Stranger in His Homeland – Police Encounter
The following e-mail was sent to Japan Probe from a reader who had a very unpleasant encounter with Japanese police:
I am a Japanese citizen by birthright (born in Japan, and my father being a Japanese) and a half-Filipino half-Japanese in terms of ethnicity. I can understand Nihongo, but I have yet to become fluent with my native tongue. I was raised in my mother’s homeland to become an educated and responsible person and I have returned here in Japan with the hopes of pursuing my goals and aspirations.
Prior to my return, I have been informed of many accounts about the realities that people have faced during their stay here. I kept all these in mind but made utmost effort not to make hasty assumptions about the Japanese people in general. But now, only after 3 months of my stay, I am writing this entry because I am beyond compelled to relate to the readers an encounter that has exacerbated my growing skepticism about this country. I have written down how I exactly remembered the event that will change the rest of my life here..
November 1, 2007. For Christians, it was a day designated in commemoration of the Church’s role models, the saints. Here in Japan it was just a typical autumn morning… or at least it was supposed to be.. My brother walked out of our apartment as I was left making final preparations for a day’s work. When the clock struck 6:20 am, I knew I had 3 minutes left before I miss the train ride en route to the city where we work. And without a second thought, I hurriedly took the usual route on the way to the train station. And just when I was about a corner away, I caught a glimpse of a scene that rendered me speechless for events to come – my sibling backed against a wall, holding his Japanese passport while being surrounded by not less than 8 men clad in blue suits or work clothes (genba). They were representatives from the local police and the immigration office, who disguised themselves as civilians to catch us off our guards.
Two of them saw me coming and tried to stop me from going any further. But they didn’t have to. I stood still, dumbfounded with what I saw, wondering how this could have happened to us. As I approached my brother, he told me that they are in pursuit of illegal immigrants and we appear to be their targets. But what baffled me was the fact that my brother had already shown his passport yet these individuals continued to bombard him with questions. Nor did they even back down to give my brother some personal space to explain that we are Japanese but have been raised elsewhere. Shouldn’t his passport suffice to let him continue to go to work? And what confused me even more was that I recall a policeman conducting a census in our area less than a month ago. My brother himself showed the proper documents as a proof of our legitimate residence.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I can hardly respond to their multiple queries. Then one of them asked if I was his brother. We responded “yes” and I was asked if I brought my passport. The first thing that entered my mind was “Why in the world do I have to bring it with me to work?” Obviously I didn’t have one, and so we were asked to escorted to our house and get it. And then it struck me. What if I was the one who went ahead to the station?
As we showed them my passport, they knew they were left with squat. My brother was psyched out and so he decided to stay in the apartment. I chose to go to work and explain the incident to our supervisor; but as I rushed back to the station, I noticed that there were more men surrounding the vicinity of our house. I wasn’t there for their explanation, but I was told later that a tip from a source prompted them to make a move against us as soon as they heard it. But as far as I know, a tip in itself does not establish enough grounds to arrest someone.
I know for a fact that this incident is not as rare as a solar eclipse, but for me, this one is not something that should be dismissed as “something that can’t be helped” (shoganai). This whole incident did not only cause us inconvenience, but it left a mark in our hearts as to how things go in Japan. Just because of the way we look, we were tagged as criminals. Because of our complexion and facial features, because of our heritage… it was enough to send an armada of men to put us down, as if we were highly dangerous to the society. It was downright debilitating, humiliating, dehumanizing. If I am not highly mistaken, the people who are in the receiving end of this treatment are the ones who aren’t Americans or British. This is not a hasty assumption, for I have read, heard and seen that this particular group of people is highly revered in this country, even though most would not admit to it. (I may digress if I write more insights on the phenomenon of social segregation here.)
Since then, whenever I go out, whether for work or personal purposes, I am anxious that such a thing might just happen again. And as an added insult to injury, I have to bear with the irony that I have to keep a passport handy in my own birthplace, in a country I ought to call my home.
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I’m sorry that this happened to you, especially since you’re Japanese in the first place, but don’t be mistaken by saying that it doesn’t happen to Americans or British people that much. I am American ( white ) and I was questioned by the police for what a while because I was using a pay phone. Later I was told by a Japanese person it was because there are a lot of counterfeit phone cards, but he never asked me about that. Also, my friend who is a French guy was arrested for riding a bicycle. He called us up and asked us to bring the receipt for the bike. ( lucky he kept it in the apartment ) We had to bring it to the station to get him out and were told that foreigners like to steal bikes, and that’s why he was arrested.
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But you ARE mistaken. It does and has happened to American and British. It has happened to myself and my co-workers countless times over. White skin is definitely not revered in this country.
And it’s not just the police. Just yesterday a man sat down next to me in the last seat left on the train. This surprised me because 90% of the time Japanese choose not to sit next to me. Then he put on his glasses, looked to the left, saw my revered white skin, and promptly and blatantly decided to ride the rest of the journey standing.
And that example pales in comparison to the ordeal of trying to find a place to live in this country or the fact that, as of next week, we’re ALL being treated as criminals through forced fingerprinting upon entering Japan.
Racism is epidemic in Japan that is growing bigger every day. You’re not alone and my white skin is not immune to it.
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Few of us that have lived a life of advantage and entitlement based solely on having a white complexion can empathize with nor understand what it feels like to be a victim of racism until you experience Japan – The most ethnocentric bastion on earth. Now I have an iota of understanding of what it is like to be black and be loathed just for having pigmented skin. Never would I have believed my black brothers complaints until I experienced unjustified hatred first hand.
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It’s interesting how people, no matter what their situation, speculate that they are the ones being discriminated against. It’s especially the case that “white people” are seen as being immune to prejudice and unfair treatment. This is so not true in Japan.
If you search the internet, you’ll encounter a great many stories where (mostly white) people from all over the world have been harassed by the Japanese police. My husband and I were stopped on the street for riding our bicycles past a koban and asked to present receipts for them and we’re not only white but pretty harmless-looking middle-aged folks. Of course, no one carries a bicycle receipt around with them!
White folks know what your experience recently taught you. You always have to carry a gaijin card or your passport with you at all times in Japan or face the threat of being detained in a police station until someone brings it to you. The only difference between the author and a white person is that white people expect it to happen and you didn’t.
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Well, at least in my country everybody is expected to wear his ID card with him at every time. The bicycle thing is of course a very bad joke…
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Seeing as this person has clearly just had a horrible experience, I think this is not the time to start comparing stories. Too often on blogs foreigners start turning on eachother, which does not help us at all.
We westerners MUST NOT forget that those of Asian,African or South American origins simply DO have a tougher time here. You know it’s true.
We get the ignorance, the prejudice, all the same but let’s keep it in perspective.
When people think I am Brazilian (my appearance) I get much different reactions to when I tell them I am Australian. Much.
So rather than talk about how tough I’ve got it, I’d rather we all worked as a community to educate and help dispel myths and hatred. We cannot do it by dividing ourselves further.
Just my two cents. have a nice day.
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It’s interesting that you say we should work together but it was the author who originally divided us into those who have it tough because they are Asian/have darker skin and those who are white and don’t have problems because they are regarded as somehow better. The posts here about shared experiences are saying that we are all in the same boat but the author of this story wants to claim his boat is far worse than the one the rest of us are in in order to elevate his level of victimhood.
As long as people want to play the “I’m a big victim and you’ve got it better than me” game, there will be no community. There will only be people who feel sorry for themselves and have no interest in forming a coalition with others who also face prejudice because they feel the degree of difficulty matters more than what is at the root of it.
While it’s very true that non-Japanese Asians have it worse when they are recognizable as non-Japanese, they have it far better than white folks when they are seen as Japanese because their appearance isn’t appreciably different. There are two sides to the coin of being of Asian descent in Japan.
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The anger I gather from your message is kinda what I’m talking about. We musn’t alienate the author of the original story for his views, rather help him/ her to know it happens to all of us.
