{"id":11443,"date":"2013-05-09T13:08:43","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T23:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11443"},"modified":"2013-05-09T13:08:43","modified_gmt":"2013-05-09T23:08:43","slug":"jdp-abe-criticizes-rise-of-hate-speech-in-japan-calls-it-dishonorable-and-counter-to-the-japanese-way-of-thinking-my-how-disingenuous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11443","title":{"rendered":"JDP: Abe criticizes rise of hate speech in Japan, calls it “dishonorable” and counter to “The Japanese Way of thinking”. My, how disingenuous."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. We now have the xenophobic public demonstrations talked about previously on Debito.org, which had slogans such as “Kill the Koreans!” in Tokyo<\/a> and “start a Tsuruhashi Massacre like the Nanking Massacre<\/a>!” in Osaka, being debated and decried in Japan’s political circles. Witness this article fresh from the Asahi (translation mine):<\/p>\n

==========================================<\/p>\n

Justice Minister Tanigaki “Filled with Concern” over Hate Speech<\/strong>
\n The Asahi Shimbun, May 9, 2013, courtesy of MS<\/strong><\/p>\n

On May 9, the issue of the Zaitokukai’s repeated demos containing hate speech, calling for people to “Kill the Koreans”, was taken up in the Upper House’s Judicial Committee. The Zaitokukai are a citizens’ group seeking to deny “special privileges” to Zainichi lifetime NJ residents of Japan. Justice Minister Tanigaki Sadakazu said, “I am filled with concern. This runs directly counter to the course of a civilized nation.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The answer was in response to a question by PM Arita Yoshifu of the opposition DPJ. \u00a0In regards to next steps, Tanigaki limited his statement to, “This is extremely worrisome because it is related to freedom of expression. \u00a0I wish to observe most carefully to see whether it leads to sentiments of racial discrimination.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As for those who gave permission to a discriminatory demo, the National Police Agency said, “According to the Public Safety Ordinance, we cannot deny permission because demo’s slogans become coarse\/vulgar (soya) or rough (ranbou). \u00a0If there is something concretely illegal under the law, we can take measures.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

2013\u5e745\u67089\u65e5\u3000\u671d\u65e5\u65b0\u805e
\n\u30d8\u30a4\u30c8\u30b9\u30d4\u30fc\u30c1\u300c\u6182\u616e\u306b\u582a\u3048\u306a\u3044\u300d\u3000\u8c37\u57a3\u6cd5\u76f8
\nhttp:\/\/www.asahi.com\/national\/update\/0509\/TKY201305090289.html<\/a><\/p>\n

\u300c\u5728\u65e5\u7279\u6a29\u3092\u8a31\u3055\u306a\u3044\u5e02\u6c11\u306e\u4f1a\u300d\uff08\u5728\u7279\u4f1a\uff09\u306a\u3069\u306e\u56e3\u4f53\u304c\u300c\u671d\u9bae\u4eba\u3092\u6bba\u305b\u300d\u3068\u9023\u547c\u3059\u308b\u30d8\u30a4\u30c8\u30b9\u30d4\u30fc\u30c1\uff08\u618e\u60aa\u8868\u73fe\uff09\u30c7\u30e2\u3092\u7e70\u308a\u8fd4\u3057\u3066\u3044\u308b\u554f\u984c\u304c\u3001\uff19\u65e5\u306e\u53c2\u9662\u6cd5\u52d9\u59d4\u54e1\u4f1a\u3067\u3068\u308a\u4e0a\u3052\u3089\u308c\u305f\u3002\u8c37\u57a3\u798e\u4e00\u6cd5\u76f8\u306f\u300c\u6182\u616e\u306b\u582a\u3048\u306a\u3044\u3002\u54c1\u683c\u3042\u308b\u56fd\u5bb6\u3068\u3044\u3046\u65b9\u5411\u306b\u771f\u3063\u5411\u304b\u3089\u53cd\u3059\u308b\u300d\u3068\u8a9e\u3063\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u6c11\u4e3b\u515a\u306e\u6709\u7530\u82b3\u751f\u6c0f\u306e\u8cea\u554f\u306b\u7b54\u3048\u305f\u3002\u4eca\u5f8c\u306e\u5bfe\u5fdc\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u306f\u300c\u8868\u73fe\u306e\u81ea\u7531\u3068\u306e\u95a2\u4fc2\u3067\u3001\u8aa0\u306b\u60a9\u307e\u3057\u3044\u3002\u4eba\u7a2e\u5dee\u5225\u611f\u60c5\u3092\u3042\u304a\u308b\u3082\u306e\u306b\u306a\u308b\u306e\u304b\u3001\u6ce8\u8996\u3057\u3066\u3086\u304d\u305f\u3044\u300d\u3068\u8ff0\u3079\u308b\u306b\u3068\u3069\u3081\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u5dee\u5225\u7684\u306a\u30c7\u30e2\u304c\u8a31\u53ef\u3055\u308c\u3066\u3044\u308b\u3053\u3068\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u3001\u8b66\u5bdf\u5e81\u306f\u300c\u516c\u5b89\u6761\u4f8b\u3067\u306f\u3001\u30c7\u30e2\u306e\u4e3b\u5f35\u304c\u7c97\u91ce\u3001\u4e71\u66b4\u3060\u3068\u3044\u3046\u7406\u7531\u3067\u306f\u4e0d\u8a31\u53ef\u306b\u3067\u304d\u306a\u3044\u3002\u5177\u4f53\u7684\u306a\u9055\u6cd5\u884c\u70ba\u304c\u3042\u308c\u3070\u5bfe\u51e6\u3059\u308b\u300d\u3068\u3057\u305f\u3002
\nENDS<\/p>\n

