My Report from other modules-Implications on Buddhism as the Standard for Funeral Rituals in Japan

Introduction

              There was once a saying that religions in Japanese society have their functionality at different stages of life. “Born Shinto, die Buddhist” is a familiar Japanese saying. (Ikeuchi & Freund, 1995, p. 61)When a person is born, is recognized as a being under Shinto, as Japanese believe Shinto represents and celebrates life and light. On the contrary, when a person dies, the family members will arrange Buddhist funerals for him or her. This essay explores the implications of Buddhism as the standard for funeral rituals in Japan. I shall do so by introducing the Buddhist teachings on death and reincarnation, and following by how it can be applied to funeral practices. After that, I will evaluate why it is widely practiced in Japan, as well as the changes the original rituals to suit a modern day Japan’s cliente. Lastly, I will conclude by discussing their future role in Japan.

              My thesis for this paper is that, Buddhist funeral practices have deep historical roots and widespread application, where it will not be changed largely despite minor evolutions. Such comprehensive practices will not change in the future due to the need for respecting the ancestors in the same manner that has lasted till date.

Buddhist Teaching on Mortality and Rebirth

              Shaku claims that Buddhism teachings propogates immortality by teaching that a person’s life is not limited to their existence in this world, through actions in this world that measures their degree of kindness and moral righteousness they may obtain an eternal life even after death. (Shaku, 1907, p.1) Eternal life is thus represented by incarnation, which marks the end of this life and the beginning of the next with the deceased’s soul and virtues preserved in his reincarnation in a new vessel.

              Because of such belief where the life cycle lasts even after passing (Becker, 1993, p. 2), this made Japanese stop fearing death to the point that there are unique suicide rituals such as seppuku. People began engage in behaviors such as meditation to transcend materialistic and hedonistic behavior to help one attained enlightenment and freedom from the wheel of birth. In the Buddhist practice, some features and qualities of the deceased will be kept, and reborn into a new body or life form, or the person will achieve a state of nirvana. Nirvana means above the realms of life and death. (Becker, 1993, p. 2)

              The abovementioned teachings on death and afterlife helped shape the funeral services around Japan, albeit with local interpretations which evolved into multiple adaptations of Buddhist funeral rituals, such as varying schools include Tendai, Shingon, Jodo, Zen, Nichiren, and Shinran. Although some (Walter & Stone, 2008, p.247-258) argues that each school retains distinctive qualities in their practices, others (Kim, 2012, p.249) refutes that the uniqueness of funerals from different schools have diminished over time resulting in a compact, condensed and less complicated rituals.

Buddhist Practices after Death

Deathbed rituals focused on achieving the state of mind of Buddha Admida allows the dying to focus on their postmortem life. Such rituals were available since Heian era and promoted the belief that the spirit leaves the vessel, resulting in the loss of vitality (ki) which causes the body to resemble the medical state of death. (Walter & Stone 2008, p.61)

After the person dies, two primary services are done for the deceased by his or her close family members, sogi and kokubetsu-shiki. (Tsuji, 2006, p. 393) Sogi is the funeral rite that follows the Buddhist ritual of sending the deceased to the other world while kokubetsu-shiki is the occasion for family and friends (kumiai) to bid farewell for the deceased before cremation. The family members follow an elaborate set of procedures during the sogi so that the dead ancestors receive sufficient blessing from the living, followed by reincarnation in the world. Subsequently, the kokubetsu-shiki is held either at home or external funeral service centers, where it will be the last chance for people to see the deceased for the last time.

During the sogi process, incense is offered to the passed ancestors. Family members and friends put incense and flowers to the deceased’s death bed because incense offering is the core value and practice for showing respect to ancestors who passed away (Yagi, 1995, p. 394). Incense is both offered at the time of death as well as during the funeral itself by kindred and other attendees. Next, the deceased body will be encoffined (noukan) by encoffining professionals, involving washing the body from impurities (yukan), dressing up in suits or kimonos, and putting make-ups on the deceased. Afterward, the body will be placed in the casket, with several items signifying the importance of Buddhist rituals. Items include a pair of white socks, Buddhist prayer beads to be placed in the hands, six coins to be put in the deceased hands for crossing the Sanzu River, and items that the dead enjoy while alive such as candies. (Kim, 2012, p. 235)After the body is encoffined, the funeral or the kokubetsu-shiki can be proceeded. The dead also be conferred a Buddhist posthumous name (kaimyo) by the Nichiren priest at this stage, where the length of the kaimyo increases with prices. (Rowe, 2000)

At the beginning of the funeral service, an altar at the end of the room is set, with a photo of the deceased, an incense burner, and a freshly cooked bowl of rice with a pair of chopsticks at the center, and some flowers and contributions. A priest will chant sutra while guests are entering the funeral room. When all arrives, there will be condolences speeches and mourning by family and friends, and followed by shoko, the chanting and incense burning ceremony. (Tsuji, 2006, pp. 393-395) The funeral service will then end here.

