Biden's Controversial Critique: Japan and Allies Labeled 'Xenophobic

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Did I say that?

 

Was life in Thailand even the topic of discussion?

 

 

 

 

Thailand has similar policies to Japan, India, and China as regards immigration, and it is a wonderful place to live. 😀

[Hanaguma]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The fact you wish to frame the issue in terms of your own personal views on immigration is not addressing xenophobia in Japan.

 

I could do a you say I say counter argument offering up my own anecdotal accounts from having lived  and  worked in Japan, I choose rather to go to the research:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368363544_Racism_in_Japan_Critical_Analysis_on_Japan's_Xenophobia_and_Racial_Discrimination

 

Hi Chomper; 

Thank you for taking the time to "go to the research".  I just finished reading the article. Have you? It was quite illuminating. The authour is a Bangladeshi undergraduate student. I doubt he has been to Japan.  He has managed to upload 11 publications within one year. This tells me he is not exactly thorough and is trying just to pad his CV. Few actually contain footnotes or other citations. Some are less than 5 pages. None that I can see are peer reviewed, or even actually published anywhere- just uploaded directly to that website.

 

But if you wish to believe him, feel free. Or please tell me YOUR experience of living here. I'd actually be very interested in hearing it. 

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

5 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Hi Chomper; 

Thank you for taking the time to "go to the research".  I just finished reading the article. Have you? It was quite illuminating. The authour is a Bangladeshi undergraduate student. I doubt he has been to Japan.  He has managed to upload 11 publications within one year. This tells me he is not exactly thorough and is trying just to pad his CV. Few actually contain footnotes or other citations. Some are less than 5 pages. None that I can see are peer reviewed, or even actually published anywhere- just uploaded directly to that website.

 

But if you wish to believe him, feel free. Or please tell me YOUR experience of living here. I'd actually be very interested in hearing it. 

 

 

Maybe this is more to your liking:

 

https://cers.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/97/2016/04/The-myth-of-“Nihonjinron”-homogeneity-of-Japan-and-its-influence-on-the-society-Kana-Yamamoto.pdf

 

 

[Hanaguma]

29 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Maybe this is more to your liking:

 

https://cers.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/97/2016/04/The-myth-of-“Nihonjinron”-homogeneity-of-Japan-and-its-influence-on-the-society-Kana-Yamamoto.pdf

 

 

Again, a student's work. Six pages. No footnotes. Not published anywhere except in-house at Leeds.  

 

Sigh.

 

Why are you so desperate to prove this?  Criticisms of Biden are so hurtful?

Edited May 3 by Hanaguma

[Hanaguma]

9 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

As usual he is talking absolute nonsense. 

 

Homogenous societies like Japan see far fewer issues from the "cultural enrichers" that Liberals in the west love to celebrate while quoffing champagne at their Islington dinner parties. Immigrants provide cheap labour for large multinationals at the expense of the local communities. It's clear to see which side Biden is supporting and it is not the "common man". 

 

Japan must be laughing at this silly old fool, and rightly so. 

 

We can add this ridiculous criticism of Japan to a long list of ridiculous comments made by Biden, alongside the likes of "poor kids are just as smart as white kids" and "if you vote Trump, you ain't black".

It's quite sad really. The PM of Japan only a couple of weeks ago was visiting Washington, and delivered an eloquent address to Congress, in English, lauding the US and Japan's relationship. A praiseworthy speech, especially when delivered in English, not Kishida's native language obviously. Poor Joe could never hope to do the same.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Hanaguma said:

Or please tell me YOUR experience of living here. I'd actually be very interested in hearing it. 

While I don’t assign much weight to ‘anecdotes’ for the reasons I have frequently explained, I will describe a sequence of events from my own experience that is bang on topic. 
 

In the spring of 1997 I received my first posting to Japan I arrived in the middle of May to live and work in Kobe.

As I’m sure you are aware it was an opportunity not to be missed.
 

I was treated very well in the work place, and assigned a delightful young lady PA, who told me her job was to help me settle in. That was a good start.

