureau.
In the survey, the employees were asked if they had tattoos, and, if so, which part of their body was tattooed.
The city bureau said it had instructed all tattooed officials to remove their tattoos if possible.
Separately, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has instructed that a survey be carried out on all 30,000 city government officials, including the Environment Bureau's employees but excluding about 800 city-run schools' teachers and workers, to check which officials have tattoos.
It is expected the number of city government officials sporting tattoos may increase further.
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120513001933.htm
50 Osaka City Bureau Officials Sport Tattoos Despite Ethics Code
About 50 employees in the Osaka city government's Environment Bureau said in a survey they have tattoos, despite an ethics code that frowns on such body decorations, according to sources.
The city bureau enacted an internal ethics code in May 2010 stipulating its officials should not have tattoos or similar body decorations.
Last year, however, some Osaka residents reported to the city government that they had seen garbage collectors with tattoos.
In March, the city government conducted the survey on all of about 3,200 officials in the Environment Bureau.
In the survey, the employees were asked if they had tattoos, and, if so, which part of their body was tattooed.
The city bureau said it had instructed all tattooed officials to remove their tattoos if possible.
Separately, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has instructed that a survey be carried out on all 30,000 city government officials, including the Environment Bureau's employees but excluding about 800 city-run schools' teachers and workers, to check which officials have tattoos.
It is expected the number of city government officials sporting tattoos may increase further.
Link: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120513001933.htm
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
変な Henna Tattoos at Kobe India Festival
Over the weekend while exploring Kobe we came across the India Mela 2011 in Merikan Park. There were performances, food, booths selling various Indian merchandise, etc. The Indian food was tempting but we had already made plans to gorge ourselves with meat at the nearby Brazilian restaurant. Somehow the India Mela didn't captivate me as much as other ethic festivals I have attended in the past, especially the Thai Festival in Frankfurt last summer (perhaps already being in Japan I already have enough of the orientalist fix...). What did catch our eyes were the henna tattoos.
Why not mark up our bodies temporarily? The tattoos were supposed to last for a week to ten days they told us.
We requested matching tattoos, 1000 yen each. However the artist wasn't able to make them match and we got a 500 yen discount. Still they looked kinda cool until the henna dried and flaked off, leaving very light markings on our skin no one has noticed this week.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Short video: "Legend links tattoos to notorious gangsters"
Here is a short piece on tattoos in Japan produced by National Geographic on Bing Videos. Description: A form of full-body tattooing is growing in popularity, but some claim it is an artistic expression belonging to "the gangsters of Japan."
Link to video:
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/legend-links-tattoos-to-notorious-gangsters/26gomu56?rs=Art&from=en-us_msnhp>1=42007
There are some other short videos dealing with tattoos and body modification at the site as well.
For more information about tattoos in Japan, check out anthropologist Joy Hendry's chapter in the book Japan at Play (2002): http://books.google.com/books?id=EWc4dQjh-HUC&pg=PA22&dq=Joy+hendry+The+Japanese+tattoo&hl=en&ei=doyBTOToGILQccSk2aYL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Link to video:
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/legend-links-tattoos-to-notorious-gangsters/26gomu56?rs=Art&from=en-us_msnhp>1=42007
There are some other short videos dealing with tattoos and body modification at the site as well.
For more information about tattoos in Japan, check out anthropologist Joy Hendry's chapter in the book Japan at Play (2002): http://books.google.com/books?id=EWc4dQjh-HUC&pg=PA22&dq=Joy+hendry+The+Japanese+tattoo&hl=en&ei=doyBTOToGILQccSk2aYL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Thursday, September 2, 2010
"Kobe eyes tattoo ban at Suma beach after marijuana case"
From today's Japan Today: Totally ridiculous on so many (visual and other) levels...
The Kobe municipal government is considering banning people with tattoos from a beach in Suma Ward following the recent arrests of college students for alleged marijuana possession during a music event at the beach, city officials said.
The city office intends to come up with a concrete plan during this year, including establishing the rule by ordinance, but banning tattooed people from a public beach is a rare case in Japan as most tattoo bans are for commercial facilities such as saunas. The envisaged ban may prompt controversy over its possible violation of the freedom of expression as tattoos are becoming increasingly fashionable with young people, critics say.
"It is our duty to make a safer environment for the citizens," said a city official as senior officials of the city and Hyogo prefectural police are set to form a special team to work out details such as ways to restrict entrance to the beach.
Suma beach saw the lowest number of visitors in 25 years this summer, with about 620,000 people in 46 days. Some citizens have told the city office that they "hesitate to go near the beach" amid an increase in young people with tattoos, the officials said.
The city enforced an ordinance with a penalty in 2008 that forbids loud noise on the beach during nighttime, yet about 70 music events were held this summer.
Read the story and reader comments:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/kobe-eyes-tattoo-ban-at-suma-beach-after-marijuana-case
The Kobe municipal government is considering banning people with tattoos from a beach in Suma Ward following the recent arrests of college students for alleged marijuana possession during a music event at the beach, city officials said.
The city office intends to come up with a concrete plan during this year, including establishing the rule by ordinance, but banning tattooed people from a public beach is a rare case in Japan as most tattoo bans are for commercial facilities such as saunas. The envisaged ban may prompt controversy over its possible violation of the freedom of expression as tattoos are becoming increasingly fashionable with young people, critics say.
"It is our duty to make a safer environment for the citizens," said a city official as senior officials of the city and Hyogo prefectural police are set to form a special team to work out details such as ways to restrict entrance to the beach.
