That prickly gadfly of gaikokujins, Debito Arudou, has done it again, diminishing a worthy topic — in this case, international child abduction — into dross with a leaky, untrained pen.
His labored prose is tolerated when he protests monthly in "Just Be Cause" for The Japan Times. I wince through his columns to extract kernels of truth since, applaud or abhor him, Arudou's voice clangs out consistently and sincerely against injustice.
I may be a writing snob, but I recognize Arudou's work to fight discrimination in Otaru's public baths, his extensively researched "Handbook for Newcomers, Immigrants and Migrants in Japan," and his website, debito.org, as all necessary resources for victims of prejudice.