Saying that ‘white folks’ may have it harder than him/ her is not helpful.
There are simply more supportive ways of replying to this post.
This person may have some slightly one sided views but your post is taking the other extreme. THIS is my point …As you say, there are 2 sides to the coin- from whichever viewpoint you come from. No need to compare who gets it tougher. Not helpful.
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I think it’s a terrible thing to feel like that in your own country… but I think you should try and take action against it, I mean, you’ve got to change the world day by day, right? There must be a lot of disenfranchised people like yourself in Japan who feel unfairly persecuted too, and you’ve got to get together and tell the government that they can’t be treated like that. If you let them push you around like this, there’ll be no end to it.
Maybe it’s just wistful thinking… But how does the saying go…? “You’ll never know unless you try”?
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Having lived in Japan for almost two decades, I am utterly unsurprised to hear this. “A country I ought to call my home…” Sorry, but this country will never be your home, in the sense that others recognize your right to call it that. You may have Japanese citizenship, but you are not Japanese. To really be considered Japanese, you have to have grown up in a Japanese social environment, speak the language fluently and know what to say and what not to say, know all the unwritten rules. AND you have to look Japanese. (I’m American, but having talked to many Japanese about this topic, I’m confident that I’m right.) It doesn’t matter what your passport says. You’re a gaijin, and you can expect to be treated as one as long as you live in Japan. You can’t expect to have any kind of satisfactory experience in Japan until you adjust your expectations to reflect that fact. What happened to you probably did the job and then some, but better that you know sooner than later. Ironically, if your features tag you as non-Japanese, despite your citizenship, you are lower on the social scale than me (a white person). Japanese don’t like other Asians even more than they don’t like white people. Anyway, I was sorry about what happened to you, but the only thing that surprised me about it was that you were surprised.
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I agree — he’s Japanese, and never will be. Unfortunately, Japan isn’t as open of a country as some western countries…I find it amusing when foreigners go and get citizenship in Japan and expect to be treated like they’re “actually” Japanese.
I’m one of those people who can pass for Japanese (Japanese-born, partially Japanese-raised) but will never really be completely Japanese; there are way too many cultural differences.
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Yeah, that’s really amusing, huh?
Like when Japanese people take other nationalities and expect to be treated like nationals…
*rolls eyes*
Crazy, huh…
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Are you deliberately misunderstanding Erika’s sentiment?
One of my best friends is Albanian. He has lived in Sweden since he was 18 and became a Swedish national recently, after having stayed here for nearly 7 years. That doesn’t mean he’s Swedish in my eyes, or even in his own.
Getting a citizenship does not mean you are “actually” anything. It’s paper.
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sempiri’s views may be a little cynical; they do reflect the reality of the situation… but not what should be, or will be.
It’s tempting to swap stories of similar cases of discrimination, but the fact remains: a white person in Japan will never know what’s it’s like to be a, in this case, half-Japanese, half-Filipino person in Japan, no more than a black man can understand what it is to be Native American, a Chinese Japanese, etc, etc; I personally believe those Japanese citizens who do not “look Japanese” (as the misconception goes) do receive the short end of the stick, but this is based on conjecture: I won’t understand what it’s like to live their kind of life.
Those with Brazilian features and non-white “foreigners” (citizens or not) are targeted by immigration more often, like it or not; the system is racist, and those with darker skin are seen as more “dangerous” – absolutely absurd. White foreigners, regardless of nationality, can receive equally harsh treatment, no doubt about it, but less frequently.
One of the most compelling arguments I’ve heard (and the one that really brought this issue to my attention) about changing the standard on who “looks Japanese” is the children; those who were born and raised in Japan by Japanese and foreign parents, who have never known a different life, yet somehow must justify their existence to those who abuse power. The author, with a Japanese passport, could just as easily have been a Japanese from birth and never left the country… purely because of how he looks, he was targeted by immigration. Words cannot describe how wrong that is, and accepting it as immutable, as sempiri seems to have done, will accomplish nothing.
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“Accepting it as immutable… will accomplish nothing.” The important thing is simply to accept it as the current reality, which is accomplishing something. Knowing the situation, knowing how I’m regarded, is very useful. And I think it’s far safer to assume it won’t change than to assume it will. Japanese society is changing in some ways, but I’m not aware that increased acceptance of foreigners in the social fabric of Japanese life is one of them, nor am I aware of any reason to think this will change. It’s fine and good to hope for change, but let’s not lose sight of reality. And I think the reality will not change in my lifetime. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. (You say cynical, I say realistic.)
Also, let’s be fair and recognize that it’s their country, and we’re just guests, paid to perform a service. Especially with the internet, anyone who comes here can look into it and find this out. If I’m stopped and asked for my gaijin card, I won’t get angry or indignant; I’ll politely get it out and show it to them. If by some peculiar chance I get arrested wrongly, I’ll know that the police can hold me for three weeks with no charges, will conduct an interrogation we would consider over the line, and will treat me as though I’m guilty even though I’m not. Is that right? Of course not. But I know it going in. I don’t have to live here if I don’t want to. If you don’t like somebody, you can (probably futilely) spend your time trying to change them, you can just leave them alone and not deal with them, or you can just accept them as they are. All we can do is be the best people we can be, and with any luck, through their association with us they will come to see us differently and accept us more. But it’s not up to us to change the Japanese. They have to do it themselves.
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Oh, gee – thanks!
My children were born here to a Japanese mother and look 90-100% white. They are NOT guests, but will face this for the rest of their lives.
You NOVA teachers are guests and can go home if you don’t like it, leaving the problem here for the rest of us.
Damn straight I’m going to change the Japanese. I’m not about to let my children suffer through this crap, and I won’t let them be forced to move to a country (mine) that they have never visited and know nothing about.
Discrimination must be fought no matter what form it takes. We can start with the institutional discrimination found in government and the police.
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Dude, you should have thought of that before you had kids in Japan!
Just kidding. (Well, 99%.) Your snide tone is extremely understandable; I hadn’t thought about people in your position when I wrote that. I do think that you are in a better position than I am to fight that, and I wish you well. But I fear that you’ll be bashing your head into a wall most of the time. Xenophobia is very strongly entrenched in Japan; people like you, who marry into Japanese culture, are exactly what they’re afraid of happening on a large scale. Your kids are an infection that the country’s immune system is trying to fight off. That sucks for them and for you, but while the first sentence was intended to be humorous, I do hope you and your wife knew what your kids would be getting into before you decided to live in Japan.
I do think you shouldn’t expect NOVA teachers like me to help you fight this fight. Oh, wait, I just remembered, I’m not a NOVA teacher! How wrong of you to indulge in stereotyping others! You should tell all the Japanese you know what a bad thing stereotyping is.
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So according to your logic, gay and black people best should have just shut up facing the racist society in the say 50s? Or if you asked some “normal” people in the 50s who they want to vote for an presidential candidate, a black or a woman, what kind of answer would you most likely have received from them?
Things can change, actually even in a comparatively short timespan and quite drastically too.
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By the way-there aren’t any NOVA teachers anymore!!! Find a new steroetype…
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Re: Buster’s comment.
Giving possible scenarios of US in the 50s here have limited relevance. The culture and sentiment are different. A conforming and obedient society is not the US in the 50-60s.
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I don’t know, but I think its great that white foreigners face prejudice in Japan or Korea. When a white person in Japan is facing prejudice, I hope that they will see what black people in America have to go through.
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What a ridiculous comment.
Your first erroneous assumption is that all white people are American. Why should a white German facing prejudice think about Black Americans?
Your second erroneous assumption is that no white Americans “see what black people in America go through”, which is frankly risible.
You also seem to think that punishing the child for the sins of the father is just. But then you already said that you think prejudice is “great”.
