{"id":13942,"date":"2016-04-21T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T19:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=13942"},"modified":"2016-04-21T10:17:54","modified_gmt":"2016-04-21T20:17:54","slug":"stigmatization-thru-foreign-driver-stickers-first-okinawa-now-hokkaido-mainichi-shinbun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=13942","title":{"rendered":"Stigmatization thru “foreign driver stickers”: First Okinawa, now Hokkaido (Mainichi Shinbun)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. \u00a0Check this out:
\nHokkaido creates car stickers for foreign rent-a-car drivers<\/strong>
\n April 16, 2016 (Mainichi Japan), courtesy of JK<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/articles\/20160416\/p2a\/00m\/0na\/005000c<\/a><\/p>\n

\"HokkaidoForeignDriverSticker2016\"<\/a>
\nA sticker for foreign people using rent-a-cars, created by the Hokkaido Prefectural Government. (Mainichi)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hokkaido Prefectural Government has prepared 2,500 stickers for use by foreigners driving rent-a-cars, in order to identify them to other drivers and prepare against on-the-road trouble.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The stickers, which read “A person from a foreign country is driving,” were distributed to rent-a-car companies in Hokkaido. In fiscal 2014, around 24,000 rent-a-cars were used by foreign tourists, around 14,000 more than in fiscal 2012. Accidents and driver arguments are expected, so the stickers were created to warn other drivers, similar to stickers for new drivers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The magnetic stickers are 14.5 centimeters square and carry Hokkaido’s tourism character “Kyun-chan,” a Japanese pika. A prefectural government official says, “When people see (a car with the sticker), we want them to act kindly.”<\/em><\/strong>
\nENDS<\/p>\n

Japanese version
\n\u5916\u56fd\u4eba\u89b3\u5149\u5ba2
\n\u30ec\u30f3\u30bf\u30ab\u30fc\u5229\u7528\u3067\u30b9\u30c6\u30c3\u30ab\u30fc\u3000\u5317\u6d77\u9053
\n\u6bce\u65e5\u65b0\u805e2016\u5e744\u67087\u65e5\u300020\u664201\u5206\uff08\u6700\u7d42\u66f4\u65b0\u30004\u67087\u65e5\u300022\u664235\u5206\uff09
\nhttp:\/\/mainichi.jp\/articles\/20160408\/k00\/00m\/040\/051000c<\/a><\/p>\n

\u5916\u56fd\u4eba\u904b\u8ee2\u306e\u8eca\u306b\u914d\u616e\u3057\u3066\u3082\u3089\u304a\u3046\u3068\u3001\u5317\u6d77\u9053\u306f\u3001\u300c\u5916\u56fd\u306e\u65b9\u304c\u904b\u8ee2\u3057\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u300d\u3068\u30e1\u30c3\u30bb\u30fc\u30b8\u3092\u8a18\u8f09\u3057\u305f\u30de\u30b0\u30cd\u30c3\u30c8\u5f0f\u30b9\u30c6\u30c3\u30ab\u30fc\uff12\uff15\uff10\uff10\u679a\u3092\u4f5c\u88fd\u3057\u3001\u9053\u5185\u30ec\u30f3\u30bf\u30ab\u30fc\u4f1a\u793e\u306b\u914d\u5e03\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u5916\u56fd\u4eba\u89b3\u5149\u5ba2\u306e\u30ec\u30f3\u30bf\u30ab\u30fc\u5229\u7528\u306f\uff12\uff10\uff11\uff14\u5e74\u5ea6\u3067\u7d04\uff12\u4e07\uff14\uff10\uff10\uff10\u53f0\u306b\u4e0a\u308a\u3001\uff11\uff12\u5e74\u5ea6\u3088\u308a\u7d04\uff11\u4e07\uff14\uff10\uff10\uff10\u53f0\u5897\u3002\u4e8b\u6545\u3084\u30c8\u30e9\u30d6\u30eb\u3082\u4e88\u60f3\u3055\u308c\u3001\u521d\u5fc3\u904b\u8ee2\u8005\u5411\u3051\u306e\u300c\u82e5\u8449\u30de\u30fc\u30af\u300d\u306e\u3088\u3046\u306b\u30a2\u30d4\u30fc\u30eb\u3059\u308b\u3053\u3068\u306b\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u30b9\u30c6\u30c3\u30ab\u30fc\u306f\uff11\uff14\uff0e\uff15\u30bb\u30f3\u30c1\u56db\u65b9\u3067\u3001\u5317\u6d77\u9053\u89b3\u5149\u306e\uff30\uff32\u30ad\u30e3\u30e9\u30af\u30bf\u30fc\u300c\u30ad\u30e5\u30f3\u3061\u3083\u3093\u300d\uff08\u30a8\u30be\u30ca\u30ad\u30a6\u30b5\u30ae\uff09\u306e\u30a4\u30e9\u30b9\u30c8\u5165\u308a\u3002\u62c5\u5f53\u8005\u306f\u300c\u3046\u3055\u304e\u3092\u898b\u305f\u3089\u3001\u6e29\u304b\u304f\u898b\u5b88\u3063\u3066\u307b\u3057\u3044\u300d\u3002\u3010\u4e00\u689d\u512a\u592a\u3011
\nENDS<\/p>\n

