Technically/legally, you have as much right to be in the water as the local commercial fishermen. Of course, the fishermen would have you believe otherwise...no... I actually think that fishermen generally believe they have some sort of god given rights over the seas. If you haven't already noticed, fishermen in Japan tend to be the most poorly educated and crass group of people in the country (the world?). Trying to reason with these guys is generally futile.
But, in many areas (especially in areas that rely heavily on fishing to support the local economy) the yakuza-like behavior of local fishermen go unchecked, and sometimes even supported. Technically, it's not legal, it's not right, and it's defintely not pretty...but it's reality. You're dealing with idiots that believe that divers are a potential threat to their livelihood.
KimLeece,
You can step down from your moral high horse. Japan has never claimed to be the "land of the free"...there are many things wrong with it, but it does continue to change for the better. Social change takes time.
To be honest, you're not helping anyone by continuing to allow the town council to take advantage of you. Unless you've been imprisoned and forced to work without benefits, you're largely to blame. You're letting them take advantage of you. Have you confronted them about your situation? If they're not willing to give you the compensation that you're legally entitled to, why stay? I'm in no way saying that you should leave Japan; quite the contrary. But have you attempted to find employment elsewhere? Thinking about getting into a scuffle with local fishermen to avoid paying SCUBA diving entrance fees is probably dumb. But, asking for fair/legal compensation (your livelihood) seems like something that's worth taking a stand on. There are a lot of things that may not make sense that you have to buckup and accept (I feel the exact same way living in the U.S.), but I don't think illegal exploitation is one of them.
Japan is a country of control built into the entire social structure. It's been like this for all of their history. One of the problems is that the Japanese themselves would seldom dare to question authority even if they know that the person in authority is legally wrong. A lot of things are based not on the law, but on an assumption of it.
So? It's just the nature of having a conservative society. Try think of it as a nation full of right wing Republicans...I know, I know, it scares me sometimes too.
Please stop with the, centuries of ingrained prejudice BS. It wasn't all that long ago that Americans were jailing communists, upheld segregation, and job opportunities for Japanese immigrants were pretty much limited to working out in the fields. I don't see why it's going to be anymore difficult for Japan to embrace liberal thinking than it had been for the Americans. Japanese are conservative, but not any more so than the Republicans are here, and much less so than Americans had been before the 60's...don't you think?
I realize that things are difficult and often unfair, but you chose to live in Japan. And, things aren't going to change just because it's inconvenient for you. You're going to have to work harder than everyone else, and YOU are going to have to fight (not physically) if you want things to change.
Kim,
I hope I did not rub off antagonisticly; it's not my intent. I am hoping to motivate you. I know it's very difficult to live in another country with a very different culture (I know, because I'm doing it). I often have similar talks many of my Japanese friends that become disillusioned living/working in the U.S.
