{"id":7172,"date":"2010-07-09T09:37:01","date_gmt":"2010-07-09T00:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=7172"},"modified":"2010-07-09T11:38:46","modified_gmt":"2010-07-09T02:38:46","slug":"nyt-guest-column-on-racial-profiling-of-japanese-for-looking-too-tall-and-dark-just-like-arrest-of-foreign-looking-japanese-back-in-2006","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=7172","title":{"rendered":"NYT guest column on racial profiling of Japanese for “looking too tall and dark”. Just like arrest of “foreign-looking” Japanese back in 2006."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Handbook<\/a>\"\\\"<\/a>\"Foreign<\/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>\"JAPANESE<\/a>\"sourstrawberriesavatar\"<\/a>\"debitopodcastthumb\"<\/a>
\nUPDATES ON TWITTER: arudoudebito
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Hi Blog. Here we have a good opinion piece in the NYT (the overseas paper the GOJ takes most seriously) from a Japanese (not a NJ, so there’s no possible excuse of a “cultural misunderstanding”) who looks suspicious to Japanese police simply because she is taller and darker than average. So she gets zapped for racial profiling (a word, as she acknowledges, is not in common currency in nihongo). Well, good thing she didn’t get arrested for looking “too foreign” and not having a Gaijin Card, which happened back in February 2006 (article enclosed below).<\/p>\n

As I have said on numerous occasions<\/a>, racial profiling by the NPA is a serious problem, as it will increasingly single out and multiethnic Japanese as well. I am waiting one day to get leaked a copy of the NPA police training manuals (not available to the public) which cover this sort of activity and scrutinize them for latent racist attitudes (we’ve already seen plenty of other racism in print by the Japanese police, see for example here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>). But scrutiny is one thing the NPA consistently avoids<\/a>. So this is what happens — and victims have to take it to outside media to get any attention. Arudou Debito in Sapporo<\/p>\n

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

Too Tall for Japan?
\nThe New York Times, July 8, 2010, Courtesy lots of people
\nBy KUMIKO MAKIHARA<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/07\/08\/opinion\/08iht-edkumiko.html?_r=1&hpw<\/a><\/p>\n

TOKYO \u2014 Racial profiling had never struck me as a personal issue. I am a Japanese woman living in Japan after all, where less than 2 percent of the population is foreign. And even among that sliver of a share, the majority is Asian. How could racial profiling exist if most everyone looks the same?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was awakened from such na\u00efvet\u00e9 a few years ago when I started getting pulled aside by police, apparently to see if I was an illegal immigrant. On three occasions, officers sidled up to me at busy train stations, flashing their badges and asking me where I was headed. When they concluded I was a Japanese national, they sent me on my way.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, two officers approached me as I was exiting Tokyo Station and asked to see an ID and the contents of my purse. I refused their repeated requests while demanding an explanation until one of the officers finally told me, \u201cYou are tall and dark-colored and look like a foreigner.\u201d He then added, \u201cEvery day we catch four to five overstays this way,\u201d referring to immigrants with expired visas.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was stunned by the officer\u2019s blatant profiling of me based on what I perceive as my only slightly unusual features: a bit taller than average height and a shade of a sun tan. But microscopic vision for sniffing out differences is a common trait among the Japanese who are often uncomfortable with dealings outside of their familiar zones.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The officers who approached me on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant were presumably acting on Japan\u2019s Police Duties Execution Law. It states: \u201cA police officer may stop and question any person who has reasonable ground to be suspected of having committed or being about to commit a crime.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Japanese law is broader than the controversial legislation in the U.S. state of Arizona that goes into effect this month, which allows police to confirm someone\u2019s immigration status only after stopping the person on other grounds. \u201cThe same thing as in Arizona has been in place in Japan for a long time without much criticism,\u201d says my cousin and lawyer Genichi Yamaguchi.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most Japanese are unaware of these racially motivated checks. But even if they knew about them, it is questionable how much they would object. Profiling is a common practice here with casual exchanging of personal information. The details collected from a business card or queries such as asking where one attended university or what blood type one is serve as clues to allow people to predict how each party will behave.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As a single parent who has lived overseas and is blood type A, I am stereotyped as hard-nosed enough to have decided to go it alone, blithe from surviving dealings with all sorts of people and having the seriousness attributed in popular beliefs here to people of my blood group.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Such typecasting takes on racist overtones when applied to foreigners. \u201cChinese don\u2019t know train manners,\u201d I overheard a man say recently in response to a Chinese woman talking loudly on her cellphone in the compartment. On a bus tour of the Western city of Nara, several Japanese passengers complained that the Filipinos aboard who had trouble keeping up with the rushed sightseeing pace \u201cdon\u2019t understand \u2018dantai kodo,\u201d\u2019 or group behavior. When one of the Filipinos went to the restroom, a Japanese woman grumbled that she should have held back in deference to the group schedule. Such intolerance \u2014 when the government is on a major campaign to increase tourism to the country, and just this month eased visa application requirements for Chinese visitors.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are even disturbing signs that Japanese increasingly don\u2019t want to bother trying to understand the unfamiliar territory beyond their borders. Only one student from Japan entered Harvard University\u2019s freshman class last year, bringing the total number of full-time Japanese undergraduates to five, compared to a total of 36 from China and 42 from South Korea.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A 2007 Web-based survey by the Nomura Research Institute revealed a growing reluctance to live overseas among younger Japanese. While 33 percent of men and 23.9 percent of women in their 60s and older said they would have some aversion to either themselves or their spouses going to work overseas, the share of people with that sentiment reached 42.9 percent and 38.9 percent respectively for people in their 20s.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The next time a police officer stops me, I plan to explain that suspecting me of a crime simply because I look foreign constitutes racial profiling. Only there is no term for the practice in the Japanese language.<\/em><\/strong>
\n
\nKumiko Makihara is a writer and translator living in Tokyo.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

