JAPAN: Hostages released into storm of criticism Ben turned me on to this story, which highlights a stark difference between Japanese culture and, say, American culture. The Japanese hostages in Iraq were at the center of a firestorm of criticism: "While the three were in captivity, they and their kin drew sharp public criticism in Japan, having put themselves in harm's way after being warned to steer clear of Iraq. They were castigated for causing trouble and a fair amount of grief for the government." Don't be different, don't cause your government any grief, get in line or get off our island!