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People Who Eat Darkness Copyright
FOR MUM AND DAD Among the old men who secretly came to this “house of the sleeping beauties,” there must be some who not only looked wistfully back to the vanished past but sought to forget the evil they had done through their lives … among them must be some who had made their successes by wrongdoing and kept their gains by repeated wrongdoing. They would not be men at peace with themselves. They would be among the defeated, rather—victims of terror. In their hearts as they lay against the flesh of naked young girls put to sleep would be more than fear of approaching death and regret for their lost youth. There might also be remorse, and the turmoil so common in the families of the successful. They would have no Buddha before whom to kneel. The naked girl would know nothing, would not open her eyes, if one of the old men were to hold her tight in his arms, shed cold tears, even sob and wail. The old man need feel no shame, no damage to his pride. The regrets and sadness could flow quite freely. And might not the “sleeping beauty” herself be a Buddha of sorts? And she was flesh and blood. Her young skin and scent might be forgiveness for the sad old men. —YASUNARI KAWABATA, House of the Sleeping Beauties CONTENTS TITLE PAGE DEDICATION EPIGRAPH PROLOGUE: LIFE BEFORE DEATH PART I: LUCIE 1. THE WORLD THE RIGHT WAY ROUND 2. RULES 3. LONG HAUL PART II: TOKYO 4. HIGH TOUCH TOWN 5. GEISHA GIRL! (JOKE) 6. -
The Status and Role of Ethnic Koreans in the Japanese Economy
5 The Status and Role of Ethnic Koreans in the Japanese Economy TOSHIYUKI TAMURA Who really are ethnic Koreans and who are they not in Japanese society? To answer this question is not an easy task. They are sometimes wrongly taken for Korean-Japanese, that is, Koreans residing in Japan with Japanese nationality. Actually, these people may or may not be included in the con- cept of ethnic Koreans, depending on the scope and the context of argu- ment. The overwhelming majority of ethnic Koreans are legally foreigners with foreign passports, and accordingly their legal status should not be considered parallel to that of people in other countries, such as Korean-Americans. For a closer understanding of the concept, we must retrace the modern history of Korea and Japan and their interrelationships. A smattering of history will convince one how and why the illusion that Japan is ethni- cally homogeneous—which I have termed the “homogeneity myth”1—has spread so widely among Japanese citizens. It was this kind of conscious- ness that, together with the North-South division of the Korean penin- sula, had made the legal status of Korean residents so complicated and peculiar to Japan. In this chapter, I try to describe the past and the present situations of Koreans in Japan, making utmost use of official statistical data, as well as the results of my own work. In the second and third sections, I Toshiyuki Tamura is dean of the Faculty of International Politics and Economics at Nishogakusha University. 1. See Tamura (1983b). 77 Institute for International Economics | http://www.iie.com introduce my own definition of the concept of Zainichi Koreans. -
August 20, 2012
August 20, 2012 Prepared: NGO Network for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ERD Net) Submitted: The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism – Japan Committee – IMADR-JC To the CERD Secretariat: We are pleased to submit the report concerning the hate speech against minority communities in Japan hoping that this could contribute to the CERD thematic discussion on hate speech of August 30, 2012. The report covers the propaganda of hate speech and dissemination of derogatory messages against some minority communities in Japan, namely Buraku, Zainichi Koreans and migrants. The present report does not cover the other minority communities such as Ryukyu-Okinawans and the Ainu, but we believe that a similar manifestation would be demonstrated against them when they face the challenge of hate speech. When we discuss about the hate speech in Japan, it is nothing but only a problem under no control. The main reasons rest with the absence of criminal code that prohibits and sanctions racist hate speech. Unless a committed hate speech has some connections or implications to other crimes, there is no legal means that forces an immediate halt of such act. Hate speech could constitute an illegal act under the civil law and only when it is aimed at specific individuals. As indicated in several cases contained in this report, perpetrators of hate speech have been arrested, charged and convicted for the crimes of defamation, forgery of private documents, damage to property, and etc. that are not intended to sanction hate speech. Racially motivated acts are only sanctioned as petty crimes under the present law in Japan, thus, conviction of such acts is less effective in terms of prevention of crimes. -