After this, shukkan begins where the coffin lid will be opened for viewing by guests for the last time. People can add-in the deceased’s favorite items into the coffin, where at the same time each attendee will put in a flower. The ritual will be finished after everyone has paid their respect to the deceased, and the lid of coffin will be sealed. The coffin will later be transported to the crematorium for cremation. Last part of the funeral is the bone picking (kotsu-age) using chopsticks into the urn, marking the end of the entire process.

Therefore, the whole set of funeral rituals does not only serve the purpose of bidding farewell to the dead, but also signals each procedure that the deceased will eventually and successfully depart from this world to eternity. The procedures also explain Buddhist teaching in mortality, where the after works done by kumiai and the priest are crucial in receiving transcendence of spirits to the eternity. Without the correct formalities and processes, the soul of the deceased may remain in the same world that would bring harm and hardship to the family. (Walter & Stone, 2008, p.248)

Reasons for extensive applications in Japan

              Significantly, Walter and Stone (2008, p.247) pointed out a surprising fact that more than 65% of Japanese say they are atheists and only will go to Buddhist temples for memorial services dedicated to their deceased relatives. However, 94% of Japanese including this group of non-believers will still conduct Buddhist rituals at funerals. It is interesting that the prominent and ubiquitous existence of Buddhism in funerals are not considered by Japanese as some new practices and rituals, given the fact that Japan is a secular society as the people believe.

              Walker and Stone (2008, p.247) also explained, historically, the reason for 94% of Japanese to choose Buddhist rituals at funerals is the establishment of danka system through the household system. There were more Buddhist temples being built between mid-fifteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries, and it became compulsory for households to register with local temples. The relationship between families and temples was called danka, which was also certified by the Tokugawa government. Funerals were naturally conducted at family’s affiliated temples, and people only had one option for doing so. As the result, the danka system was more strengthened, and the relationship between households and temples grew stronger. Buddhist rituals at funerals also became dignified by the Tokugawa regime. Other religion’s practices also amalgamated into Buddhist practices and teachings, where they gradually changed into different sects of Buddhism’s. Since the history of Buddhist funerals can be traced back to centuries ago, many Japanese in modern days will also follow the same rituals passed on by their ancestors. Doing so, it can ensure the ancestors are honored according to the rituals at their deaths, and also it will ensure the posthumous well-being of the ancestors’.

From the author’s point of view, Buddhism serves to balance out the social need by providing funeral rituals as compared to Shintoism. (Ikeuchi & Freund, 1995, p.61) As such, Buddhist values and practices bring wellbeing and eternity to the deceased as compared to Shinto beliefs. Therefore, Buddhism has gained its dominance in death rituals by compensating the gap left by Shinto gods’ worship that avoids from death for fear of pollution. (Walter & Stone, 2008, p.6)

In addition to the results of beliefs in afterlife and incarnation, the societal attitude towards deaths meant more than losing loved ones in this world. Since the general public makes sense of the conception of immortality and eternity, it seems relatively easier to accept the fact that their loved ones are dead. Deaths no longer appear as eulogies and sentimental, but it signifies the new journey for the deceased at either the nirvana or to reincarnate back into this world with some same characteristic traits. Therefore, as a result of the existence and widespread conceptualization of Buddhist teaching at mortality, almost all Japanese practice Buddhist funerals as they guarantee eternity. To the families and friends, the fact that the dead is not in fact ending his or her journey indefinitely also serves as a comforting factor for losing loved ones.

Changes in Buddhist rituals to meet societal needs            

The modern Japanese society has largely transformed its default practices of funerals into one that is economically viable and less time-consuming. As mentioned, there are much simplifications and condensations of procedures and rituals during funerals, which include moving of venue from temples to one’s homes.

Buddhist priests were the core commanding role of funerals. In modern day’s context, professional funeral services sogiya handles the funeral from beginning to end instead. In addition, the simplification of procedures also faced criticisms where people do not practice authentic and traditional rituals as described by Buddhist teachings, that funeral services merely conduct their version of cost-efficient funerals with Buddhist colorings. (Walter & Stone, 2008, p.276)  

Notably, at the time of passing away, the deceased is granted a posthumous name by the priest, known as kaimyo. Kaimyo’s usual length is of two characters, but the length can be increased with more money paid to the priest or temple. By having a kaimyo, the deceased’s life can be illustrated by having the kaimyo to conjure an image of his or her life, in a Buddhist manner that it is engraved on the tomb and home altar butsudan. The deceased can be then remembered everlastingly, by implying that the deceased is not excluded from regular communication with the existing members of his home. (Walter & Stone, 2008, p. 300) However, there has been a trend of increasing beliefs that posthumous name is not necessary at all, some 32.9 percent of parishioners responded to a research. (Walter & Stone, 2008, p. 301)As they believe that granting of kaimyo has become too commercialized, this is one of the main components that has been cut down in contemporary funerals.

