I agree about the tower elevators. You only need one elevator!!!!

Yeah, living in a tower lends to many opportunities to complain!  If it's not the kids bouncing golf balls in the hall, it's parents who make their 5 year olds take out the trash to which they drag down the hall, elevator, and out to the dumpster, to which they just leave along the side because they are too short to open the hatch! Yelp, lots to complain about! I love being 40!!

What is Natto?? Just wondering thanks

No one offends me more than the poor behavior of Americans on and off base, no problems with our hosts what so ever.

Natto is fermented soybeans. Very nutritious and a good source of protein. Japanese people eat it often for breakfast with steamed rice. OBTW, it's appearance and odor may put you off at first but you can develop a liking for it.

Master Chief... I attribute it to American culture. I'm sure it's an eye-opener for plenty of people.

Posted By KeithJ on 10 Jan 2010 09:37 PM
Master Chief... I attribute it to American culture. I'm sure it's an eye-opener for plenty of people.

What do you mean "an eye-opener"? The fact that Americans are so different?  That our behavior is view as "bad" or "obnoxious"? I don't understand your post. Respectfully request an explaination.

I hate the traffic lights here in Japan. I live in Kamoi and on the drive home the lights never make any sense. I'm driving down the road and all of a sudden I hit a red light for no apparent reason. I would understand if the side street (mainly the stretch from PC Depot to the Shell Gas station past Maborikaigan) had people waiting to turn on to the main street, but there isn't.

I know in the states where I am from, the lights are sensor activated, especially where a lesser traveled street meets a main one. I just don't get the lights here in Japan, they make no sense.

In before you mention cross walks. If it's not a high volume area for pedestrians why make motorists stop every hundred feet to just sit and wait?

Nothing offends me much. When it does, I try to just laugh at the person or make jokes back at them.

Where can I start?????????????????

Some one mentioned Y plates on Cars........OPSEC???????????????? Kind of lets people know who the car belongs to, doesn't it.

Excessive MLC and IHA employees dictating their version of policy on our military installations where they work. Example the base housing offices which seem to still send as many people off base as possible while still leaving many empty on base housing units open. Good way to drum up business for the local community. Who's hand is getting buttered??????

Know from directly seeing both sets that there are two different sets of driving laws and get this....both are held on the military installations, but I won't say where. Depending on whether they really want to stick it to you or not, will help them decide which set to use.


Ahhhh, and I have previously posted about our wonderful commisaries and PX/BX's that just do not want to ensure that blackmarketing is not going on in their facilities. No ID checks until the register.....uhmmmmm, but only if you do not look asian or like you have sofa status. I proved this with my wife. I always have to show my ID....they always ask. My wife who happens to be Japanese went to the register alone and they did not ask her for an ID. Imagine that. It is, you know, pretty obvious when an older asian woman is pushing around a shopping cart with over 50 ribeye stakes.


I also do not care for the lack of security in the region. Everyone always says that we are safe and that there are no real terrorist threats. I think they use to say the same thing in New York. After all, terrorist will always attempt to hit you where you are most vulnerable. I hope that someone in the region wakes up to that fact before it actually happens though.

Side note on one above: Everyone who rents copier/scanner machine service from off base please keep the following in mind; everything that is scanned, faxed, printed, or copied has an image burnded on to the hard drive of that copier machine. If you are scanning peoples personnal data or heaven forbid clearance type data, then when that machine is removed, all of that information is going out into the local economy.

The fact that we are still here after 60 plus years. We don't need to be. We are only here for political visibility.


I know there's a lot more, but I will stop with what I have written for now.

Mopeds that slink up to the front of traffic at a light, and then limit traffic to 30kph when the light changes.

A system that allows landlords to charge different races different rents.

"No GAIJIN!" when walking into a restaurant. Hell, any business stateside trying to say "No WETBACKS" to people as they walk in would get burned down!

I think it may be that you are located near a Naval Base, but I still think that it might be more appropriate to say military members as I have seen other branches of the military do the same thing. On a different note though, most everything I have seen done here in Japan by any military member was a mimick of what he saw someone from the host country do. You know monkey see...monkey do. Now where I am located, I can understand why they would want to try to save a buck someway as all of their personal freedoms such as being able to own and operate a vehicle have been taken away from them while they are below a specific rank. Add on top of that no free taxi service on base unless you want to stand in the rain for a long period of time. Otherwise 500 yen the second you get in the cab. With lower pay because of their pay grade and add in all the extra charges they have to pay which higher ranks do not....they don't have much left.

