{"id":16365,"date":"2021-01-03T10:05:20","date_gmt":"2021-01-03T18:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16365"},"modified":"2021-01-08T10:10:21","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T18:10:21","slug":"debito-org-newsletter-january-1-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16365","title":{"rendered":"DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER JANUARY 1, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Books, eBooks, and more from Debito Arudou, Ph.D. (click on icon):
\n\"Guidebookcover.jpg\"<\/a>\"japaneseonlyebookcovertext\"<\/a>\"Handbook<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\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\"<\/a>\"sourstrawberriesavatar\"<\/a>\"debitopodcastthumb\"<\/a>\"FodorsJapan2014cover\"<\/a>
\nUPDATES ON TWITTER: arudoudebito
\nDEBITO.ORG PODCASTS on iTunes, subscribe free
\n“LIKE” US on Facebook at http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/debitoorg<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embeddedrcsmJapan<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/handbookimmigrants<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JapaneseOnlyTheBook<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BookInAppropriate<\/a><\/p>\n

DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER JANUARY 1, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

Table of Contents<\/em><\/strong>:
\n\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

MEDIA PULLS US FORWARD AND BACK<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) NIKE JAPAN ads featuring Japan\u2019s Minorities and Visible Minorities taking solace and courage from doing sports<\/strong>
\n2) Unknown news chyron of Govt panel that apparently blames foreigners for spreading Covid. However, FNN News tells a different story: one of assisting foreigners. Let\u2019s be careful to avoid disinformation (UPDATED).<\/strong>
\n3) United Nations human rights experts say Japan was wrong to detain former Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn; owes him compensation<\/strong><\/p>\n

FULL TEXT SNA ARTICLES ARCHIVED<\/strong>
\n4) Full text of my first SNA column is now archived on Debito.org: \u201cThe Japan Times Becomes Servant to the Elite\u201d (Feb 2, 2019)<\/strong>
\n5) Full text of my first \u201cVisible Minorities\u201d column now archived on Debito.org: \u201cDebito\u2019s New Column for Shingetsu News Agency\u201d (Aug 19, 2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n

… and finally…<\/em><\/strong>
\n6) My latest SNA VM column 16: \u201cUS Elections Repudiate Trump\u2019s Japan-Style Ethnostate\u201d, suggesting that the US might be taking real steps towards a post-racial society<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

By Debito Arudou, Ph.D (debito@debito.org, www.debito.org, Twitter @arudoudebito)
\nDebito.org Newsletters as always are freely forwardable.<\/p>\n

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

1) NIKE JAPAN ads featuring Japan\u2019s Minorities and Visible Minorities taking solace and courage from doing sports<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reader JK sent me this link to the following NIKE JAPAN advertisement for discussion: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=G02u6sN_sRc<\/a>
\nEntitled \u201c\u52d5\u304b\u3057\u3064\u3065\u3051\u308b\u3002\u81ea\u5206\u3092\u3002\u672a\u6765\u3092\u3002\u201d (Lit: We will continue moving. Myself. And the Future.\u201d, which is a bit different from the official title of \u201cThe Future Isn\u2019t Waiting\u201d), the subject is of Japan\u2019s school-age Minorities and Visible Minorities facing social othering in Japan, and finding solace and courage in themselves by becoming good at sports.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s dated November 27, 2020, and been viewed nearly 10 million times as of this writing. According to the Japan Times, it\u2019s inspired a \u201cfiery online response\u201d: https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2020\/12\/02\/national\/social-issues\/japan-nike-ad\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The BBC adds, a bit disingenuously: \u201cMany Japanese do not like to be told by outside voices to change their ways,\u201d said Morley Robertson, a Japanese-American journalist. \u201cBut if a foreigner demonstrates a deep understanding of Japanese culture or Japanese rules, then those same Japanese who would otherwise take offence will gush forth with praise.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Steve McGinnes, the author of Surfing the Asian wave: How to survive and thrive in the new world order, believes the advert is an \u201cown goal\u201d. \u201cEndemic racism is going to be a sensitive topic in any culture. But Nike should not think, as a foreign brand, that it is appropriate for them to point it out to their hosts. \u201cThey are crudely putting a spotlight onto a subject that many feel should be off-limits to guests. It\u2019s a huge own goal for Nike.\u201d\u2026 \u201cIn 2020, should America or an American brand be taking the high ground on racism and telling the rest of the world what they are doing wrong?\u201d adds Mr McGinnes. \u201cClearly, a lot of Japanese people think they shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/business-55140846<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll reserve my comment for later. But I don\u2019t believe this is an \u201cown goal\u201d for Nike. And how self-assured can these pundits be that these are \u201coutside voices\u201d?<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16328<\/a><\/p>\n