Many believed that the shortened funeral services would never allow the deceased to receive proper enlightenment from the Buddha, and in turn tranquilly expedite to the eternity. However, given in today’s fast pace society where cost-efficiency and time-efficiency play the greatest role in people’s living, traditional funerals that consume money and time, as well as mobilization of relatives from elsewhere, would not be viable for many. (Walter & Stone, 2008, p.263)

Nevertheless, Buddhist rituals have already become the social norm, and the practice can be said to be unshakably rooted in the Japanese society, albeit with variations from different sects. The minor modifications on rituals reflect the social values and anthropological changes but should not be considered as deviating from the traditional practices and nor have incomplete effects of transcending. As long as the basic structures and core procedures do not change, the funeral services would still be as meaningful, and the dead would still receive peaceful enlightenment into eternity. (Walter & Stone, 2008, p.277)

             

Future Role of Buddhist Funerals

Transformations in the society will continue to lead to minor changes in funeral practices for practical reasons. The younger generation who receive less information and education on Buddhist teachings and understanding of death may not fully understand the rituals and their implications to the deceased as well as to the family as a whole. In the future, there might be even more simplified and compacted funerals due to incapability of understanding the rituals. As the younger generations witness and experience more funerals, knowledge and implications can at least be imparted.

Still, funerals with Buddhist colors have already become the social norm, whether or not the funeral itself is performed by traditional Buddhist priests or funeral services. The core values and purpose of funerals will not change mainly due to high ancestral influences and family bonding, where the next generations need to apply Buddhist funeral practices voluntarily or involuntarily as a mean to worship deceased relatives and their lost loved ones in the future. Therefore, the funeral practices in Buddhist context will continue even in next generations.

Conclusion

              The funerals in Buddhist context has strengthened family bonding by allowing living members not to forget the deceased ones with optimistic attitudes. Due to the prevalence of Buddhist funerals, many families believe that their deceased relatives have already been transcended into eternity or have incarnated somewhere in this world. Therefore, the society will incline their attitude into a higher degree of acceptance of Buddhist funerals from the past and the present.

              All in all, Buddhist funerals gave Japanese the most comforting and relieving process of enduring the loss of loved ones. However, at the same time, families would need the Buddhist rituals to be continued as remembered by off springs forever. That is also the reason, that Buddhist funerals are the default practices of funerals in Japan.

END

REFERENCES

Becker, C. (1993). Breaking the Circle: Death and the Afterlife in Buddhism. Southern Illinois University.

Ikeuchi, F., & Freund, A. (1995). Japanese Buddhist Hospice and Shunkō Tashiro. Buddhist-Christian Studies, Vol. 15 (1995), pp. 61-65.

Kim, H. (2012). The Purification Process of Death: Mortuary Rites in a Japanese Rural Town. Asian Ethnology, Vol. 71, No. 2 (2012), pp. 225-257.

Murakami, K. (2000). Changes in Japanese Urban Funeral Customs during the Twentieth Century. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 27, No. 3/4, Mortuary Rites in Japan (Fall, 2000), pp. 335-352.

Rowe, M. (2000). Stickers for Nails: The Ongoing Transformation of Roles, Rites, and Symbols in JapaneseFunerals. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 27, No. 3/4, Mortuary Rites in Japan (Fall, 2000), pp. 353-378.

Shaku, S. (1907). THE BUDDHIST CONCEPTION OF DEATH. The Monist, Vol. 17, No. 1 (January, 1907), pp. 1-5.

Tsuji, Y. (2006). Mortuary Rituals in Japan: The Hegemony of Tradition and the Motivations of Individuals. Ethos, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Sep., 2006), pp. 391-431.

Walter, M. N., & Stone, J. I. (2008). Death and the Afterlife in Japanese Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.

Yagi, D. (1995). Protestant Perspectives on Ancestor Worship in Japanese Buddhism: The Funeral and theBuddhist Altar. Buddhist-Christian Studies, Vol. 15 .

Reflection on Presentation

Surprisingly, I received high acclamation by Brad and peers. Frankly speaking, the presentation was delivered under the influence of hangover. After I have made the slides and a few rehearsals, I went drinking. I apologize for the misbehavior the night before the presentation, as I could have performed better than the actual presentation. I forgot my lines even at points I looked at cue words on the slides, and I stuttered a lot because of my half-consciousness. Despite my severe physical conditions, I was able to deliver a heartfelt speech with a high level of engagement with audiences.

I tend to imitate people. During my preparation for this speech, I was obsessed and hooked with the charisma and persuasiveness of two personnel. I admit that I have learned much from these persons when delivering speeches, and I do find them highly entertaining and convincing. Firstly, from the movie Wolf of Wall Street, the character Jordan Belfort casted by Leonardo DiCaprio was able to grasp people’s attention and reaction, as if he was trying to put into the shoe of his audiences. His sales talks, where he displayed confidence and strong call to action, have influenced me to do the same, by delivering a clear message to audiences. Secondly, Cai Jing, the Chinese independent journalist who used her funds in making a documentary about air pollution in China, which it later is filmed and broadcasted globally. Her stance as a mother, and her delivery as telling an important truth to people, and lastly her sincerity has made me touched deeply. Her speech influenced me to deliver a speech where the content can closely link to everyone, can set people thinking and can leave a substantial impact on the audiences.

