Probably your best Just Be Cause article you have written. You articulated both the positive and the negatives well.

I see this as a positive step, but I also agree that they need at least one long term foreign resident and at least one Japanese citizen that has obtained citizenship by naturalization. The long term resident and naturalized citizen would bring much to the table and probably have slightly different perspectives, which would be helpful.

Over the past 10 years I have seen a positive trend toward the treatment of foreigners (albeit slow). It could be the optimist in me (or apologist as some like to say). It would be even better to see an acceleration. Even if this is done out of economic necessity it could bring about positive changes.

@ John K (6) – I have seen at least 3 different companies doing this in the past few years (offering extended leave, with pay, after women have had children). All 3 of the women were technical professionals. I do not know if this has anything to do with it or not.

@Jim Di Griz (2)- your comment in number is probably one of few things we see the same way. I also agree this was an excellent article (as stated above) and the conclusion was excellent.

Cheers

Japan shouldn’t be shouting on BBC with pride that they did that, instead they should be ashamed it took them so long (to keep mothers in working in their unconstitutional military).

Thus, you have a foreign “democracy” and its signs and symbols imposed on a post fascist, ex feudalist country where the Daimyo handed down their titles, much as various Japanese political dynasties are doing to this day in rotten boroughs, everyone from Abe to Hatanoyama.

Similarly, the country is divided in its opinions though maintains the illusion of unity through shared myths. It was even divided in WW2 with the polity and diplomats quite often disagreeing with the militant actions of the Black Dragon Society in China, basically an out of control army. This could all happen again,(hence the continuing US army occupation) but I digress.

Thus, apart from the lip service to free movement of peoples, G7 treaties blah blah blah, there are also a number of intelligent people who recognize the need for immigrants. But there is an equal anti-immigrant minority. Because “wa” is valued, if this reactionary minority shouts loud enough, policies do not become law; the obvious and shocking example was the local votes for foreigners fiasco, withdrawn by a *majority Govt.

Time and time again I have seen the majority held hostage by a tiny dissenting minority in Japan, usually in corporate meeting rooms where 9 people out of 10 will say yes, but that sulky ojisan in the corner says “no” and they want to reach an unanimous decision to maintain harmony,or more often just to avoid a fight because they cannot be bothered with conflict or implementing anything troublesome, (“mendokusai” is a huge determing factor), so any and every decision is so compromised, so watered down, that no one is really happy with the mediocre result.But it is what was decided as a group and is the least disliked course of action, causing the least “meiwaku”.

A microcosm of Japan’s inertia and inability to enact meaningful change. Things just stay the same and no one rocks the boat, a boat that is getting a bit leaky now and taking on water.

Finally, throw cultural consideratons in the mix, like “tatemae” and you end up with a contradictory and confusing set of disaparate policies which often contradict each other. Thus one official will tell you one thing, e.g.you can submit tax returns online, then you go to your ward office to do so and out pops ojisan with a bow and smile to say, “no sorry gaijin san, you cannot submit your tax returns online”.

Charazu,I like what you said about “NJs often want to believe that (they can be accepted)”. Yes, we all had our Japanese dream, didnt we?
There are also many Japanese who would like to believe Japan now is,overnight almost, a western style democracy with the same “individual freedoms”, but often these are buzzwords which go against a deeply ingrained grain, and indeed these are often tolerated to some extent (tolerated, not encouraged, and not in any conservative workplace). It has often been said that Japanese are only free in their hobbies (and even some of these are deeply regimented, e.g. Ikebana,Sado, ceramics etc having to study under a Sensei).

Sadly, I think a number of these progressively minded, individualistic people may just end up leaving.

Right on. At first, when I read your comment, I was thinking, “Yeah, I’m going to use that idea.”

“If someone calls me a gaikokujin, or a gaijin, I will correct them by saying ‘移民’ or ‘移住民’.”

But now, I’m thinking, let’s take it one step further. Let’s simply focus on the word ‘Resident’.

Thus, “If someone calls me a gaikokujin, or a gaijin, I will correct them by saying ‘にっぽんの住民’.”

– I’ve done that for decades. Pass it on.

“But I think the outcome will still be policy failure. For there is still no discussion about making NJ feel like they “belong,” as “members” of Japan.”

I believe that a better way to envision residence in Japan is like my years in Saudi Arabia — a society in which one can never and will never be accepted and in which the official ideology is extremely frank regarding that fact.

If those coming to Japan to reside better understood that no matter their language proficiency level, or knowledge of J culture, they must forever remain as those with inferior rights, then I believe it would be easier and less painful for all.

It is because NJ wrongly believe that Japan is willing to accept them as equals that unhappiness occurs.

NJ believe that because Japan falsely creates that view (by allowing naturalisation, through NHK, etc.), and also because they often want to believe that.

It was simpler in Saudi, where they were quite blunt and said to anyone and everyone who is a foreigner that they could never, ever be accepted as an equal member of society.

Why is it that GOJ is unwilling to be more bluntly honest?

– Er, because the world expects more of Japan as a “modern, rich, civilized nation worthy of respect amongst its OECD brethren” like Japan essentially says it is, and doesn’t have oil to offer so the world will avert its eyes?

What is “common practice and well known for decades in other industrialised countries has only now just been “discovered”. Looking after the employee helps the company. In this case the Japanese Armed forces:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18698496

By creating an environment where the women are felt needed and not left out when the go have children…and can still contribute as well as being recognised as contributing prior to leaving.

So, now they have made this (all to obvious step, could they, may be, just may be…make the same “leap” with NJs?

It seems to me that teaching Japanese children just how ethnically diverse even the ancient Yamato people were would help to create a “we’re all immigrants because we all came from somewhere else” feeling that might work towards improving acceptance (meaning acknowledgement as minority Japanese) of NJ. I recommend Kamigaito Kenichi’s book “Hybrid Japan” (2011) – really, I think it should be required reading for Japanese history classes in high school.

That’s why I don’t care what the GOJ is aiming to do, sincerely or not it’s anyway too little too late. But honestly, I don’t believe in their “good will toward foreigners” and all they’re doing is as always buying time and trying to look nice to the international observers.