This argument that one cannot complain about mistreatment because others are also mistreated is facile and illogical. America wasn’t mentioned in the post, and to bring it up in such a fashion illustrates only the chip on your shoulder.
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Surely it is not great at all that white people face prejudice in Japan or Korea.
But she has a good point.
Educational role exchange is a good way to see how the other go through his/her life.
For a member of majority, it is hard to imagine what the minority feel like, and there is a good possibility that you try to put yourself into the position of the minority once you have had an experience; my life in the U.S.,”a western country”, helped me to put myself in the status of the minority in Japan. That does not mean that I always agree with the minority’s opinion. But at least you know what it is like to face prejudice and try to avoid prejudice.
Well, but reading some of the comments about Japan on this thread, it seems facing-prejudice-experience is not of much help avoiding prejudice.
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Thats nice, but coming into a country as somebody who received a higher eduction, is getting an ok to good sallary and can get many girls is still a bit different from what your usual mexican immigrant in the us has to face…
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re: marina Iteyears
and to change the japanese we must have prejudices against japanese when they come into our “western” countrys? -.-
sry but that wont help at all^^
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>I think its great that white foreigners face prejudice
And that makes you, quite frankly, a bad person.
Two wrongs never make a “right”.
To delight in the suffering of others, even those you presume suffer less than you do, is sick, and wrong in any moral context.
What’s more, that attitude exacerbates an environment of prejudice, making life worse for everyone on all sides of the issue.
So, congratulations on being part of the problem.
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i really relate to this article knowing his just like me
a Filipino-Japanese descent
i feel your pain bro, but stand tough,hang tight
there is a wide population of us (filipino-Japanese)
in Philippines and Japan,
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the first time it happened to me was similar to your story.
many civilian looking men approached me on the street while i was going to work. (at first i thought that they are bad guys, who are offering something) then one of them asked for an ID, i gave my gaijin card, then they called someone to confirm if my card was original or not. i was also a bit shocked at first, but believe me, it will happen to you many many more times (on the train stations, street, etc)..
just always bring an ID with you.
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Some of these cases look like good opportunities to call your local human rights lawyer. Debito claims that in cases like this (stopped for riding while white etc) they would positively salivate at the opportunity, and can be quite cheap. I do note however that he makes no mention of dragging one in the last time he was stopped – see his story about riding a bike around the Imperial Palace.
Why, I wonder, was the author’s sibling carrying his passport? Is this a common defence mechanism?
Two things I can advise: first, know your rights as a Japanese citizen when stopped by police. They have to have decent evidence to stop people for questioning, especially citizens. Second is to get in touch with a human rights lawyer, even if you don’t intend to press charges, just to get the lowdown on what the deal is.
These cops probably couldn’t believe or imagine that someone who was a Japanese citizen wasn’t fluent in the language – they probably thought the passport was fake or something.
That “tip” sounds like it cam from the “Dob in an Overstayer” snitch site that the Ministry of Injustice runs.
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I am sorry for what happened to you.
It is really unreasonable for the police to keep questioning after you show your passport.
You might want to consult the ministry of justice.
http://www.moj.go.jp/JINKEN/jinken21.html
Ask them what you need to do so that this kind of thing will never happen to you.
I am sure some Japanese around you will be also of help.
Yes, stand tough. Voice against the discrimination so that it might be easier to make native Japanese understand that there are issues.
(But let’s be specific.
The police asks even a Japanese riding a bicycle to stop;I personally feel it is too harsh, but I am not sure if it is a case of discrimination.
Who counts as “real Japanese” , I think, is an ambiguous question. Friends are friends;nationality does not matter. As a native Japanese, I am not sure what counts as “real” Japanese;maybe some people might have an answer, but I will take it with a grain of salt.)
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average japanese help will be shigata ga nai
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I think this “職務質問” is perfectlly legal.
Japanes or not,the police often asks bicycle riding people to stop and show I.D.(Stealing bicycle is one of most common crime in Japan.)
If you live in Tokyo, you’re asked more often.
More loud or upset you become ,more suspicious the police become.Very simple.
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It’s a shame that the entire event wasn’t captured on video and uploaded to youtube. Telling a story such as this has some impact of course but showing actual video of it has a 10,000% great impact.
Needless to say, it would be quite difficult to have done so but none the less it would be great to show these racists for what they are. In reality very little has change since the days of WW2. The racism is hidden behind a very thin
veil of false smiles.
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Sounds like you yourself are quite prejudiced against the Japanese…
You know the same kind of things happen in Western Europe too?
People who were born and lived all their life in Europe get stopped by the police and asked if they’re illegals…
Because they’re not white.
There was a black French journalist who was arrested and detained by the Spanish custom people in a Spanish airport, they thought he was an illegal from Africa who bring a forged passeport… They arrested only black people from the airplane so it was a very clear case of racial profiling. They also beat him up.
And what about the Brazilian young man who was killed by the London police because they thought he was a terrorist?? They thought he was middle eastern (as if all middle easterners are terorists..)
So you see, Western countries are not always better than Japan.
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You bring up an interesting point. I would venture to guess that most foreigners in Japan reasonably do not fear violence (bodily harm) to anywhere near the same extent that affects minorities elsewhere (especially where the police are involved).
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And some crime happen (illegal immigrant etc),the police can do these “職務質問” aroud the place legally.
If you think the police offend your right,you can go to “市役所”"弁護士会”etc.
I think these thing happen all over the world.
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One of the most shocking things in this blog is that someone would wish that Whites face discrimination in Japan and Korea. The following comment:
‘Comment by Marina liteyears
2007-11-06 10:37:08
I don’t know, but I think its great that white foreigners face prejudice in Japan or Korea. When a white person in Japan is facing prejudice, I hope that they will see what black people in America have to go through.’
What a ridiculous thing to say!!! Go and get some education.
This proves how racist and ignorant people really can be and that things will not change so long as these people are out there.
Why would anyone want to wish suffering on anyone else beacuse of their skin colour in this day and age. Grow up, Marina. Go back to America where you might have a reason to bring this up. Leave your problems at home.
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I’m sorry, but i’m not racist or ignorant.It’s hard to explain what I meant in my comment.A person named, Ponta, gave a MUCH better explanation for my comment. so, uh you should read Ponta’s reply to my comment,this person makes alot of sense. Sorry, if I offended you,and your right it’s not good to wish prejudice upon another race.I’m from America by the way and I’m not white. Again i’m sorry.:)
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Almost as ridiculous as you not hitting “Reply to this comment” on Marina’s post.
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As others have alluded to, although I notice little hints and notes of discrimination myself I would never assume that I get it the same as non-white foreigners do. I’ve heard the stories about Chinese, Koreans, Brazilians, etc. and am thankful I don’t have to deal with that.
On the other hand, cultural differences stand out, not just appearance. I have a number of “returner” friends (帰国子女), and depending on how much living abroad changed them they can have a pretty rough time as well. At least with the people I know however, it’s not the case that they don’t know how to follow the rules and customs, it’s usually that they don’t feel compelled to anymore or simply question things the average Japanese would take at face value. Those of you that like to say what makes you “real Japanese” may want to add a disclaimer that if you spend too much time abroad then you lose your status.
And as for the “half” kids, they could play an integral role in helping this country deal with foreigners better. Kids growing up with other kids that look different but are culturally the same as them will help them to have a different idea of what being Japanese means when they grow older. I know a couple of these people and they are fairly well accepted, but I imagine it depends on what the other half is and level of cultural understanding, just like the author found out.
Long story short – it’s not just racial discrimination, it’s more cultural discrimination.
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I think cultural discrimination is the byproduct/adjunct of racial discrimination. No chicken no egg. Individual discriminations with enough numbers will eventually become society-wide discrimination.
Anyway, everybody discriminates to a certain degree. What matters is to have it not interfere with common sense.
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while i feel sorry for hearing bad experience,most annoying thing is the loud “Japanese is racist” people whom i met too often at Japan related blogs in english.