Overall, I believe I could have done better if I was not under the influence of alcohol. I knew the presentation was enjoyable as long as I saw the reactions and attentions from audiences’ faces. I also find it enjoyable to have an opportunity to engage them.

Problem Solution Essay Draft 4

Liang Zijian, Essay Draft 4

Social media has become increasingly important around the world and especially to Japanese teenagers. Popular social media in Japan such as Twitter, mixi, and GRee (have) become major platforms for these teenagers to engage actively in. A white paper published by Ministry of Home Affairs & Communications in 2011 discovered that 71.2 percent of teenagers in Japan use one or more social media platforms. (Ministry of Home Affairs & Communications, 2011) The same white paper shows that 73.7% of social media users use social media for the purpose of searching and communicating with strangers with similar interests. This white paper shows that there is a high proportion of teenage social media users who are susceptible to risks of falling into traps set by strangers. Other than communicating with people with similar interests, teenagers also tend to use social media to engage in deeper level communications with acquaintances. As a result of such a high dependency on social networks for communication and such willingness to engage in communication with strangers, Japanese teenagers have become more prone to the dangers brought by online predators. The susceptibility of Japanese teenagers to the dangers of social media lies in the loose regulation of the Internet environment. Further education and warning by parents and schools should be implemented to raise the level of alertness of teenagers.

Teenagers use social media to communicate. Due to the availability of free chat functions on these platforms, the media became sexually tainted. As a result, sex crimes such as compensation dating and rapes arise from over-dependency on social media for communication. In addition to social media, Deai-kei site, or dating web services in English, have not been regulated by Information authorities so as to protect teenage users. Within the process of chatting with strangers online, some teenagers are convinced to reveal their personal information and to meet these strangers. According to Inoue (2010), there are more than 1000 teenage victims of sex crimes each year in Japan, to the extent that government regulations have to be implemented to reduce this tragic number. The root of the problem lies in the insufficiency of education on risks of social media as well as a floppy and casual attitude towards underage sex.

Social media sites are being used for dating purposes in many cases, and victims usually are unaware of the risks they might face. Therefore, regulation enforcement against social media usage should be implemented especially for teenagers. One way to do so is to implement registration by real names and particulars of social media sites where free-chat functions are allowed. Having users’ particulars registered will further allow monitoring bodies to ensure that the internet environment is safe for teenagers. If users register themselves with real particulars, law enforcement authorities such as police and the Ministry of Home Affairs & Communication can track down any inappropriate conversations in preventing criminal activities against teenagers. Implementing such regulations can at least bring any offenders to justice and can at least rescue the victim before anything worse could happen. However, the setback of this system is that individuals can use fake particulars to register online for SNS services. Tracking might also be difficult when users register with false addresses or other people’s addresses. A higher level of security can also be suggested by requiring parents’ or guardians’ information such as their driver’s license numbers or credit card numbers. There will always be loopholes in monitoring online activities, and there will be criticisms on privacy intrusions. For a safer internet environment for teenagers, such measures are necessary to a large extent. 

The Chinese government monitors its internet contents extensively in fear of political unrest, and Japan could use the same method in warning teenage users against potential dangers. In China, websites, instant messaging services such as QQ and WeChat, and online forums have been carefully monitored by the government. (Carsten et al., 2013) When there are sensitive keywords such as money, remittance, or political words appearing in the content, the system automatically detects the keyword and warns users against potential threats. If this system is introduced in Japan across all social media and phone applications, teenagers could be warned against possible sex crimes. Inoue(2010) pointed out that there was the case of a victim aged 16 years old being asked to send nude photos of herself to a stranger in exchange for in-game coins for popular application GRee in Okayama Prefecture, violating the law of child pornography prohibition. Such conversation exchange should have been stopped before the dignity of the girl was ruined by such a pervert. Therefore, the act of exploitation of freedom by suspicious ones must be curbed in reducing victim numbers of teenage sex crimes.  

Even though hard measures are being implemented, the root of the social media susceptibility occurring among teenagers lies in education. School and parental education for Japanese teenagers can focus on risks of using social media sites, with emphasis on how to identify hints or invitations to these activities. There is a need to alert teenage users that social media sites contain more risks beyond communicating only, and education on the prevention of leakage of personal information is necessary as well. Information-technology and Promotion Agency in Japan have warned teenage users on how to prevent risks, such as not revealing personal information and set higher security level. (IPA, 2014) The agencies also provide support in case a tragedy happens. Although there is education on the national level, parental and school levels are insufficient. In Japan, non-governmental organizations which promote SNS safety are active outside campus, but the penetration rate amongst students may be a big question mark.