This has happened before, only worse for the victim:<\/p>\n

\uff1c\u8aa4\u8a8d\u902e\u6355\uff1e\u65c5\u5238\u4e0d\u643a\u5e2f\u3067\u902e\u6355\u306e\u5973\u6027\u3001\u5b9f\u306f\u65e5\u672c\u4eba\u3000\u57fc\u7389<\/p>\n

( 2006\u5e7402\u670828\u65e5 00\u664237\u5206 )
\n\u6bce\u65e5\u65b0\u805e\u793e Courtesy of Kaoru<\/p>\n

\u57fc\u7389\u770c\u8b66\u5ddd\u53e3\u7f72\u306f\uff12\uff17\u65e5\u3001\u5165\u7ba1\u6cd5\u9055\u53cd\u5bb9\u7591\uff08\u65c5\u5238\u4e0d\u643a\u5e2f\uff09\u3067\u902e\u6355\u3057\u305f\u5973\u6027\uff08\uff12\uff18\uff09\u304c\u5b9f\u306f\u540c\u770c\u5ddd\u53e3\u5e02\u5728\u4f4f\u306e\u65e5\u672c\u4eba\u3060\u3063\u305f\u3068\u5206\u304b\u308a\u3001\u91c8\u653e\u3057\u305f\u3068\u767a\u8868\u3057 \u305f\u3002\u5973\u6027\u304c\u8a00\u8449\u3092\u767a\u305b\u305a\u3001\u5bb9\u59ff\u306a\u3069\u304b\u3089\u5916\u56fd\u4eba\u3068\u5224\u65ad\u3057\u305f\u3068\u3044\u3046\u3002<\/p>\n

