Japan on Speed – Japan
April 1996
Slumped on the floor is a young woman. Not so long ago she tried to throw herself under a car. Now she faces hours of captivity in a padded cell. Her problem is drug abuse. Restless multitudes in Japan are addicted to amphetamines which dates back to World War II when authorities supplied soldiers, factory workers and nurses with stimulants to stretch the nation’s fighting capacity. Today the government is far from drug friendly. ‘Speed’ addicts are dealt with in two ways: they are either thrown into prison or into psychiatric hospitals. Tsuneo Kondo and Father Roy enheimer, reformed addicts have set up a refuge in a Tokyo back alley which has grown into a national self-help movement. The only rules are compulsory attendance at three daily meetings. But at the police drug enforcement division, Hiroto Yamazaki talks tough, “I do not care about rehabilitation because I see drug abusers as criminals.” In prison, addicts receive an overdose of discipline, in hospital they are heavily sedated and charged with electric shocks. Not surprisingly, Kondo worries that “without support they will die.”
Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures
Duration : 0:15:40
[youtube zuWbIHzLkH0]
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I probably was high …
I probably was high when I wrote that comment. I was making the point that just because something as of today is illegal it doesn’t mean you deserve being treated like any other criminal. If someone becomes violent arrest him and prosecute him in whatever way is just. Of course people get arrested for drug possession, jesus. I wouln’t call Japan a chaotic mess of a country but that’s not what I was saying either. I really don’t care about the exact phrasing of this documentary.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I hope you were …
I hope you were high when you typed your insane comparison of drug abusers with people who hid Jews from Nazis! This video calls Japan a “helter-skelter society.” Helter-skelter means headlong disorderly haste; haphazard manner; carelessly hurried; tumultuous; confusion. Japan is not helter-skelter! This video attacks Japan’s reasonable handling of drug abusers who are only arrested when they get violent, go berserk and/or commit other crimes. They are not arrested for drug abuse!
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
What makes someone …
What makes someone a criminal? Because he breaks a law? Would you consider those who hid jews from the nazis during in the 30s and 40s criminals? They broke the law. Just because something as of right now is illegal doesnt necessarily make you a criminal. Drug abusers don´t harm anyone but themselves, at least not intentionally. If drugabusers commit crimes to support their habbit, prosecute them for those crimes. Drug use is not a crime.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
our govmment say ` …
our govmment say `never do it!`that all.there no reason why.they always talking bullshit things about drugs.for exsample,it is same risk on weed or speed.and they gives heavy panishment on it. i don`t like speed actually but if i smoke one little joint and if i busted, i`ll lost everything and i`m on a newsshows and newspapers.anyway,over 30000 peoples kill themselves in a year and lots of case a murder and inflict bodily on a person by drunkers,it`s more serious things but gov nothing to do.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Again, I contend …
Again, I contend that, since enheimer says, “Wer’e powerless over taking drugs”, and his success rate is not provided, I suspect that he is only interested in condemning the Japanese government’s way of treating drug abuse. I’m sure his talk sessions are better than nothing, but only a stupid person would watch this and beleive he is doing better than the government without comparitive statistics. Does anyone know what Fr. enheimer’s success rate is at getting his patients off of drugs?
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
If you think Fr. …
If you think Fr. enheimer’s fatalistic comment, “Wer’e powerless over taking drugs”, and his not even making a rule about not taking drugs is better than the government treating criminals like criminals, telling me to not be stupid is funny. I stand by my observation.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
For various reasons …
For various reasons Japan has an extremely low crime rate overall, including drug use. The japanese like to follow the rules, simply, which is, of course, a good thing. What, as this short documentary states is insane is that the government officially claims that Japan has no drug problem what so ever and just sweeps the entire issue under the rug and have absolutely no aim or method as to get people clean. I’ve read number of about 2-3 million speed-users in japan, higher then one might think.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
So you mean that …
So you mean that the governments method of doing nothing what so ever probably is better then Father enheimers method of doing something? Don’t be stupid.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
A biased report …
A biased report with a trumped-up and dudious agenda that they un-subtly push, to the detriment of a realistic appraisal of the situation. HavingI lived in Japan I can’t help but applaud the government and individuals attitude to endeavouring to keep society together and clean. So what if their approaches are different to the west! In the UK we quite clearly haven’t got the miracle answer. Neither do we have the more mature social attitude of negativity toward drugs, that is prevalent in Japan.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
This leftist …
This leftist propaganda is just too much. Just because a country treats criminals like criminals and dont cuddle with them, its a bad country?
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
The yakuza must …
The yakuza must have iron balls. Japanese prisons are ridiculously brutal, easily comparable to 3rd world prisons.
I heard of one guy who was killed by having a fire house put up his . The guards said it was “self-inflicted”
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
The European …
The European Catholic priest’s solution is three meetings a day with no rules about not taking drugs. He said, “We’re powerless over taking drugs.” Warning! The West wants you to follow its example and put your drug abusers/criminals on a helpless-victims merry-go-round and tell them it’s not their fault they cannot control their own actions. Since the video doesn’t mention Father enheimer’s rehab success rate, I suspect the government has better results.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I was there in the …
I was there in the mid-late 90’s. I met quite a few people who did speed. Most of them were bored housewives.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
lol
lol
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I hear you. I come …
I hear you. I come from the chicago area in the states. Half of my friends sell shyt to hypes and zombies and i know killers who were aquitted, who really did it. My city needs a documentary forreal haha
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Its hard to know …
Its hard to know what the truth is. Facts or can be so easily manipulated through exaggeration or half truth.
I’ve seen several commends on these documentaries along the lines of them being full of lol. Could someone direct me to a better source of accurate and up to date cultural info? Besides actually going there of coarse. I would love t o but I cannot at the moment. : /
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
yes i was very …
yes i was very shocked to but the good thing with japan is that they are so much racist and nationalistic wich makes them take in very little foreigners if you look at europe its falling to islam so japan is outsmarted the world when it comes to politics (^.^)
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
In the UK I barely …
In the UK I barely know anyone who isn’t using one drug or another, or wouldn’t have a little bit if offered. Personally I occasionally smoke weed, a fact that all my Japanese friends find completely shocking, they say they’d never even seen drugs before coming to England. In conclusion, I don’t think drugs are as big a problem in Japan as this film makes out.
Dan
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
wow get back to the …
wow get back to the 21st century before you ever try to come to japan. I lived in japan and people like you are looked down on.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
wow there drug laws …
wow there drug laws seem pretty harsh. the electric shock therapy seem pretty cruel. but how else are you going to deal with a hallucinating speed addict. like how usa had a drug revolution in the 60’s 70’s i wonder how japan would deal with something like that or would somthing like ever happen
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
maybe Japan …
maybe Japan wouldn’t have a continued amphetamine abuse problem as bad as they do if they treated the addicts alittle different, rather than just throw them in a military like jail.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
i cant belive it i …
i cant belive it i tought japan would be like anime, cute shy girls,samarai cultural,
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
No kidding, The …
No kidding, The Amazing Disappearing Subtitles!
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
No subs, no dubs?
No subs, no dubs?
August 30th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Nice outfit, Yakuza …
Nice outfit, Yakuza guy.