Suma beach saw the lowest number of visitors in 25 years this summer, with about 620,000 people in 46 days. Some citizens have told the city office that they "hesitate to go near the beach" amid an increase in young people with tattoos, the officials said.
The city enforced an ordinance with a penalty in 2008 that forbids loud noise on the beach during nighttime, yet about 70 music events were held this summer.
Read the story and reader comments:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/kobe-eyes-tattoo-ban-at-suma-beach-after-marijuana-case
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Osaka Tattoos in London
(Photo borrowed from Japan Today; caption reads "Rie Gomita from Osaka shows off her tattoos at a tattoo convention in London.")Several students have been asking me about tattoos this semester. Today's Japan Today has the above photo as its photo of the day. Check out reader comments for attitudes about tattoos in Japan these days.
Link to Tattoos:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/tattoos-2
Here's another shot of the woman that better shows off her art (borrowed from Telegraph.co.uk):
Link to The International London Tattoo Convention (Sept. 25-26-27 2009):
http://www.thelondontattooconvention.com/
Monday, December 10, 2007
Got tattoos? Want to be a visual anthropologist in front of the camera?
Here is an interesting opportunity (posted on EASIANTH) if you want to get out from behind the camera and show the world how cool visual anthropologists really are! The deadline is a little tight but surely a Hunter S. Thompson like guy (sorry gals, they seem to want a man for this job...) still has plenty of time to get a couple tattoos, shoot some video and shove it down the mojo... 頑張って下さい！
New York Documentary Television Production Company is seeking anthropologists or journalists or travel writers to host a new documentary TV series for a major cable network about tattoo culture around the world.
We are looking for someone who is attractive, smart, a guy's guy, adventurous, engaging, inquisitive. Someone who's up for anything, not afraid to get dirty, be in dangerous situations. Having a tattoo is a plus! This is someone who is driven by curiosity and can share the experience -- be it in Russian prison tattoo parlors or Puerto Rican gangs -- with an audience. He's not in it to get tattooed but is a
seeker with real world experience.
This is an opportunity to host a primetime cable tv series. Must be willing to travel. This could turn into a full-time job.
If you fit this description, please film yourself answering the following questions. Personality is key so have fun with this, while imparting intellect and curiosity. 5-10 minutes max. Shoot outdoors if possible. Waist up so I can see your face. Going for an outdoorsy look, not clean-cut, not too edgy.
Please email your clips (to amy@northsouth.tv) or overnight them to:
NorthSouth Productions
1140 Broadway, Ste 1201
New York, NY 10001
1. Your name, where you live
2. Your bio in brief - professional, education, hobbies
3. Travel experience -- where have you been overseas? Most memorable experience.
4. Show us your tattoos [if you have any]. Give a brief explanation of 2 of them. Why are you interested in tattoos? Or why are you interested in investigating cultures around the world?
5. What are you most passionate about? Give us a one-minute tutorial on the subject.
6. Have the camera follow you to go "interview" someone (could be someone a few feet away). Ask that person a few questions about a topic they know about.
7. Eat something spicy, sour, gross and react - tell us what it tastes like, feels like. Make us feel like we're experiencing it too.
Tape can be submitted via email, or hard copies on DVD, VHS, or Mini-DV formats. Materials will not be returned.
Must be received by Dec 10, 2007.
Thank you.
Amy Rapp | Head of Development
NorthSouth Productions
Here is their internet site if you want to know more about them...
Link to NorthSouth Productions
http://www.northsouth.tv/
New York Documentary Television Production Company is seeking anthropologists or journalists or travel writers to host a new documentary TV series for a major cable network about tattoo culture around the world.
We are looking for someone who is attractive, smart, a guy's guy, adventurous, engaging, inquisitive. Someone who's up for anything, not afraid to get dirty, be in dangerous situations. Having a tattoo is a plus! This is someone who is driven by curiosity and can share the experience -- be it in Russian prison tattoo parlors or Puerto Rican gangs -- with an audience. He's not in it to get tattooed but is a
seeker with real world experience.
This is an opportunity to host a primetime cable tv series. Must be willing to travel. This could turn into a full-time job.
If you fit this description, please film yourself answering the following questions. Personality is key so have fun with this, while imparting intellect and curiosity. 5-10 minutes max. Shoot outdoors if possible. Waist up so I can see your face. Going for an outdoorsy look, not clean-cut, not too edgy.
Please email your clips (to amy@northsouth.tv) or overnight them to:
NorthSouth Productions
1140 Broadway, Ste 1201
New York, NY 10001
1. Your name, where you live
2. Your bio in brief - professional, education, hobbies
3. Travel experience -- where have you been overseas? Most memorable experience.
4. Show us your tattoos [if you have any]. Give a brief explanation of 2 of them. Why are you interested in tattoos? Or why are you interested in investigating cultures around the world?
5. What are you most passionate about? Give us a one-minute tutorial on the subject.
6. Have the camera follow you to go "interview" someone (could be someone a few feet away). Ask that person a few questions about a topic they know about.
7. Eat something spicy, sour, gross and react - tell us what it tastes like, feels like. Make us feel like we're experiencing it too.
Tape can be submitted via email, or hard copies on DVD, VHS, or Mini-DV formats. Materials will not be returned.
Must be received by Dec 10, 2007.
Thank you.
Amy Rapp | Head of Development
NorthSouth Productions
Here is their internet site if you want to know more about them...
Link to NorthSouth Productions
http://www.northsouth.tv/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)