Furthermore, there is insufficient education (in Japan amongst teenagers) on correct attitudes towards sex. Many Japanese teenagers consider that it is normal and acceptable to be engaged in sexual activities at their age. Suzui et al. (2006) found that 77.2% of high school girls view sexual activities being acceptable. If teenagers do not treasure their bodies and safety, (social media) sex seekers will have a greater chance in preying upon them. Teenagers need to know that the casualness of sex will lead to more significant problems such as law breaking, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancies. All in all, there should be higher level of education at a closer life proximity with teenagers by both parents and schools.

In conclusion, regulations and educational programs should work together in order to compensate the shortcoming of each other concerning reducing the danger of social media usage by teenagers. While government regulations and monitoring can reduce new cases of teenage sex crimes, education from young can instill a sense or alertness at a massive scale that future or existing social media users will know how to protect themselves against the dangers presented by sex predators.

[1101 words]

REFERENCES

CARSTEN, P., & ROSE, A. (2013, December 11). China's hot messaging app WeChat may be good news for censors. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/11/us-china-censorship-tencent-idUSBRE9BA16M20131211

Information-technology and Promotion Agency. (2014). Higai ni attara [In case there is a crime] (2014), Information-technology and Promotion Agency Japan. Retrieved from http://www.ipa.go.jp/security/kokokara/accident/

Inoue, O. (2010, December 8). SNS wo nayamasu Deai kei mondai no Shinen, Hi-deaikei no higai jidosu wa saiaku suijun he [Abyss of troubles from SNS dating services, child victims numbers from non-dating websites increased to worst levels]. Nikkei Keizai News. Retrieved from http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO19323130T01C10A2000000/

Ministry of Home Affairs & Communications. (2011). Sosyaru media no riyoujyouhou: Heisei 23 nen ban, jyouhou tsushinhakusho [Usage on social media, white paper 2011 version] Ministry of Home Affairs & Communications Japan. Retrieved from http://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/whitepaper/ja/h23/html/nc232310.html

Suzui, E., & Hiraoka, A. (2006). Attitudes towards sexuality among high school students in Japan. Kawasaki Journal of Medical Welfare, 12(2), ____89-96. Retrieved from http://www.kawasaki-m.ac.jp/soc/mw/journal/en/2007-e12-2/05_suzui.pdf

Critical Reflection on The Role of Peer and Tutor Feedback

During the course of ES1102, I received lots of help from my peers and Brad. Peers and Tutor’s feedback in comments, works’ editing, and even everyday speaking provide me lots of opportunities to imitate. I believe imitation is also a good way of practicing a language, for non-English first language speakers like me. I learned English in a structural manner back in primary school, namely vocabularies, grammars and sentence structures. Thus, imitation is a similar process of learning like what I have done in the past. Even though that peer’s feedback might not be entirely correct, as they are currently in our same English class seeking an improvement in their English proficiency, I was confident that they were better than me. I believe my peers have taken the responsibility to provide responsible and legit feedback.

As I have mentioned at the beginning of this course, I am at the bottleneck of my English learning journey. Each time I write my essays and do in-class activities, I do still felt stuck at my language processing. I have to construct the sentences in my brain for few seconds prior to speaking out or to writing on documents. Therefore at each time I write an assignment, I tend to go through peers and tutor’s feedback thoroughly, tried very hard to break down the elements in their comments and tried hard to apply in my writings. Moreover, I imitate others’ writing by looking at each of their blogs so that my final products could at least be produced at a better quality. After reading through others’ blog posts, I find all their writings are superior to mine in terms of complexity, accuracy and organization. I did feel extremely frustrated about my deteriorating proficiency in English especially during English class.

However, Brad was extremely patient in showing me on how to rectify my silly mistakes each time. His comments and suggestions on the word document were so helpful that I immediately realized my mistakes and be able to finally know what I have been committing so far. Brad’s critical feedback including grammatical errors, contents, essay organization and even citation formats, made me realized how badly I have done but at the same time I know exactly how to improve. I might not be able to score as high as others, but this course has allowed me to realize my mistakes and to correct them before entering the society as a worker. The writing skills and analytic skills where we were repeatedly trained during our class activities, and assignments were extremely helpful in making my expressions clearer. Brad mentioned that I was able to speak normally while making perfect senses, yet my writing has crippled my expression abilities by hindering others to understand my ideas. As the course goes along, I found my writing has become more understandable, and I can better illustrate my ideas. I am grateful for Brad’s detailed teaching, and I earned my most benefits from this course. 

Reader's Response Draft 4

According to the article “The Perils of Over-sharing in Social Networks” by Emm (2014), Internet security has effects on many aspects in our lives. Many people feel uncomfortable about being monitored by authorities. Since the Internet has become an integral part of our lives, this has made us susceptible to threats due to high accessibility of personal data. Emm emphasized that posting on social media has more detrimental effects than simply revealing one’s daily life to others, where such revealing acts sometimes can have detrimental effects that turn against oneself. Furthermore, the author believes that in a corporate context, over-sharing can lead to leakage of business information, thus posing a threat to an organization’s survival and profitability. However, there are several steps that social media users can take to reduce vulnerability to threats where Emm suggested in this article.