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Pluralistic Realities and Tenuous Paradigms: Critical Examinations of Race and "Normativity" in Japanese/American Multiethnic and Multiracial History Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4j3997h8 Author Ong, James Man Publication Date 2014 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Pluralistic Realities and Tenuous Paradigms: Critical Examinations of Race and “Normativity” in Japanese/American Multiethnic and Multiracial History A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Asian American Studies by James Man Ong 2014 © Copyright by James Man Ong 2014 ABSTRACT OF THIS THESIS Pluralistic Realities and Tenuous Paradigms: Critical Examinations of Race and “Normativity” in Japanese/American Multiethnic and Multiracial History By James Man Ong Master of Arts in Asian American Studies University of California, Los Angeles, 2014 Professor Lane Ryo Hirabayashi, Chair In both the US and Japan in recent decades, multiethnicity has become an increasingly significant phenomenon for Japanese/Americans. Though relative minorities in the past, mixed individuals have become an emerging demographic as successive generations of individuals of Japanese and non-Japanese ancestry have transgressed social barriers, ethnic racial boundaries and national divides, blending diverse ancestries and cultures into unique syntheses. While individuals -
From the Instructor
FROM THE INSTRUCTOR David (Ta-wei) Huang wrote this essay as the third paper for the WR 150 seminar “Anti-Immigrant Sentiments in the United States to 1930.” The course explored trends in negative responses to immigration and their connection to an ongoing struggle to define the meaning of “American” since the early 1800s. The final essay for the course asked students whether the past can provide a useful guideline for understanding society in the present. David requested to pursue a topic outside of the United States, as he saw parallels between the past and current nationalist movements. David engages with the essay prompt by suggesting how Japan should alter current responses to their foreign-born population to strengthen their nation, using the United States in the early twentieth century as a case study. David’s success in connecting seemingly disparate societies arises from the depth of his research and ability to succinctly summarize the key concepts of Social Darwinism and Nihonjinron, structuring his essay to emphasize the parallels of these concepts. He grappled with making his argument while staying within the length limits of the assignment but ably reflected on his sources and culled appropriately without losing key supporting elements. David carefully acknowledged differences in the two societies while still crafting a reasonable policy proposal. Rachel Schneider WR 150: Anti-Immigration Sentiments in the United States to 1930 FROM THE WRITER One of the most eye-opening, but also disheartening, takeaways from Professor Schneider’s course on anti-immigration sentiments in the United States is that many of the arguments used against immigrants in the 1800s are still perpetrated against immigrants today. -
Embracing Immigration: Contemporary Japanese College Students Perceptions of Foreign Labor in Japan Kristin M
Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall Theses Summer 5-2012 Embracing Immigration: Contemporary Japanese College Students Perceptions of Foreign Labor in Japan Kristin M. Wingate Seton Hall University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/theses Part of the Asian Studies Commons Recommended Citation Wingate, Kristin M., "Embracing Immigration: Contemporary Japanese College Students Perceptions of Foreign Labor in Japan" (2012). Theses. 231. https://scholarship.shu.edu/theses/231 EMBRACING IMMIGRATION: CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE COLLEGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF FOREIGN LABOR IN JAPAN BY KRISTIN WINGATE B.A., FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT 2010 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND CULTURES AT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY 2012 EMBRACING IMMIGRATION: CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE COLLEGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF FOREIGN LABOR IN JAPAN THESIS TITLE BY KRISTIN WINGATE APPROVED BY DATE SHIGE OSUKA, Ed. D. MENTOR (FIRST READER) EDWIN PAK-WAH LEUNG, Ph.D. EXAMINER (SECOND READER) ~~ DEBORAH BROWN, Ph.D. II) ) o<tJ/~ EXAMINER (THIRD READER) ~ IUuAlut ~ ANNE MULLEN-HOHL, Ph.D. HEAD OF DEPARTMENT THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND CULTURES AT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY, SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY. CONTENTS Acknowledgements.................................................................................... -
An Introduction to Japanese Society's Attitudes Toward Race and Skin Color