I know its the rules and all - which I do follow, but separating trash sometime irritates me.. My wife gets very upset (since she is Japanese) when I put plastic in the wrong trash bin. What does the base do with all of their trash? Just curious. They dont separate it, so it must be going somewhere, or someone has a really terrible job going through it all.. I would hate that guys job.. From what I understand our trash even off base has to be separate from the locals trash. Where I am they pick it up on a different day. Yes they do go through our trash. I have seen where they have old woman at the landfill going through each bag by hand. So knowing that I would most definitely shred anything with information you do not want to get out. I do not know if there are other motives for going through the Base trash or not such as finding something in the trash that they could rile people up over on the local news channel. It is possible I suppose.

Posted By sdb1970 on 28 Aug 2010 08:47 AM
....So knowing that I would most definitely shred anything with information you do not want to get out. I do not know if there are other motives for going through the Base trash or not such as finding something in the trash that they could rile people up over on the local news channel. It is possible I suppose.

If I may, shredding personal information is just a really damn good idea, especially if you live in a place where trash is pooled in a common place before disposal (ie apartments).  It is common practice for identity thieves to dumpster dive for people's personal mail : credit card offers, old papers with addresses or SSNs, etc. 

http://idtheft.about.com/od/identit...Diving.htm

Here's a real world example:
http://cbs13.com/local/identity.theft.scheme.2.1066693.html

I hate the way discrimination is legal here. I can't beleive places can refuse you service if you aren't japanese.

I hate the tattoo obsession. I don't have one, but think it is stupid to be able to not allow people in places because of them.

Putting dogs in strollers and treating dogs like human beings. I get tired of seeing dogs being pampered when out in public. A dog is just a pet and not a baby for a stroller.

This is something that is their culture with having tattoos and not being allowed in the hot springs. You CAN go to some ONSEN's with tattoos but not the bath houses or hot springs. Its a difference.

Not all ATM's close at 6pm. If you are in a train station such as Yokohama station , as long as you see the JP Bank sign, it is open. Usually, those remain open until 10 or 11pm. The Bank Of Yokohama is the same way. You do not have to always find a post office with the ATM. Many of the convenience stores have the JP Bank sign where you can withdraw money. If you have the Bank of YOkohama cash card you can withdraw it even from the convenience store ATMs and they have an English button.

Posted By sdb1970 on 28 Aug 2010 08:47 AM
I know its the rules and all - which I do follow, but separating trash sometime irritates me.. My wife gets very upset (since she is Japanese) when I put plastic in the wrong trash bin. What does the base do with all of their trash? Just curious. They dont separate it, so it must be going somewhere, or someone has a really terrible job going through it all.. I would hate that guys job.. From what I understand our trash even off base has to be separate from the locals trash. Where I am they pick it up on a different day. Yes they do go through our trash. I have seen where they have old woman at the landfill going through each bag by hand. So knowing that I would most definitely shred anything with information you do not want to get out. I do not know if there are other motives for going through the Base trash or not such as finding something in the trash that they could rile people up over on the local news channel. It is possible I suppose.

Yes, all trash on the bases (Yoko and Ikego anyway) are separated by hand. We live off base and find the trash separation not to be a big deal. We love that our trash is out the house and not sitting around on almost a daily basis.

It offends me that most of the people on this board are only offended by other Americans. Military guys jumping the gates at the train station, crossing the street when they don't have the light... you have really never seen a Japanese person do that? I have been here eight months and I have seen it, but it doesn't offend me. I love that I'm an American and while I like it here I do look forward to going home in a year. I think since I'm rarely on or near base then Americans in Japan don't really bother me.

- I personally was offended that my kids' school had to change their bus stop because of the mentally ill (assuming) woman threatened my children while we were waiting on the school bus. Please don't think it was because my children were being loud and obnoxious like all American kids. It was their first day at their new school and all they did was stand like zombies because they are not morning people. It was scary because I had just read a story about a crazy Japanese woman stabbing a girl on her way home from school. My kids are only 3 and 5.

-I get offended when I'm walking my kids to the local grocery store and we see a Japanese guy pissing on the side of the street. Then I have to explain to my son why he can't do it.

-I got offended when a random Japanese guy used my outdoor shower at my home at the beach. That water isn't free. The shower is not close to the street and right beside my sliding door. Way too close!

