{"id":14057,"date":"2016-06-22T14:46:26","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T00:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=14057"},"modified":"2016-06-22T14:46:26","modified_gmt":"2016-06-23T00:46:26","slug":"tv-economist-mitsuhashi-takaaki-on-foreign-labor-in-japan-80-of-chinese-in-japan-are-spies-foreigners-will-destroy-japanese-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=14057","title":{"rendered":"TV &#8220;Economist&#8221; Mitsuhashi Takaaki on foreign labor in Japan:  &#8220;80% of Chinese in Japan are spies&#8221;:  &#8220;foreigners will destroy Japanese culture&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Books, eBooks, and more from Dr. ARUDOU, Debito (click on icon):<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/handbook.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11452\" title=\"Guidebookcover.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Guidebookcover.jpg\" alt=\"Guidebookcover.jpg\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/japaneseonly.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/japaneseonlyebookcovertext-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"japaneseonlyebookcovertext\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/handbook.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1298\" title=\"Handbook2ndEdcover.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Handbook2ndEdcover.jpg\" alt=\"Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants, and Immigrants to Japan\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/inappropriate.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8577\" title=\"inappropriatecoverthumb150x226\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/inappropriatecoverthumb150x226.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/japaneseonly.html#japanese\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1700\" title=\"jobookcover\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/jobookcover-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\u300c\u30b8\u30e3\u30d1\u30cb\u30fc\u30ba\u30fb\u30aa\u30f3\u30ea\u30fc\u3000\u5c0f\u6a3d\u5165\u6d74\u62d2\u5426\u554f\u984c\u3068\u4eba\u7a2e\u5dee\u5225\u300d\uff08\u660e\u77f3\u66f8\u5e97\uff09\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cinemabstruso.de\/strawberries\/main.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2735\" title=\"sourstrawberriesavatar\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/sourstrawberriesavatar.jpg\" alt=\"sourstrawberriesavatar\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?cat=32\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4921\" title=\"debitopodcastthumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/debitopodcastthumb.jpg\" alt=\"debitopodcastthumb\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12473\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-12474\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/FodorsJapan2014cover-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"FodorsJapan2014cover\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nUPDATES ON TWITTER: arudoudebito<br \/>\nDEBITO.ORG PODCASTS on iTunes, subscribe free<br \/>\n&#8220;LIKE&#8221; US on Facebook at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/debitoorg\">http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/debitoorg<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embeddedrcsmJapan\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embeddedrcsmJapan<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/handbookimmigrants\">http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/handbookimmigrants<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JapaneseOnlyTheBook\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JapaneseOnlyTheBook<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BookInAppropriate\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BookInAppropriate<\/a><br \/>\nIf you like what you read and discuss on Debito.org, please consider helping us stop hackers and defray maintenance costs with a little donation via my webhoster:<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/donate.cgi?id=17701\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.newdream.net\/donate4.gif\" alt=\"Donate towards my web hosting bill!\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<i>All donations go towards website costs only. Thanks for your support!<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Hi Blog. Let&#8217;s get right to it with a post\u00a0from Debito.org Reader AG:<br \/>\n=========================<br \/>\n<strong>Date: June 12, 2016<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> From: AG<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> Dear Debito:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>There is a lot of discussion about immigration and work in Japan. There is a video showing a so called economist ranting and spreading FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) about why allowing immigration into Japan is a bad idea. Perhaps you would like to see into it and share it with your community at Debito.org. I support your site in many ways and I appreciate your insight and many matters that are wrong in Japan. I understand that your bottom line is to try to make a positive change in life.