==========================================<\/p>\n

Comments have also come from the top:<\/p>\n

==========================================
\nJapan\u2019s PM Abe criticizes rise of hate speech in country<\/strong>
\n Japan Daily Press, posted on\u00a0MAY 8, 2013 by\u00a0JOHN HOFILENA, courtesy of JK<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/japandailypress.com\/japans-pm-abe-criticizes-rise-of-hate-speech-in-country-0828468<\/a><\/p>\n

Japanese Prime Minister\u00a0Shinzo Abe<\/a>\u00a0expressed his concern on the increase of hate speech in the country in an Upper House Budget Committee session on May 7. The premier criticized the hate-mongering that has become rampant on the internet and in specific areas around the nation, adding that the hate these people show is dishonoring Japan.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is truly regrettable that there are words and actions that target certain countries and races,\u201d Abe was quoted as saying. This was the prime minister\u2019s response to a question from Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Kan Suzuki, who pointed out that\u00a0demonstrations in the Koreatowns<\/a>\u00a0of Tokyo\u2019s Shin-Okubo district and Osaka\u2019s Tsuruhashi district<\/a> have been marred by such vitriol and race-specific hate.\u00a0Protesters have been shouting<\/a>, \u201cKill the Koreans\u201d, or that \u201cKoreans are cockroaches\u201d, and \u201cKoreans go home, you do not belong here!\u201d Abe called on the Japanese people to show the courtesy that has been the trademark of the nation. \u201cI believe that the Japanese respect harmony and should not be people who exclude others,\u201d Abe said. \u201cThe Japanese way of thinking is to behave politely and to be generous and modest at any time,\u201d he added.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Abe himself has been caught in recent issues where his specific words have caused angry reactions from South Korea and China. This is with regards to his views about Japan\u2019s role in World War II, saying that the term \u201caggressor\u201d can be\u00a0defined in different ways<\/a>\u00a0from different points of view. South Korea has specifically made strong diplomatic reactions, asking Japan to apologize and the international community to exert pressure for Abe to retract what he said.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Abe concluded that those who are spreading hate speech \u2013 online or offline \u2013 do not represent the Japanese people. He also specifically said that it was his intention to restrict hateful comments posted on his\u00a0official Facebook<\/a>\u00a0page. \u201cIt\u2019s completely wrong to put others down and feel as if we are superior,\u201d he said. \u201cSuch acts dishonor ourselves.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

==========================================<\/p>\n

COMMENT FROM DEBITO<\/strong>: \u00a0Although I am happy that the LDP is saying that these hateful tendencies are a bad thing, there are two tendencies that should be noted. \u00a0One is that these are reactive, not active, stances by the governing parties. \u00a0These clear and powerful acts of hate speech happened months ago, and now we’re just getting to them during question time, in response to opposition questions? \u00a0Far too slow. \u00a0The LDP should have denounced this behavior immediately if it ran so counter to what PM Abe can so cocksurely say is not “The Japanese Way of Thinking”. \u00a0(And given that these people are legislators, where is the proposal for a law against it?)<\/p>\n

The other is Abe’s disingenuousness. \u00a0Abe might now say that those who are disseminating this kind of hate speech “do not represent the Japanese people”. \u00a0Yet these right-wing haters are precisely Abe’s support base. \u00a0As I discussed in my articles in the Japan Times (“Keep Abe’s hawks in check or Japan will suffer<\/a>“, February 4, 2013) and on Japan Focus (\u201cJapan’s Rightward Swing and the Tottori Prefecture Human Rights Ordinance<\/a>.\u201d Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 11, Issue 9, No. 3. March 4, 2013), Abe has been intimately involved with the Sakura TV crowd, for years now advocating all manner of hateful invective towards NJ, particularly Japan’s neighbors and domestic NJ residents. \u00a0Abe is thus talking out of both sides of his mouth here.<\/p>\n