Other than those things we have enjoyed our stay here. We have made great friends and had some fun times! As with any other country in the world, they are good people and not so good people...

Posted By Adam Jones on 12 Dec 2009 11:49 AM
Oh here is another one..

The guys when they are driving on the toll roads, and when they get their receipts, they throw it out the window.. That really ticks me off! And yes I have seen Y plates do this also..

Why are you following me..? Hey how about all the toll roads here. I cant stand that. You cant drive  2 feet without passing through one.

And let me guess you where forced to come to Japan? Please everyone that is here in Japan and hate it.. Do us all a favor and leave. There are a lot of things here that culturally you may not agree with. But if you dont like it it here, why are you still here? Let the door knob hit you, where the good Lord split split you! I guarantee you will not be missed!

wow brad, chill dude! First of all, yes many servicemen & women (and families) were forced to come here. Second, they are not free to leave on a whim. Third, we're all just spouting off in the name of fun. After all, the topic is "Things That Offend You", don't be surprised if people post about what offends them. Don't read the topic if you don't want to see some rants (i.e, this is, in fact, the Rant section). Just relax and learn to laugh at the people around you (Japanese & American, equally).

Nippon, rub it or rebe it. (sorry, I couldn't resist) LOL.

Posted By BIG BRAD on 06 Sep 2010 10:16 AM
And let me guess you where forced to come to Japan? Please everyone that is here in Japan and hate it.. Do us all a favor and leave. There are a lot of things here that culturally you may not agree with. But if you dont like it it here, why are you still here? Let the door knob hit you, where the good Lord split split you! I guarantee you will not be missed!

How about Wednesday?  Is Wednesday soon enough for ya? 

I think the only thing I really got butt hurt about was this old granma on a moped puttin it at about 20-30km hogging up the entire lane. Light goes red, she just dismounts, walks it across the crosswalk & jumps right back on puttin at 20-30km. I was mad & late that morning.

Thai, I can rant with the best of em... I always say one good rant deserves another.

Kap I agree with you there on the little on men on the scooters. Whats even more offending is look real close at the plate. I seen one today with the handicap symbol on it! I mean really??

To ride a moter scooter thingy both your legs have to be good for stoping. You change gears and break with the handles so you need both arms and hands to be good. There is no back to the seat so you have to be able to sit up on your own. What truely handicap person can ride one of those things? And the worst part it was in the parking lot of one of the out in town grocery stores. They parked in the handicap car parking space............this store has scooter and motercycle parking closer to the door than that space! So did this person just go out of there way to be a jerk?

My kitchen sink.

Oh, what I'd give for a dishwasher and garbage disposal. I HATE that food catcher (and the little nets that go in them) because it is just so gross. It just grosses me out when I clean it. I have kids who don't clean off their plates properly and it is just so nasty I want to throw up when I lift up the lid for cleaning time. And it doesn't seem to get super sparkly clean no matter how much I clean it and soak it in bleach. It's a foul, foul, invention.

The slurping of noodles and inherent splash took a while to get used to, now I don't even think about it any more. It is a cultural opposite. I was taught that slurping is very rude, but not over here. I can remember my mother slapping me a couple of times when I was a kid on Long Island slurping spaghetti. The locals do it because supposedly it tastes better and cools it down.

Mike, that's one of my first memories of Japan. In AOB/ICR they told us to slurp noodles loudly I laughed it off, thinking how crazy is that!?!?! Then on our field trip to Kamakura we ate at a Ramen shop. There was an old man with a big bowl of ramen making SO MUCH NOISE SLURPING! It was amazing he could make so much noise! LOL. No one could rival that man in slurping noodles.

The #1 thing that annoys me is people parked on the side of the road..

Rude Japanese people on the train. My husband and I were just riding home, standing quietly on the train trying to get back to base. A Japanese lady and her friend realized they were standing near Americans and quickly moved away from us and then glared at us. WE weren't doing anything!!!! WE don't have the plague!!! It really ticked me off!! No reason for rudeness from either side. I could see if we were being loud and offensive, but we were just standing.

Littlebit..yeah we get stared at a lot. It's par for the course here. I understand why you are frustrated and offended by it. Some people are more rude about it than others. I've actually waved to people and that makes them embarrassed and look away. One lady thought she was being sneaky about it by using the window as a mirror. I smiled and waved at her. lol
So, I guess you can have fun with it, too!