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Here&#8217;s the video:<\/em><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C18_G6wIh-Y\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=C18_G6wIh-Y<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C18_G6wIh-Y\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Sincerely, AG<br \/>\n=========================<\/p>\n<p><strong>COMMENT<\/strong>: The above video about Mitsuhashi Takaaki, <a href=\"http:\/\/ameblo.jp\/takaakimitsuhashi\/\" target=\"_blank\">a commentator, writer, TV personality, seminarist (<em>juku<\/em>), failed LDP candidate, and blogger about things he considers to be politics and economics<\/a>, shows how normalized bigotry is in Japan &#8212; to the point of silliness.<\/p>\n<p>Once you get past the stupid tic he has with pushing up his eyeglasses (redolent of aspiring Hollywood wannabes of the 1910s-1930s who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=P_iiXWzqHRw\" target=\"_blank\">thought their cute catchphrase, gesture, or sneeze would fuel an entire career<\/a>), you realize what he&#8217;s enabling: Japanese media\u00a0to espouse xenophobia.<\/p>\n<p>In the video, where he&#8217;s critical of PM Abe&#8217;s policies (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=12861\" target=\"_blank\">ignorantly portraying Abe as a proponent of importing foreign labor<\/a> in order\u00a0to undercut Japanese workers&#8217; salaries), he goes beyond economics and into bigotry: \u00a0about Chinese (depicted as invading hordes with queue hairstyles, where he claims that &#8220;80% are spies&#8221; [source, please?]) and foreigners in general (they\u00a0will &#8220;destroy Japanese culture&#8221;). \u00a0The research gets so\u00a0sloppy that it reaches the\u00a0point of silliness (at minute 0:30 they even misspelled TPP as &#8220;Trance Pacific Partnership&#8221;). \u00a0Watch the video yourself, but not as a lunch digestion aid.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, <a href=\"https:\/\/ja.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/\u4e09\u6a4b\u8cb4\u660e\" target=\"_blank\">Mitsuhashi is just an IT dork<\/a>\u00a0relishing his time in the sun, riding\u00a0a patriotic wave while dividing, &#8220;othering&#8221;, and bullying\u00a0minorities for his own financial gain.<\/p>\n<p>Again, it&#8217;s one more\u00a0indication that the long-awaited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=11245\" target=\"_blank\">next generation of &#8220;more liberal Japanese&#8221; will be just as narrow-minded as the previous one<\/a> (if not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?s=Tsutsumi\" target=\"_blank\">even more so<\/a>, since they have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=10645\" target=\"_blank\">no memory of the wartime excesses<\/a> their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/embeddedracism.html\" target=\"_blank\">embedded racism<\/a> led to generations ago). \u00a0Dr. ARUDOU, Debito<\/p>\n<p>===================================<\/p>\n<p><em>Do you like what you read on Debito.org? \u00a0Want to help keep the archive active and support Debito.org&#8217;s activities? \u00a0We are celebrating Debito.org&#8217;s 20th Anniversary in 2016, so please consider donating a little something. \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=13748\">More details here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watch this short video about Mitsuhashi Takaaki, a commentator, writer, TV personality, seminarist (juku), failed LDP candidate, and blogger about things he considers to be politics and economics.  It shows how normalized bigotry is in Japan &#8212; to the point of silliness.  Once you get past the stupid tic Mitsuhashi has with pushing up his eyeglasses (redolent of aspiring Hollywood wannabes of the 1910s-1930s who thought their cute catchphrase, gesture, or sneeze would fuel an entire career), you realize what he&#8217;s enabling: Japanese media to espouse xenophobia.  <\/p>\n<p>In the video he&#8217;s critical of PM Abe&#8217;s policies (ignorantly portraying Abe as a proponent of importing foreign labor in order to undercut Japanese workers&#8217; salaries), but he goes beyond economics and into bigotry:  about Chinese (depicted as invading hordes with queue hairstyles, where he claims that &#8220;80% are spies&#8221; [source, please?]) and foreigners in general (they will &#8220;destroy Japanese culture&#8221;).  The research gets so sloppy that it reaches the point of silliness (they even misspelled TPP as &#8220;Trance Pacific Partnership&#8221;).  Watch the video yourself, but not as a lunch digestion aid.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Mitsuhashi is just an IT dork relishing his time in the sun, riding a patriotic wave while dividing, &#8220;othering&#8221;, and bullying minorities for his own financial gain.  Again, it&#8217;s one more indication that the long-awaited next generation of &#8220;more liberal Japanese&#8221; will be just as narrow-minded as the previous one. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,43,36,22,52,5,26,4,16,13,65,66,7,53,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-embedded-racism","category-bad-business-practices","category-bad-social-science","category-cultural-issue","category-hate-speech","category-human-rights","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-japanese-government","category-labor-issues","category-media","category-racist-images-in-media","category-refugees","category-united-nations","category-unsustainable-japanese-society","category-8"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14057","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=14057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14057\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}