I’m very curious about these people.
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One extra note: don’t assume that looking like you’re Japanese means you’re saved either… that means that they’ll expect you to know all the local customs automatically. And if you don’t they they will have no qualms whatsoever in laying in to you, and pretty harshly from what I hear. Some Japanese descent people have told me stories of this that I’ve never even come close to experiencing.
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I’m sorry to hear that something like that has happened to you. I’m part Chinese, Filipino, and Spanish and most people have identified me as nearly every ethnicity under the sun. I was born in Manila, grew up in LA, and I’ve spent the past few years living here in Japan.
I’ll have to say that of all the places I’ve been to and lived, Japan and the Japanese have been the kindest to me. I’ve been beat up and spit upon growing up in East LA, and I’ve even been called out as Am-Boy and TNT (Tago Ng Tago) in Manila, but the most I’ve ever encountered in Japan are the mumblings of people talking about me on the train because they don’t think I understand Japanese. On the contrary, everyone, including the police have been nothing but kind and courteous (even if it’s all just out of pretense…it beats the attitude of some Americans).
My point is ignorance, racism, and ill will can be encountered anywhere you go, but Japan can be a great place if you let it. If anything, consider yourself as a representative of all us pinoys, if you simply lash out in rage and anger, however justified, then that may be how people will perceive us pinoys. But, if you present yourself as kind, compassionate, eloquent, and intelligent as you seem to be, then you will end up changing the perceptions that people have of all of us. Mabuhay, kababayan, and good luck!
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Why don’t you give me your address so I can go here http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/zyouhou/index.html and fill out the form to see if you would like the experience? They might just treat you just as kindly if you be “kind, compassionate” to them.
I think the snitch site is not an issue perse if 1) the LOL/M or former-OL housewives are more educated in how to identify an illegal resident 2) if the bureaucratic police would be less of an arse when confronting the reported people.
Oh…Kind and courteous out of pretense (without a speck of kindness in their heart) is just ass-kissing. Japanese ass-kissers vs. americans rednecks? I guess I will prefer ass-kissers since at least they are logical… sometimes.
One think is that Japanese is more practical rather logical
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I think that we should all report ourselves – to overload them in investigating us legal foreigners.
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I agree. There might be a racist or xenophobe everywhere you look in Japan, but none of them will burn a cross on your yard. If you live in Japan, you have to develop a tolerance and a sense of humor about people muttering things about you sometimes, or not sitting next to you on the train, or all those other stupid displays of anti-foreigner attitude, or you’re better off not living here at all. Where it gets much stickier is when people face popularly tolerated discrimination in basic activities like traveling, finding a residence, or, in the case of the gentleman who sent this letter, simply going to work in the morning.
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Exactly – I just had a friend who was born to Japanese parents in America, so had Japanese citizenship, yet had never spent a day of his life in Nippon (as a result, he was a native English speaker who qualified for eikaiwa employment). He looks Japanese, carries a Japanese passport, and speaks a little Japanese. Will he be better or worse off?
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One word: Gaijin
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Um, I guess I will go out on a limb and be one of the few people of white ethnicity that will agree to the OP and the posters who say colored and other asians have a worse time when they’re caught in a pinch. Yeah, whites aren’t excluded from being harassed from time to time, but when we are, it’s rarely done in a rough physical style…I honestly think some of you are playing the victim mentality card too much.
Having had known a Japanese-Brazilian family of good standing, I’ve seen cops bust into houses to check for drugs and whatnot with little to no explanation, no apologies when nothing is found (actually, they accused them of hiding it and having questioned how they were able to afford a TV without drug money) and similar rough altercations to what the OP said.
There’s also the civilian perception that comes into this, as you can’t deny that if you’re Caucasian and in Japan, you’re generally treated very well by the public at least, much so than back home… teens to 40 year olds generally are quite fond of Western culture (music, fashion, etc) and seem to believe whites are all well versed in the latest stuff and are quite keen to attempt to come up and converse in broken English. Seriously, they know way more about that stuff than myself. I admit I can’t say the same enthusiasm is reflected on my colored friends, even when they know more than I on the topic, and perhaps the only reason I noticed is because many of the people who I go around with are of varied background.
The most noticeable thing is what is said; when there is usually an argument between myself and some Japanese, usually they tend to eventually just let it go and agree to disagree…but often when such situations happen to my other buddies, I’ve heard some reeaal nasty things said to them. A lot of personal and cultural insults were said to my Malaysian room mate.
However, I don’t want to give the wrong impression that Japanese are bad hosts or what not to non-whites…it’s not really like that. 95% of the time there’s no trouble and Japanese are polite enough to begin with. The only time I think you will notice any difference in treatment is when the “shit hits the fan” and when attempting to make friends.
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Japan is Xenophobic, not Racist. Discuss…
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Sorry to offend people, but I ain’t no saint. I think everyone is a racist in some shape or form.
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Dude, get a dictionary. Thats like saying everybody is a murderer.
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No, it isn’t.
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No, if they were truly Xenophobic, there would be less western influence in Japan. The Japanese like western things, they just don’t want too many western people in Japan. Thus, they are racists.
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here is my 2 cents worth.
the guy has had a shit time. no way around that. it shouldnt have happened.
i will say this though, all this talk of racism maybe more accurate for our home countires, but is not quite accurate in regard to japan. its a more systematic discrimination between people here. of the friendships i have developed with japanese people over the last 3 and half years, many are with people from other prefectures. at first i thought this odd, but i think there is a significant reason for this. they have a similar experience to the real gaijin, and are excluded as outsiders in many subtle ways. the locals recognise them as “not of us” and thus, they are more inclined/willing to befriend other outsiders through loneliness and ostracism.
many of my students are “half” and to my knowledge, none are treated as outsiders, because they are not. speaking with one girl, with a french father – she had no interest in francea and couldnt speak french. my first reaction was what a shame. but on reflection, its not such a big deal. she is japanese. thats enough.
i have yet to have any really terrible experiences like that mentioned in the post. but in day to day life, there is the constant assumptions, staring etc. that – if we are honest – is stressful. today, when ordering a burger, the friendly woman insisted on using bad english. i pretended not to understand and threw some korean at her, but she was unfazed and persisted with the katakana engurish. (perhaps to her speaking strange sounding korean, confirmed my foreignness even more). anyway, she had good intentions and half of me got a kick out of the situation, the other half was annoyed.
as with human trafficking, smoking, road safety, the rights of women, education reform, labour reform and so on and so on… nothing will change until japanese people themselves change it. the vacuum of grassroots democracy in japan means that these things will just fester and fester. looking forward, japanese youth are increasingly apathetic, self-absorbed and nihilistic – so i dont see any major improvements on the horizon.
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“many are with people from other prefectures. at first i thought this odd, but i think there is a significant reason for this. they have a similar experience to the real gaijin, and are excluded as outsiders in many subtle ways.”
.
I have another theory:
At first people from the same prefecture get together because they have something in common to talk about, but when it comes to making friends, it is based on personal preference.
“they are more inclined/willing to befriend other outsiders through loneliness and ostracism.”
It might be one reason, but that is not the only reason:for instance, some of them may be just curious about “outsider”.
“when ordering a burger, the friendly woman insisted on using bad english. i pretended not to understand and threw some Korean at her,”
Almost every gaigokujin I met at restaurant, they spoke English despite the fact a friendly woman speak Japanese.
Sometimes they speak romaji Japanese, which might be hard for a friendly waitress to decipher as Japanese.
“so i dont see any major improvements on the horizon.”
I don’t see why the western way must be counted as improvement.
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What I find funny about ordering at, say, McDonalds, is that I will give my order in nice fluent Japanese (not roomaji-nihongo or anything) and the counter person will understand it perfectly, which is fine, but will then yell out my order to the back staff as “wan teriyaki, wan [whatever]“….