 

Then it got weird.

 

On day 2 she came see me with a rather concerned look on her face. I was to be taken to see the company’s lawyer. 
 

After checking my passport and asking some questions about were I was staying he said we must go to the police station.

I assumed it to be work permit/foreign resident registration issue.

 

No, it was serious. It was a murder inquiry.

 

At police station my documents were examined, I was asked the same questions about were I was staying and if I had any additional evidence of not being in Japan on May 16th. I had arrived late on the 17th.

 

Also at the police station were half a dozen other foreigners, all looking just as concerned as I obviously looked.

 

The cause of this was a schoolboy had been murdered at a nearby school and his severed head left outside the school gate.

 

My alibi was solid so back to work I went.

 

Just over a week later I was again taken back to the police station with lawyer by my side. 
 

Again question, again my same solid alibi and again other foreigners queuing for the same treatment.

 

I did not known to me at the time, letters written in Japanese weee arriving at newspaper publishers claiming responsibility. 
 

But the police were looking for a foreigner as the culprit. Parents with children were acting with clear fear around me and my foreign colleagues when out and about in town and I was on more than one occasion refused entry to shopping centers.

 

A month or so later the police caught the culprit, a Japanese school boy.

 

To me an experience which perfectly encapsulates the xenophobic attitudes in Japanese society - heinous crime, it must have been a foreigner.

 

The denial of xenophobia in Japanese society is very clearly nonsense.

There are xenophobes everywhere, Japan has more than its fair share.

 

Edited May 3 by Chomper Higgot

[Chomper Higgot]

19 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Again, a student's work. Six pages. No footnotes. Not published anywhere except in-house at Leeds.  

 

Sigh.

 

Why are you so desperate to prove this?  Criticisms of Biden are so hurtful?

 

https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793653970/Embedded-Racism-Japan’s-Visible-Minorities-and-Racial-Discrimination-Second-Edition

And a bit about the author:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debito_Arudou

[Hanaguma]

7 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

While I don’t assign much weight to ‘anecdotes’ for the reasons I have frequently explained, I will describe a sequence of events from my own experience that is bang on topic. 
 

In the spring of 1997 I received my first posting to Japan I arrived in the middle of May to live and work in Kobe.

As I’m sure you are aware it was an opportunity not to be missed.
 

I was treated very well in the work place, and assigned a delightful young lady PA, who told me her job was to help me style in. That was a good start.

 

Then it got weird.

 

On day 2 she came see me with a rather concerned look on her face. I was to be taken to see the company’s lawyer. 
 

After checking my passport and asking some questions about were I was staying he said we must go to the police station.

I assumed it to be work permit/foreign resident registration issue.

 

No, it was serious. It was a murder inquiry.

 

At police station my documents were examined, I was asked the same questions about were I was staying and if I had any additional evidence of not being in Japan on May 16th. I had arrived late on the 17th.

 

Also at the police station were half a dozen other foreigners, all looking just as concerned as I obviously looked.

 

The cause of this was a schoolboy had been murdered at a nearby school and his severed head left outside the school gate.

 

My alibi was solid do back to work I went.

 

Just over a week later I was again taken back to the police station with lawyer by my side. 
 

Again question, again my same solid alibi and again other foreigners queuing for the same treatment.

 

In known to me at the time, letters written in Japanese weee arriving at newspaper publishers claiming responsibility. 
 

But the police were looking for a foreigner as the culprit. Parents with children were acting with clear fear around me and my foreign colleagues when out and about in town and I was on more than one occasion refused entry to shopping centers.

 

A month or so later the police caught the culprit, a Japanese school boy.

 

To me an experience which perfectly encapsulates the xenophobic attitudes in Japanese society - heinous crime, it must have been a foreigner.

 

The denial of xenophobia in Japanese society is very clearly nonsense.

There are xenophobes everywhere, Japan has more than its fair share.

 

Yeah, I remember that incident. It was all over the media here for ages.  Sorry you got caught up in it.  But it WAS nearly 30 years ago.  I hope the rest of your time in Kobe was better. It's a great place to live!  

