Archive for November, 2006

The Sendai District Court ordered the local city government to pay 550,000 yen in compensation to a Pakistani-born physically disabled man for a city-run bus’s refusal to board him in 2003, recognizing the treatment as a form of racial and disability discrimination. (Japan Today)

外国人で障害者であることを理由に、市営バスに乗車拒否されたとして、パキスタン出身の男性（６０）＝仙台市太白区＝が同市に１６５万円の損害賠償を求めた訴訟の判決が３０日、仙台地裁であった。

A school in Yamanashi is specifically advertising in the local international association jobs for “blonde blue-eyed brightly” foreigners, because the local kindergarten wants a typical foreigner for acclimatization to “eigojin”. It’s just business, you see, they explained to me. Well, the int’l association doesn’t agree, and according to sources on the ground they will be taking this issue up.

As of April 2006, Japan is now requiring fingerprints for long-term visas, yet now refusing to provide domestic police assistance to get them. US citizens, for example, are now told to give their fingerprints to the FBI and get a Rap Sheet–and pay for the privilege. Nice little money spinner for the USG on the behest of the GOJ, which requires compliance yet refuses to provide assistance. This is what people pay taxes for?

1) OTARU ONSENS CASE NOW TEACHING MATERIAL
2) GAIJIN CARD CHECKS OUTSIDE “SAKURA HOUSE”
3) UPDATE ON KITAKYUSHU EXCLUSIONARY RESTAURANT
4) J TIMES ON TOURISM PROMOTION, WITH LETTER TO THE ED
5) TBS: FUJIWARA NORIKA BUMPS ARUDOU DEBITO
6) KYODO: MOCK JURY TRIAL SPRINGS FOREIGN MANSLAUGHTERER
7) JALT PALE ROUNDTABLE ON ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT
and finally…
8) WASH POST: GOJ CREATING SUSHI POLICE FOR OVERSEAS J FOOD

Hello Blog. The Otaru Onsens Case (http://www.debito.org/otarulawsuit.html) refuses to fade into obscurity, thank goodness. Still, the facts of the case are being increasingly bleached out as time goes on. Witness how in this English teaching book discussing the case for educational purposes. Thanks to Bert for sending me this. Comment at the bottom. From: Sloss, [...]

A Japan Times article about another promotion to bring more tourists to Japan to spend money (remember Koizumi’s “Yokoso Japan” campaign?), specifically mentioning onsen as one of the places they want more foreigners to frequent. Funny they should mention onsens. Friend Hidesato Sakakibara makes a great rejoinder in a letter to the editor, questioning the effectiveness of such a campaign when there is no law to protect their rights from racial discrimination once tourists get here. For the record, the article, Hidesato’s rejoinder, and a comment from me with some links follow.

Mail from a reader regarding Gaijin Card checkpoints and racial profiling outside her apartment complex, gaijin-friendly “Sakura House” in Tokyo. Point: You do not want to get on the wrong side of the Japanese police, although riding a bicycle, walking outside, renting an apartment etc. while foreign seems more and more to incur Japanese police involvement.

Fascinating post on Japanese govt policy moves against “pseudo sushi”–certifying washoku restaurants abroad as “real Japanese”. Plethora of puns to be made here.

Hello Blog. Forwarding from a reporter friend. Comment is his. Debito ////////////////////////////////////////// Not sure what to make of this. Should I be dissapointed that they chose a foreigner as the defendant in their mock trial or pleased that the jury didn’t necessarily lock him up and throw away the key just because he wasn’t Japanese….. [...]

Re Kitakyushu exclusionary restaurant: City called me to tell me they the manager, and got assurances that this sort of thing will not happen again. So did the local Bureau of Human Rights. Good. Thanks. This is shaping up into a classic case of how to deal with this problem through administrative channels.

Continuing the Roundtable forum that packed the hall at JALT 2005, five PALE members paneled a meeting to discuss a variety of issues relevant to the conference’s theme of “Community, Identity, and Motivation”. All presentations touched in some way upon employment issues, including issues of job security, union representation, the relationship of nationality to job description and employment terms, and the growing role of dispatch teaching arrangements in Japanese universities. They dealt explicitly or implicitly with the proper roles and responsibilities of PALE and JALT in managing these issues.

