On 5/17/2025 at 9:47 PM, Patong2021 said:

What? Japan is certainly not socialist. Nor is everybody equal in Japan.

The means of production are in the control of the private sector, not government. it is a system of collective capitalism.  You have misinterpreted the societal and cultural norm of harmony and  conciliation. 

You also misinterpret the concept of politeness and respect  to mean equality. Social cohesion  does not mean that everyone is at the same level. Children are taught at a young age to respect authority figures including the elderly, which results in a greater respect for order. 

 

There is also a distinct social caste system, where social position and family history is a differentiating factor. Non Japanese, particularly black people are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Ex-cons, undertakers, morticians, and slaughterhouse workers, and others who work with  dead animals or decaying flesh are considered low class dirty people and are to be avoided.  The university one attends  makes a big difference. Tokyo Institute of Technology and University of Tokyo  graduates  get priority  for hiring at businesses and with the government. People with tattoos are still banned from some of  the onsens and sentos. Even water parks and  work district hotels will not allow entry to people with visible tattoos.   The social differentiations  are nuanced and can be subtle, and are easily missed by foreigners who do not appreciate how important decorum and manners are to the Japanese.

 

And why black people are perceived at the bottom for japanese people? What about Kayne West or Will Smith? 

5 hours ago, Maxbkkcm said:

Are the one who cut fish at the market considered low class in japan? 

 

If the butchers who are responsible for the very expensive Kobe beef (30,000-50,000 yen/kg) are considered low  caste because of their handling of dead flesh, I would expect that the fish mongers are treated similarly, even if a prized tuna is  expensive. The fish guy still is gutting and preparing the fish. 

 

Much of Japan's social inequity is income and family status driven, However, there are other factors with lots of scholarly articles on the subject.  Here's some advice from a  consulting group.  https://japanintercultural.com/free-resources/articles/in-japan-hierarchy-is-no-malarky/  

5 hours ago, Maxbkkcm said:

And why black people are perceived at the bottom for japanese people? What about Kayne West or Will Smith? 

 

As you know, Japan is a very homogenous society.  Japan has practiced a very strict parent-based nationality (jus sanguinis); as a result, even fourth generation immigrant descendants are still legally resident foreigners, not citizens (e.g., Koreans) (Lee, 2012). Realistically, “parent-based” is an euphemism for “race-based.”

 

Japan is very much a society rooted in social custom, politeness respect for order and process etc. Deviating from those norms  or being too different attracts attention. Some cultures  are not easily compatible with the Japanese way of living. It is not because of an overt  bias against blacks per se. Rather it is because of blacks are foreigners who are more visible than other foreigners. Many articles on this issue.

 

Africans have a particularly difficult time with Japan immigration. It is not unusual for some innocent African to be detained and mistreated on the whim of an immigration officer. 

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/05/09/japan-sees-an-increase-in-racial-profiling-of-foreigners_6670946_4.html

 

 

I left my house for work at 6:30 a.m. and, 15 minutes later, I was in line for the morning train. I stood behind a gentleman who, upon noticing me standing behind him, patted his back pockets and turned his body so that he could keep a wary side-eye on me without, I guess, having to constantly glance over his shoulder. When we boarded the train, he scurried away to the other end of the car.    https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2023/06/19/voices/note-people-color-interested-living-japan/