COVID-inspired racism as NJ Residents are separated and “othered” from fellow Japan taxpayers by Dietmembers and bureaucrats

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Hi Blog. We are witnessing the logical extension of generations of Wajin not seeing “foreigners” as part of Japan, i.e., where minorities are apparently nonexistent in Japan’s postwar-created “monocultural, monoethnic homogeneous society” narrative. It thus follows that Non-Japanese regardless of residency status in Japan are perpetually classified and treated as “guests“, subject to the whims of the Wajin majority to grant them any human rights, legal status, or access to public services.  Book “Embedded Racism” has taken up this issue in great detail.

Now in this time of pandemic crisis, we’re seeing people revert to type and say that “foreigners don’t deserve the same government support as Japanese”, even though NJ Residents are paying taxes and living in Japan like any other people. The most recent manifestation has been self-hating Upper House Dietmember Onoda Kimi, an American-Japanese (father is American) representing Okayama (this place seems to spawn racists).  She argues on Twitter that NJ Residents should not be granted the same access to proposed government cash subsidies for taxpayers in financial hardship.

As sent from a Debito.org Reader.  More information at the Change.org petition link:

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小野田紀美【自民党 参議院議員(岡山県選挙区)】
⁦‪@onoda_kimi‬⁩
⁦‪@YoshiakiSabaiDi‬⁩ マインナンバーは住民票を持つ外国人も持ってますので、マイナンバー保持=給付は問題が生じます。
30/03/20, 22:36
Hello Debito,
I’m a NJ residing here in Japan from 12 years. I think you might find this interesting. Just go to her Twitter account to see the whole discussion. There’s also a petition going on asking this idiot to step down: https://www.change.org/p/自由民主党-差別議員-小野田紀美-自由民主党-氏の議員辞職を求めます?recruiter=842277911
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On top of that there’s Lower House Dietmember Sugita Mio, hailing from Tottori, who is also tweeting sophistic arguments that financial support for Non-Japanese citizens in Japan is the responsibility of their respective countries, not the GOJ, completely overlooking their legally-obligated tax contributions to the Japanese government’s coffers:

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Sugita is the same bigot who argued “there is no justification for efforts by the state and municipalities to invest taxpayers’ money into policies supporting same-sex couples because “these men and women don’t bear children — in other words, they are ‘unproductive.’” (Japan Times), so it’s entirely within character for her to shut out another set of minorities in Japanese society.

But it’s not just Japan’s pandering political elite.  Differentiating, “othering”, and subordinating NJ from Wajin is part of the normalized Embedded Racism within Japan’s bureaucracy and law enforcement as well:

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Hi Debito,
Apparently, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare makes a clear distinction between Japanese and foreigner when it comes to coronavirus infection.
In this page we can see that they clearly specify that 1,099 of the 1,494 infected are Japanese.
The relevant text is here:
・患者1,494例(国内事例1,466例、チャーター便帰国者事例11例、空港検疫17例)
・無症状病原体保有者233
(国内事例195例、チャーター便帰国者事例4例、空港検疫34例)
・陽性確定例226例(国内事例226例)
・日本国籍の者1,099名(これ以外に国籍確認中の者がいる)

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Hi Debito,

Japan’s proclivity for arbitrary detention continues — here we have a PR who was detained for 19 hours while looking foreign during a pandemic:

======================

Iranian permanent resident held for 19 hours at Japan airport amid virus fears

(Mainichi Japan)

<https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200330/p2a/00m/0fe/016000c>

“According to the man, he was tested for infection with the novel coronavirus before then having his residency permits inspected by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan’s Narita Airport District Immigration Office. He was forced to spend 19 hours overnight under its jurisdiction without being offered food or water, and when the ordeal was over the authorities sought a total of 60,000 yen in fees for use of the room he was detained in and other costs.”

成 田入管で19時間留め置き 日本に20年暮らすイラン人の怒り <https://mainichi.jp/articles/20200329/k00/00m/040/079000c>

======================

Regards, -JK

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So there’s some more Debito.org grist.  To be sure, this sort of stuff is happening worldwide.  But Debito.org’s mission is to catalog Japan’s hand in it, so there you go.  Debito Arudou Ph.D.

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10 comments on “COVID-inspired racism as NJ Residents are separated and “othered” from fellow Japan taxpayers by Dietmembers and bureaucrats

  • Jim Di Griz says:

    Woman with mental illness induced by trauma of childhood racist bullying over not being ‘proper’ Japanese does what all apologists do; think that by joining in with the bullying of NJ that they can ‘pay their dues’, prove their ‘worth’ and be part of the bullying majority.
    Seen it all before, many times, in Japan. They always fail. Ask just about every apologist. Hell, Japanese racists will attack ‘wajin’ whose opinion the don’t like, so she hasn’t got a chance of being accepted by racists as a ‘haafu’.
    She will always be the traumatized little girl bullied by classmates, and she has my pity for that (and my heart bleeds for the child she was), but she made the wrong choices after that, and when her bubble bursts (Greg Clark style), she’s going to feel it.

