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This article is from the American misconceptions about Japan FAQ, by Tanaka Tomoyuki ez074520@dilbert.ucdavis.edu with numerous contributions by others.

Why I'm writing this article. (American misconceptions about Japan)

---- (0.4.1) reason 1: because the Japanese government isn't doing it.

those who have a chance to go to Japan, study the language, and live there will hopefully discover for themselves how inaccurate US media images of Japan are --- as Prof Lummis and < mr_x@phantom.com> did.

but this is something only few Americans (non-Japanese) can
afford to do. in the meantime, US media images of Japan
continues to have insidious negative effects (Section (0.2)),
and continues to be a major obstacle to non-Japanese's
understanding of Japan (Section (0.3)).

I really feel that the Japanese government and Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (GAIMUSHOU) should be doing something to fight these negative images and promote positive images, but I know too well how bad they are at doing thing like this
(while they are good at doing some other forms of
advertisement. see Pat Choate, [book] "Agents of
influence" (1990) and "buffers", "propaganda", and
"Japan's foreign apologists" in Karel van Wolferen,
[book] "The enigma of Japanese power" (1989)).

that's why I feel that *I* have to something.

---- (0.4.2) reason 2: because I want to make the USA a greater country.

when I write about these topics on the net, I sometimes get
responses such as the following (lines from actual articles
posted).
> Now, will you SHUT THE FUCK UP about this topic, Tanaka?

> Please enjoy your stay in our country, [...]
(the poster is telling me, "Go home, Jap." in polite
language --- this poster, at the same time, wrote to
my postmaster about my "abusive" posting.)

some people may interpret what I'm doing as some foreigner
bashing away at their beloved country --- like badmouthing
their parents or something. in my mind that's not what I'm
doing at all. I've lived in this country for about 10 years,
and plan to live here for many more. in a way I already feel
more like a Japanese American than a Japanese. I love this
country. more than anything else I love the energy that
American people have to transform and improve themselves in the spirit of self-affirmation and self-expression. This is
symbolized by the two marches in Washington: for civil rights
movement in 1963 and for the gay rights movement in 1994 (?).
I firmly believe that my criticism can make the USA a greater
country.