Comments on: Japan’s Badge Phenomenon

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:12:43 +0000

Thanks for such an insightful post. I had noticed these badges before, but had never put two and two together. Thank you very much!

By: M-Bone

M-Bone — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:44:22 +0000

The paulownia is also on our gaijin cards. In hologram!

By: Joe Jones

Joe Jones — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:22:53 +0000

The thing on the benrishi badge is another government paulownia motif. It’s sort of like a cross between the attorney and judicial scrivener badge.

By: Benjamin Boas

Benjamin Boas — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:55:55 +0000

A dietmember was telling me that in order to get into the chamber, you needed a badge. When I asked him if I could just take his badge and enter, he said that I also needed to be a dietmember. I find it interesting that both conditions are necessary but not sufficient.

By: Durf

Durf — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:45:36 +0000

Here's a page where you can get your very own fake Diet member's badge, if you want something that makes you look even more sinister and steeped in evil than a Yamaguchi-gumi one. The Wikipedia page on the things notes that Fukuda Takeo once forgot his badge and had to borrow one from another legislator standing nearby in order to enter the Diet chamber. This was when he was prime minister; you'd think his face would get him in.

By: Nat

Nat — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:06:20 +0000

I really wonder what kind of people are buying the replica Yamaguchi-gumi badges that site is selling. Maybe just actual members that lose theirs but don’t want their brothers to know.

By: Benjamin Boas

Benjamin Boas — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:57:47 +0000

逆転検事 has one too!
Interestingly, even the pass that I use to get around Diet buildings has one. The pass is kind of like a credit card in a clear plastic shield, but there is a small badge attached to it via keychain. I don’t really understand why; if its to make it “official” then why bother having the pass in the first place?

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:16:52 +0000

The main character in the Nintendo DS game 逆転裁判　has an attorney badge like the one pictured. Up until now I thought it was something made up for the game.

By: Roy Berman

Roy Berman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:32:17 +0000

Man, that CPA badge looks so incredibly nerdy next to all the classical motifs. And yes, the concept and iconography of these badges is clearly derived from Japanese heraldry, in the same way that say, American police badges are ultimately descended from European heraldry. Very cool post though, I must admit I’d never noticed a single one of these badges before.

By: Benjamin Boas

Benjamin Boas — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:28:28 +0000

Good stuff! I noticed that PinJP also sells replica yakuza badges. Maybe you should do your next post on them
BTW, Where’d you get the images?