I don’t understand this bit: “Almost every gaigokujin I met at restaurant, they spoke English despite the fact a friendly woman speak Japanese.” Who is this friendly woman?
How is being less xenophobic the “western way”?
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I feel bad for what the poster had to go through but at the risk of repeating what others may have expressed earlier, this also sounds rather tame when compared to the experiences of say, blacks in the U.S. who are frequently stopped as a result of the phenomenon known as DWB. We are talking about the cops here. For the most part, they do an admirable job but I would be very hard pressed to identify any major police force anywhere in the world that doesn’t have some really bad apples in their ranks and that hasn’t institutionalized some form of racism or bigotry in their operations.
Now, incompetency is something else. It’s still pretty embarrassing that the Japanese police let a barefooted suspect slip through their fingers….
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Just tell them design a new police mascot. That will fix things up with the public (ahm… kids).
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This is good. They should get tougher on illegal immigration. I have been questioned before too.
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What exactly did this article or any of the preceding comments have to do with illegal immigration?
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This part: “They were representatives from the local police and the immigration office”. Especially the last two words. They had obviously received a tip, perhaps from a disgruntled neighbour through that MOJ snitch site, that there were some dodgy gaijin living there, and, having nothing better to do and probably a quota to fill, decided on a bit of innocent harassment.
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Ahh, somehow that slipped by me. I just thought this was all about treating gaijin poorly, not hunting for illegals.
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I’d like to address something ponta said:
“I don’t see why the western way must be counted as improvement.”
Careful what you speak. When we and other Japanese say we want Japan to become more international, what do we mean? We want Japanese to be more like the Chinese, to send their students to study in Tibet, to start learning Muslim customs, to speak French? More often than not, American ideas are considered to be “spreading internationalism” in Japan – it’s arrogant on both our parts, and it needs to stop.
However, I don’t think anyone considers this particular aspect of accepting those who don’t look “Japanese” as Japanese citizens as a western concept; it’s universal. It’s tempting to say that in fighting for NJ rights, we are in fact “destroying” the essence of Japan – its once-homogeneous culture and people – but this is far from the truth. Japanese do not always look Japanese. This is a fact. This is now Japan, accept it or not. Japan is not America, nor will it ever be; as it moves into a new future with a variety of citizens from different backgrounds and cultures, I can only hope the majority of residents will look at the inevitable change with grace and acceptance.
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The original essence of Japan was ruined when that damned foreign cultural wave hit, and turned everything upside down. Yes, Buddhism and Tang-dynasty ritsu-ryo government codes, I’m talking about you! Sure, some people will claim that Japan managed to absorb them and integrate them into a new and still Japanese culture, but we know better….
More seriously, The criteria for “being Japanese” must change to cultural ones, not racial, as otherwise we get these cases when nikkei from Brazil who act Brazilian are nevertheless legally Japanese, and Europeans who naturalise are seen as the eternal gaijin.
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Sure,sure you look more traditional Japanese than some young kids at Shibuya.
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I am looking forward to seeing , for instance, an African Japanese speak for Japan.
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You should have watched Bakusho Mondai’s Friday night program, “If I were Prime Minister” (an excellect show, about the only real political debate you’ll see on prime time telly). Two weeks ago they had the motion that Permanent Residents should get the vote in local elections, and they had an “African Japanese” (ugg, I dislike all that “heritage”-nationality double-barreledness) doing that very think.
They also had a Korean Zainichi talking about housing discrimination, an African about work discrimination, and an Australian about, err, no-one sitting beside her on the train…
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Yeah, I should have seen that, but I didn’t.
Were Japanese offended by the fact Bobby naturalized and Wada Akiko turned out to be a Korean descendant?
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ponta said “Almost every gaigokujin I met at restaurant, they spoke English despite the fact a friendly woman speak Japanese.Sometimes they speak romaji Japanese, which might be hard for a friendly waitress to decipher as Japanese.”
for a start, most “gaikokujin” you will see in resturaunts are not english speakers, are asian, and would probably slip under your gaijin-detector.
anyway, how is this relevant to my story? i spoke perfectly fine japanese, she refused to speak japanese with me, and assumed (correctly) that i am a foreign english speaker. its not a big deal, but it is weird. she was actually quite cute, and i can make a lot of leeway for cute girls.
i was speaking with a french friend about this topic this very weekend. he is not a native speaker of english and is more comforbale using japanese and yet he has to deal with this situation regularly as well.
also, i didnt say the western way is improvement. “apatheitc, self-absorbed and nihilistic” sounds quite western to me, actually – things i was criticising. i said, japan lacks grassroots democracy, so many social justice issues have not been adequately dealt with.
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There is another possible side to this apparent refusal to speak Japanese: the Japanese person has a rare chance to practice their Eikaiwa on a real foreigner.
I don’t know if it’s where I live or how I speak or who I interact with, but I very very rarely get this “won’t speak Japanese” (relief that I can speak it is far more common), so can’t really formulate anything meaningful.
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“for a start, most “gaikokujin” you will see in resturaunts are not english speakers, are asian, and would probably slip under your gaijin-detector.”
Most Asian people speak, or at least try to speak Japanese at restaurant in Japan. Sorry I forgot they were gaikokujin.
“i spoke perfectly fine japanese,”
When you throw Korean at her, mixed with your so called “perfect” Japanese, I am sure she was confused. Don’t tease a cute girl.
“yet he has to deal with this situation regularly as well.”
It is reasonable for a waitress to speak English when she is spoken to in English most of the time by non-oriental gaikokujin looking people.
That’s my theory. What is yours?
“, japan lacks grassroots democracy, so many social justice issues have not been adequately dealt with.”
There are grassroots movements in Japan, but It might be true it is not as influencial as western countries.
Is the grassroot group like Greenpeace such an improvement?
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overthinker says “More seriously, The criteria for “being Japanese” must change to cultural ones, not racial, as otherwise we get these cases when nikkei from Brazil who act Brazilian are nevertheless legally Japanese, and Europeans who naturalise are seen as the eternal gaijin.”
i would broaden that further. you dont have to act like other japanese to be japanese. you dont have to adopt perceived japanese culture. if you live here long enough, and think of youself as part of the society, you should be accepted as such. regardless of whether you like ocha, baseball or porn comics:)
new world nations such as america have benefited enormously from migrants not acting as the locals do. they bring new ideas, behaviours etc. that enrich society. for example, my local beach in japan is full of brazilians in summer having fun. regular japanese are rare. they should learn something from these migrants. relax, have a dance, have a swim…
they make japan a better place because they are different yet the same.
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The thing about the US is that, aside from the American Indians, it didn’t have a culture or nationhood before the immigrants arrived. And even at the start it wasn’t purely English stock. And was then mixed with other European nations, from Ireland to Italy, and now with non-white nations, so its self-image is that of the melting-pot or at least salad bowl. If you want to compare Japan, the UK or France is a better bet (curry is very popular in both the UK and Japan…). The UK at least has generally been very successful at absorbing immigrants, although the recent influx of Muslims has caused a lot of trouble in both the UK and France. And I am very leery of such ideas as the recent one by the town council of Slough that having a Guy Fawkes bonfire was not only dangerous, but a “culturally-exclusive British which ignores those from ethnic groups.”
(http://www.capc.co.uk/images/Daily%20Mail%20Bonfire%20Night%20Slough%20-%20John%20Midgley%20quote%20-%2019.10.07.gif)
While you are right about the legal basis for being seen as Japanese if you have that citizenship, I am not talking so much about the superficial cultural aspects like green tea and baseball, but more about the lifestyle and personal interactions. Yes, there is room for Japan to change and adapt, but it must be gradual, not a sudden imposition and demands to accept it unconditionally – that leads to resentment.
