The Foreigner Crime File situation: February 8th 2007

Update: FamilyMart has issued an apology for the sale of the magazine, so we are calling off our boycott on FamilyMart.

[More information here.]

News keeps pouring in about the “Gaijin Crime File” Magazine/book and the boycott, so it’s time for another post on the subject:

The first issue I would like to address is whether FamilyMart has actually removed the magazine from their shelves, as they claimed to have done on February 5th. While there have been many reports from readers stating that they haven’t seen it on the shelves of the FamilyMart in their town, I am also getting reports that it has not been removed from some FamilyMarts:

• A personal friend and co-worker has told me he saw the magazine at a FamilyMart in Saitama prefecture on February 6th.
• Commenter Mark has written that there are still copies of the magazine on the shelves of his local FamilyMart [as of 10:30AM on February 7th]
• Posters on Gaijinpot forums have also reported that the magazine is still on sale at FamilyMart. [Link 1] [Link 2]

Since I posted this, FamilyMart has confirmed that the magazine was actually still on the shelves of some of their stores, and they claim that they’ve sent another order to remove the magazines:

We have done soul-seaching (反省）deeply, being imformed that some magazine were still available at some shops. We have instructed all the shops again on Feb 7th to remove the copies, to make sure the shop should follow the insruction..
Thank you for informing us of the fact.
And thank you for the suggestion that we might post the future plan how to deal with the similar issue on the blog (Japan probe) , but this time we
refrain from doing it.

We hope you will enjoy Family Mart as ever.

-Thanks to Ponta for this translation! Let’s keep an eye on our local FamilyMart stores to make sure they actually remove the magazines this time! If you see a copy still on the shelf of a FamilyMart, contact us immediately!!

What to do if you see this magazine on the shelf at a convenience store:

• Tell the manager of the store your feelings on the issue, and ask him if he/she will remove it. Do not be loud and angry, as the people working there are likely not responsible for their store’s offering of magazines, and are only trying to make a living. [Examples of how to do this can be found here and here.]
• If the store is a FamilyMart, send a complaint letter to them asking why their stores are not complying with their removal order. Ponta has offered excellent advice on how to do so here.

Bloomberg has published a story on the Foreigner Crime File, in which they mention Debito and Japan Probe:

Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) — FamilyMart Co., Japan’s third-largest convenience store chain, yesterday pulled a magazine on crimes committed by foreigners from store shelves, citing the publication’s “inappropriate racial expressions.”

FamilyMart withdrew copies of “Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu,” or “Secret Foreigner Crime Files,” after receiving at least 10 complaints from customers since Feb. 3, Takehiko Kigure, a spokesman for Tokyo-based FamilyMart Co., said in a telephone interview yesterday. About 1000 copies of the magazine, which costs 690 yen ($5.74), were sold.

“We decided to remove it from our shelves because inappropriate racial expressions were found in the magazine,” Kigure said. The company removed the book from 7,500 stores in Japan yesterday.

[…]

Secret Foreigner Crime Files featured widely in Japanese blogs and other Internet forums after it appeared on FamilyMart’s shelves.

Debito Arudou, a naturalized Japanese citizen and author of “Japanese Only,” posted a bilingual letter for readers to take to FamilyMart stores protesting against “discriminatory statements and images about non-Japanese residents of Japan.”

Another blog, Japan Probe, asked readers to check that FamilyMart is complying with its pledge to remove the publication.

The Spanish Media has also picked up on the story, and they have published an interview with the publisher of the magazine. Here is an English translation by Julián Ortega Martínez:

Publishing date: 7/2/2007 14:11:16
Magazine [editorial] director: “I feel I am in danger”
Shigeki Saka, director of a xenophobic magazine, receives a wave of complaints and threatening mails. Interview.
Tokyo – IPCJAPAN/Shiho Kohinata

Shigeki Saka, Eichi Shuppan’s editorial director, which published Gaijin Hanzai Ura File, a magazine accused of being xenophobic and racist, told ipcdigital.com he was conscious the magazine could arise criticism from foreigners, but he claims his intention was to lead Japanese people to discuss the increase of crimes by foreigners and the country’s internationalization.

He denied the magazine has any xenophobic sentences, claimed he’s not a racist and refused to apologize. During the dialogue with ipcdigital.com he received threatening e-mails whose content he did not want to disclose.

ipcdigital.com: What is your opinion on the reaction of the public about your magazine?

Shigeki Saka: I don’t understand it yet well. There are a lot of questions from foreign press [outlets] as Reuters or Bloomberg. I know there are a lot of complaints. But that depends on how you receive this stuff. In principle it is a magazine written in Japanese and sold in Japan. Then, it’s for Japanese people to read it. Besides, on the magazine there are not any discriminatory claims, though I imagine that foreigners who are always discriminated are a little bit more sensitive.

ipcdigital.com: What did you wanted with the approach given to the magazine?

SS: Currently Japan is facing a lot of offences starred by foreigners. There must be a why. I wanted to find that “why”. I can’t act as if nothing was actually happening. Today there are some Japanese afraid of foreigners and I wanted to survey these people’s psychology. I want you to read the magazine. You’ll see.

ipcdigital.com: And what have you discovered so far?

SS: Foreigners’ crimes in Japan have a profile which changes depending on the country and this is what I also wanted to know. For example, about Chinese and Koreans. Japan welcomes them as kenshusei and that system is officially intended to they to learn Japanese working techniques and that they take them back to their countries. But it happens that they are put to work as common employees, but with low salaries and some of them cause minor offences. The kenshushei system is the problem that has been generated by Japan. It is a problem from here.

ipcdigital.com: What are you based on to give an opinion about the crimes?