One EXPAT's amusing perspective on riding the train in Japan:

"Just relax and ignore it, I’ve told myself umpteen hundred times since my arrival here and today was no different. It was just too blatant! The empty seat beside me, on the crowded train, exclaimed what the people and the culture would find unseemly to say verbally: we don’t trust you, we don’t like you and we don’t want you here."
http://www.locoinyokohama.com/2008/...mpty-seat/

Americans that REFUSE to separate their trash and respect the days of the week that recyclables are supposed to be put out to be collected.

Smoking in resturants and on busy pedestrians streets

People who don't buckle their children in the car or use carseats for babies

Motorcyclists who don't stay in their lane and don't wear helmets

People cutting you off to get on the elevator when they look abled enough to take the ecalator and you're stuck waiting for the next elevator with a baby carriage.

....

However, Japan is pretty cool. America is waaaaaaay worse. And...thank you for cleaning up the language. As my dad says "using foul language just shows your lack of intelligence"...so think about that the next time you swear.

You can't turn until the crosswalk is clear of people and they take their sweet time.  I just want to honk at them to get a little pep in their step.

I am definitely annoyed most by the rude people on the trains that stare. I encounter this all the time as I do not drive here, and use them almost daily. When I notice someone staring at me or my children, I make a point to smile and make eye contact. If they continue, I usually raise my eyebrows (so as to say, "what?!?!") - but I do love the idea of waving at them! I try to go out of my way to hold elevators, give up my seat to elderly, and hold doors for people in hopes that I will leave a better impression than some other Americans I have seen here....who swear loudly and act inappropriately in public - sadly I've seen lots of them, especially at the beach in Zushi. It's not Walmart, people - that behavior isn't expected or accepted! So, for every rude person I've dealt with I remind myself I've also met many wonderful people and wont let the few bad apples spoil the experience for me.

lets see- to name a few,
first while off base pushing my son in his stroller a japanese man flicked his cigerette ashes on top of my sons head-not to mention there were clear no smoking signs all over the place- i told him su may ma sen- sorry if spelled it wrong- and he just smiled and walked off-
second- every time i ask anyone in the commissary anything i get the same response "0h, i dont know go ask front desk" I ask front desk and every time that person has to call the manager because they don't know either, i mean really- couldn't you just tell me where the peanut butter is or if you carry ground turkey? are they not trained?
third-the base taxi drivers- we have had some horrible experiences with the japanese drivers-one lady driver was in a hurry i'm guessing because while i was getting my son's stroller out she took my 16 month old out and put him on the side of the road and doesnt tell me and goes and gets back in the driver seat- my son runs into traffic- what the hell ? my son could have been killed.
we have had 3 drivers take us from our home to the e-club and charged us over 10 dollars because they went the longest way they could(usually we only pay 6 bucks to get there)-we asked why and no answer-we have called and complained but we have no clue if anything was done about any of the things.
fourth-the people at the stores that are yelling for you to come into there store and shop-i hate that-
fifth-the ocean here is disgustingly dirty-back home we went to the ocean every day and here i'm afraid my son would pick up the trash thats all over the beach and put it in his mouth.
sixth-the bike riding on the side walks- i was told only 13 and younger are supposed to do it but yet here i am dodging 20something and 30something japanese people while i'm off in town and on base-

during the classes they had us take when we came on base to teach us the rules and how to act I was so impressed by the manners and politeness, if that was the norm i think i would be much happier with this station but instead it seems every time I venture off base I deal with very rude but "polite" behavior.

I don't like people acting like they made a mistake just so they can cut in in traffic. I don't like how scooters and motorcycle operators are allowed to break the law all the time and nothing has been done about it for the last 20 years.....knock em off their bikes and impound their bikes and license. I really don't like the yen rate right now. I don't like the lack of manners and thee rudeness. I don't like that we protest and then want access to base...kinda hypocritical isn't it? I don't like how we make big issues out of little problems. I don't like one sided newspapers. I don't like reluctance to change. I don't like the idiotically slow speed limits which cause more accidents than if the speed limit was higher....proven in the States every time the speed limit was raised. Sorry, but I do not like Matsuri or Eisa... show the world something new and quit concentrating on the past. I don't like it that everything is the same. New shopping area...same stores. I don't like it that there seems to be no enforcement of the law or for that matter laws. (A lot of the so-called laws are voluntary for those of you who were unaware). I don't like that accident investigators don't go to an accident till days or weeks later...um who was at fault? I don't like all the drunks...even woman vomiting at 0530 in the morning in the streets.