\u540c\u7f72\u306b\u3088\u308b\u3068\u3001\uff12\uff15\u65e5\u5348\u5f8c\uff17\u6642\uff14\uff10\u5206\u3054\u308d\u3001\u5ddd\u53e3\u5e02\u5185\u306e\u8def\u4e0a\u3092\u6b69\u3044\u3066\u3044\u305f\u5973\u6027\u306b\u30d1\u30c8\u30ed\u30fc\u30eb\u4e2d\u306e\u7f72\u54e1\uff13\u4eba\u304c\u8077\u52d9\u8cea\u554f\u3002\u7f72\u54e1\u306f\u5973\u6027\u306e\u5bb9\u59ff\u304c\u6771\u5357\u30a2\u30b8\u30a2\u51fa \u8eab\u8005\u306b\u4f3c\u3066\u304a\u308a\u3001\u540d\u524d\u3084\u56fd\u7c4d\u3092\u5c0b\u306d\u305f\u3068\u3053\u308d\u3001\u5c0f\u3055\u306a\u58f0\u3067\u300c\u65e5\u672c\u4eba\u3067\u3059\u300d\u3068\u8a00\u3063\u305f\u304d\u308a\u4f55\u3082\u8a71\u3055\u306a\u304f\u306a\u3063\u305f\u305f\u3081\u3001\u7f72\u306b\u4efb\u610f\u540c\u884c\u3057\u305f\u3002\u5973\u6027\u306f\u7f72\u3067\u3082\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u306e\u8cea\u554f \u306b\u5bfe\u3057\u7121\u8a00\u3092\u901a\u3057\u305f\u305f\u3081\u3001\u540c\u7f72\u306f\u300c\u5916\u56fd\u4eba\u300d\u3068\u5224\u65ad\u3002\u30d1\u30b9\u30dd\u30fc\u30c8\u306e\u4e0d\u6240\u6301\u3092\u78ba\u304b\u3081\u3066\u540c\u5bb9\u7591\u3067\u902e\u6355\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u5973\u6027\u306f\u902e\u6355\u5f8c\u306b\u5bb6\u65cf\u306e\u540d\u524d\u3092\u7d19\u306b\u66f8\u304d\u3001\u6bcd\u89aa\u306b\u78ba\u8a8d\u3059\u308b\u3068\u5a18\u3068\u5206\u304b\u3063\u3066\u8aa4\u8a8d\u902e\u6355\u304c\u5224\u660e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u6bcd\u89aa\u306f\u300c\u5a18\u306f\u77e5\u3089\u306a\u3044\u4eba\u3068\u306f\u8a71\u3092\u3057\u306a\u3044\u6027\u683c\u300d\u3068\u8a71\u3057\u3066\u3044 \u305f\u3068\u3044\u3046\u3002<\/p>\n

\u91d1\u5ddd\u667a\u7f72\u9577\u306f\u300c\u5973\u6027\u306b\u306f\u5927\u5909\u8ff7\u60d1\u3092\u304b\u3051\u305f\u3002\u4eca\u5f8c\u6307\u5c0e\u3092\u5fb9\u5e95\u3057\u3001\u518d\u767a\u9632\u6b62\u306b\u52aa\u3081\u308b\u300d\u3068\u3057\u3066\u3044\u308b\u3002\u3010\u6751\u4e0a\u5c0a\u4e00\u3011<\/p>\n

Police erroneously arrest \u2018Asian-looking\u2019 Japanese woman on immigration law breach<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mainichi Shinbun Tuesday, February 28, 2006 at 07:01 EST<\/strong><\/p>\n

SAITAMA \u2014 The Saitama prefectural police on Monday arrested a Japanese woman on suspicion of violating the immigration law but later released her after discovering that she was a Japanese national, police officials said.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The police had judged that the unemployed woman, 28, was not Japanese because she looked like a foreigner of Asian descent and that she carried an envelope written in Portuguese, the officials said. The woman was questioned by a policeman around 7:40 p.m. on Saturday in Kawaguchi. She told the officer that she was Japanese, but stopped answering further questions, the officials said. The woman\u2019s family said she is not good at speaking with strangers.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here we have a good opinion piece in the NYT (the overseas paper the GOJ takes most seriously) from a Japanese (not a NJ, so there’s no possible excuse of a “cultural misunderstanding”) who looks suspicious to Japanese police simply because she is taller and darker than average. So she gets zapped for racial profiling (a word, as she acknowledges, is not in common currency in nihongo). Well, good thing she didn’t get arrested for looking “too foreign” and not having a Gaijin Card, which happened back in February 2006 (article enclosed below).<\/p>\n

As I have said on numerous occasions, racial profiling by the NPA is a serious problem, as it will increasingly single out and multiethnic Japanese as well. I am waiting one day to get leaked a copy of the NPA police training manuals (not available to the public) which cover this sort of activity and scrutinize them for latent racist attitudes (we’ve already seen plenty of other racism in print by the Japanese police, see for example here, here, and here). But scrutiny is one thing the NPA consistently avoids. So this is what happens — and victims have to take it to outside media to get any attention. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,33,5,10,11,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bad-social-science","category-fingerprinting-nj","category-human-rights","category-japanese-policeforeign-crime","category-problematic-foreign-treatment","category-8"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7172","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=7172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7172\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}