|
Japan is probably the most racist and xenophobic country on this earth.
When I did my round trip tour of Asia back in 2005, I found that I was treated very kindly by Japanese people. I'm white by the way, so I found this not-so-surprising as I'm generally treated like a 1st class citizen in most Asian countries (yes, whites have an advantage in Asian countries, the system there is really biased in favor of us).
But then I noticed that Japanese people started to talk badly about Korea and China, especially Korea. Back in 1923 when the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Japan, there was a massacre of 10,000 ethnic Koreans in Japan because there was a theory that the Koreans were looting items from Japanese homes and poisoning wells. After all that, the rumor was proven to be false and the Japanese government did everything to try and hide the evidence and deflate the death toll.
Now, a racist anti-foreigner (mostly anti-Korean) Japanese political group called the Zaitokukai goes around Korean neighborhoods in Japan intimidating Korean people including Korean children, telling them to go back to Korea.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also has affiliations to this racist group.http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/26/for-top-pols-in-japan-crime-doesn-t-pay-but-hate-crime-does.html
When I visited Korea, I never saw any kind of racism against other Asian ethnic groups. Of course, Korea being a racially homogeneous country, there will be some racism, however not anywhere close to the extent I've noticed in Japan.
Again, most of the racism in Japan is against other Asian ethnic groups, Indians, Africans, etc.
Now many Korean students in Japan are migrating back to Korea because of this radical right-wing nationalist shift in Japan. I've read some theories of why the Japanese are acting like this and it's mainly because they're blaming their economic failures to Korea. Also the fact that earthquakes, tsunamis and now a nuclear disaster has hit their country, it is part of Japan's political agenda to shift towards an image of a powerful, military right-wing Japan.
There is currently an arms race in East Asia. Japan's military spending is rising and the possibility of a future conflict in East Asia is escalating.
An article from the Economist released today:
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21620252-troubling-rise-xenophobic-vitriol-spin-and-substance
Hate speech in Japan
A troubling rise in xenophobic vitriol
Sep 27th 2014 | TOKYO | From the print edition
IN OSAKA’s strongly Korean Tsuruhashi district, a 14-year-old Japanese girl went out into the streets last year calling through a loudspeaker for a massacre of Koreans. In Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo neighbourhood, home to one of the largest concentrations of Koreans in Japan, many people say the level of anti-foreigner vitriol—on the streets and on the internet—is without modern precedent. Racists chant slogans such as “Get out of our country”, and “Kill, kill, kill Koreans”.
Perhaps for the first time, this is becoming a problem for Japan’s politicians and spin doctors (to say nothing of the poor Koreans). The clock is counting down to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, and lawmakers are coming under pressure to rein in the verbal abuse and outright hate speech directed at non-Japanese people, chiefly Koreans.
Japan has about 500,000 non-naturalised Koreans, some of whom have come in the past couple of decades but many of whose families were part of a diaspora that arrived during Japan’s imperial era in the first half of the 20th century. They have long been targets of hostility. After the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923, Tokyo residents launched a pogrom against ethnic Koreans, claiming that they had poisoned the water supply.
So far the abuse has stopped short of violence. There have also been counter-demonstrations by Japanese citizens in defence of those attacked. But the police have been passive in the face of verbal assaults. And there is clearly a danger that one day the attacks will turn violent.
So the government is under pressure to act. In July, the UN’s human-rights committee demanded that Japan add hate speech to legislation banning racial discrimination. Tokyo’s governor, Yoichi Masuzoe, has pressed the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, to pass a law well before the games.
The courts, too, are beginning to move. In July Osaka’s high court upheld an earlier ruling over racial discrimination that ordered Zaitokukai, an ultra-right group that leads hate-speech rallies across the country, to pay ¥12m ($111,000) for its tirades against a pro-North Korean elementary school in Kyoto. At least one right-wing group, Issuikai, which is anti-American and nostalgic for the imperial past, abhors the anti-Korean racism. Its founder, Kunio Suzuki, says he has never seen such anti-foreign sentiment.
The backdrop to a sharp rise in hate-filled rallies is Japan’s strained relations with South Korea (over the wartime issue of Korean women forced to work as sex slaves for the Japanese army) and North Korea (which abducted Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s). But, says Mr Suzuki of Issuikai, the return of Mr Abe to office in 2012 also has something to do with it. The nationalist prime minister and his allies have been mealy-mouthed in condemning hate speech.