I remember when there were US bases in Philippines, and people would go outside the gate, see the hookers/pimps/pickpockets, then conclude that Philippines was a nation of hookers/pimps/pickpockets. Whereas, if they had gone some distance from the base (to "the province", as they say) they would have found a nation of warm, wonderful, generous people. Same thing can be said of Thailand (bar district of Phattaya) or any other third-world nation. You need to get away from the base and/or tourist areas to get a real sense of the country and its people.

I'm starting to think this about Yokosuka, after reading many of the above comments. You would think that Japan is made up of rude, arrogant, pushy people. Perhaps that is true in the vicinity of the Kanto Plain bases; I don't know. What I can say is, I've met one rude Japanese person in the 16 months I've been here; he was working at the Yokosuka-Chuo train station.

In Iwakuni -- where the American population is 1/10th that of Yokosuka -- I find Japanese people, without exception, to be friendly, engaging and courteous. They are curious about Americans, but not disrespectful.

During my recent visit to Yokosuka, downtown on the shopping street, every night I saw packs of VERY loud, noisy, rude Americans, mostly young sailors in groups of 5 or 6, hollering at girls across the street and generally causing commotion throughout the neighborhood. They were completely oblivious or uncaring of the looks of disgust they generated among the Japanese in the vicinity. Again, this is something I've never seen in Iwakuni (probably because there is no cool shopping street that attracts young servicemen.)

So... is it possible to correlate one with the other? Is the instance of "discourteous" Japanese proportional to the rude Americans they see wandering around their town? If this was your hometown, and there was some ethnic/national group walking around every night for the last 20 years causing trouble & unrest, is it possible you might start to get resentful & blame the entire ethnic group? I'm just sayin...

I think Thai Guy just gave us a definition for racism, only he seems to think it is justified. Blaming a whole ethnic group for bad deeds of a few. Maybe I should be rude to all Japanese because of the few Japanese that has been rude and disrespectful to me. Japan is like any other country... they are good people and bad people. You will encounter both and not just around an American base.

If you think the only thing bad about being in Japan are Americans then you should just stay in Japan and move away from the American bases and work the for the Japanese government. That should make your life so much better because then you won't have to put up with all the horrible Americans!

"Blaming a whole ethnic group for bad deeds of a few." lol, we all know that doesn't happen. Except for the Mexicans in California. Or blaming Arabs for 9/11. Or crossing the street when you see a group of loud black guys hanging out. Yes, I guess I can be blamed for inventing racism. My bad!

It's funny to say that Japanese have been rude & disrespectful but a huge part of what I read in this discussion is simply American misunderstanding/misinterpretation of Japanese culture. Oh, and by the way... this is Japan, not an outpost of America. How can anyone possibly be offended by pedestrians walking slowly in a crosswalk when you want to turn. Honk your horn to speed them up? Talk about arrogant & rude! Not wanting to sit next to you on the train? It happens all throughout Asia. Don't be offended; it's cultural; you are a curiosity; get over it. No one's trying to be rude.

What offends me is Americans who say (or think) that our way is "best" and everyone should learn to do it "our way"... even in their own country. News flash... this is their country; we should learn to understand & appreciate different cultures, and get along the Japanese way. If you really hear what I'm saying, it's actually the exact opposite of racism; more along the lines of inter-cultural understanding and cooperation.

I will admit that yes, in general I do find Americans to be close-minded and ethno-centric in their view of the world. We judge others by the yardstick of American culture which is just plain ignorant. Anything we see "different" we interpret as "not as good as." (yes, this is a broad generalization but I see it more often than not). Japanese customs have served Japanese people well for a thousand years; who are we to judge. Is that racist?

Can't think of anything that offends me...... I'm European, I'm not easily offended. ;-)

Posted By ThaiGuy on 30 Oct 2010 09:58 AM
"Blaming a whole ethnic group for bad deeds of a few." lol, we all know that doesn't happen. Except for the Mexicans in California. Or blaming Arabs for 9/11. Or crossing the street when you see a group of loud black guys hanging out. Yes, I guess I can be blamed for inventing racism. My bad!

It's funny to say that Japanese have been rude & disrespectful but a huge part of what I read in this discussion is simply American misunderstanding/misinterpretation of Japanese culture. Oh, and by the way... this is Japan, not an outpost of America. How can anyone possibly be offended by pedestrians walking slowly in a crosswalk when you want to turn. Honk your horn to speed them up? Talk about arrogant & rude! Not wanting to sit next to you on the train? It happens all throughout Asia. Don't be offended; it's cultural; you are a curiosity; get over it. No one's trying to be rude.