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im not too knowledgeable on american history, but i think the idea of the “melting pot” and “salad bowl” are quite recent products of state education. previous generations would have been taught a different identity by a state controlled by a dominant ethnic group. eg. a masculine, white, british identity.
anyway, the fruits of immigration are obvious for all to see (most sweet, some rotten).
in the case of australia, there have always been ethnicities, but it was not seen. up until the 1950s, australians percieved their country to be homogeneous (white and british – not australian). ofcourse that has changed since then, as have the racist immigration policies.
in this respect, japan is a lot like 1950s australia. clear and narrow national identity based on racial and nationalist ideals – despite the obvious diversity in every town and city.
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The concept of a melting pot in the US dates back to the 18th century, shortly after the country became independent. The term itself dates from 1908.
The key difference between Japan and Australia is that Japan is not a nation built on immigration, so there has not been any “Yellow Japan” immigration policy in the same way there was a “White Australian” one. That is, the racial ideas of what makes “Japanese” are based on the fact that virtually all Japanese were the same race and very few were immigrants. That is, defining a nation’s race identity based on who you let in is a lot different that defining it based on who is there to begin with. One is active discrimination, the other passive.
And there really isn’t an obvious amount of diversity in every town and city in Japan either. You have to look for it, and know where to look. Unless you count kimchi in the supermarkets.
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“im not too knowledgeable on american history, but i think the idea of the “melting pot” and “salad bowl” are quite recent products of state education. previous generations would have been taught a different identity by a state controlled by a dominant ethnic group. eg. a masculine, white, british identity.”
And right there you’ve proven just how very, very little you know about America.
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As an aside to this story – I see a similar event almost daily as I buy my newspaper at the Roppongi station. Plain clothed police are always there at one or the other of the two exits, waiting outside the turnstiles, and very quietly and politely, ask non-Japanese looking Asians to produce IDs. Yesterday the lady looked to be from the Philippines, today the two girls were possibly Chinese, other times it was guys who were stopped.
They are always in a team of three or four. As one or two engage the traveler in conversation, the other two draw near. I have yet to witness a non-card holder, so do not know what happens if you do not have your card on you.
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Do they stop you?
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As a white-male, I don’t think I fit their target profile, but I do always cary my card, just in case.
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It’s probably a good idea to carry your card, since Japanese law requires you carry it with you at all times:
http://www.tokyo-icc.jp/guide_eng/kinkyu/07.html
“Probably” a good idea? It’s a damn good idea, as the hassles for not having it on you are nowhere near worth it. I get paranoid about it myself, even though I have not been stopped for the past dozen years.
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I have yet to be stopped anywhere in my travels.
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I’ve been stopped a massive total of one time in ten years, during the first three months of my stay before I had a gaijin card, but the reason was more that I had just wandered across a red light in a rather drunken haze! I flashed a temporary ID card from work, the biggest employer in the area, so they let me go on my merry way.
However, I’m in the Kansai; I think Tokyo is very, very different! I’d love to hear from someone with experience living in both areas.
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Well, I can’t say for certain, but the only times I have ever been stopped (three times in a total of 16 or so years) have all been in Tokyo. In fact not even in Kanagawa or Chiba or Saitama – all in Tokyo-to. Twice while riding a mama-chari bicycle, and the second time I can understand it as the bike had a very flat rear tyre (and the cop was a pretty laidback guy anyway), but the first time I was just cycling past a koban. I no longer live in the Tokyo area however, but you have a point: I have never been stopped anywhere else, despite having spent the vast bulk of my time in Japan not in Tokyo. Interesting….
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Just for your reference, I have been stopped by the police more than three times in Tokyo when I was riding a bicycle.
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Interesting. So that also suggests that Tokyo cops are power-hungry micro-fascists seeking any chance to boost their crime quota….
Incidentally, what sort of bicycle were you riding? I’ve heard a theory (and my personal evidence bears it out to an extent) that the cops only stop people on mama-chari shopping bikes, and not on proper mountain bikes etc.
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At one time I was riding a bicycle with light off in the evening. With another bicycle I was stopped so often, so I asked a cop if I looked like a criminal. He said no, but he noticed that the key on the bicycle was broken .
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Oh, a Japanese citizen targeted in his own country? I say it’s good medicine.
Now that you’ve tasted the Japanese xenophobia for yourself and understand how ridiculous the anti-foreigner position has become, you should consider it your responsibility to enlighten your countrymen to the maximum extent possible.
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I am going to have to be on the side of the Japanese police on this one. A country must take preventative measures when it comes to illegal immigration, which the US is not doing, so we have a LOT of illegal immigrants and our system is feeling the burden. While it really sucks what happened to this guy, its a shame and really kind of ignorant for him to let that effect that way he sees his ‘Homeland’. Hey, sh*t happens. I get a ticket for running a stop sign that I stopped for, does that mean I look at police differently? No, I just go on with my life after doing community service for 10 hours. He should just be happy he lives in a country as safe as Japan. Part of being a foreigner in a Japan is being looked at like you are doing something bad, especially since most Japanese don’t do bad things very often. If you can’t handle it, then you should move somewhere else. Besides, you think you have it bad?? Try being an Black male in a big US city and then tell me if being ‘inconvenienced’ is such a problem. I’m a white guy by the way, but I understand to an extent what racism for black people in America is like.
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When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.
When they came for the Foreigners,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Foreigner.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
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With all due respect, these not-so-subtle comparisons between Japanese xenophobia and the Nazi legacy are rather inappropriate, inaccurate, and offensive (despite whatever satirical intent you may have had when posting these comments). A real debate-killer, in my opinion.
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Huh? Are you saying that the Nazis did NOT give Jews generous scholarships, feature them in glossy magazine advertising, dye their hair and treat their eyelids to look like them, and spend billions of marks trying to learn Hebrew? Damn, I think my history books are all wrong….
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Do you mean the Japanese police is similar to the Nazis in a significant sense?
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What I mean is that I think that the real target is to capture the fingerprints of all Japanese.
Some years ago a “real-ID” failed.
So start with foreigners, get other countries to reciprocate, then claim that since all Japanese are fingerprinted overseas anyway, we can finally do so in Japan.
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Hahaha. Oh shut up already.
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With the new fingerprinting….
Maybe we should all offer up our left forearms for tattoos…..
“The site of the tattoo was the outer side of the left forearm. Tattooing was generally performed during registration when each prisoner was assigned a camp serial number. Since prisoners sent directly to the gas chambers were never issued numbers, they were never tattooed.” (from Wikipedia)
So if you refuse to be fingerprinted and photographed, you can miss out on the tattoo……..
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Last one here….
Maybe we should all sew on our terrorist markings…..
“Shape was chosen by analogy with the common triangular road hazard signs in Germany that denote warnings to motorists. … Red triangle: a political prisoner. … In addition to color-coding, some groups had to put letter insignia on their triangles…” (from Wikipedia)
Lets see – Triangle of Red background, with T for terrorist…
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How about a red triangle with DfS on it. DfS: Deported for Stupidity.
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Nah – too many people here will think that stands for Duty Free Shoppers and try and get cheap Gucci from you.
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A practical suggestion if you are stopped and asked for your ID for no good reason…
Once you have established your credentials, take the opportunity to ask the police if there has been any progress in regards to finding Tatsuya Ichihashi, the killer of Lindsay Ann Hawker who is still on the loose.
You could explain that, whilst you think it is a very important police activity to stop local foreigners on their bicycles, you do hope they also have time to investigate other matters.
However, such investigations might require vastly increased numbers of police in view of the fact that 9 of them couldn’t apprehend the fleeing Ichihashi.
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“my sibling backed against a wall, holding his Japanese passport while being surrounded by not less than 8 men clad in blue suits or work clothes (genba). They were representatives from the local police and the immigration office, who disguised themselves as civilians to catch us off our guards.”
*Eight* undercover police? Either the police in that area have a lot of time and unspent manpower on their hands or they acted on some horrifyingly inaccurate intelligence.