Kitakyushu Branch of the MOJ’s Bureau of Human Rights (Jinken Yougobu) phoned me today in response to my letter about the “No foreigners allowed inside because they make the manager feel linguistically inadequate” Restaurant “Jungle”, to say they are looking into it. Well, good.

In filming a Tokyo Comedy Store event, TV Wide Show “Tokudane” seems to be fishing too much to find “Japanese vs. Western Humor” dichotomy, especially the type where Westerners making any joke about Japan is shown as a criticism about all of Japan. This according to one of the comedians interviewed, Dave MG, who writes this blog entry. Fascinating background information behind show to be aired next Weds Nov 22.

1) TBS INTERVIEW RE 2-CHANNEL BBS, THIS THURSDAY LUNCHTIME
2) NOOSE TIGHTENS: ZAKZAK AND MUTANTFROG ON NISHIMURA & WASEDA SPEECH
3) ASAHI: NORIGUCHI PONTIFICATING ON LANGUAGE TEACHING AGAIN
4) LETTER TO KITAKYUSHU AUTHORITIES RE EXCLUSIONARY RESTAURANT
5) EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF JAPANESE PRISON VISIT
6) FOREIGN MARRIAGES NOT ALLOWED FOR POLICE AND JSDF?
and finally
7) CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN TO HOKKAIDO NIPPON HAM FIGHTERS!

Was going to be on TV briefly Thursday Nov 16 on a lunchtime talkshow, talking briefly about 2-Channel libel lawsuits as a thwarted plaintiff, but it got bumped by news on Fujiwara Norika, then put on hold because Defendant Nishimura didn’t respond to requests for a reply (of course he didn’t!). Ah well. Anyhoo, links to three more articles on 2-Channel, one courtesy Dave Spector.

今朝、テレビ局TBSは私を２ちゃんねるについてインタビューしました。番組「ピンポン」１１月１６日（木）番組表によると、午前１１時スタートですが、今朝会ったスタフによると１２時と１２時５０分の間に放送されるだろうと。そしてZAKZAKの記事もここで掲載します。

Our home team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, after reaching the top in Japan last month, just won the Asian Series, 1-0, vs Taiwan.

Forwarding an excerpt from a friend who paid a visit to a Japanese prison to offer moral support to someone incarcerated. The tribulations he went through just to get a short audience are worth recording somewhere for the record. Is all this rigmarole necessary, and if so, what purpose could it possibly serve?

Hello Blog. Something interesting here. Friend passed on a link to a blog post as follows: =================================== Hello. I am really down so I hope to get some help here. My boyfriend is japanese and I am german. We met in Japan ( working holiday…)and want to merry next year, because we are really sure [...]

Letter I sent to Kitakyushu authorities and JALT Nov 9 regarding exclusionary restaurant in their area, asking for administrative guidance to the matter.