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

2) Unknown news chyron of Govt panel that apparently blames foreigners for spreading Covid. However, FNN News tells a different story: one of assisting foreigners. Let\u2019s be careful to avoid disinformation (UPDATED)<\/strong><\/p>\n

A screenshot of an unknown news has a chyron indicating that some government panel states, \u201cForeigners have different languages and customs, so we can\u2019t thoroughly enforce policies against the spread of [Covid] infections.\u201d By implication, this means that foreigners are being seen as an obstacle to the safety of Japanese society because of their differences. The screenshot is starting to multiply around the mediasphere, which is why it\u2019s been sent to me multiple times.<\/p>\n

However, a Debito.org Reader sends me a FNN news videos which, at minute 1:30, says, \u201cBunkakai de wa, kurasutaa e no taiou ya, kotoba no chigai de soudan ya jushin ga okureru gaikokujin no tame ni ichigenteki na soudan madoguchi o setchi suru koto ni tsuite giron shiteimasu<\/em>.\u201d
\nOr (my translation):
\n\u201cAt this panel, they are debating about whether to set up a unified consultation center to deal with clusters and with foreigners and who face delayed medical consultations and treatments due to language differences.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s quite a different take! According to FNN, this panel seems to be trying to assist, not exclude or blame. I welcome others who find more clarifying media about this event. Meanwhile, my point is to be careful. Foreigners have been so perpetually offset and treated as exceptions from the regular population that this could reflexively feel like a repeat performance. But let\u2019s be careful that this reflex does not lead to disinformation.<\/p>\n

UPDATE NOV 14:<\/strong>
\nPh.D. Candidate Anoma van der Veere has kindly tweeted out his research indicating some media sensationalism is going on here. Access the thread beginning at https:\/\/twitter.com\/anomav\/status\/1327117586249568256?s=21&fbclid=IwAR0gIPlDs9K6X8tH87UWEuafZDYEM9XrgLobf7LI2luRRJgnStztEdka9n4<\/a>
\nScreen captures follow, for the record.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16293<\/a><\/p>\n

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

3) United Nations human rights experts say Japan was wrong to detain former Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn; owes him compensation<\/strong><\/p>\n

AP: A panel of human rights experts working with the United Nations said Monday that former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was wrongly detained in Japan and has urged \u201ccompensation\u201d for him from the Japanese government. The Japanese government denounced the report as a \u201ctotally unacceptable\u201d viewpoint that will change nothing in the country\u2019s legal process.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In its opinion published Monday, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that Ghosn\u2019s arrest in Japan in late 2018 and early 2019 was \u201carbitrary\u201d and called on Japan\u2019s government to \u201ctake the necessary steps to remedy the situation of Mr Ghosn without delay.\u201d A determination of whether detention is arbitrary is based on various criteria, including international norms of justice\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s system has been repeatedly criticized by human rights advocates. The panel cited previous concerns about Japan\u2019s so-called daiyo kangoku system of detention and interrogation that relies heavily on confessions and could expose detainees to torture, ill-treatment and coercion.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