Especially in regards to issues of his Facebook page mentioned above, which exists to help rally support amongst the Internet Neto Uyo<\/em> Rightist crowd. \u00a0Consider this academic treatment by scholar Tessa Morris-Suzuki in Japan Focus, excerpted:<\/p>\n

==========================================<\/p>\n

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Volume 11, Issue 8, No. 1, February 25, 2013.<\/strong><\/p>\n

FREEDOM OF HATE SPEECH; ABE SHINZO AND JAPAN\u2019S PUBLIC SPHERE\u00a0 \u30d8\u30a4\u30c8\u30b9\u30d4\u30fc\u30c1\uff08\u618e\u60aa\u767a\u8a00\uff09\u306e\u81ea\u7531\u30fc\u5b89\u500d\u664b\u4e09\u3068\u65e5\u672c\u306e\u516c\u5171\u7a7a\u9593<\/h3>\n

Tessa Morris-Suzuki<\/strong><\/p>\n

Facebook Friends to the Rescue: Mobilizing the Otakusphere<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

After a rather slow start, a number of Japanese politicians have taken to social media with great enthusiasm. Among them is the nationalistic mayor of Osaka, Hashimoto Toru, who issues an unending series of tweets on his policies and general view of the world, and caused particular controversy last year with a series of rambling tweets on the \u201ccomfort women\u201d issue, in which he denounced the 1993 Kono apology and expressed support for Abe Shinzo\u2019s position on the \u201ccomfort women\u201d.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0Abe himself has also responded most enthusiastically to the political opportunities created by the Internet age. He was quick to create a personal website, and has maintained a Facebook page since well before his recent election. He or his personal secretary post comments on the page almost every day, and it boasts over 4,800 Facebook friends and more than 230,000 followers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On 22 December 2012, six days after the election which returned Abe to the prime ministership, NHK devoted its evening prime time to a discussion program about the election results and the implications of the new government for Japan. The participants in the program were the Secretary-General of Abe\u2019s ruling party, Ishiba Shigeru, the head of the government\u2019s coalition partner, Yamaguchi Natsuo, three university professors and an economist from the influential think tank the Japan Research Institute. NHK invited viewers to send in questions that they would like to have raised during the discussion.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

About two hours before the program went to air, Abe\u2019s secretary posted a message on the prime minister\u2019s Facebook page mobilizing its friends and followers to action. The secretary slammed the \u201cbias\u201d of NHK and warned readers that the forthcoming program would be a \u201cclean sweep of Abe bashing\u201d. The web link, email address and fax number of the program were included in the post, and Abe\u2019s friends and followers were urged to bombard the program with messages. The secretary\u2019s message also made derogatory comments about the discussion program\u2019s panelists, describing one (University of Tokyo political scientist Fujiwara Kiichi) as being \u201cfamous for saying that \u2018the five abductees who came home to Japan should be sent straight back to North Korea\u201d\u2018.\u00a08 (<\/sup>8<\/sup>\u00a0See\u00a0here<\/a>, post dated 22 December 2012 (accessed 15 January 2013).)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Very far from being a \u201cclean sweep of Abe bashing\u201d, the program proved to be very much like most other political discussions on the public broadcaster. The early questions were directed to the two government-party politicians, who were allowed a substantial share of the air time, and much of the discussion centred around positive suggestions on the need (for example) to listen to the voices of the young and to address the problems of Japan\u2019s aging population. Questions were raised, among other things, about the content of the government\u2019s proposed large-scale public work\u2019s programs, but the criticism was so calm and reasoned that it would require an unusually thin skin to be offended by it.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Later the same evening, after the program had gone to air, the Prime Minister added his own comment to his secretary\u2019s post, describing the program\u2019s participants (other, presumably than Ishiba and Yamaguchi) as \u201ctoo low-level\u201d (osomatsu sugi). One panelist was described as being \u201cbeyond the pale\u201d, and of two others, the Prime Minister wrote that they should be \u201cashamed to show their faces in public\u201d.\u00a09 (<\/sup>9<\/sup>\u00a0See\u00a0here<\/a>, comment by Abe Shinzo, 21.59, 22 December 2012 (accessed 15 January 2013).)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shortly afterwards, Professor Fujiwara posted a mildly worded response on Twitter, pointing out that he has never said or written that Japanese abductees should be returned to North Korea. Energetic efforts by at least one pro-Abe website to prove him wrong ended in failure\u00a010 (<\/sup>10<\/sup>\u00a0See\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0(accessed 20 January 2013)), but meanwhile his supposed \u201cstatement\u201d on the abduction issue (which in the Japanese context is roughly the equivalent of an American politics professor expressing support for Al Qaida) was circulating like wildfire through Japan\u2019s right wing blogosphere.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Neither Abe nor his secretary has apologized for or revised the comment about Fujiwara, which still remains on the Prime Minister\u2019s Facebook page. No opposition politician and no national newspaper or TV station in Japan has questioned the Prime Minister\u2019s use of Facebook to libel an academic public commentator. Nor did any of them discuss the propriety of the Prime Minister\u2019s Facebook page being used to post a misleading description of a TV discussion program, with the intention of inciting readers to inundate the program with pro-government comments.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Abe Facebook message can be read as a calculated warning to any Japanese media outlet or commentator proposing to express doubts at government policy that they are likely face officially sanctioned harassment and vilification. In the Internet age, direct intervention by politicians in the media is no longer needed; they can get their Facebook friends to do it for them.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Full article at\u00a0http:\/\/www.japanfocus.org\/-Tessa-Morris_Suzuki\/3902<\/a><\/p>\n