Social networks have become the main platforms for many people to interact with each other. Yet there are social problems in relation to social media more influential and more prominent than data security issues, which Emm (2014) did not address. Emm talks about risks of manipulating personal data for those who over-share. Besides the chat function, there are many attractive status sharing functions such as checking-in, tagging and liking, which have been manipulated and exploited for unlawful or undesired purposes. Emm (2014) pointed out, for example, revealing one’s current location in a night club with a group of friends by tagging photos or checking-in locations, or making it known to people that one is not at home. Potential criminals who know about the home locations of such a person might pay a secret visit, resulting in burglaries and even robberies in real life cases. Hong Kong’s Occupy Central movement student protest leader Joshua Wong shared his home location, and later many angry anti-occupation individuals surrounded his home and threatened his mother’s safety. From this, it is inevitable that Internet data can be stored indefinitely and it would be manipulated. Therefore, stressing the urgency and importance of protection on personal data by reducing the information shared.

Over-sharing might also jeopardize work confidentiality and sometimes even reliability. Office workers who share their office views will expose their work place location, structures and layouts, revealing to the public the internal view of offices. This is undesired since many firms are unwilling to impart any impressions other than marketed advertisements to the public. The public might be skeptical about the reliability of a company since sharing photos from a workplace does not seem professional at all. Furthermore, many would end a day’s hard work by uploading a photo with their work desk at the background. Some could be unaware of the stack of files and papers behind, from which certain technologies can easily encode the actual information. Hackers only need small pieces of information to access a company’s databases, thus resulting in leakage of business information. In all, simple actions such as posting online could create unimaginable potential risks, which could be leveraged and resulting in losses. Though the strict Internet access control and protocol of use of technology could effectively curb sharing in work places by implementing a blockade of social networking sites, the seriousness of undesired outcomes by over-sharing still needs to be emphasized, especially in work places.

At the same time, more prominent social problems are found related to over-sharing in social media, which has become a bigger concern of many families. In order to gain recognition of who we are and what we do, many people, especially teenagers, over-share to gain attention from online friends. Greenberg (2013) believes that teens should learn to be in the moment by interacting face-to-face with peers, instead of sharing everything online that could jeopardize their verbal communication skills. If teenagers believe that self-esteem and recognition are gained only by sharing, such wrong world views could lead to potential mental health problems. Klein (2014) pointed out that a girl who committed suicide after getting obsessed with taking selfies, and also cases where increasing number of teenagers engage in drug use and violence. These cases reflect the consequences of oversharing on the Internet, and subsequent intake of information without any guidance and filter. Greenberg (2013) also discovered that online social platforms are exclusive places for users themselves that they have very limited opportunities to interact with others. Over-reliance as a result of over-sharing on online platforms might gradually transform users to become socially awkward since they become used to sharing information online instead of in real life.

In all, the author provides an insight of dangers arise from over-sharing. Besides personal and corporate data risks, the society should also be more aware of detrimental social problems that could harm everyone who uses social networks.

References

Emm, D. (2014). The perils of over-sharing in social networks. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/david-emm/the-perils-of-over-sharing-in-social-networks_b_5005276.html.

Greenberg, B. (2013, June 20). 8 Problems with Teens and Social Media. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-greenberg/8-problems-with-teens-social-media_b_3472816.html

Klein, S. (2014, May 7). Is Social Media Dependence A Mental Health Issue? Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/07/social-media-mental-health_n_5268108.html

Essay Draft 3

Social media has become increasingly important to Japanese teenagers. Popular social media in Japan such as Twitter, mixi, and GRee become major platforms for these teenagers to actively engage in. A white paper published by Ministry of Home Affairs & Communications in 2011 discovered that 71.2 percent of teenagers in Japan use one or more social media platforms. In the same white paper, it shows that 73.7% of social media users use social media for the purpose of searching and communicating with strangers with similar interests. This white paper shows that there is a high proportion of teenage social media users are susceptible to risks of falling into traps set by strangers. Other than communicating with people with similar interests, teenagers also tend to use social media to engage in deeper level communications with acquaintances. As a result of such a high dependency on social networks for communication, Japanese teenagers became more prone to the dangers brought by online predators. The susceptibility of Japanese teenagers against dangers of social media lies in loose regulation of the Internet environment. In addition, further education and warning should be implemented to raise the level of alertness of teenagers.