COMMENT<\/strong>: I wrote back in January in that Carlos Ghosn\u2019s escape from Japan\u2019s gaijin gulag was the right move \u2014 not least because Japan\u2019s heavy-handed prosecutorial powers and treatment of criminal suspects is in itself a violation of human rights. Now it turns out the United Nations would agree. Given that Japan has been shamed for decades over its human rights record, and still has not passed a criminal law against racial discrimination as promised under international treaty it signed a quarter century ago (yes, way back in 1995!), I doubt this will mean much. But at least it\u2019s a delicious vindication for our advocacy camp.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16319<\/a><\/p>\n

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

FULL TEXT SNA ARTICLES ARCHIVED<\/strong><\/p>\n

4) Full text of my first SNA column is now archived on Debito.org: \u201cThe Japan Times Becomes Servant to the Elite\u201d (Feb 2, 2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been nearly two years since I wrote my first feature piece for the Shingetsu News Agency (the only independent English-language media left in Japan not toeing a Japanese government line; please subscribe at http:\/\/shingetsunewsagency.com<\/a>) about the editorial swing over at The Japan Times. That text has been behind a paywall ever since. With the acknowledgment of SNA, I am now reprinting my columns in full on Debito.org after one year has passed since publication. Here\u2019s an excerpt, followed by a link to the full article in the Debito.org original timeline.<\/p>\n

Excerpt: On January 28, the Japan Times published an opinion piece titled, \u201cHow Japanese is Naomi Osaka?\u201d Author Kunihiko Miyake \u201cfelt something odd\u201d about how the multiethnic tennis champ could ever \u201crepresent Japan.\u201d Miyake\u2019s article is indicative of how the quality of analysis has slipped under the Japan Times\u2019 new ownership, and suggests how the purposes of the organization have changed\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

[Miyake\u2019s] half-baked column is indicative of something much larger\u2014a decline in analytical prowess due to the editorial changes at the Japan Times in recent years.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Japan Times came under new ownership in June 2017 by the media group News2u Holdings, a PR company. In an unexpected editorial shift, last November the Japan Times announced that it would henceforth be rewording the \u201cpotentially misleading\u201d (and internationally-recognized) terms \u201cComfort Women\u201d\u2014which is already a direct translation of the official euphemism of ianfu\u2014as \u201cwomen who worked in wartime brothels, including those who did so against their will, to provide sex to Japanese soldiers.\u201d Likewise, the term \u201cforced laborers\u201d would now be rendered merely as \u201cwartime laborers,\u201d following the new government policy.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Aside from journalistic concerns about cramming a wordy term into concise articles, it wasn\u2019t hard for media observers to understand this as a response to government pressure, already manifest in Japanese media and world history textbooks, to portray Japan\u2019s past in a more exculpatory light\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Full article text now archived at https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=15541<\/a><\/p>\n

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

5) Full text of my first \u201cVisible Minorities\u201d column now archived on Debito.org: \u201cDebito\u2019s New Column for Shingetsu News Agency\u201d (Aug 19, 2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n

SNA: My name is Debito Arudou (or Arudou Debito, if you prefer), that guy from Sapporo who started writing about Japan from the early 1990s on a long-dead mailing list called the Dead Fukuzawa Society. I wrote so much there that I decided to archive my writings on a webpage. Debito.org soon blossomed into an award-winning reference site on life and human rights in Japan, and later a platform for newspaper articles and fieldwork research on racial discrimination. After moonlighting at places like the now-defunct Asahi Evening News and Japan Today, I began writing in 2002 a column for Japan Times, first under Zeit Gist and then Just Be Cause. Decades later, here we are with a new monthly column at the Shingetsu News Agency, under the title Visible Minorities. I chose this title for two reasons\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Full article text now archived at https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=15720<\/a><\/p>\n

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

… and finally…<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

6) My latest SNA VM column 16: \u201cUS Elections Repudiate Trump\u2019s Japan-Style Ethnostate\u201d, suggesting that the US might be taking real steps towards a post-racial society<\/strong><\/p>\n

