LDP lawmakers: Let 10% of Japan be foreigners

I would add a third “prerequisite” for tolerance: the newcomers have to be willing to accept the existing social structure and societal rules. What they do at home is no-one’s business but theirs, but outside the home they need to play by the same rules as the people who were there first. Not like that muslim fellow last year who was going to sue the city he lived in if they didn’t change their rules so that his daughter could wear a long skirt in PE classes instead of (Shock!! Horror!!!) shorts or long sweatpants. Or some people in the States who insist their children be schooled in the language of their ancestors, not the language of the country they now live in.

Multiculturalism doesn’t work. If you move somewhere by choice, you need to play by the rules the people there already have set. If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t live there.

oh dear, what an ignorant comment, sodane. of course every action has its negative outcomes, from mass immigration, to working, to renting a dvd from the video shop. this is just a fact of life. no action is perfect and always leads to an (equal and opposite) reaction. of course if japan admits immigrants there will be problems. but it’s not like there aren’t any problems in japan at the moment; you can look to last sunday’s events in akihabara for one thing.

the human race was living in tiny tribes for hundreds of thousands (if not millions?) of years before those groups grew into towns, cities, nations and now into a sort of “international community”. it’s not surprising that people continue to have the tribal mentality since the pace of human social change far outstretches our natural abilities to adapt and cope. what is certain, however, is that (except for post-apocalypse scenario) we are most definitely NOT going back to living in tiny herds so we had better damn well get used to the idea of living with other people who don’t necessary think or live the same as us. attitudes like yours simply are constructive in view of the way the human race is headed

despite this i am fearful of how this kind of change will take place in a particularly xenophobic country such as japan. it has been painful in countries that don’t have this country’s especially pervasive “them and us” mindset so i can see it being extremely challenging in japan. that said, as i said above this country cannot go back to being a closed feudal island state so people had better get used to the idea

I know it’s no excuse, but looking around the world, next-door neighbors tend to hate each other much more often than not. Just FYI.