Even if Mr Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) bows to the need to improve Japan’s image overseas, the message is likely to remain mixed. Earlier in September a photograph emerged of Eriko Yamatani, the new minister for national public safety and the overseer of Japan’s police, posing in 2009 for a photograph with members of Zaitokukai. The government says she did not know that the people she met were connected to the noxious group. Yet Ms Yamatani has form when it comes to disputing the historical basis of the practice of wartime sex slavery.
Many reasonable people worry that a new hate-speech law, improperly drafted, could harm freedom of expression. But one revisionist politician, Sanae Takaichi, said, shortly before she joined the cabinet in September, that if there were to be a hate-speech law, it should be used to stop those annoying people (invariably well-behaved and often elderly) demonstrating against the government outside the Diet: lawmakers, she added, needed to work “without any fear of criticism”. Ms Takaichi’s office has since been obliged to explain why, with Tomomi Inada, another of Mr Abe’s close allies, she appeared in photographs alongside a leading neo-Nazi. Some of the hate, it seems, may be inspired from the top.
From the print edition: Asia
|
TLADT24920 Posts
hmm interesting. Still reading the article but will give my thoughts. BTW, in the title, you said hate against foreigners but why not switch that to Asians then if that's what Japanese people hate (assuming its true).
|
Japan finally needs to accept its history
|
My Korean friend's parents despise the Japanese for whatever reason (probably ww2). I assume the feeling is mutual between other Asian countries and Japan.
|
During difficult times people tend to develop or adopt conservative values. Hell look no further than America and our right wing voters who want the Bible to be curriculum in public schools and are editing US history to favor more Christian, pro-American topics. As for increased military spending all Asian nations are doing this is regards to China.
|
While I think it is unfair to generalize a people, I do think the governmental body of Japan needs to officially come to terms with the mistakes it has made in the recent past.
|
On September 27 2014 09:12 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:
During difficult times people tend to develop or adopt conservative values. Hell look no further than America and our right wing voters who want the Bible to be curriculum in public schools and are editing US history to favor more Christian, pro-American topics. As for increased military spending all Asian nations are doing this is regards to China.
It's more than that. Japan has never really thoroughly re-evaluated their imperialist history. There are things like the "schoolbook controversies", the enshrinement of WW II war criminals, the prejudices against Chinese and Koreans, the idea that the United States "have forced a pacifist constitution onto Japan" and a lot of stuff like this. The dangerous characteristics of the past are still very much part of Japanese culture.
|
On September 27 2014 09:12 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:
During difficult times people tend to develop or adopt conservative values. Hell look no further than America and our right wing voters who want the Bible to be curriculum in public schools and are editing US history to favor more Christian, pro-American topics. As for increased military spending all Asian nations are doing this is regards to China.
What are you talking about? Japan has been horrifically racist for centuries. Other Asian countries aren't that far behind it.
|
On September 27 2014 08:48 AutoEngineer wrote:
Japan is probably the most racist and xenophobic country on this earth.
Should probably remove this because it takes away from your post greatly.
|
Japan is probably the most racist and xenophobic country on this earth.
When I did my round trip tour of Asia back in 2005, I found that I was treated very kindly by Japanese people. I'm white by the way
Seems instantly contradictory. Being treated kindly by the most racist and xenophobic country on this earth seems like it would be unexpected.
And the only example of Japanese racism in the article is a pogrom in 1923, or an extremist group that was just PUNISHED by the court for racial discrimination. None of this seems to indicate a serious or growing problem in Japanese society. By the way, I live in Japan currently. I can tell you that while these groups exist and I've seen them driving their van in Shibuya playing nationalistic music and ranting over loudspeakers or in the Korean town protesting, they are far from widely accepted.
This whole post in general would be like pointing to a skinhead protest in Germany and saying Nazism is on the rise or pointing to a KKK rally in the US and saying Americans support institutional racism, when the truth is that these are fringe groups who are tolerated because everyone realizes that free speech means putting up with some nonsense.
Also, do you have a source on Korean students fleeing Japan?
|
It's actually quite hard to escape racism and xenophobia in hard economic times, like much of the world is experiencing right now. Even the US, a relative melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, has seen racism flare up a bit since 2007. Then we have some nice xenophobic parties all over Europe gaining seats in parliament as well. Hell, Sweden just had an election where the moderate right lost a ton of seats to the anti-immigration party to their right.
+ Show Spoiler +One might mistake you for being racist against Japanese for focusing so much on the negative aspects of Japan and Japanese culture (from this topic and the last one you made about Japan)... I mean, the Swedish thing is a much bigger deal than this crap we already knew about Japan. It's not like China isn't fostering some of the same shit with their constant challenging of small island ownership. You got some sort of beef with Japan or what?
|
Everyone needs a little hyperbole.
|
Hey, the end of the article is the important part imo, freedom of speech will be reduced by law.
