In the Dec. 16 translation "Kogyaru grow into monster mums," from the Dec. 13 Shukan Bunshun, we learn of one "monster" who brings her child to a day-care center, even though he's infected with chicken pox. Yet on the same page, in the Media Mix column, we hear of a working mother who was fired for taking a day off to care for her sick son!

It is typical of the Japanese media to bash young women while ignoring the "monster management" -- most typically middle-aged and male -- at Japanese companies that have inhuman policies toward their employees.

The same was true of enjo kosai (compensated dating) at its scandalous peak: endless condemnation of the high school girls engaged in it, and little to be heard regarding the men who were paying for their services.

giovanni fazio