[Hanaguma]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

 

https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793653970/Embedded-Racism-Japan’s-Visible-Minorities-and-Racial-Discrimination-Second-Edition

And a bit about the author:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debito_Arudou

I've met our Debito. He is American by birth, David Aldwinckle by name.  Doesn't live in Japan anymore, he left about 7 years ago as I recall. Was cheating on his wife, got divorced, then moved to the US again with his cheat partner. His daughters don't speak to him anymore.

 

I met him a few times at teaching conferences. He is a self entitled d!ckwad. He had a point back when he first started writing about his experiences, but went off the rails rapidly. Somewhat of a pariah in the greater 'gaijin' community here. 

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Yeah, I remember that incident. It was all over the media here for ages.  Sorry you got caught up in it.  But it WAS nearly 30 years ago.  I hope the rest of your time in Kobe was better. It's a great place to live!  

I had a fabulous time thank you.

 

I’ll be honest, I found the whole incident mildly amusing, but then I was blessed with the backing of a company lawyer.

 

It nevertheless was a clear case of assuming a foremost be the culprit.

 

I still correspond with my former PA, she was and is very lively.

[Chomper Higgot]

3 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

I've met our Debito. He is American by birth, David Aldwinckle by name.  Doesn't live in Japan anymore, he left about 7 years ago as I recall. Was cheating on his wife, got divorced, then moved to the US again with his cheat partner. His daughters don't speak to him anymore.

 

I met him a few times at teaching conferences. He is a self entitled d!ckwad. He had a point back when he first started writing about his experiences, but went off the rails rapidly. Somewhat of a pariah in the greater 'gaijin' community here. 

Well there’s  the character assassination already.

 

[Bobthegimp]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The fact you wish to frame the issue in terms of your own personal views on immigration is not addressing xenophobia in Japan.

 

I could do a you say I say counter argument offering up my own anecdotal accounts from having lived  and  worked in Japan, I choose rather to go to the research:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368363544_Racism_in_Japan_Critical_Analysis_on_Japan's_Xenophobia_and_Racial_Discrimination

 

 

In what way is this bad? 

 

Japan for the Japanese.  Mass immigration and illegal migration in Canada is destroying the quality of life for Canadian born citizens making under 100k/year and not already in the housing market. Why would the Japanese want that for their own people, the mutterings of a gaijin dotard notwithstanding?

 

I've only transited through Japan and don't claim to be familiar with the situation there, however, the same narrative is being spun here in Thailand.

 

I warn Thai people to never let any foreigner have citizenship or voting rights in their country. Keep all foreigners on a short leash and boot them out the minute they act up or are surplus to the nation's needs.  

[Chomper Higgot]

8 minutes ago, Bobthegimp said:

 

In what way is this bad? 

 

Japan for the Japanese.  Mass immigration and illegal migration in Canada is destroying the quality of life for Canadian born citizens making under 100k/year and not already in the housing market. Why would the Japanese want that for their own people, the mutterings of a gaijin dotard notwithstanding?

 

I've only transited through Japan and don't claim to be familiar with the situation there, however, the same narrative is being spun here in Thailand.

 

I warn Thai people to never let any foreigner have citizenship or voting rights in their country. Keep all foreigners on a short leash and boot them out the minute they act up or are surplus to the nation's needs.  

You obviously need to read up on some Thai history.

[Hanaguma]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Well there’s  the character assassination already.

 

Nah, he assassinated himself without much help. Like I said, back in the day he was an honest broker, trying to right some wrongs and help his kids get accepted as fully Japanese. Fair enough and good for him.  But along the way he lost the plot completely and became a crusader, hunting every nook and cranny for some perceived slight and blowing it out of proportion, He lost most of his supporters, lost his family, lost his job, and is now ironically on a work visa in the country of his birth. 

 

Glad Kobe was good to you, by the way. It's a great town still. And back then, not hard to find companionship...