SS: We have spoken with Japanese police in order to write each article. For them this issue is serious and they have provided the data. I have also spoken with Japanese specialists, as university professors devoted to this issue. This magazine is a summary of these data and focused on the foreigners’ issue.

ipcdigital.com: Don’t you think the way the photographs are used is tendentious?

SS: If you read the magazine you will understand it. Maybe foreigners can’t read the articles in there and they only see the pictures of the discriminated. The magazine has a lot more than photographs, which is 1/4 of the total. I wanted the magazine to be read by a lot of people, so many people bought it we put shocking pictures, to call everyone’s attentiona. But I don’t want they think it’s a discriminating magazine only because of the pictures. Besides, I’m not a racist. In Japan there are a lot of contradictions and, in order to have a coexistence between different cultures we have to erase those contradictions. To solve those contradictions is one of the goals of this magazine.

ipcdigital.com: How did you get the photographs you published?

SS: There is a very special photographer. He walks the commercial districts as Roppongi, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Shibuya. He’s around the city all day. He’s a freelancer. I did not ask him to take pictures of the foreigners, but he offered the ones he had to us. In the city there are a lot of foreigners, but he doesn’t go only after them.

ipcdigital.com: What do you think about Familymart’s withdrawal of the magazine?

SS: I’m sad about that. We can’t say anything else about the withdrawal of the magazine at the combini because Familymart has not communicated anything yet, they withdrew it without asking us. Normally distributors are more powerful. We can’t do anything, but I think that withdrawing it is a way to reject the debate. The magazine raises an issue to discuss. Why there are so many crimes by foreigners? What can we do? Without a magazine of that kind we can’t know the positive or negative opinion from the people. I want a discussion and I want to find the way to solve this problem. This is my other objective. But I see that the foreigners who are angry, but that’s because they’re afraid to be discriminated, that’s why they overreact. At the internet blogs I see they’re only putting the pictures and they discuss from that, I confess I’m discouraged about that. I want a discussion. Else, we will never be able to internationalize this country

ipcdigital.com: Will you apologize?

SS: Look. First, I’m receiving a lot of e-mails which seem like a joke.

ipcdigital.com: What do they say?

SS: I can’t tell you, but I feel I’m in danger. I want opinions, but most of the ones I receive are overreactions from the foreigners. Most complaints come from foreigners. I want to know the reactions of the Japanese. I must say I’m a little worried. I know there are some people bothered but if you read the magazine, you’ll see there’s no single discriminatory phrase, so I don’t know why should I apologize.

Frankly, I find Mr Saka’s views to be ridiculous. However, he does have a right to free speech, so I reallly hope that none of you out there are sending him threats. If you disagree with his views, express yourself in an intelligent and civil manner.

An official response from Amazon: Amazon’s UK and Japan customer service reps have responded to one of our reader’s complaint e-mails, stating that they will not stop selling the magazine. Here is what they said:

I complained to Amazon. The UK office responded:

Thank you for writing to Amazon.co.uk with your concerns about one ofthe titles we list in our catalogue.

This is an issue we take very seriously and we wanted to share with you our goals with respect to our catalogue.

Our goal is to support freedom of expression and to provide customers with the broadest selection possible so they can find, discover and buy any title they might be seeking. That selection includes some titles, which most people, including employees of Amazon.co.uk, may find distasteful or otherwise objectionable.

Amazon.co.uk believes it is censorship not to offer for sale certain titles with repugnant or distasteful content, and we would be rightly criticised if we did so. As a result, we will continue to make controversial works available in the UK and everywhere else, except where they are prohibited by law.

Furthermore, because we strongly believe that the appropriate response to distasteful or repugnant speech is not censorship, but more speech, we will continue to allow readers, authors, and publishers to express their views freely about the books and other products we offer on our website. It is important to note that we do not endorse any opinions expressed by individual authors, musical artists, or filmmakers.

The Japan office responded as follows:

Thank you for writing to Amazon.co.jp with your comment.

We want everyone who visits Amazon.co.jp to have a safe, enjoyable experience and I am truly sorry that this experience has made you to have a negative impression about Amazon.co.jp.

We have quite a few selection sold at our store because we think any publications should be able to be freely published and
customer should be able to select what they may like to read. Therefore as long as they are not against the Japanese law, we may
not reconsider our decision. Your understanding would be much appreciated.

As you mentioned, the publication has a offensive and unpleasant title and the contents should be following the title as well. I’m really sorry that you feel very uncomfortble about this issue.

We already passed your message on to the appropriate department in our company for consideration. Our department will confirm the item and cut it from our site if it is needed.

Again, your understanding would be much appreciated.

Just thought I’d let people know where Amazon stands on this issue.

Clair, Chiba.

Personally, I think that Amazon has given an adequate response to these complaints. If their policy is to sell anything that is not illegal in the name of free speech, I can respect this view and continue shopping at their store. Including this magazine as one of the tens of thousands of titles on sale at their store is hardly the same as a convenience store including it on their shelves as a part of their very limited offering of literature. I have never called for the book to be banned from all stores; I simply do not want convenience stores and other small mainstream stores including it as a part of their small selection of books. If you disagree with me and would like to campaign against Amazon and other online retailers, you can e-mail them at one of these addresses.

In addition, some other stories on this topic have emerged:

• Debito has written a review of the magazine, summarizing what exactly is wrong with it. I agree with many of his points. [Link]
• The South China Post has published an article on the issue! [Link]

Readers: Thank you for your continuing support in this struggle! We are still looking for definite proof of the magazine’s presence on the shelves of AM/PM, Save On, Daily Yamazaki, Sunkus/Circle K and other convenience stores that internet posters have sighted it. Please take some photos or scan some receipts and send them to us! We are also looking for more evidence that disproves FamilyMart’s claim that the magazines have been removed, so send us any if you have some. Keep up the good work, everyone!