So to fight against hate, let's reduce our citizens' rights. This is basically what is happening right now in most countries, more and more laws to reduce freedom, but it's done in the name of the human rights so it's ok.
Take an isolated incident
Make a big deal of it
Make a freedom restricting law so "it doesn't happen again"
goto 1
In 100 years we'll be in 1984...
|
Not one single mention of Shintaro Ishihara or Toru Hashimoto, the elephant in the room when talking about far-right politics in Japan.
|
As a Chinese American living in Japan, I don't feel any malicious intent from any of the Japanese people around me. Both of my parents are Chinese, so they can't mistake me for a white person and give me the white treatment. I'm in a fairly rural area, so foreigners aren't as common. Yet they can accept my presence as relatively normal.
Aside from a few oddities, I haven't encountered any outright hostility. Kids are confused when I tell them I was born in China and moved to the US. Adults like to ask if I'm Chinese, but nothing comes of it. They give their そうか and move on. I'm never treated as less than a person by any of the locals.
|
|
|
Australia's really racist against muslims these days as it prepares for joining the US against ISIS. Korea had this incident at a pub recently (pic). It doesn't represent the majority but there are ignorant/racist elements in most countries.
|
On September 27 2014 09:41 aksfjh wrote:It's actually quite hard to escape racism and xenophobia in hard economic times, like much of the world is experiencing right now. Even the US, a relative melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, has seen racism flare up a bit since 2007. Then we have some nice xenophobic parties all over Europe gaining seats in parliament as well. Hell, Sweden just had an election where the moderate right lost a ton of seats to the anti-immigration party to their right. + Show Spoiler +One might mistake you for being racist against Japanese for focusing so much on the negative aspects of Japan and Japanese culture (from this topic and the last one you made about Japan)... I mean, the Swedish thing is a much bigger deal than this crap we already knew about Japan. It's not like China isn't fostering some of the same shit with their constant challenging of small island ownership. You got some sort of beef with Japan or what?
It's actually really really easy, come to Canada. If you are raised in a multicultural society that you are surrounded by all the time, racism isn't much of anything... Everyone's a brother or sister to you. I am not bothered by anyone as long as they follow my values, which is:
-Do what you want, but don't do something that will hurt others, or create too much trouble for society
-Respect others, be open to new ideas
-Care about yourself enough to stay clean and healthy
-And the famous quote - "Ask what you can do for your country, and not what your country can do for you"... Just be proud of where you live, be proud of who you are, it's how we will make it the best place to be.
If you have those qualities, I don't care what skin color, what religion you are, etc... We will get along well. Now when it comes to a really really close friend or my girlfriend, I will be picky about race and religion, but that's normal and natural.
I know a lot of Chinese people, and a lot of them don't like Japan... and I think that's fine. I personally don't like France or Quebec (I don't like them as the stereotypes they are known for, the people here are fine).
I am still under the impression that white people are less racist than any others... This is simply from being surrounded by many Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Israeli, and Indian people, that might be due to the people who have lived here for quite some time are generally white, and the people who live here aren't really racist... While newer immigrants to Canada might naturally be more racist due to their background. I was born in Eastern Europe, and the only group we were really racist towards was Gypsies, which I dunno... I've never met a good Gypsy (that satisfies that 4 criteria above), so I guess I don't like them very much... Although there's very strict immigration laws against them coming here, so I don't see very many here.
Anyway, it's really hard to deal with situations like these. Because I feel like countries should have a choice whether they want to be multicultural or not, but if at one point you welcomed immigrants with open arms, and now you are hostile towards them, I don't think that's alright... You are screwing over good and honest hard working people. If I went to live in France, then it's my fucking fault of nobody there likes me, just because of the type of country France (plus their history)... So that's my fault, and logically I should not go live there unless I want to completely change my lifestyle. On the other hand, if you welcome me, and then tell me to go back to Canada, or start harassing me, it's not okay.