SNA: The US elections captured the world\u2019s attention. No wonder. Given America\u2019s hegemony as an economic, political, cultural, and military power, the results underpin the future of geopolitics and world order.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But here\u2019s another angle: This election offers the world some insights into how countries painfully evolve into multiethnic, post-racial societies. It even demonstrated how enfranchised people would rather destroy their governing system than relinquish power.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fortunately, they didn\u2019t win. Let\u2019s recount some important facts.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The contest between incumbent Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden was indeed, as depicted in campaign slogans, a battle for the \u201csoul of America.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

At stake was whether Trump\u2019s nepotistic, corrupt administration\u2014one that shamelessly used whatever means they could to perpetuate their power, punish political enemies, and undermine democracy both domestic and worldwide\u2014would get four more years; or whether America\u2019s place as a world leader, for better or worse, would be restored to less capricious leadership, with policymaking sane enough to keep its own citizens alive in a self-inflicted pandemic.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Clearly American voters chose the latter course; Biden won. He got five million more votes in an election where more people voted for a president than ever before, with voting rates on track to be among the highest in modern US history. [\u2026]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

[There are of course some caveats, and] given the current status of Trump refusing to concede the election, and his lackeys interfering with a transition to the presumptive winner, it\u2019s clear that no matter who wins, Republicans feel they are the only ones entitled to run the country. They view cheating, sabotage, soliciting foreign interference, and spreading unscientific conspiracy theories as fair play. The United States\u2019 233-year experiment in democracy be damned; 73 million voters in this election agreed with Trump\u2019s authoritarianism. The intractable polarization of American politics is complete.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Still, the fact remains that this election was a repudiation of Trump, and, in retrospect, it\u2019s a textbook example of democracy in action. [\u2026]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ultimately, the history books will remember this about the past four years: Trump was the worst president in American history\u2014the only one who was impeached, served only one term, and lost the popular vote. Twice.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, good for the United States. But there are also lessons here for Japan, particularly its minorities: how countries make slow and painful transitions to a post-racial society\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the rest on SNA at http:\/\/shingetsunewsagency.com\/2020\/11\/16\/visible-minorities-us-elections-repudiate-trumps-japan-style-ethnostate\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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

That’s all for the New Year! May 2021 be healthy, happy, stable, and sustainable for everyone out there! Debito<\/p>\n

DEBITO.ORG NEWSLETTER JANUARY 1, 2021 ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

======================
\nDo you like what you read on Debito.org? \u00a0Want to help keep the archive active and support Debito.org’s activities? \u00a0Please consider donating a little something. \u00a0More details here<\/a>. Or if you prefer something less complicated, just click on an advertisement below.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Table of Contents:
\nMEDIA PULLS US FORWARD AND BACK
\n1) NIKE JAPAN ads featuring Japan\u2019s Minorities and Visible Minorities taking solace and courage from doing sports
\n2) Unknown news chyron of Govt panel that apparently blames foreigners for spreading Covid. However, FNN News tells a different story: one of assisting foreigners. Let\u2019s be careful to avoid disinformation (UPDATED).
\n3) United Nations human rights experts say Japan was wrong to detain former Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn; owes him compensation
\nFULL TEXT SNA ARTICLES ARCHIVED
\n4) Full text of my first SNA column is now archived on Debito.org: \u201cThe Japan Times Becomes Servant to the Elite\u201d (Feb 2, 2019)
\n5) Full text of my first \u201cVisible Minorities\u201d column now archived on Debito.org: \u201cDebito\u2019s New Column for Shingetsu News Agency\u201d (Aug 19, 2019)
\n… and finally…
\n6) My latest SNA VM column 16: \u201cUS Elections Repudiate Trump\u2019s Japan-Style Ethnostate\u201d, suggesting that the US might be taking real steps towards a post-racial society<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16365","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=16365"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16366,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16365\/revisions\/16366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}