Chapter 4 An Introduction to Japanese Society’s Attitudes Toward Race and Skin Color Debito Arudou Introduction Japan, no doubt like any country or society, places cultural value on skin color and melanin content. In Japan’s case, historically and traditionally, pale, unblemished white skin is held in high regard. For example, in classical Japanese ukiyo-e and woodblock prints, Japan’s upper classes and historical figures are generally rendered with very pale skin, while Japanese women, seen mostly indoors, are generally rendered whiter than men. To the present day, Japan’s traditional entertainers (from Kabuki actors to geisha) whiten their skin cosmetically, and its heroes (as seen, e.g., in Japan’s Neputa Festival (JNTO 2011) in Aomori Prefecture) are depicted as light-skinned Japanese battling hairy, swarthy barbarians. In modern Japanese adult society, skin coloring and care is de rigueur for women and sometimes even men (Ashikari 2005). Despite being the tenth most populous nation in the world, Japan’s cosmetics market is the world’s second largest, with an annual turnover of 990 billion yen in 2009 (Austrade 2010), selling products to both lighten and darken skin. Notwithstanding Japan’s fascination with African American culture, most related products, such as UV-blocking makeup foundation, sunscreen, visors, and parasols, help to keep skin light; darker tones due to sun exposure are often negatively associated with aging skin or outdoor manual labor (Ashikari ibid). Further, in a society where most members see themselves as similarly dark-haired and dark-eyed, distinctions are made in Japanese media by darkening skin tones and lightening or coloring hair. -
COMPLICITY Japan/China (2018) WEDNESDAY, JULY 28 at 7PM
2021 AN APPALACHIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL AppSummer.org WEICHOLZ GLOBAL FILM SERIES WRITTEN PRE-FILM LECTURE BY DR. JOHN PFEIFER COMPLICITY Japan/China (2018) WEDNESDAY, JULY 28 AT 7PM When it comes to food, the Japanese consider the preparation, cooking, presentation, and even the manner of how it is eaten to be deeply embedded in their culture. Careful preparation and meticulous presentation are crucial elements of Japanese cuisine. Food is an art form, and even the simplest dishes are often prepared by chefs who have trained for many years. Therefore, it stands to reason that there are countless Japanese films that revolve around food. Some of my favorite Japanese films highlight food as a backdrop to the underlying theme of the screenplay. These films celebrate the art of cooking as well as Japanese culture and the cinema itself. Three of these films, including this selection, deserve your attention and a place on your “must watch” list. Sweet Bean (2016) is a film about an elderly woman whose skill and more than 50 years of experience in making “dorayaki” gives her a newfound sense of purpose as she goes about teaching a young shopkeeper the importance of making and selling a quality product. Dorayaki is a sandwich-like Japanese treat made of two small pancakes held together with a large dollop of sweet bean paste. In teaching him her craft, she awakens in him Japan’s tradition of respecting their elders. Japan is the only country to celebrate “Keiro-no-HI” (Respect for the Aged Day) as a national holiday. Through their relationship, the young shop owner develops a passion and pride for product over profit that brings him greater happiness than he could have imagined. -
Japanese Protesters Use Nazism to Attack Chinese, Koreans May 01, 2014 the ASAHI SHIMBUN
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201405010052 Disturbing trend: Japanese protesters use Nazism to attack Chinese, Koreans May 01, 2014 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN Racist chants bellowed from a loudspeaker and Hinomaru flags were waved at a rally in Tokyo attended by about 40 people following a young person dressed in military uniform. But what set this demonstration apart from the usual protests against Koreans and Chinese were the swastika flags fluttering beside Japan’s national flag. “We will recover the honor of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany,” one person shouted, as the protesters marched through a busy entertainment area of the Ikebukuro district. The rally was held on April 20, the 125th anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler. Although young Japanese protesters have recently increased their use of Nazi symbols in demonstrations, the rallies are not targeted at Jews. In their minds, the demonstrators seem to believe that Hitler was justified in trying to protect the German race from a rising threat, and that Nazi-style persecution offers way to save Japan from the increasing power of China and South Korea. Their numbers remain small, and they may simply be disgruntled youth ignorant about history. However, their praise for a man considered the most evil in the 20th century has raised fears about where their movement is heading. “One characteristic of the latest cases is the connecting of Nazism with calls spreading through the Internet to throw out ethnic Koreans and Chinese living in Japan,” said Mitsuharu Akao, an assistant professor at Osaka University specializing in Jewish cultural studies. -
Representations of Zainichi Koreans in Japanese Media 43 DOI: 10.1515/Ijas-2015-0003
