Re: [tlug] Wifi hotspot access in Tokyo

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Raymond Wan writes:

 > I think the current Chinese leadership wants to clean up corruption
 > after many years of it being the norm (of course, they didn't use the
 > term "corruption" back then).

Of course they did.  *They just didn't admit that anybody in the New
Society was actually doing any such thing.*

In my experience (as already mentioned), in Japan rules are only
effective when they describe what incumbents are already doing.  Rules
that contradict established custom (or citizen convenience in the case
of traffic and parking regulations) are generally ignored unless
vigorously enforced -- and vigorous enforcement is rare (by public
authorities -- store trash cans are often defended from non-customers
with high decibel levels and occasionally brooms).

It's true that the lower levels of the Japanese bureaucracy are
wonderfully, even astonishingly uncorrupt.  It's basically not
possible to bribe public-facing public servants, and they certainly
don't demand "tips".  The higher levels, though, are a different
matter.  Bureaucratically arranged cartels, political contributions,
amakudari, school boards (not to mention teachers) ignoring (even
systematically covering up) "ijime": the list is just plain endless,
and just as thoroughly entrenched as the more cash-driven corruption
of certain other societies.