Teenagers use social media to communicate. Due to the availability of free chat functions on these platforms, the media became sexually tainted. As a result, sex crimes such as compensation dating and rapes arise from over-dependency on social media for communication. In addition to social media, Deai-kei site, or dating web services in English, have not been regulated so as to protect teenage users. Within the process of chatting with strangers online, some teenagers are convinced to reveal their personal information and to meet these strangers. According to Inoue (2010), there are more than 1000 teenage victims each year in Japan that government regulations have to be implemented to reduce this tragic number. There have been strict institutional enforcement of usage and social media users monitoring. The root of the problem lies in the insufficiency of education on risks of social media as well as floppy attitude towards underage sex.

Law and regulation enforcement against social media usage should be implemented especially for teenagers. One way to do so is to implement registration by real names and particulars in social media sites where free-chat functions are allowed. If users register themselves with real particulars, law enforcement bodies such as police and the Ministry of Home Affairs & Communication can track down any inappropriate conversations in preventing criminal activities against teenagers. In addition, users with particulars registered will allow monitoring bodies to ensure that the internet environment is safe for teenagers. Social media sites are being used for dating purposes in many cases, and victims usually are unaware of the risks they might face. Implementing such regulations can at least bring any offenders to justice and can at least rescue the victim before anything worse could happen. However, the setback of this system is that individuals can use fake particulars to register online for SNS services. Tracking might also be difficult when users register with fake addresses or other people’s addresses. A higher level of security can also be suggested by requiring parents’ or guardians’ information such as their driver’s license numbers or credit card numbers. There will always be loopholes in monitoring online activities, and there will be criticisms on privacy intrusions. For a safer internet environment for teenagers, such measures are necessary to a large extent. 

The Chinese government monitors its internet contents extensively in fear of political unrest, and Japan could use the same method in warning teenage users against potential dangers. In China, websites, instant messaging services such as QQ and WeChat, and online forums have been closely monitored by the government. When there are sensitive keywords such as money, remittance, or political words appearing in the content, the system automatically detects the keyword and warn users against potential threats. If this system is being introduced in Japan across all social media and phone applications, teenagers could be warned against potential sex crimes. Inoue(2010) pointed out that there was a case of a victim aged 16 years old being asked to send nude photos of herself to a stranger in exchange for in-game coins for popular application GRee in Okayama Prefecture, violating the law of child pornography prohibition. Such conversation exchange should have been brought down before the dignity of the girl was ruined by such a pervert. Although the West will heavily criticize that such strict control of the internet is violating the spirit of freedom, the act of exploitation of freedom by suspicious ones must be curbed. 

Even though hard measures are being implemented, the root of the social media susceptibility occur in teenagers lies in education. School and parental education on Japanese teenagers can focus on risks of using social media sites, with emphasis on how to identify hints or invitations to these activities. There is a need to alert teenage users that social media sites contain more risks behind communicating only, and education on prevention of leakage of personal information is necessary as well. Information-technology and Promotion Agency in Japan has warned teenage users on how to prevent risks, such as not revealing personal information and set higher security level. The agencies also provide support in case of tragedy happens. Although there are education on the national level, but parental and school levels are insufficient. In Japan, third-party organizations which promote SNS safety are active outside campus, but the penetration rate amongst students may be a big question mark.

Furthermore, there is insufficient education on correct attitudes towards sex. Many Japanese teenagers consider that it is normal and acceptable to be engaged in sexual activities at their age. Suzui et al. (2006) found that 77.2% of high school girls view sexual activities being acceptable. If teenagers do not treasure their bodies and safety, sex seekers will have a greater chance in preying upon them. Teenagers need to know that the casualness of sex will lead to greater problems such as law breaking, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancies. All in all, there should be a greater level of education at a closer life proximity with teenagers.

In conclusion, regulations and educations should work together in order to compensate the shortcoming of each other with regard to reducing the danger of social media usage by teenagers. While government regulation and monitoring can reduce new cases of teenage sex crimes, education from young can instill a sense or alertness at a massive scale that future or existing social media users will know how to protect themselves against the dangers presented by sex predators.

[1101 words]

References

Inoue, O. (2010, December 8). SNS wo nayamasu Deai kei mondai no Shinen, Hi-deaikei no higai jidosu wa saiaku suijun he [Abyss of troubles from SNS dating services, child victims numbers from non-dating websites increased to worst levels]. Nikkei Keizai News. Retrieved from http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO19323130T01C10A2000000/

Ministry of Home Affairs & Communications. (2011). Sosyaru media no riyoujyouhou: Heisei 23 nen ban, jyouhou tsushinhakusho [Usage on social media, white paper 2011 version] Ministry of Home Affairs & Communications Japan. Retrieved from http://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/whitepaper/ja/h23/html/nc232310.html

Information-technology and Promotion Agency. (2014). Higai ni attara [In case there is a crime] (2014), Information-technology and Promotion Agency Japan. Retrieved from http://www.ipa.go.jp/security/kokokara/accident/

Suzui, E., & Hiraoka, A. (2006). Attitudes towards Sexuality among High School Students in Japan. 12(2007 89-96), 1-1. Retrieved from http://www.kawasaki-m.ac.jp/soc/mw/journal/en/2007-e12-2/05_suzui.pdf