ARVYDAS KUMPIS. Representations of Zainichi Koreans in Japanese Media 43 DOI: 10.1515/ijas-2015-0003 ARVYDAS KUMPIS VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY Representations of Zainichi Koreans in Japanese Media: The Case of The Japan Times 2000–2014 Abstract: Zainichi Koreans are Korean nationals, permanently living in Japan without holding Japanese citizenship. Their living conditions there have been diffi cult from the very beginning, dating back to 1910. Since then, various myths and stereotypes were created about Zainichi Koreans. What is more interesting, media has been playing an important role in spreading information about them and creating a specifi c image about this ethnic minority in Japan. In order to fi nd out what image of Zainichi Koreans is being created nowadays, articles in Japanese internet news website The Japan Times were used while accomplishing a discourse analysis. Santrauka: ‘Zainichi’ [sk. dzainiči] korėjiečiai yra Pietų arba Šiaurės Korėjos piliečiai, gyvenantys Japonijoje nuolatinių rezidentų teisėmis. Šis statusas jiems dažnai kelia įvairių sunkumų. Žiūrint iš istorinės perspektyvos, Zainichi korėjiečiai susiduria su sunkumais nuo pat jų migracijos į Japoniją pradžios, nuo 1910 m. Nuo tada apie Zainichi korėjiečius buvo kuriami įvairūs mitai, vadovaujamasi stereotipais bei išankstine (neretai klaidinga) nuomone. Nuo tada, kai žiniasklaida tapo visuotinai prieinama bei populiari, jos vaidmuo įvaizdžių kūrime tapo vienu svarbiausiu. XX a. antroje pusėje buvo pradėta vengti tautinių mažumų tematikos Japonijos spaudoje, tačiau pastaruoju metu ši tendencija nyksta. Šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjami dabartinėje Japonijos žiniasklaidoje pateikiami Zainichi korėjiečių įvaizdžiai, jų pateikimo ypatybės bei tendencijos. Keywords: Zainichi Koreans, media analysis, images. Introduction Traditional or paper version of media is prevailing in Japan. -
Hate Speech Laws in Japan, the United States, and Canada Craig Martin
Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly Volume 45 Article 4 Number 3 Spring 2018 1-1-2018 Striking the Right Balance: Hate Speech Laws in Japan, the United States, and Canada Craig Martin Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/ hastings_constitutional_law_quaterly Part of the Constitutional Law Commons Recommended Citation Craig Martin, Striking the Right Balance: Hate Speech Laws in Japan, the United States, and Canada, 45 Hastings Const. L.Q. 455 (2018). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_constitutional_law_quaterly/vol45/iss3/4 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Striking the Right Balance: Hate Speech Laws in Japan, the United States, and Canada by CRAIG MARTIN* Introduction The issue of hate speech has occupied the headlines of many democracies in recent years. Whether it be Charlottesville, Kyoto, or Warsaw, the rise of nativist, nationalist, and racist groups, expressing hatred towards minorities within society, has once again confronted us with the question of how far democracies can or should go in limiting certain extreme forms of hateful discriminatory expression. Certain types of hate speech, which have the purpose and effect of fostering hatred against groups defined by certain characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, and which take the form of extreme vilification, denigration, and even dehumanization of its targets, are known to cause significant harm.1 This harm is suffered by the members of such groups, both in the form of direct emotional and psychological harm caused by the speech itself, and also in the form of increased levels of discrimination and persecution as a consequence of the hatred fomented in society by such speech. -
Japan's Under-Researched Visible Minorities: Applying Critical Race
Washington University Global Studies Law Review Volume 14 Issue 4 Global Perspectives on Colorism (Symposium Edition) 2015 Japan’s Under-Researched Visible Minorities: Applying Critical Race Theory to Racialization Dynamics in a Non-White Society Debito Arudou Hawaii Pacific University Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies Part of the Japanese Studies Commons, Law Commons, and the Race and Ethnicity Commons Recommended Citation Debito Arudou, Japan’s Under-Researched Visible Minorities: Applying Critical Race Theory to Racialization Dynamics in a Non-White Society, 14 WASH. U. GLOBAL STUD. L. REV. 695 (2015), https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies/vol14/iss4/13 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Global Studies Law Review by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. JAPAN’S UNDER-RESEARCHED VISIBLE MINORITIES: APPLYING CRITICAL RACE THEORY TO RACIALIZATION DYNAMICS IN A NON-WHITE SOCIETY DR. DEBITO ARUDOU ABSTRACT Critical Race Theory (CRT), an analytical framework grounded in American legal academia, uncovers power relationships between a racialized enfranchised majority and a disenfranchised minority. Although applied primarily to countries and societies with Caucasian majorities to analyze White Privilege this Article applies CRT to Japan, a non-White majority society. After discussing how scholarship on Japan has hitherto ignored a fundamental factor within racialization studies—the effects of skin color on the concept of “Japaneseness”—this Article examines an example of published research on the Post-WWII “konketsuji problem.”1 This research finds blind spots in the analysis, and re-examines it through CRT to uncover more nuanced power dynamics.