I dunno, I think big multinational companies should promote multiculturalism for the benefit of the human race. We can achieve much more when we are all working together and not having to expend tremendous amounts of resources on conflicts. I don't know how bad the situation is, but I do think it's a problem.
|
On September 27 2014 11:05 FiWiFaKi wrote:Show nested quote +On September 27 2014 09:41 aksfjh wrote:It's actually quite hard to escape racism and xenophobia in hard economic times, like much of the world is experiencing right now. Even the US, a relative melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, has seen racism flare up a bit since 2007. Then we have some nice xenophobic parties all over Europe gaining seats in parliament as well. Hell, Sweden just had an election where the moderate right lost a ton of seats to the anti-immigration party to their right. + Show Spoiler +One might mistake you for being racist against Japanese for focusing so much on the negative aspects of Japan and Japanese culture (from this topic and the last one you made about Japan)... I mean, the Swedish thing is a much bigger deal than this crap we already knew about Japan. It's not like China isn't fostering some of the same shit with their constant challenging of small island ownership. You got some sort of beef with Japan or what? It's actually really really easy, come to Canada. If you are raised in a multicultural society that you are surrounded by all the time, racism isn't much of anything... Everyone's a brother or sister to you. I am not bothered by anyone as long as they follow my values, which is: -Do what you want, but don't do something that will hurt others, or create too much trouble for society -Respect others, be open to new ideas -Care about yourself enough to stay clean and healthy -And the famous quote - "Ask what you can do for your country, and not what your country can do for you"... Just be proud of where you live, be proud of who you are, it's how we will make it the best place to be. If you have those qualities, I don't care what skin color, what religion you are, etc... We will get along well. Now when it comes to a really really close friend or my girlfriend, I will be picky about race and religion, but that's normal and natural. I know a lot of Chinese people, and a lot of them don't like Japan... and I think that's fine. I personally don't like France or Quebec (I don't like them as the stereotypes they are known for, the people here are fine). I am still under the impression that white people are less racist than any others... This is simply from being surrounded by many Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Israeli, and Indian people, that might be due to the people who have lived here for quite some time are generally white, and the people who live here aren't really racist... While newer immigrants to Canada might naturally be more racist due to their background. I was born in Eastern Europe, and the only group we were really racist towards was Gypsies, which I dunno... I've never met a good Gypsy (that satisfies that 4 criteria above), so I guess I don't like them very much... Although there's very strict immigration laws against them coming here, so I don't see very many here. Anyway, it's really hard to deal with situations like these. Because I feel like countries should have a choice whether they want to be multicultural or not, but if at one point you welcomed immigrants with open arms, and now you are hostile towards them, I don't think that's alright... You are screwing over good and honest hard working people. If I went to live in France, then it's my fucking fault of nobody there likes me, just because of the type of country France (plus their history)... So that's my fault, and logically I should not go live there unless I want to completely change my lifestyle. On the other hand, if you welcome me, and then tell me to go back to Canada, or start harassing me, it's not okay. I dunno, I think big multinational companies should promote multiculturalism for the benefit of the human race. We can achieve much more when we are all working together and not having to expend tremendous amounts of resources on conflicts. I don't know how bad the situation is, but I do think it's a problem.
joking? im surprised to hear someone who actually lives in canada repeat the myth that canadians are generally "nice" and racism/bigotry arent an issue. i live in the GTA and there are tons of racist fucks everywhere, especially against arabs, pakistanis, muslims in general, etc. and certainly against blacks as well. my wife's coworker who was from trinidad routinely had people yell "nigger" at her in the parking lot of her work. there's an enormous amount of homophobia as well, jst like in the US. it's different in toronto but that's the same in any urban area, urban zones are more progressive and modern in most western countries.
also your comments that "whites are the least racist" and what you said about gypsies are pretty sketchy and not what i associate with people who claim to view all people as brothers and sisters and not caring about superficial differences. might want to reexamine yourself.