[Jingthing]

It seems to me that this is a minor diplomatic faux pas that has no chance of harming foreign relations. 

[Irish star]

Well he is exactly Right 

[Hanaguma]

1 hour ago, Irish star said:

Well he is exactly Right 

Ya think?

 

I think Japan looks at places like the US and sees all the joys that immigration has brought- the crime, the drugs, the dissent, the enormous cost of caring for them, etc. and finds a better solution, that fits THEIR needs. 

 

People in Japan will put up with a bit of an economic hit if it means their kids can still play in the parks, the streets are clean, people can walk the streets at night, and so on.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/3/2024 at 2:19 PM, Berkshire said:

Have you ever been to Japan?  I lived in Japan a few years.  Even they know they have problems, with declining birth rates and an aging population.  But there was still a resistance to "gaijins," or foreigners.  Yes, Japan is among the safest and cleanest places I've been.  But their economy will not survive unless they're more open to foreign workers. 

Likely they have seen the disaster visited upon countries that allow unfettered illegal and legal immigration of alien people, and want nothing to do with it.

As Japan is in the forefront of innovation, I'm sure they will invent androids in the not so distant future that will mean immigrants are not needed. In the meantime they may resort to "guest workers" like Saudi does, which means they stay as long as they have a job, then depart. I have no idea why western countries don't adopt such a policy, as letting immigrants become permanent after 5 years or so is IMO barking, and then allowing them to bring over their parents to be supported by the state is just madness.

[Nick Carter icp]

On 5/3/2024 at 9:19 AM, Berkshire said:

Have you ever been to Japan?  I lived in Japan a few years.  Even they know they have problems, with declining birth rates and an aging population.  But there was still a resistance to "gaijins," or foreigners.  Yes, Japan is among the safest and cleanest places I've been.  But their economy will not survive unless they're more open to foreign workers. 

 

   They could encourage the local population to reproduce and have children , rather than importing people .

  Make their own people

[thaibeachlovers]

23 hours ago, Berkshire said:

They need more workers to pay taxes to keep their social security system solvent. 

That is last century thinking. AI robotics is shortly going to eliminate all the jobs that unskilled workers can do ergo no need for immigrants to work, and a better way has to be found to look after the aged than just giving them a pittance every week.

[Hanaguma]

4 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   They could encourage the local population to reproduce and have children , rather than importing people .

  Make their own people

It is being tried, believe me.  A big part of the problem is people leaving the countryside to live in urban areas that are already quite crowded.  Some towns in rural areas area actually giving away housing for young families as an incentive to move there. 

 

 

[Hanaguma]

8 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Likely they have seen the disaster visited upon countries that allow unfettered illegal and legal immigration of alien people, and want nothing to do with it.

As Japan is in the forefront of innovation, I'm sure they will invent androids in the not so distant future that will mean immigrants are not needed. In the meantime they may resort to "guest workers" like Saudi does, which means they stay as long as they have a job, then depart. I have no idea why western countries don't adopt such a policy, as letting immigrants become permanent after 5 years or so is IMO barking, and then allowing them to bring over their parents to be supported by the state is just madness.

This is happening now. There are a lot of specialized programs for targeted industries for trainees and temporary workers to come. I think now there are close to half a million Vietnamese here, more than that of Chinese, etc.  I think the difference is that Japan wants immigrants who will contribute to the country, not that requre contributions FROM it. 

[stoner]

On 5/3/2024 at 8:04 AM, Bobthegimp said:

Mass immigration and illegal migration in Canada is destroying the quality of life for Canadian born citizens making under 100k/year and not already in the housing market.

 

back here now. what a different place even my hometown is. 

 

100k a year and you can probably afford an apartment in toronto. a house ? pfffft maybe in newfoundland. although the east part is being gobbled up now too. 

Edited May 4 by stoner

[Hanaguma]

18 minutes ago, stoner said:

 

back here now. what a different place even my hometown is. 

 

100k a year and you can probably afford an apartment in toronto. a house ? pfffft maybe in newfoundland. although the east part is being gobbled up now too. 