Problem-Solution Essay Draft 2

Sex crime such as compensation dating, pornography and rapes, these are the most disturbing tragedies that every parent in Japan wish to prevent on their children. 71.2 percent of teenagers (Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communication, 2011) at their tens actively engage in activities on social media platforms. Prominent social media in Japan such as GRee, mixi, Mobage and DeNA, become major platforms for these teenagers to be actively engaged in, as such the risks of crime as result of high degree of usage have come into the spotlight for social concern. In addition to social media, Deai-kei site, or dating web services in English, have not been regulated against teenage users. At the process of chatting with online strangers, teenagers are convinced to meet strangers and thus making them susceptible to threats. There are more than 1000 teenage victims each year in Japan (Nikkei, 2010), which government regulations have to come into effect to reduce this tragic number. However, even though strict institutional enforcement on usage and SNS users monitoring, the root of problems lie at the insufficiency of education on risks of social media as well as attitude towards sex.

Law and regulation enforcement against social media usage should be implemented especially against teenagers. To do so, one way is to implement registration by real-names and particulars in social media sites where they free-chat functions are allowed. For users to be registered with real particulars, law enforcement bodies such as police and Ministry of Home Affairs & Communication can track down any inappropriate conversations involving teenagers and potential sexual activities seekers. In addition it can ensure that an internet environment has been monitored in protecting against teenagers. Social media sites are being used for dating purposes in many cases, and victims usually are unaware of the risks they might face. By implementing such a hard measure can at least bring any offenders into justice, and can at least rescue the victim before anything worse could happen. However, the setback of this system is that individuals can use fake particulars to register online SNS services, particularly in Japan where there isn’t a system of national identity registration. Tracking might also be difficult when users register with fake addresses or other people’s addresses. It might seem impossible to urge Japan to introduce a nationals identity registration system like other countries such as Korea, China and Singapore, yet a higher level of security can be done by requiring information such as driver’s license number or credit card numbers. There will always be loopholes in monitoring online activities, and there will be criticisms on privacy intrusions. Yet for a safer internet environment for teenagers, such measures are necessary to a large extent. 

The Chinese government monitored its internet contents extensively at each words in fear of political unrest, and Japan could use the same method in warning teenage users against potential dangers. In China, websites, instant-messaging services such as QQ and WeChat, and online forums have been closely monitored by the government. When there are sensitive keywords such as money, remittance, political words appear in the content, the system automatically detects the keyword and warn users against potential threats. If social networks could introduce this system in Japan, teenagers could be warned against potential sex crimes. There was a case of a victim aged 16 years old, being asked to send nude photos of herself to a stranger in exchange of in-game coins for popular application GRee, in Okayama Prefecture (Nikkei, 2010), violating the law of child pornography prohibition. Such conversation exchange should have been brought down, before the dignity of the girl being ruined by such pervert. Therefore, although it will be heavily criticized by the west that such strict control on internet is violating the spirit of freedom, yet the act of exploitation of freedom by suspicious ones must be curbed. 

Even though hard measures could have been implemented, the root of SNS susceptibility of teenagers lies in education. School and parental education can focus on risks of using social media sites, with emphasis on how to identify hints or invitations on these activities. There is a need to alert teenage users that social media sites contain more risks behind communicating only, and education on prevention on leakage of personal information is needed as well. Information-technology and Promotion Agency (IPA) has warned teenage users on how to prevent risks, such as not revealing personal information and set higher security level. The agencies also provided support in case of tragedy happens. Yet, there might have been education on the national level, but parental and school level is insufficient. In Japan, third-party organizations which promote SNS safety are active outside campus, but the penetration rate in students may be a big question mark. Furthermore, there is insufficient education on correct attitude towards sex. Many teenagers consider that it is normal and acceptable in engaged in sexual activities at their age, with persons they know or do not know. If teenagers do not treasure their bodies and safety, sex seekers will have greater chance in preying them. Teenagers need to know casualness of sex will lead to greater problems such as law breaking, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies. All in all, there should be a greater level on education at a closer life proximity with teenagers. 

In conclusion, hard and soft measures should work together in order to compensate the shortcoming of each other. While hard measures such as government regulation and monitoring can reduce new cases of teenage sex crimes, education from young can instill a sense or alertness at a massive scale that future or existing SNS users will know how to protect themselves against dangers. 

947 words

Reference

Inoue, O. (2010, December 8). ＳＮＳを悩ます「出会い系」問題の深淵　非出会い系の被害児童数は最悪水準へ. Retrieved from http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO19323130T01C10A2000000/

ソーシャルメディアの利用状況 ： 平成23年版 情報通信白書 [Usage on social media, white paper 2013 version] (2011), Ministry of Home Affairs & Communications (Japan)

被害に遭ったら [In case there is a crime] (2014), Information-technology and Promotion Agency (IPA) (Japan)