{"id":12819,"date":"2014-11-05T03:32:31","date_gmt":"2014-11-05T13:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12819"},"modified":"2014-11-16T03:32:52","modified_gmt":"2014-11-16T13:32:52","slug":"debito-org-newsletter-november-5-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12819","title":{"rendered":"DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 5, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

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DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 5, 2014<\/strong>
\n Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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THE WEIRD EFFECTS OF JAPAN\u2019S INTERNATIONAL BULLYING<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) \u00a0From hate speech to witch hunt: Mainichi Editorial: Intimidation of universities employing ex-Asahi reporters intolerable; JINF Sakurai Yoshiko advocates GOJ historical revisionism overseas<\/strong><\/p>\n

2) \u00a0Georgetown prof Dr. Kevin Doak honored by Sakurai Yoshiko\u2019s JINF group for concept of \u201ccivic nationalism\u201d (as opposed to ethnic nationalism) in Japan<\/strong><\/p>\n

3) \u00a0Fun Facts #19: JT: Supreme Court denying welfare for NJ residents inspires exclusionary policy proposals by fringe politicians; yet the math does not equal the hype<\/strong><\/p>\n

4) \u00a0Osaka Mayor Hashimoto vs Zaitokukai Sakurai: I say, bully for Hash for standing up to the bully boys<\/strong><\/p>\n

5) \u00a0Two recent JT columns (domestic & international authors) revealing the damage done by PM Abe to Japan\u2019s int\u2019l image<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2026 and finally\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

6) \u00a0Japan Times JBC column 80: \u201cBiased pamphlet bodes ill for left-behind parents\u201d, on MOFA propagandizing re Hague Treaty on Child Abductions<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

By Dr. ARUDOU, Debito (debito@debito.org<\/a>,\u00a0www.debito.org<\/a>, twitter @arudoudebito)
\nFreely forwardable<\/p>\n

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

THE WEIRD EFFECTS OF JAPAN\u2019S INTERNATIONAL BULLYING<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) \u00a0From hate speech to witch hunt: Mainichi Editorial: Intimidation of universities employing ex-Asahi reporters intolerable; JINF Sakurai Yoshiko advocates GOJ historical revisionism overseas<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the next natural step of Japan\u2019s Extreme Right: jingoism and terrorism. They feel empowered enough in present-day Japanese society (especially in the wake of the Asahi retracting some articles on Japan\u2019s \u201cComfort Women\u201d wartime sexual slavery) to start making larger threats to bodily harm. No longer are they satisfied with being bully boys during demonstrations (beating up Leftists with relative impunity, see here and here) \u2014 as seen in the article below they have to hound from livelihood those who oppose them using nail bombs. The tactics behind the practitioners of hate speech have morphed into real power to conduct ideological witch hunts. And it won\u2019t stop there \u2014 the most powerful elements of the Extreme Right are gearing up like never before in the Postwar Era to rewrite history overseas too (see Yomiuri advert below). The fact that the Nobel Peace Prize did not go to people advocating for the conservation of Article 9 in Japan\u2019s \u201cPeace Constitution\u201d\u00a0is more evidence that the outside world still hasn\u2019t caught up with what\u2019s really going on with Japan\u2019s Right Wing Swing.<\/p>\n

Mainichi: Two universities have received letters threatening to harm their students unless the institutions dismiss a pair of instructors, who as Asahi Shimbun newspaper reporters had written articles about the wartime comfort women issue.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yomiuri Ad: Now, more than ever, Japan needs to tell the world the facts about this matter and dispel entrenched misperceptions about comfort women. Instead, the Foreign Ministry will build \u201cJapan House\u201d public relations hubs in major cities overseas to promote Japanese cuisine and anime as a pillar of the \u201cstrategic proliferation of information abroad.\u201d Does the ministry have its priorities in the right order? A task force charged with protecting Japan\u2019s reputation and directly controlled by the prime minister should be set up, and a minister and dedicated secretariat placed in charge of handling this matter. A united effort by the whole government is required\u2014urgently.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12720<\/a><\/p>\n

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

2) \u00a0Georgetown prof Dr. Kevin Doak honored by Sakurai Yoshiko\u2019s JINF group for concept of \u201ccivic nationalism\u201d (as opposed to ethnic nationalism) in Japan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dovetailing with our previous blog entry, I noticed within the ranks of Sakurai Yoshiko\u2019s ultraconservative group Japan Institute for National Fundamentals the Guest Researcher Dr. Kevin Doak of Georgetown University. He was honored by them earlier this year:<\/p>\n

