http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/japanese-pro-boxer-condemns-law-for-classifying-him-as-a-dangerous-weapon
NBK advises open-handed "shoves" as the best legal self-defense option in Japan ... and pretty much anywhere. Close your fists and blue-eyed boys you are f ... likely to be at least temporarily incarcerated. True?
More than that ... is there something in the "Spirit of Judo" that prefers judoka keep it cool?
Japan Today wrote:Japanese pro boxer condemns law for classifying him as a dangerous weapon
TOKYO —
On Sept 9, Hozumi Hasegawa, a second-division professional boxer competing successfully at a world level, made a very angry post to his blog condemning the nation’s laws for preventing him from raising his hand against anyone outside of work, regardless of the circumstances.
...
Hasegawa goes on to question all of the inconsistencies that this rule creates. “Would it be better for a pro martial artist?” he writes. “Is it because I’m a pro boxer? Would it still be forbidden if it was me against ten armed assailants? Or, what if two pro boxers have a fight in the streets? This law is strange!” he laments.
Of course, Hasegawa’s outcry is not for his inability to start a rumble in the streets, the professional fighter assures his readers. What he wants is to retain the right to protect himself, his friends, and those important to him as an act of legitimate self-defense. “There’s a difference between hitting someone out of frustration and hitting them to protect yourself. I don’t understand this law that says I can’t hit anyone just because I’m a pro.”
Now, I’m no lawyer, but I worked a little Google to see what I could dig up about this peculiar law. While I wasn’t able to find anything specifically targeting boxers, I did come across an interesting fact on 3Yen, a legal FAQ for Japan. According to this site, residents of Japan do not have a right to self-defense! It is only a mitigating option. What this means is that any attempt to use violence as a form of defense leaves one liable to battery charges which will only be dropped if a number of mitigating circumstances can be proved.
... yadda yadda yadda ...
NBK advises open-handed "shoves" as the best legal self-defense option in Japan ... and pretty much anywhere. Close your fists and blue-eyed boys you are f ... likely to be at least temporarily incarcerated. True?
More than that ... is there something in the "Spirit of Judo" that prefers judoka keep it cool?