The inhuman, unforgivable rape and murder of the young woman in India recently shows a clear difference between the respect accorded women in Japan and their treatment in what are emerging but still Third World cultures.
Hawaiian culture has respect for the goddess energy of women, young and old, but I also want to express some respect for men in Japanese culture as well as for a society that makes it safe for a young female executive to walk alone on a side street after midnight. A woman can stand alone on a metro station platform, her biggest fear being that her cellphone may run out of juice.
I have seen young children walking home alone from what must be a late-night class, and I look around more worried about the safety of the child than the child is. You would not see something like that in any city in the United States.
A society can be called advanced only according to its ability to feed, educate, protect and serve its people. Japan is an example to the world at a time when birthrates are a concern. It is important to realize that quantity is not a goal but rather the quality of the children being born and raised. Societal growth can happen only when there is, first, respect for the mother energy that is held in women and the land. From peace comes healing, and only then can there be growth and enlightenment.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.