Myths and facts about racism in Japan

Racism is a complex issue anywhere in the world, and Japan is no exception. While many foreign residents live happy and productive lives here, others face more severe discrimination in their personal and professional lives.

At least in Western countries, racism is often thought of as something confrontational or even violent. America especially has a tragic history with its harsh treatment of African Americans and other minority groups, though it’s certainly not the only example.

Japanese racism is rarely that severe. For the most part, foreign residents do not have to worry about their safety. However, according to a survey conducted in 2017 by Japan’s justice ministry, almost a third of foreign respondents said that they have experienced discriminatory remarks because of their race or nationality. Racist comments were not the only thing they had to deal with. One in four respondents say they were denied jobs because of their race, while one in five complained about receiving lower wages than their Japanese coworkers.

In addition, around 40% said that they dealt with housing discrimination. Landlords cite communication issues as one of the main reasons they deny foreign tenants. They also fear that foreign residents wouldn’t pay their rent or obey building rules. In other cases, non-Japanese were outright denied due to their nationality or had to jump through extra hoops to secure an apartment.

Apartment hunting is a good microcosm of discrimination here. Japanese racism is often based on Japanese exceptionalism, the idea that foreign residents can not understand the culture or adapt to it at all. This plays out in ways that are not always intentionally malicious but can still have consequences for non-Japanese.

Certainly, not all landlords are hateful. Assuming that a foreign tenant wouldn’t be able to communicate or follow rules just because of their background is still discrimination regardless.

Racism can be any judgment of a person, particularly of their character or abilities, based on their race. Even the milder forms that non-Japanese people experience here are another side of the same coin. The assumption that a long-term foreign resident can not read the language, for example, is a harmless annoyance much of the time. Yet as we can see from the justice ministry’s survey, assumptions about a non-Japanese person’s character or competence really can make their lives that much more difficult.

A homogenous society like Japan has unique challenges and may require intentional approaches when tackling race issues. There has been great progress, in part due to JET and other internationalization programs and initiatives.

One myth that persists among some foreign residents is that Japanese people have no awareness of racism in the country. This just isn’t true. For example, the Japanese government’s use of the word “kokumin” (citizen) in discussing the stimulus payments for the Coronavirus crisis sparked concerns that foreign residents would not receive anything.

This led to the hashtag “Gaikokuseki/Mukokuminseki shimin ni mo ichiritsu kyufu wo” (Give the set payments to foreign and stateless residents) trending on Twitter. It was eventually clarified that all legal residents of Japan are eligible for the payments.

Japanese awareness of racism may not be on the same level as other countries, but there are Japanese people who realize that it is an issue. Japan certainly has harsher forms of discrimination, but much of the racism here is also rooted in inexperience and assumptions about cultural differences.

These attitudes are likely to take some time to shift. However, as Japanese people get more used to foreign residents in their neighborhoods and workplaces, the country can move from judging people based on their cultural background. In the meantime, societal efforts certainly should be increased to raise awareness to fight all forms of racism.