Yomiuri: A professor of Georgetown University in Washington has been selected for his study of nationalism in modern Japan as the first recipient of a private award established to promote research on Japan by foreign scholars. \u201cIt truly is a privilege and gives me the great confidence to continue my study,\u201d said Prof. Kevin Doak at a July 8 ceremony in Tokyo to announce recipients of the first Terada Mari Japan Study Award established by the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals, a Tokyo-based think tank.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Doak, 54, received the Japan Study Award, top prize, for his 2009 book \u201cA History of Nationalism in Modern Japan\u201d (published in Japanese under the title \u201cOgoe de Utae \u2018Kimigayo\u2019 o\u201d) and other works on Japan. In the book, he says English-language media do not necessarily provide correct explanations about nationalism in Japan. For instance, the book discusses a growing trend of \u201ccivic nationalism\u201d in modern-day Japan, a concept opposite to ethnic nationalism. Civic nationalism, Doak writes, is based not on ethnic roots but on civic engagement such as having a sense of belonging to the Japanese community.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Academic colleague: \u201cKevin Doak is a serious scholar, but I don\u2019t know what has been happening with him in recent years. The Japanese translation of this book is entitled \u5927\u58f0\u3067\u6b4c\u3048\u3001\u541b\u304c\u4ee3 or Lustily Sing the Kimigayo, and it is being marketed as a polemic in favour of patriotism, not as a detached academic tome. In part it seems the book has been hijacked by a publisher with an agenda \u2014 the two-star comment on Amazon Jp is instructive \u2014 but then how did Kevin allow them to do this? It would be interesting to compare the English and Japanese texts, if only life were not so short. This case bears comparison with the recent hoo-hah about Henry Scott-Stokes\u2019 book, another publisher-driven right-wing venture.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I of course respect the views of an academic colleague who has the training, knowledge, and rigor to express his views in a measured, balanced, and well-researched way. My comment is that his concept of civic nationalism (according to the Yomiuri writeup above) not being \u201cbased on ethnic roots, but on civic engagement such as having a sense of belonging to the Japanese community\u201d, doesn\u2019t quite square with my research on how \u201cJapaneseness\u201d is enforced not only through \u201cJapanese Only\u201d signs and rules, but also through the structure and enforcement of Japan\u2019s legal and administrative systems. That I believe goes beyond civic engagement and into issues of ethnicity (and racialization processes). Perhaps someday we\u2019ll have a chat about that.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12518<\/a><\/p>\n

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3) \u00a0Fun Facts #19: JT: Supreme Court denying welfare for NJ residents inspires exclusionary policy proposals by fringe politicians; yet the math does not equal the hype<\/strong><\/p>\n

JT: But the July ruling [that found permanent residents of Japan legally ineligible for public assistance] has given momentum to some forces, including those harboring anti-foreigner sentiments and advocates of cutting \u201cwaste\u201d in government spending, to try to limit foreigners\u2019 access to welfare. The minor opposition party Jisedai no To (Party for Future Generations), co-founded by ultranationalist Shintaro Ishihara, plans to submit bills to the extraordinary Diet session that would give destitute foreigners a year to choose between two extremes: becoming naturalized citizens or leaving the country.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The move follows an August proposal, by a team of lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic party tasked with eliminating wasteful state spending, to restrict welfare assistance to foreigners. \u201cThe welfare outlays to foreigners run up to \u00a5122 billion per year,\u201d the Aug. 4 report by the LDP team said. \u201cWe must say it is difficult to maintain the status quo.\u201d The team also said the government \u201cshould create guidelines (on public assistance) for foreigners who arrive in Japan, and consider deporting those who cannot maintain a living.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

JT commenter: \u201cAccording to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Japan\u2019s total social welfare benefits reached \u00a5103.487 trillion in fiscal 2010, topping \u00a5100 trillion for the first time.\u201d<\/em>
\n Source:\u00a0http:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/opinion\/2012\/12\/12\/editorials\/footing-for-social-welfare\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Okay, so in Japan, the total welfare budget is 103.487 trillion yen. But only 0.122 trillion yen of that goes to foreigners, so that means that the other 103.365 trillion yen are going to Japanese people! Here, let\u2019s do some math:<\/em><\/p>\n