What offends me is Americans who say (or think) that our way is "best" and everyone should learn to do it "our way"... even in their own country. News flash... this is their country; we should learn to understand & appreciate different cultures, and get along the Japanese way. If you really hear what I'm saying, it's actually the exact opposite of racism; more along the lines of inter-cultural understanding and cooperation.

I will admit that yes, in general I do find Americans to be close-minded and ethno-centric in their view of the world. We judge others by the yardstick of American culture which is just plain ignorant. Anything we see "different" we interpret as "not as good as." (yes, this is a broad generalization but I see it more often than not). Japanese customs have served Japanese people well for a thousand years; who are we to judge. Is that racist?

Couldn't have said it better myself!!! :-)

I don't believe I ever said Thai Guy invented racism, that would be idiotic. I just said he explained racism in his previous post and thought it was justified. Racism exists everywhere, but does that mean it should be okay? Japanese are not rude... just curious. Laughable! Some are curious... absolutely. Then there are some Japanese that don't like foreigners of any other nationality in Japan... they are not curious they are just plain rude to all foreigners. Can Thai Guy not admit that there some Japanese people out there that are rude without a good cause?

Japanese people also judge based on their culture. Living in a foreign country we should be respectful of the culture, but we don't have to completely forget about our own culture either.

I respect the Japanese. For the most part I enjoy living here. I have always been quiet by nature, so I fit in quite well. I have encountered so many nice people and I feel the average Japanese person is very nice. Though I can also say that, like any other place in the world, there are a few bad apples. In case you don't understand my post... the majority of the population of Japan are great people, but you will eventually run into one that isn't.

I agree about the bad apples, but I also know a thing or two about farming and how one bad apple can spoil the barrel. Just had to throw that in.

Although I would appreciate the old saying regarding casting stones in regards to some of the things Americans and/or US Military Bases are accused of. If there is a Hazmat spill by the US Military, it is National news. I can; however, walk to any sea wall just about and see Japanese lead acid batteries thrown in the ocean or I can walk along the street and somewhere in the high grass find Japanese chemicals discarded. Oh, the biggie, one questionable rape by an American service member in lets say 5 years versus 100's of rapes daily by Japanese nationals. This is the kind of stough that needs to stop. We are here for their security as part of the SOFA agreement. Why can't we all just get along?

Question for Thaiguy:

Posted By ThaiGuy on 10-29-2010 4:39 PM
So... is it possible to correlate one with the other? Is the instance of "discourteous" Japanese proportional to the rude Americans they see wandering around their town? If this was your hometown, and there was some ethnic/national group walking around every night for the last 20 years causing trouble & unrest, is it possible you might start to get resentful & blame the entire ethnic group? I'm just sayin...

This is 100% accurate.

I hate Americans that cry racism at every corner. I envy the Japanese for allowing businesses the right to refuse service to anyone. If 30% of their American customers cause conflict, it only makes sense to avoid the conflict completely. While we're used to the government forcing policies against us, in this case the Japanese have more freedom. The only place I've experienced the No Gaijin policies were areas that had a lot of Americans.... it's as if the behavior of Americans drove these policies. Much like every place that has discrimination it's always partially driven by the group that is being discriminated against.

Outside of hating the idiot Americans that act like savages and children, I can't think of many other things. Lower property taxes, cheaper houses (if you know how to buy), lower crime, better behaved children (I just wanna murder the Mississippi native children).

Oh, and I really can't stand that OHA is not set up like BAH and the BS housing standards that the office has. Why don't they verify housing conditions in any states?  Also the inspectors coming out seem like a huge opportunity for corruption.

I hate the Navy sends so many guys to Japan that don't want to go, yet rotates others home for sake of diversifying their career.

Also why are so many people with severe behavioral problems sent to Japan? It doesn't make sense to send a person to Japan when they have a history of assault, yet it's done. Why isn't there a screening done (similar to FBI profiling) via reviewing the past cases of people that failed in Japan and their similar traits and not sending similar people to Japan? For example, if a review showed that 80%  of the servicemember crimes were from single E-3 and below with ASVAB scores of less than 40 then don't send those people to Japan.

I hate the commands are shy to punish people that create so many problems on a ship until the problems finally spill over off the ship. If they were pro-active half the sailor crime would stop.