　ブログの皆様こんがんは。有道　出人です。いつもお読みいただいてありがとうございます。 　さて、夕べこの手紙を書いて郵送しました。念のためにアーカイブに入れます。 　宜しくお願い致します。 ＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝ 〒803-8501　北九州市小倉北区城内1番1号 電話：093-582-2127　FAX：093-562-0710　hisho@mail2.city.kitakyushu.jp 北九州市長　末吉興一秘書室　御中　市長　末吉　興一　殿 〒803-8513北九州市小倉北区城内５番３号（小倉地方合同庁舎）093(561)3542 法務省人権擁護部北九州支部　御中 （西日本新聞社及びJALT管理者にも送信） 市内「外国人お断り」のレストランの件、啓蒙のお願い 拝啓　晩秋の候、ますますご清栄のこととお喜び申し上げます。 　突然で失礼ですが、自己紹介させていただきたいと思います。私は北海道情報大学助教授の有道　出人（あるどう　でびと）と申します。本年１１月３日から３日間に渡り全国語学教育学会（JALT）の総会がきっかけで北九州市に訪れ、市民のホスピタリティを厚く御礼を申し上げます。 　しかし、標記の件ですが、１１月３日の夜、JALTの外国出身メンバーがレストランに行きましたが、空席があったものの、支配人に「満席だから入らないで」と言われたようで、そのレストラン名は「ジャングル」（経営者は（有）ピー・ケイ・ティー）との事です。 北九州市小倉北区鍛冶町1-7-4　かじまち会館３F Ph: 093-512-7123, FAX 093-512-7124 　断られた者が私に報告し４日の夜に再び、私と友人５名で「ジャングル」を尋ね、支配人の松原達也氏と話し合いました。彼は私にも（私は白人で帰化した日本人ですが）「満席です、入らないで」と言ったが、殆ど空席の状態が目立っていたので交渉し始めました。日本語で交渉してから入店できたが、松原氏が認めたことは： 　①前日、その外国出身のJALTメンバーの入店お断りした 　②その理由は「英語が苦手、外国人が怖い」 　③以前、当店では外国人との問題が一切なかったので、個人的には外国人に対してトラウマは特にない 　④「入店されたくない」のみで、ここまでの「外国人アレルギー」の原因は不明 しかし、これに対して私たちは松原支配人の意識高揚を行ってみました： 　ア）こうやって「ガイジンダメ」を言うのはお客に傷つけ、明らかに差別 　イ）言語の障壁があっても関わらず、メニューの注文はどうにかはなる 　ウ）出身を問わず、客商売とは全てのお客を持て成すことではないか 　よって店の対応の改善を求めてから、松原支配人が謝って下さいまして、これから改善しますとのことだったが、正直に言ってこれから門前払いが取り止められるかどうかは、私は若干自信がありません。なぜかは、飲み物を飲んでから勘定を支払った際、別のウェーターと話した際英語が達者だと分かりました。言語の障壁について心配した支配人は何故そのウェーターに応対させなかったのかは疑問です。 　お願いしたいのは、当店及びその付近の店舗にも差別撤廃のために啓蒙を行っていただければ幸いです。ある者にとってこの待遇は北九州市全体のイメージダウンとなります。私は既に「排斥する店舗のギャラリー」のウェブサイトに載せさせていただきました。 http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html#Kokura 
意識高揚の結果、ぜひ、ご連絡いただければと存じます。宜しくお願い致します。 書中をもってご挨拶申し上げます。敬具 平成１８年１１月７日 有道　出人（連絡先を省く） ＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝ ENDS

Translations of articles regarding libelous BBS 2-Channel and administrator Nishimura Hiroyuki, from Zakzak Nov 7 and Sankei Sports Nov 5. Shows how carefree Hiroyuki is towards ignoring court orders and the damage caused people’s lives by unfettered Internet libel.

Professor Noriguchi is becoming a regular pundit on English language education in Japan. After saying not two months ago that one problem with non-Japanese teachers is that they stay in Japan too long, he’s now positing theories about how English is traumatizing and bilking Japanese, especially given the natural disadvantages that the homogeneous Japanese have towards learning English compared to other Asians… Not to mention the inferiority complex which Japanese have towards the West, thus making them unneighborly… Oh go on, read it yourself, and email him if you like.

Hello Blog. I have just put up my most recent column (my 33rd) for the Japan Times Community Page on my regular website. Published today, November 7, 2006, this is the “Director’s Cut”, with sentences excised from the print version for space concerns, and links to sources for claims within the article. Rather than having [...]

名誉毀損で敗訴した２ちゃんねるの管理者西村ひろゆきは１１月４日、早稲田にて講演をして、「強制的に（裁判の賠償金を）払わせる法律がない」と言ったが、賠償金逃れは不可能であると日大大学院教授が指摘しました。されに、「問題の部分は（掲示板から）削除した」とも言ったが、そうじゃありません。ブログに現場からレポートを載せました。

1) NEW JAPAN TIMES COLUMN TODAY (NOV 7) ON JAPAN’S BROKEN UN PROMISES
2) EXCLUSIONARY KITAKYUSHU RESTAURANT ADDED TO ROGUES’ GALLERY
3) ECONOMIST SOFTBALL OBIT: “TOKYO ROSE” DIES
4) PODCAST ON GOV. ISHIHARA

Hi Blog. Been reading back issues of The Economist left fallow during my recent trips, and stumbled across this. Comment at the very bottom follows: Iva Toguri, a victim of mistaken identity, died on September 26th, aged 90 Oct 5th 2006 From The Economist (London) print edition Courtesy http://www.economist.com/obituary/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_SJJSDST MANY years after the end of [...]