103.487 trillion yen \/ 127 million Japanese = Each Japanese person is, on average, sucking 814,858 yen per year from the welfare system!<\/em><\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s do the math for foreigners:<\/em>
\n 122 billion yen \/ 2 million foreigners = Each foreigner is, on average, sucking 61,000 yen per year from the welfare system!<\/em><\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s GDP is 536,122,300,000,000 yen (over 536 TRILLION yen). So 122 billion yen is less than 0.03% of Japan\u2019s economy. Basically, Shintaro Ishihara with his Jisedai no Tou, and the LDP, are wasting countless hours of time on something that, at best, will save Japan 0.03% of its GDP. To make an analogy, I make about $28,000 a year. So this is the same as me OBSESSING and LOSING SLEEP AT NIGHT over how I can save $8 per year.<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12769<\/a><\/p>\n

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4) \u00a0Osaka Mayor Hashimoto vs Zaitokukai Sakurai: I say, bully for Hash for standing up to the bully boys<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kyodo: Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto met with the head of an anti-Korean group Monday as he considers cracking down on hate speech rallies in the city, but they ended up having a shouting match in which they more or less just insulted each other. The meeting with Makoto Sakurai, who heads the group commonly known as Zaitokukai, at City Hall was tense from the beginning, with both men calling each other names. Sitting 3 meters apart, the two came close to a scuffle at one point before people around them intervened. The meeting, which was open to the media, last just 10 minutes, far shorter than originally planned. During the meeting, Hashimoto said: \u201cDon\u2019t make statements looking at ethnic groups and nationalities as if they are all the same. In Osaka, we don\u2019t need guys like you who are racists.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Friend: I\u2019m sure some people will view this showdown between Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto and Makoto Sakurai, leader of Japan\u2019s hate speech movement, as high drama, but it struck me as pathetic. Sakurai struts in front of the media, telling NHK and the Mainichi that they \u201chate Japan\u201d, then sits fanning himself waiting at what looks like a school desk for Hashimoto. They get into a shouting match at roughly the same level as my three-year-old. Hashimoto has been praised for facing down Sakurai but he made a mistake: he should never have sat in the same room as this pathetic schoolyard bully.<\/em><\/p>\n

Debito: I disagree. Sakurai is a bully. I was raised by a bully for a stepfather, and I personally have learned that you never show a bully any weakness during confrontation. And you inevitably must stand up to them as I believe Hashimoto did. People will be confused about what it all means (as the Kyodo article above certainly was), but I have to admit this is the second time (here is the first) that I have respected one of Hashimoto\u2019s actions. He was clearly telling this oaf that he should not generalize about a whole minority, and that his discriminatory actions are not welcome in his city. And he did it in the same register as he was being addressed. Good. Fire with fire.<\/p>\n

Bureaucrats who have spent their lives behind desks and never entered a fray like this have glass jaws in a verbal debate arena. My experience watching the Foreign Ministry in 2007 unable to handle Right-Wing bullyboys during a human-rights hearing is a prime example. It is time even public officials learned to use the register of fighting words, as Hashimoto did. Otherwise the fighters will dominate the dialog by drowning everyone else out.<\/p>\n

UPDATE OCT 23: Osaka Mayor Hashimoto has just come out, according to\u00a0J-Cast.com<\/a>, in favor of making the Regular and Special Permanent Residents into one unified category. Now it\u2019s time for me to make some qualifications\u2026<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12772<\/a><\/p>\n

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

5) \u00a0Two recent JT columns (domestic & international authors) revealing the damage done by PM Abe to Japan\u2019s int\u2019l image<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two good JT columns recently indicate how gaiatsu is becoming one of the last tools left for anyone to counter Japan\u2019s Right-Wing Swing. One from a long-time columnist (Hugh Cortazzi) who has written for decades about Japan with a diplomat\u2019s charm. But he\u2019s recently been quite undiplomatic in tone when assessing the PM Abe Administration:<\/p>\n

CORTAZZI: Extreme nationalism is a threat to democratic institutions and values everywhere. Recent reports in the British media about the growing influence of right-wing extremists in Japan have caused deep concern among friends of Japan here. […] In the eyes of Japanese right-wing nationalists, the only crime committed by Japan\u2019s military leaders was that they failed. The rightists lack ethical principles and are opposed to democratic institutions.[…] It seems that Japan has reverted to one-party government. This could lead to autocracy and the infringement of human rights.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

DEBITO: Quite strong language from a former ambassador to Japan. Now check this out, from a poli-sci professor at Housei University. It\u2019s even stronger:<\/p>\n