    Reply
    • Baudrillard says:

      She is a BOOMERANG BIGOT, its a trope, e.g. Gangs of New York, Boomerang Bigot:
      The Irish-Catholic McGloin, who joins up with the Protestant “Natives” to acquire more power on the streets. His alliance with Bill is also heavily influenced by his hatred of blacks.
      Bill himself is Irish, and even though he despises Irish immigrants, one of the first things he asks Amsterdam is what part of Ireland his family is from.
      Also, Butt-Monkey:
      McGloin is this to Bill, who says, “Don’t mind him, he used to be an Irishman.”
      Mulraney is this even more so. When Mulraney escorts a group of aristocrats through the Points, Bill goes out of his way to undermine Mulraney’s credibility and make him look like a total putz.

      https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/GangsOfNewYork

      Reply
    • Couldn’t have said it better myself. It goes along the lines of, “I promise I’m one of you! Look, I’m even opposed to human rights!”

      The Wajin racists are happy to take it, of course. “Look, we’re totally right to object to protecting human rights. Even this half-breed agrees with us!”

      Apparently, nobody sees the irony.

      Reply
  • Another thing that has to be said is that Japan is the only first world country that banned foreign residents from entering the country. At least I‘m not aware of any other country doing this. Even China is allowing foreign residents to enter the country, you just have to self-isolate for 14 days. Meanwhile in Japan even permanent residents are not allowed to enter Japan. This is definite proof that the government of Japan doesn‘t care about its foreign residents who contribute to Japan by working and paying taxes (and paying the pension of an aging population).

    Reply
  • Ben in Chiba says:

    Yeah, I saw that Twitter post. Pointed out that it’s only fair that NJ PR recieve the payments too as Japanese qualify for such payments in my country (Australia). Also pointed out that Japanese PR in Australia can receive a bunch of welfare payments and the Australian government pension which at the moment is double the Japanese pension.

    Had one guy tell me “You have no right to an opinion”. Another basically told me. “If you want government hands out go home!”

    I basically said to the “go home” guy. There’s over 40,000 Japanese residents in Australia and about 10,000 Aussies in Japan. That’s one of the reasons there is a pension agreement between the two countries and that’s why we’re entitled to certain payments. This is the policy of YOUR government, and if you don’t like it, why don’t YOU leave Japan!

    Reply
    • I am so lucky that no one ever told me to go back to my country.
      Wouldn’t it be against the tatemae? lol

      I am glad you fought back.

      Reply
      • Jim Di Griz says:

        Oh, hang on, now I’m really confused. Let me try and get this straight;
        If I think Japan is screwing up and putting my safety at risk, I’m not allowed to say anything, I have to accept that or ‘go home’. But if I go back to my birth country, doesn’t that make me a ‘disloyal gaijin’ and a ‘flyjin’?
        I’m so confused! Lolz.
        Basically, the situation for NJ is this: STFU, because NJ.
        Yeah, that’s sure to attract thousands of ‘elite’ NJ the J-government wants and hundreds of thousands of blue-collar NJ. Gee, why aren’t the coming? Lolz.

        Reply
  • Ben in Chiba says:

    Just to put things into perspective, Japanese citizens who hold Australian PR visas (residing in Australia) and lose their jobs would potentially be eligible for about 160,000 yen per month in welfare benefits while they are out of work, free health care, discounts on prescription medicines, public transport and utlities, rent assistance and a one of fpayment of about 50,000 yen on top of all that.

    Our Prime Minister even mentions the importance of prioritising looking after citizens AND residents (meaning long-term visa holders of other nationalities) when urging temporary visa holders who are unable to support themselves to return to their home countries. It makes me so proud that long-term residents get a mention up there alongside citizens. I can’t imagine that happening in Japan.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-03/scott-morrison-tells-students-to-return-home/12120066

    Reply
    • That seems so unfair. It is similar in Canada. We pay a ton of taxes to uphold a level of social net to cover all. Yet, we are not afford the same in many other countries. Don’t like it … go back home. Well I can tell you that we will take the high road and continue to treat people no matter where they are from with respect, dignity, and equality under the law. They should afforded the same quality of life, freedoms, and opportunity.

      Countries like Japan will never be like Canada and Australia. Best we are the light in the world to many. And sometimes that it hard to uphold.

      Reply

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