broken window theory (4-4-10)

For many, living alone in the rooms of one’s own is comfortable. As a perhaps yet institutionalized trend, fresh starters right after university and others move to Tokyo and spring into new living circumstances with utter freedom. The new home should come across as a peaceful sanctuary if there is no interruption.

For example, these guys can listen to loud music unless the sounds encroach upon the neighbors’ life; they can freely watch geek-oriented animation works which, using pedophilic attractions, sometimes bear criticism as inappropriate to regular adults; and they are free from being considerate to another’s behavior.

Perhaps true, the offered apartments/studios in Tokyo allow an isolated manner of living, to have formed a trend.

For the contributors to this trend, city life is even nicer as there are plenty of amusements outdoors. Some of which are socializing events, and when every person possesses self-esteem more or less and respects a moment of relaxation, to ask for a different posture from that at home, mutual consideration is the cornerstone for the upkeep of law and order.

Meanwhile, the public wears stricter eyes: the Internet and mobile devices like cellular phones are commonly used and enable information to spread quickly; and surveillance cameras with improved resolution are being installed at each corner in public places. In these circumstances, more people must behave conservatively, safe from being busted.

Surely, while the public security has thus been making its net larger and becoming more refined, that should be the basis to cull crimes in the burgeoning stage, following the broken-window theory: once the windows are broken, the building is rather vulnerable to being ruined.

Hide! Hide in your personal place! You have your own sanctum!

There was an adverse role model.

On July 23rd in 1989, Tsutomu Miyazaki was arrested in Hachioji, Tokyo. He was a cruel geek, to whatever extent typically, as evidenced by 5,763 videotapes fraught with animation contents, which were confiscated from his apartment through investigation.

He had committed serial crimes.

On August 22nd, 1988, he kidnapped and killed a four-year-old girl, and molested the dead yet rigid body; On October 3rd, 1988, he kidnapped and killed a seven-year-old girl, and immediately molested the dead body; On December 9th, 1988, he kidnapped a four-year-old girl and threw away her body in a forest deep on the mountain (her wholly naked corpse was found on December 15th); On June 6th, 1989, he kidnapped and killed a five-year-old girl. He sliced off the fingers of the dead body, grilled and ate them with soy sauce. He also drank her blood from a plastic bag. The dismembered corpse was found on the 11th; And on July 23, 1989, he was caught while committing molestation in Hachioji. (He was sentenced to death and later executed in 2008 when he was 45.)

It was just unfortunate that he had no close friends who would tell his odd behavior and that there were no surveillance cameras which would help arrest him earlier, to let him act as villainous as he was.

On the contrary, to be afraid of getting social defamation, with reputed security systems regular Japanese citizens may be regarded as relatively uniform--and cooperative--at a cost to exercising a strong set of characteristics. For such Japanese (if they are), it may be helpful in having in-person communication to be aware that leniency and gradually understanding one another must melt the fear about deepening a friendship and expanding the range of activities. At the same time, what is also important is, of course, to be mindful of and practice recommendable social manners in each situation.

An attempt to abruptly break the windows of someone’s privacy--beyond the limits of leniency--could excite a harsh payback. In this case, expressing an apology is just indispensable. Still, running a risk could start or develop a relationship. Let people bother each other.