Last year I wrote saying I had the answer to why there was no looting in Japan after the tsunami and earthquake. My answer? Taxi drivers. They personify the politeness and calm the Japanese are known for. Except for the one or two I've come across who have been not rude as much as unhelpful, I stand by my observation. While the "no looting at all" statement no longer holds water, that's not the point today.
If I know why politeness prevails in Japan, I also know why recovery in Tohoku is slow-going. Yes, that's a bold statement. I know. I also believe I'm right. The dots I've connected are not difficult to find. They're all over the place. Go talk to to any bureaucrat, go to government office and the place is covered in these dots.
Take today for example. I have my paperwork. For once. I'm at the license bureau to apply for my Japanese driver's license. The sign above where I take my papers reads "This is the busiest license office in Japan. Be prepared to wait two hours." Great.
My number is called. I hand them my US license, translation, passport, and Alien Registration card. The officer looks at my passport and sighs.
"This says you were issued this passport in March."
"Yes. My other passport was stolen." I hand over the police report outlining what was stolen and when.
"Ah, but this means you can't prove you've lived in the US for three consecutive months." He brings out a paper which says, of course, I must be able to show I've lived in the US for three consecutive months after having my license issued.
I go over what he said in my mind. Having a passport issued in March means I haven't lived in the US for three consecutive months? Ever? How does one reach this conclusion?
"We need something showing you've lived in the US for three consecutive months." Three consecutive months. Yeah. I got that part.
"Like what?"
"An electric bill. Your tax returns. A mortgage statement." None of which prove I've lived in the US for three consecutive months, mind you. I could live in London and file my taxes in the US. I could own a house in Boston but not live there. But, this is what they want. The rigidity and stupidity of these rules baffle me. There is no thinking outside the box.
"How about if I have someone from your headquarters call and vouch I've lived in the US for three consecutive months." I try not to be sarcastic. I do have a friend who can vouch for me. Clearly, this is not something the official's heard before. He calls over his supervisor. I repeat myself.
"But, how can he prove that?" I'm asked. As in, how can he prove I've lived in the States "better" than my electric bill? I know I won't win this one, either. They want what they want.
Having just completed the translation for Mayor Futoshi Toba's book, I'm reminded of something he wrote. In the immediate days following the tsunami last year when Rikuzentakata was in shambles, the city received a shipment of gasoline from the Self Defense Forces. The town had no electricity, little food, few locations with running water, no cell phone coverage, and certainly no operational gasoline stations. The gasoline would be used for cars as well trucks delivering much needed food to the evacuation centers where people were staying. When it came time funnel the gasoline into the vehicles, the Self Defense Force guys received instructions from higher up.
"You can't fuel the cars."
"Why?"
"Your job is to deliver. You don't have permission to actually put the fuel in the cars."
This, dear friends, is Japanese bureaucracy at its worst. The mayor had to go find someone with the proper license to handle "hazardous material" and call them over to put the fuel in the cars. When lives are at stake, this kind of adherence to rules, the lack of flexibility is inexcusable. Fighting cops over the protocol (albeit ridiculous) for a driver's license is one thing. Being told "you can't do that" because of regulations in place, which "sorry, can't be bent" is simply not okay in a time of crisis. This attitude and sentiment exists all throughout bureaucratic Japan, and this is a key factor in why it's taking so long for life in Tohoku to get back to normal.
This is a side of Japan I'm not fond of. Tomorrow I will go back and fight the cops who, today, wouldn't give me my license. If pushed, I will call my friend at headquarters. I will point out the absurdity over their rules. I will make them pick a regulation and stick to it, even if this means I have to make a stink about the inconsistency.
So, tonight I'm not happy. Tomorrow I will be. I will take so many documents they can't possibly prove otherwise. Three consecutive months? My ass.
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