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

SUBMITTER JK COMMENTS<\/strong>: \u00a0Hi Debito. \u00a0“Friendly Driving”…um…right…more like \u6ce8\u610f\uff1a\u5916\u4eba\u306e\u904b\u8ee2\u624b\u3060\u3088\uff01<\/em><\/p>\n

I wonder how MOFA would react if, oh I dunno, rent-a-car companies in Hawaii started issuing stickers for Japanese drivers stating “A person from Japan is driving”, in order to “identify them to other drivers and prepare against on-the-road trouble” because after all, “accidents and driver arguments are expected”.<\/em><\/p>\n

DEBITO COMMENTS<\/strong>: \u00a0It would seem that the Japanese reflex of pointing out differences over similarities (a byproduct of the quest to keep Japan “unique” in the world narrative) has created\u00a0perennial blind spots towards the effects of “stigmatization”. \u00a0That is to say, if you keep pointing out how different a group of people is (in this case, “foreign drivers”, even if you say you are doing it “out of kindness”), it still differentiates and “others” people — with the inevitable subordinating presumption that foreign drivers are somehow more prone to accidents, need to be taken notice of, or treated with special care. \u00a0Why else would the public be notified (if not warned) that a foreign driver is present?<\/p>\n

Shoe on the other foot: \u00a0How would people like it if females behind the wheel had to bear a “women driver” sticker? \u00a0What if the “foreign driver” (for example, somebody who has been driving in Japan not as a tourist for years, or on the British side of the road the same as Japan?) would rather opt out of all the special attention? \u00a0And what of the Japanese tourists from the metropolises who are “paper drivers” and probably have much less road experience than average compared to any motorized society in the world? \u00a0Let’s see how a “tourist driver” sticker (slapped\u00a0on Japanese drivers too) would fare.<\/p>\n

This sticker\u00a0is, to put it bluntly in Japanese, \u6709\u308a\u96e3\u8ff7\u60d1 (arigata meiwaku), <\/em>or “kindness” to the point of being a nuisance. \u00a0 And it is not even the first “foreign driver” sticker Debito.org has heard of — last October we reported on similar stickers in Okinawa with the same purpose<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"OkinawaGaikokujinDriverstickerOct2015\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For more on Japan’s poor history of stigmatization of “foreigners” in the name of “kindness”, see Embedded Racism<\/em><\/a> pp. 21-8, 94, and 281-282. \u00a0Dr. ARUDOU, Debito<\/p>\n

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

Do you like what you read on Debito.org? \u00a0Want to help keep the archive active and support Debito.org’s activities? \u00a0We are celebrating Debito.org’s 20th Anniversary in 2016, so please consider donating a little something. \u00a0More details here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mainichi: The Hokkaido Prefectural Government has prepared 2,500 stickers for use by foreigners driving rent-a-cars, in order to identify them to other drivers and prepare against on-the-road trouble. The stickers, which read “A person from a foreign country is driving,” were distributed to rent-a-car companies in Hokkaido. In fiscal 2014, around 24,000 rent-a-cars were used by foreign tourists, around 14,000 more than in fiscal 2012. Accidents and driver arguments are expected, so the stickers were created to warn other drivers, similar to stickers for new drivers. The magnetic stickers are 14.5 centimeters square and carry Hokkaido’s tourism character “Kyun-chan,” a Japanese pika. A prefectural government official says, “When people see (a car with the sticker), we want them to act kindly.”<\/p>\n

Comment: It would seem that the Japanese reflex of pointing out differences over similarities (a byproduct of the quest to keep Japan “unique” in the world narrative) has created perennial blind spots towards the effects of “stigmatization”. That is to say, if you keep pointing out how different a group of people is (in this case, “foreign drivers”, even if you say you are doing it “out of kindness”), it still differentiates and “others” people — with the inevitable subordinating presumption that foreign drivers are somehow more prone to accidents, need to be taken notice of, or treated with special care. Why else would the public be notified (if not warned) that a foreign driver is present?<\/p>\n

Shoe on the other foot: How would people like it if females behind the wheel had to bear a “women driver” sticker? What if the “foreign driver” (for example, somebody who has been driving in Japan not as a tourist for years, or on the British side of the road the same as Japan?) would rather opt out of all the special attention? And what of the Japanese tourists from the metropolises who are “paper drivers” and probably have much less road experience than average compared to any motorized society in the world? Let’s see how a “tourist driver” sticker (slapped on Japanese drivers too) would fare. This sticker is, to put it bluntly in Japanese, \u6709\u308a\u96e3\u8ff7\u60d1 (arigata meiwaku), or “kindness” to the point of being a nuisance. And it is not even the first “foreign driver” sticker Debito.org has heard of — last October we reported on similar stickers in Okinawa with the same purpose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,43,36,33,26,4,55,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-embedded-racism","category-bad-business-practices","category-bad-social-science","category-fingerprinting-nj","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-japanese-government","category-tourism","category-8"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13942","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=13942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13942\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}