The Japan Times as other paper media is carrying from time to time such dull and utterly stupid "by invitation" articles written by some ex-diplomatic individual for the sake of ... well, I am lost at finding out for what sake and purpose besides pleasing some other important people.
The diplomatic moron is some Hugh Cortazzi, a former British career diplomat, who served as ambassador to Japan from 1980 to 1984.
The article untitled "Gut reaction to immigration" should read "Bland opinion to immigration".
The last part is heroic in that it just skips discussion by simply stating that calling racial fingerprinting targeting foreigners "is an exaggeration", period, after suggesting, and who would think the contrary, that immigration in many countries is not a smooth process. Some arguments please. Oh! but yes, you were a diplomat all your life. Some more petits fours then.
"The approach by Japan, faced with an aging and declining population, seems to be that it would rather acquiesce to inevitable economic decline rather than accept significantly higher rates of immigration. Some foreign observers see the latest signs of Japanese official discrimination against foreigners, as shown by the compulsory fingerprinting of all foreign visitors, as a recrudescence of Japanese chauvinism and isolationism.
This is an exaggeration, but it has been noted that if these measures were intended as a response to the threat of terrorism, they are odd in that all terrorist actions in Japan so far have been committed by indigenous groups who would be unaffected by these measures. Perhaps the Japanese government just wants to show solidarity with the Americans."
7.1.08
Tepid and stupid article in The Japan Times
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5 comments:
Try re-reading the article again. Race clearly has nothing to do with finger printing. Nationality does.
Here is what you wrote:
The last part is heroic in that it just skips discussion by simply stating that calling racial fingerprinting targeting foreigners "is an exaggeration", period,
He is not referring to that at all. He is referring to the following statement: "Some foreign observers see the latest signs of Japanese official discrimination against foreigners"
and that the group of NJ crying discrimination are exaggerating the situation, which clearly they are. This is especially the case when looked at from an American perspective. The US was the first to put this into practice at the borders. Japan has followed the US`s lead for 50 years why stop now? It is not like they came up with this idea out of the blue.
Don't know if you live here, anonymous, but I feel the discrimination of measures only designed to "control" me the teacher but not my students. And it's a lot more than just the fingerprinting. That is just the straw that broke the camel's back.
Fundamental discrimination in equal access to housing, using retail establishments in some cases, having to pay taxes but not getting the benefits of voting, unequal protection under labour law and custom, police stopping people with "foreign faces" on the street to ID card and question them for no reason, and the constant harping of the papers and government of the "foreign crime problem" add up to a hostile and discriminatory climate that seems to be worsening.
And that's not the complete list. Exaggeration? I think not!
Vege - Sorry to stoop to gestures, but get a clue man. Try reading, thinking, then posting. Here it is again paraphrased for your better reading comprehension:
...The idea that some NJ think that the compulsory fingerprinting of all foreign visitors shows Japanese chauvinism and isolationism is an exaggeration
End pf paraphrase. This issue is completely unrelated to housing or having to show your gaijin card.
The point I am making is that fingerprinting is not new, nor did the Japanese invent it. The US has a nearly identical system (that my wife is required to go through every time we travel to the states). The only real difference there is that green card holders do not have to be fingerprinted. Well, look at the hoops NA need to go through to obtain a green card, relative to the ease of getting permanent residence in Japan.
Japanese Immigration is not a hostile and discriminatory organization. They followed suit. Your sense of being controlled by them is sadly misguided, as the use of biometric identification will only increase in the future.
Didn't you say "and that the group of NJ crying discrimination are exaggerating the situation, WHICH CLEARLY THEY ARE"?
That's what I was responding to. I don't happen to agree for the reasons I stated. If having alien registration cards checked in hotels, stores, at government offices and on the street by police as well as fingerprints at the border is not an attempt at control of non-Japanese, then I'm not sure why it would be done. Maybe for pure pleasure?
And I'm not a "man". Nor is it necessary to "stoop to gestures" ie name-calling when someone disagrees with you. Which I'll refrain from doing now in the spirit of friendliness.
I don't really think you have argument man, This is quite plainly state endorsed racism and xenophobia. And of course yet more proof of Japan's vassal state status as previous commenters have suggested.
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