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Nah, they’re following the old adage: the weaker your prey, the heavier the hand. In other words, intimidate those that can be intimidated.
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It sounds like someone may have turned he and his brother in… or at least attempted to. I can’t see 8 police officers randomly stopping people. Well… it would seem improbable to mine Western eyes.
A guy who does a vlog on Youtube (tokyocooney) recently did a post about getting stopped and asked for his “Gaijin card” a lot, so it sounds like whites are not immune to this.
Anyway, going on about how minorities have it in the US and insinuations that this is a good thing for whites. I am of Hispanic ethnicity, and have lived in the US all my life. I lived in Texas for a while, and even then was hardly ever bothered by the police (unless I was doing something I shouldn’t be, like speeding). Many people here now are so racially hyper-sensitive and so ready to make a federal case over even perceived racism, they’ve ended a lot of blatantly racial behavior, especially by people like police officers who could lose their livelihood as a result. I don’t think things like “DWB” or “DWH” happen as often as some believe. At least not that me, any of my Hispanic, nor any of my black friends have experienced.
Now if something like what happened to the author of the story had happened to me here in the US, would it fundamentally change my view of my home country and apparently psychologically scar me? No, not at all. Then again, maybe I’m just thick skinned.
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Looks like this entry has already been commented to death, but I’ll give it a go anyway.
You should know, I am half-Japanese-American. Sansei father, white mother (Irish-German, if you must know). I was born in Calif, and I have been to Japan 7-8 times since the age of 10. I cannot speak Japanese, and at this point, don’t really care too, because it just means the cops can ask me more questions. So yeah, I have been hassled by the cops while on fucking vacation.
Ok, lets start:
First of all, using the catch-all term, the Japanese “race,” is pretty much like saying the American “race.” We could talk all day about how the Japanese race is just a mixture of Chinese and Korean aristocrats, and the native tribes-people, but that is a holy war for another time.
Basically, you need to accept two things.
1. Mainstream Japanese culture is racist. Their foreign policy is highly protectionist, their TV programing is causally xenophobic, and their culture is based on elitism. Pause, swallow, think about it,ok, now accept.
2. YOU ARE NOT JAPANESE. Sorry brother, learn to live with it; your passport doesn’t mean shit, and Japan is not your “homeland.” You were raise abroad, you don’t speak any native dialect, so you are Nikkeijin like all the rest of us. Isn’t this a wild concept? But it’s a sad truth about Japanese culture. As a nisei full-Japanese Swiss national once commented to me, “[the Japanese] look at us as traitors.” Furthermore, Japanese-Filipino…, lets me honest man, you know the history, and it ain’t pretty (unless you are a super model).
Now you can do two things. You could raise a big stink about civil rights, which will further infuriate the Japanese right, and the next thing you know, you’ll be the biggest, most bitter hater in Japan. Or you could do the Japanese thing, suck it up and take it like the helpless common-folk citizen that you are.
Unfortunately for us, AND for the Japanese, their culture isn’t going to change their norms on race-relations anytime soon. This is not the modern industrialized world we’re talking about here, it’s JAPAN.
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Pretty harsh condemnation, in my opinion.
As a nisei full-Japanese Swiss national once commented to me, “[the Japanese] look at us as traitors.”
There must be something more to this guy for him to have formed this sort of opinion. Traitors? The word and attitude it reflects sounds so 1940s.
For an old world country with no historical need for immigration (and yes I realize that this is changing as the population ages), Japan – while hardly perfect – can be a great place to live for a foreigner. (I was surprised to find out that NHK broadcasts foreign language shows. You don’t really see this done elsewhere.) I think the key is to avoid getting hung up on identity issues. Lose the bitterness in other words.
I also get a sense that a lot of the problems that people encounter with the police in Japan are linked to Tokyo. I have a gut sense that the police elsewhere in the country are more relaxed about foreigners.
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(I was surprised to find out that NHK broadcasts foreign language shows. You don’t really see this done elsewhere.)
I meant to say: “…foreign language-instruction shows”
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I wouldn’t call it a gut sense, but I would love for James to set up a poll along the lines of “have you ever been cop-stopped for RWG (Riding While Gaijin) or some similar nothing outside of Tokyo?”. The results could be interesting.
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Many Japanese Americans are friendly, but is this the sad case of AA going through the identity crisis in the U.S.?
“1. Mainstream Japanese culture is racist. Their foreign policy is highly protectionist, their TV programing is causally xenophobic, and their culture is based on elitism.”
Pause, and critically examine it on yourself. Try another theory and check it with your experiences. Find
a deeper perspective that make your life easy and comfortable.
“YOU ARE NOT JAPANESE. Sorry brother, learn to live with it”
Right, forget about being “Japanese ethnic”. Make a lot of friends, find someone you love. That’s how Japanese are living. When you face troubles–discrimination or whatever— they are the ones who will help you and that is the way Japanese solve their problem.
“You were raise abroad, you don’t speak any native dialect, so you are Nikkeijin like all the rest of us”
Yes, I think the language is crucial in mingling with Japanese people and understanding the culture. It might not be absolutely necessary to understand another culture without fluency in the language, but most of the time, it is. Don’t feel rejected just because you can not speak Japanese. It is miserable to think, say, the mainstream Filipino’s society is racist just because you can not speak enough Filipino to get along with the people.
“As a nisei full-Japanese Swiss national once commented to me, “[the Japanese] look at us as traitors.”
He had some guilt-feelings as a traitor?
Most of Japanese do not have any idea about Nisei. When he/she can speak Japanese and English, it is most likely that people consider him/her cool.
Only Nikkei I do not like is Rep. Honda;still, I don’t think he is a traitor. He is an American.
“Unfortunately for us, AND for the Japanese, their culture isn’t going to change their norms on race-relations anytime soon.”
If you think being born to Japanese is a privilege, that’s wrong. And I don’t claim you will never face prejudice, ;probably and unfortunately you will. It is the challenge you need to face. But you may be the one who will change the perception. And I believe many Japanese are ready to accept people with different background. I know a Mongolian sumo wrestler who speaks the perfect Aomori dialect and Tokyo dialect. He is doing all right.
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I tend to agree with Ponta in that Japan is nowhere near as bleak as you paint it.
First, the “Japanese race” is a damn sight more coherent than the “American” – if you want to claim it’s a broad melting pot, then at least compare it with somewhere like the UK and the Celts and Anglo-Saxons and Hugenots.
“Their foreign policy is highly protectionist, their TV programing is causally xenophobic, and their culture is based on elitism”
This is almost hilarious coming from an American. Seriously.
If the Japanese look on nikkei as race traitors, then why, I wonder, are so many granted easy entry based on nothing but their racial ancestry?
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I just had to respond to this post just because of the bitterness. I myself am a Yonsei born and raised in California and I can’t speak hardly any Japanese but I can’t say I feel I belong here or there. I’ve visited Japan maybe 10 or so times but have never been hassled there then again I tend to stay in the countyside the most Wakayama prefecture.
“1. Mainstream Japanese culture is racist. Their foreign policy is highly protectionist, their TV programing is causally xenophobic, and their culture is based on elitism.”
Do you still live in the US? Because things are kind of better but there still alot of stereotypes on TV. Most Asian males are brainy types and Asian females only go out with white guys(unless the couple comes from Asia) in commercials for example.
“2. YOU ARE NOT JAPANESE. Sorry brother, learn to live with it; your passport doesn’t mean shit, and Japan is not your “homeland.” You were raise abroad, you don’t speak any native dialect, so you are Nikkeijin like all the rest of us. Isn’t this a wild concept? But it’s a sad truth about Japanese culture.”
I don’t know about you but I got pretty tired of everybody asking me to say something in Japanese as a kid and people asking out of the blue where are you from or born or your parents from. My wife also gets tired of it (she’s a Sansei oddly enough) especially working as a librarian in Torrance. She also hated all the creepy white guys with “yellow fever” that would approach and try to go out with her at UCLA.
