Japanese society going over to the 'Dark Side'
TOKYO ---- oooo ---- Illegal loan sharks who prey on increasingly desperate borrowers; rampant tax evasion; trolls in cyberspace who recruit group suicides or who serve as middlemen for prostitution by minors, or who arrange services of hitmen. Some sell their family registry data to abet sham marriages with foreigners. “Hakobiya” (mules) smuggle drugs and other illegal substances, assuming the risk of imprisonment for a round-trip ticket abroad and a pathetically small payout. - - - - - -oooo- - - - - - Biweekly magazine Sapio (Sept 9) takes up these and other matters in a 12-page special section titled “Writhing of the ‘Dark Society’ that is Swallowing up Japan.” The title and articles that follow imply Japan is becoming a society where the law of the jungle reigns. - - - - - -oooo- - - - - - The three-page story on tax evasion could well provide inspiration for a remake of “Marusa no Onna.” In fiscal 2008, the National Tax Agency charged companies and individuals with evas...