YAMAGUCHI: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with his intention to counter China, has reiterated that Japan shares such Western values as freedom, democracy, basic human rights and the rule of law. He has also reportedly proclaimed Japan\u2019s intention to seek permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council as part of an attempt to expand his diplomacy on a global scale. Such remarks are an indication that his stupidity and egocentrism are beyond redemption. […] It is hardly possible that [the UNSC] would welcome a nation whose leader denies its wartime aggression and atrocities. The head of a Cabinet whose members sympathize with racial discrimination and historical revisionism can hardly win international trust by merely voicing his support for freedom and democracy.[…]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What he wanted to say, I presume, was that Japan\u2019s freedom and democracy could be shoved aside when the nation\u2019s deep-seated tendency of conformism spreads like wild fire. It is pathetic that we have to quote the foreign media to criticize what is going on in this country. It is the job of members of the media and academics to tell people immersed in narcissism that they, in fact, have ugly aspects.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

DEBITO: It\u2019s nice when a Japanese academic in his field makes statements like \u201cthe nation\u2019s deep-seated tendency of conformism\u201d, because at least he can get away with saying them without being accused of racism, cultural imperialism, or ignorance. When Japan\u2019s media follows a trend into intolerance to extremes not seen much in Japan\u2019s Postwar Era, it\u2019s time for denunciations to happen. Because they\u2019re not going to happen from within at this point. They must come from without. And to that end,\u00a0Debito.org<\/a>\u00a0is happy to report when others are seeing it that way too.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12787<\/a><\/p>\n

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

\u2026 and finally\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

6) \u00a0Japan Times JBC column 80: \u201cBiased pamphlet bodes ill for left-behind parents\u201d, on MOFA propagandizing re Hague Treaty on Child Abductions<\/strong><\/p>\n

JT: After years of pressure from foreign governments, and enormous efforts by \u201cleft-behind\u201d parents to have access to children abducted to and from Japan after marital separation or divorce, the Japanese government became a party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction in April.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

That is, of course, good news. Now the issue becomes one of enforcement. And to that end, this column has serious doubts that the Japanese government will honor this treaty in good faith.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

These doubts are based on precedent. After all, Japan famously ignores human-rights treaties. For example, nearly 20 years after ratifying the U.N. Convention on Racial Discrimination, and nearly 30 since acceding to the U.N. Convention on Discrimination against Women, Japan still has no law against racial discrimination, nor a statute guaranteeing workplace gender equality backed by enforceable criminal penalties.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We have also seen Japan caveat its way out of enforcing the Hague before signing. For example, as noted in previous JT articles (e.g., \u201cSolving parental child abduction problem no piece of cake\u201d by Colin P.A. Jones, Mar. 1, 2011), the debate on custody has been muddied with ungrounded fears that returned children would, for example, face domestic violence (DV) from the foreign parent. DV in Japan is being redefined to include nontactile acts such as \u201cyelling,\u201d \u201cangry looks\u201d and \u201csilent stares\u201d (particularly from men).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It is within this context that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) recently issued a pamphlet titled \u201cWhat is the Hague Convention?\u201d Available in Japanese (www.mofa.go.jp\/mofaj\/files\/000033409.pdf<\/a>) and English (www.mofa.go.jp\/files\/000034153.pdf<\/a>), it offers a 12-page manga in which a Japanese father carefully explains the Hague Convention to his Japanese-French son. The pamphlet has sparked considerable controversy\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the rest with illustrations and links to sources at\u00a0https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12725<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

That\u2019s all for now. \u00a0Thank you as always for reading!
\nDr. ARUDOU, Debito
\nDEBITO.ORG<\/a>\u00a0NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 5, 2014 ENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Table of Contents:
\nTHE WEIRD EFFECTS OF JAPAN\u2019S INTERNATIONAL BULLYING<\/p>\n

1) From hate speech to witch hunt: Mainichi Editorial: Intimidation of universities employing ex-Asahi reporters intolerable; JINF Sakurai Yoshiko advocates GOJ historical revisionism overseas
\n2) Georgetown prof Dr. Kevin Doak honored by Sakurai Yoshiko\u2019s JINF group for concept of \u201ccivic nationalism\u201d (as opposed to ethnic nationalism) in Japan
\n3) Fun Facts #19: JT: Supreme Court denying welfare for NJ residents inspires exclusionary policy proposals by fringe politicians; yet the math does not equal the hype
\n4) Osaka Mayor Hashimoto vs Zaitokukai Sakurai: I say, bully for Hash for standing up to the bully boys
\n5) Two recent JT columns (domestic & international authors) revealing the damage done by PM Abe to Japan\u2019s int\u2019l image<\/p>\n

\u2026 and finally\u2026
\n6) Japan Times JBC column 80: \u201cBiased pamphlet bodes ill for left-behind parents\u201d, on MOFA propagandizing re Hague Treaty on Child Abductions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-human-rights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12819","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=12819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12819\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}