Yes these are minor things but I remember my father telling me about how he had to make sure he had some one black or white with him when he had to use the restroom in the South because he was neither. This was when he was in the Army basic training before going to Vietnam. Another story was how he was not allowed to ride the school bus and the city bus growing up in Long Beach because he didn’t like being called a “#$$%^ Jap” and in the end he used to get rides home from the cops because he also helped instruct them in Judo. Did you know there was a smaller Yellow power movement in 60’s because of all the discrimination against asians. BTW about the driving while black or brown I think it really has to do with when and where you grew up to experience it. One of the causes they say of the LA riots was the heavy handed way the cops treated blacks. Now look at the US is it in better shape compared to Japan or worse given the past ten years? Look at the issues England, France, and Germany are going though right now with immigrants.
btw I agree with ponta on Rep. Honda the man is a bit of an ass.
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Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…………..So what is the problem here….?????????????????
You don’t look like Japanese, you don’t speak Japanese, and probably you don’t act like Japanese. Cops got information about you and your brother….they came to identify you.
Did they beat you up? Did they wack your head upside down? Did they do anything illegal?
You are bitching about this because you want to be Japanese but felt being rejected?????
Taugh luck….
Live with it or go somewhere else. Can you change something over there?
NO!!!!!
They hate ‘gaiatsu’.
Oh….Quote from Steve
“And it’s not just the police. Just yesterday a man sat down next to me in the last seat left on the train. This surprised me because 90% of the time Japanese choose not to sit next to me. Then he put on his glasses, looked to the left, saw my revered white skin, and promptly and blatantly decided to ride the rest of the journey standing.”
Take a shower daily and watch out on your own scent. Japanese and Western folks have different preference on scent…do you use some smelly stuff on your hair or body?……maybe the reason people refuse to sit next you….you are annoying Japanese follks with your smell??
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That doesn’t make sense in this example: presumably the guy didn’t need his glasses to detect a smell.
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The same happens here in the USA. They wan to kik immigrants out (principally Hispanic people) that always have lived here, way before Americans. It also applies to Indians.
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This is not a rare event, and it’s getting more common..believe it or not, I’ve had this happen to me FIVE times, over the last three years. All on my vacations in Japan! They were all at JR stations in Tokyo, namely Gotanda (twice), Ikebukuro, Ueno (during Sakura Matsuri!!), and Yurakucho. The incidents happened around 11am, 6pm, 11am, and 12pm.
I used to document this and I complained directly to the station koban of Gotanda, but they didn’t even know this was going on in their own station 10 meters away from the box! Or at least he pretended..
Thing is, I have been from end to end in Japan as a tourist for seven years, and never had a problem until the last three years and only in a JR station of Tokyo. Every stranger from Hakata to Sendai bend backwards to welcome me, except for everyone in central Tokyo (it’s very New York-like). These police are always in plainclothes, and I’ve seen them work in groups of one to five.
Ironically, the moment I told them I was an American, they had this expression like “Oops!” (I’m asian american) and lost interest in me, except that I demanded to know what the problem was. They kept saying nothing was wrong.
This only happens when I’m appearing to walk alone (once I was separated for my friend for 5 seconds at Ueno), and I know it has to do with my non-Japanese appearance, whether it’s face, clothing, or hair. This has never happened when I was carrying a camera outside as an obvious tourist, or next to a friend. I saw them coming before they said a word, and I know they were looking at me suspiciously based on my appearance.
My Japanese wife says its legal and normal for a *uniformed* policeman to request ID without probable cause during a routine check, every Japanese gets that..and I *don’t* have a problem with that! But she was shocked that these were plainclothes men merely “claiming” to be policemen and that they would approach me five times over the years. Three of them were over a two day period, and a pair of these incidents happened in a 10 minute period! (there were three officers, and didn’t communicate to each other that the other had already stopped me).
Every single time, the officer(s) were different, so that’s more than 10 officers I know of doing this. Even though I’m obviously upset, some of them were polite or even apologetic other than the fact that they stopped me based on halfassed profiling. I do resent the three that were plain imbeciles like it was their first day on the job, shockingly rude. I don’t have any problem with them trying to catch illegals, as long as it doesn’t keep harassing so many non-illegals who are in Japan for very mundane reasons like tourism. Obviously the vast majority of tourists don’t travel alone, they’re right about that stereotype, but unfortunately I buck that stereotype. I used to write a thorough blog of my travels in Japan, know lots of friends there, and am married to a Japanese. So I don’t need the buddy system to keep me from getting lost in Japan. Also, the vast majority of Japanse use the trains during rush hour, and in the “right direction”, so it is a little weird for me to walk one way as a river of literally hundreds of people squeeze aruond me the other way. It’s clear this would be impossible for them to do if I were following the flow. The fact that I’m using any JR station at 11am implies a fair chance that I don’t have a job..of course, that’s not true, I do have a job..in the US! I’m here on vacation!
The other problem I had with the non-uniformed officers in Japan is that the first time I honestly thought they were criminals looking to shake me down (rob me somehow). I brushed them off and said “I’m not interested” and they frikking grabbed me by the arm! I have a problem with often making eye contact with these guys (which leads to them approaching me), simply because they looked so shady. I think that’s intentional, because ironically in Japan people tend to look away from shady people (ex: homeless), not at them, but that has the opposite effect with me.
The last incident was in Ueno and I had a breakthrough. I didn’t speak a word of Japanese and spoke in *English* and asked politely “How may I help you?” My mistake was always speaking in 5th grade Japanese, which proves I’m an illegal! (No tourst knows more than 5 words in their mind) He asked kindly if I was a tourist, and I said yes and did my routine of showing passport while tsk tsking them for stopping me so often. He was sincerely apologetic and it was over in 30 seconds, a record. Next time, I’ll remind them that in the US, only uniformed policemen will stop Japanese tourists. US police also excercize more common sense, despite relying on racial profiling (see below).
Knowing Japanese beurocracy, there’s no Japanese authority you could report this to that would make any difference..they ignore bigger issues than this. In my case, the only authority in Japan that would matter, if they cared, would be the US embassy (I’m a US citizen), and the most I could expect is for them to make an embarrasing phone call and get a generic Japanese apology for my inconvenience. That does sometimes work in my experience, but in this situation I choose to simply share on the internet. Japan won’t change, so the least I can do is inform people.
I’ve made my peace with this since..Japan has some deep flaws and this is one of them, but honestly this is really a case of ignorance/incompetance than malice. At least some of these officers understand exactly my situation, but they’re just following orders. And more to the point, this actually happens in the US all the time, but with *uniformed* police officers *near the Mexico border*. Don’t believe me? Drive along the 8 freeway in California..you’ll never cross the border, but if you are a car full of asians there’s a chance they’ll stop you and ask everyone for ID to check your immigration status. Happened to my Japanese friends twice. Although I may be annoyed, I’m not angry because at least these were *uniformed* officers manning a “checkpoint”, though that doesn’t change the fact that they are blatantly racial profiling (among other criteria of course).
Let’s not make comparisons about “which country is more racist”, because that’s irrelevant. I hear “US is racist too so you just have to accept racism in Japan”. What?? And I hear the other extreme “You’re not Japanese, the police were tipped off to you to arrest your sorry ass”. Excuse me, but I was stopped by police five times, and I’m a *tourist*. This is not about nationality, these police are stopping people based on *appearance alone*. As I said, I don’t have any problem with that as long as they are uniformed and I can see their badge, so that I know they *really are* a policeman. Then I know this is not a scam to get me into an alleyway and *rob me*, the way it happens *all the time* in some corrupt countries as the US Embassy repeatedly warns.
Sorry for this long rant, but I hope it saved someone the time of having to go through this repeatedly before they make their peace with it.
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