|
On September 27 2014 11:56 brickrd wrote:Show nested quote +On September 27 2014 11:05 FiWiFaKi wrote:On September 27 2014 09:41 aksfjh wrote:It's actually quite hard to escape racism and xenophobia in hard economic times, like much of the world is experiencing right now. Even the US, a relative melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, has seen racism flare up a bit since 2007. Then we have some nice xenophobic parties all over Europe gaining seats in parliament as well. Hell, Sweden just had an election where the moderate right lost a ton of seats to the anti-immigration party to their right. + Show Spoiler +One might mistake you for being racist against Japanese for focusing so much on the negative aspects of Japan and Japanese culture (from this topic and the last one you made about Japan)... I mean, the Swedish thing is a much bigger deal than this crap we already knew about Japan. It's not like China isn't fostering some of the same shit with their constant challenging of small island ownership. You got some sort of beef with Japan or what? It's actually really really easy, come to Canada. If you are raised in a multicultural society that you are surrounded by all the time, racism isn't much of anything... Everyone's a brother or sister to you. I am not bothered by anyone as long as they follow my values, which is: -Do what you want, but don't do something that will hurt others, or create too much trouble for society -Respect others, be open to new ideas -Care about yourself enough to stay clean and healthy -And the famous quote - "Ask what you can do for your country, and not what your country can do for you"... Just be proud of where you live, be proud of who you are, it's how we will make it the best place to be. If you have those qualities, I don't care what skin color, what religion you are, etc... We will get along well. Now when it comes to a really really close friend or my girlfriend, I will be picky about race and religion, but that's normal and natural. I know a lot of Chinese people, and a lot of them don't like Japan... and I think that's fine. I personally don't like France or Quebec (I don't like them as the stereotypes they are known for, the people here are fine). I am still under the impression that white people are less racist than any others... This is simply from being surrounded by many Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Israeli, and Indian people, that might be due to the people who have lived here for quite some time are generally white, and the people who live here aren't really racist... While newer immigrants to Canada might naturally be more racist due to their background. I was born in Eastern Europe, and the only group we were really racist towards was Gypsies, which I dunno... I've never met a good Gypsy (that satisfies that 4 criteria above), so I guess I don't like them very much... Although there's very strict immigration laws against them coming here, so I don't see very many here. Anyway, it's really hard to deal with situations like these. Because I feel like countries should have a choice whether they want to be multicultural or not, but if at one point you welcomed immigrants with open arms, and now you are hostile towards them, I don't think that's alright... You are screwing over good and honest hard working people. If I went to live in France, then it's my fucking fault of nobody there likes me, just because of the type of country France (plus their history)... So that's my fault, and logically I should not go live there unless I want to completely change my lifestyle. On the other hand, if you welcome me, and then tell me to go back to Canada, or start harassing me, it's not okay. I dunno, I think big multinational companies should promote multiculturalism for the benefit of the human race. We can achieve much more when we are all working together and not having to expend tremendous amounts of resources on conflicts. I don't know how bad the situation is, but I do think it's a problem. joking? im surprised to hear someone who actually lives in canada repeat the myth that canadians are generally "nice" and racism/bigotry arent an issue. i live in the GTA and there are tons of racist fucks everywhere, especially against arabs, pakistanis, muslims in general, etc. and certainly against blacks as well. my wife's coworker who was from trinidad routinely had people yell "nigger" at her in the parking lot of her work. there's an enormous amount of homophobia as well, jst like in the US. it's different in toronto but that's the same in any urban area, urban zones are more progressive and modern in most western countries. also your comments that "whites are the least racist" and what you said about gypsies are pretty sketchy and not what i associate with people who claim to view all people as brothers and sisters and not caring about superficial differences. might want to reexamine yourself.
I dislike that just because I use a few stereotypes in my argument (which justifiably can have some concern), that it automatically leads to me being racist.
Having lived where I lived, I have made the observation that white people in general will be less racist than others in the area. Whether you want to attribute that to white people getting to feel more comfortable in society, and other ethnicities feeling like the system is against them can attribute to some of that, and lots of other different reasons.
I never said I view everyone as brothers and sisters. I view everyone that follows my criteria as a brother and sister. Which like I mentioned, I have never met a gypsy who did, and my parents were a bit racist towards them (I'm sure anyone from eastern europe can relate). But if I meet one, and they are proper, normal people (under the criteria I listed above), you can bet I will treat them kindly.
I just really want to reiterate my main focus of this reply, and that is just because someone makes arguments with radical examples, or with bizarre statements, it doesn't make him that kind of person. Messages are an effective form of communication, but some meaning is somewhat hidden because of the lack of face to face contact... And it's really easy to misinterpret information as negative, when that is not it's intention.
When I formulate a position or argument, I like to give the most information possible, as that is what effective communication is. I shouldn't need to sugarcoat everything I say when I argue and we are on a similar change. When we engage in a conversation where the point is to exchange information, and get a point across, being politically correct is not necessary, and I don't think that saying "whites are the least racist" is a sketchy remark. Would it have been better if I said: "From purely my observations living in Canada, I felt that in general, throughout the entire population, Caucasian individuals tend to make less racist remarks, and are more open with forming groups with other races, while the Asian people I've met throughout school and work tend to stick in their Asian communities, and tend to not form as many friendships with other skin colors. Not only that, but friends of my parents who are white really supported them when they dated a black, chinese, or korean girl, however I've heard from many Asian friends that their parents simply wont let them date anyone who isn't white or asian".
Anyway, I hope I addressed you concern you have with my sketchy views and hope you don't feel that I need to be examined. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
