I just find it odd so many non-Japanese media and commentators weigh in on this.
Japan is not a multicultural country. You can't become Japanese through paperwork. It is very much through blood heritage, your language and cultural proficiency.
The bar to be Japanese is much higher than say Canadian or French. So why shouldn't they create laws that is aimed at benefiting themselves and their country without depending on foreigners?
Also if you have a business and you don't have $125,000 you are not going to make it in Canada or America either.
It feels normal in a globalized world for commentators around the globe to observe and weigh in on the decisions of any country, especially one of such economic importance and cultural significance as Japan.
That being said, I wholeheartedly agree on your points regarding Japan not being a multi-cultural country. And this, indeed, is rarely (if ever) mentioned in articles such as the one posted here.
Japan is an island. It has always been and not just from a geographical perspective. Its very culture and history are ones of isolation. The restrictions are not new, the perspective "Japan first" is not new - these have always been there, they are at the very core of the nation.
Japan used to not have control over Okinawa or Hokkaido. Those were separate peoples that Japan invaded and colonized, along with Korea. They would have gotten to keep Korea too if it wasn't for those damned meddling Americans and their nuclear weapons, but there are still Koreans who have been living in Japan for generations. Even though Japan themselves said "you will never be like us, you will always be lesser, now grovel and grow us our cheap rice". This is multiculturalism, you just don't recognize it because you don't know what an Ainu is.
Also, Japanese is basically permanently welded to the Chinese writing system. Japan considered removing kanji and kana in favor of romaji at one point during the Meiji era - which would have been a disaster on par with English spelling reform. But, even then, Japanese is like 10% English by weight and growing, with no actual attempt by anyone to stop this from happening.
So Japan had minorities and borrowed writing system from other countries thousands of years ago mean they need to now redefine what Japanese identity is and become a full multicultural nation the likes of North America and Western Europe ?
So if sushi replaced turkey for Thanksgiving, do non-Americans get to tell Americans how they should organize themselves too and define what a real American is ?
zergrush · · focus · HN ↗
Japan is not a multicultural country. You can't become Japanese through paperwork. It is very much through blood heritage, your language and cultural proficiency.
The bar to be Japanese is much higher than say Canadian or French. So why shouldn't they create laws that is aimed at benefiting themselves and their country without depending on foreigners?
Also if you have a business and you don't have $125,000 you are not going to make it in Canada or America either.
Noe2097 · · focus · HN ↗
That being said, I wholeheartedly agree on your points regarding Japan not being a multi-cultural country. And this, indeed, is rarely (if ever) mentioned in articles such as the one posted here.
Japan is an island. It has always been and not just from a geographical perspective. Its very culture and history are ones of isolation. The restrictions are not new, the perspective "Japan first" is not new - these have always been there, they are at the very core of the nation.
zergrush · · focus · HN ↗
[dead]
kmeisthax · · focus · HN ↗
Japan used to not have control over Okinawa or Hokkaido. Those were separate peoples that Japan invaded and colonized, along with Korea. They would have gotten to keep Korea too if it wasn't for those damned meddling Americans and their nuclear weapons, but there are still Koreans who have been living in Japan for generations. Even though Japan themselves said "you will never be like us, you will always be lesser, now grovel and grow us our cheap rice". This is multiculturalism, you just don't recognize it because you don't know what an Ainu is.
Also, Japanese is basically permanently welded to the Chinese writing system. Japan considered removing kanji and kana in favor of romaji at one point during the Meiji era - which would have been a disaster on par with English spelling reform. But, even then, Japanese is like 10% English by weight and growing, with no actual attempt by anyone to stop this from happening.
zergrush · · focus · HN ↗
So if sushi replaced turkey for Thanksgiving, do non-Americans get to tell Americans how they should organize themselves too and define what a real American is ?