My sister just bought a place about 70 minutes outside of Toronto (Caledonia Ontario).  700 grand for half of a duplex. Or, you can rent a similar place on the street for $3,300 a month. Want a detached property in the same neighbourhood? 900k, on a frontage of 33ft, property depth 92 feet.  

 

And 6,000 a year in property tax.

[JonnyF]

23 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

That is last century thinking. AI robotics is shortly going to eliminate all the jobs that unskilled workers can do ergo no need for immigrants to work, and a better way has to be found to look after the aged than just giving them a pittance every week.

 

Seems to me that Liberals, like a cancer have almost completed destroying their own host. The West is done and the meat on the bone is thin and a bit stale. The flies are buzzing around. 

 

Now they are looking for another fresh host to destroy, and homogenous, low crime,  generally law abiding successful societies like Japan are top of their list. 

 

Hence Biden's comments. I'm surprised he didn't call them Racist and Fascist but Xenophobic is surely laying the groundowrk for such comments in the future. 

 

Fortunately the Japanese are patriotic, strong, intelligent and disciplined. The "liberal" left will have a hard time infesting such a strong host. Other Asian countries have a similar mindset. Hence the East will continue to rise while the West will continue to fail under the guise of cultural enrichment and the authoritarianism of Pearl clutching, self loathing white "liberals".

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

Seems to me that Liberals, like a cancer have almost completed destroying their own host. The West is done and the meat on the bone is thin and a bit stale. The flies are buzzing around. 

 

Now they are looking for another fresh host to destroy, and homogenous, low crime,  generally law abiding successful societies like Japan are top of their list. 

 

Hence Biden's comments. I'm surprised he didn't call them Racist and Fascist but Xenophobic is surely laying the groundowrk for such comments in the future. 

 

Fortunately the Japanese are patriotic, strong, intelligent and disciplined. The "liberal" left will have a hard time infesting such a strong host. Other Asian countries have a similar mindset. Hence the East will continue to rise while the West will continue to fail under the guise of cultural enrichment and the authoritarianism of Pearl clutching, self loathing white "liberals".

 

 

My goodness.

[JonnyF]

On 5/3/2024 at 6:46 PM, Chomper Higgot said:

 

The cause of this was a schoolboy had been murdered at a nearby school and his severed head left outside the school gate.

 

My alibi was solid so back to work I went.

 

Maybe you just looked/seemed a bit shifty?

 

You hadn't been enlightening the locals with your views on gender affirming surgery for minors for example, had you? Or maybe wearning rainbow bandanas while teaching the kids English?

 

Seems a bit accusatory to assume this was due to xenophobia on the part of your hosts. 

[Chomper Higgot]

11 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Maybe you just looked/seemed a bit shifty?

 

You hadn't been enlightening the locals with your views on gender affirming surgery for minors for example, had you? Or maybe wearning rainbow bandanas while teaching the kids English?

 

Seems a bit accusatory to assume this was due to xenophobia on the part of your hosts. 

“Seems a bit accusatory” I’m pleased you recognize the failing of your completely ill informed and baseless assumptions.

 

‘Teaching kids’ 

 

Where on earth do you get this nonsense Jonny?

[Skipalongcassidy]

On 5/3/2024 at 11:26 AM, Jingthing said:

Of course he's right.

Obviously though it's a diplomatic error for such truthful comments to be made public even accidentally.

Oh well!

Of course Thailand is similarly xenophobic.

Historically its been a massive win for the USA to have a much more open and diverse immigration policy.

Without immigration the USA would be demographically aging like Japan and other advanced countries.

UH... where's the "IDIOT" emoji when you need it.

[mania]

On 5/3/2024 at 12:34 AM, Hanaguma said:

A praiseworthy speech, especially when delivered in English, not Kishida's native language obviously. Poor Joe could never hope to do the same.

Poor Joe isn't capable of a coherent speech in English much less any other language. Although at times we do wonder what language he is speaking 😉 

Edited May 6 by mania