==================================<\/p>\n

In sum, if Abe wants to keep harping on about “honor” (whatever that means), I think he should be looking at himself and his political activities in the mirror. \u00a0These hate-speech activities are a direct result of the political machinations of his political ilk, if not him personally. \u00a0That a man could exist in such a powerful position in government not once, but twice, says indicative things about Japan’s view of “honor”, and about the Japanese public’s tolerance of disingenuousness. \u00a0Arudou Debito<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We now have the xenophobic public demonstrations talked about previously on Debito.org, which had slogans such as “Kill the Koreans!” in Tokyo and “start a Tsuruhashi Massacre like the Nanking Massacre!” in Osaka, being debated and decried in Japan’s political circles. Witness this article fresh from the Asahi (translation mine):<\/p>\n

Asahi: On May 9, the issue of the Zaitokukai’s repeated demos containing hate speech, calling for people to “Kill the Koreans”, was taken up in the Upper House’s Judicial Committee. Justice Minister Tanigaki Sadakazu said, “I am filled with concern. This runs directly counter to the course of a civilized nation.”… In regards to next steps, Tanigaki limited his statement to, “This is extremely worrisome because it is related to freedom of expression. I wish to observe most carefully to see whether it leads to sentiments of racial discrimination.”<\/p>\n

Comments have also come from the top.<\/p>\n

Japan Daily Press: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his concern on the increase of hate speech in the country in an Upper House Budget Committee session on May 7. The premier criticized the hate-mongering that has become rampant on the internet and in specific areas around the nation, adding that the hate these people show is dishonoring Japan… Abe concluded that those who are spreading hate speech \u2013 online or offline \u2013 do not represent the Japanese people. He also specifically said that it was his intention to restrict hateful comments posted on his official Facebook page. \u201cIt\u2019s completely wrong to put others down and feel as if we are superior,\u201d he said. \u201cSuch acts dishonor ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

COMMENT FROM DEBITO: Although I am happy that the LDP is saying that these hateful tendencies are a bad thing, there are two tendencies that should be noted. One is that these are reactive, not active, stances by the governing parties. These clear and powerful acts of hate speech happened months ago, and now we’re just getting to them during question time, in response to opposition questions? Far too slow. The LDP should have denounced this behavior immediately if it ran so counter to what PM Abe can so cocksurely say is not “The Japanese Way of Thinking”. (And given that these people are legislators, where is the proposal for a law against it?)<\/p>\n

The other is Abe’s disingenuousness. Abe might now say that those who are disseminating this kind of hate speech “do not represent the Japanese people”. Yet these right-wing haters are precisely Abe’s support base. As I discussed in my articles in the Japan Times (“Keep Abe’s hawks in check or Japan will suffer”, February 4, 2013) and on Japan Focus (\u201cJapan’s Rightward Swing and the Tottori Prefecture Human Rights Ordinance.\u201d Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 11, Issue 9, No. 3. March 4, 2013), Abe has been intimately involved with the Sakura TV crowd, for years now advocating all manner of hateful invective towards NJ, particularly Japan’s neighbors and domestic NJ residents. Abe is thus talking out of both sides of his mouth here. <\/p>\n

In sum, if Abe wants to keep harping on about “honor” (whatever that means), I think he should be looking at himself and his political activities in the mirror. These hate-speech activities are a direct result of the political machinations of his political ilk, if not him personally. That a man could exist in such a powerful position in government not once, but twice, says indicative things about Japan’s view of “honor”, and about the Japanese public’s tolerance of disingenuousness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,5,26,4,14,13,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hate-speech","category-human-rights","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-japanese-government","category-japanese-politics","category-media","category-8"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11443\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}