On Wed, 30 Apr 1997, Gary Kleppe wrote:

On Wed, 30 Apr 1997 08:48:24 -0400, Thomas R. Jefferys wrote:

This is something I've come to my own weird conclusion about: Why does the
Chinese government -- as well as all other world powers -- seem to leave the
Amazons alone?

  The Chinese have been playing smart politics for the past few years. 
They've realized that so long as they leave most normal people alone, then
no one will try and bring the government down.  They've probably said the
following to the amazons:  "Jump when we ask you to, and you can go about
your merry business." 
  Strangely enough, despite being communist, China is moving towards a
free market economy.  I think they've learned from watching the Soviet
Union collapse and North Korea struggle with poverty and famine.  Behave
like the other successful nations, and no one will care who is actually in
charge. :-)

Let's ask another question: Cologne is the matriarch of the Amazons, if
the Viz translations are accurate in this regard; at the least she is
one of their most respected elders and most powerful warriors. Why is
she in Japan running a ramen shop? 

  The evidence doesn't exist.  Like Shampoo's father, this is a plot hole.
They aren't too hard to find in Ranma 1/2. :-)  One could guess that
Cologne is just one of the elders of the village, but there isn't any
evidence of any kind.
  Cologne could just want to see Shampoo married to Ranma, she could be
after Ranma.. there could be any number of reasons.

My guess is that these questions have a common answer. If all of the
Amazons stayed in their village, they could all be wiped out -- by a
nuclear "accident"  if nothing else. OTOH, with Cologne in Japan, if
anything happened to her sisters back home she would remain. She would
have very little trouble finding out who ordered it and dealing with
them. 

  Unlikely at best.. a nuclear "accident" is always anything but an
accident, and there are no reactors which can melt down in the area.
China would be nailed economically by every other nation.  I doubt that
the amazons have the pull to do something directly to the chinese
government.