Kirk here with an article by Jake Adelstein on Japan’s xenophobic approach to border control during the pandemic. It’s filled with lots of interesting information, including the observation that the Nikkei Shimbun has used the term “cruel Japan” (a play on “cool Japan”) to describe recent policy. I think it’s an apt description. For the students who have put their lives on hold, sometimes quiting jobs in anticipation of travel to Japan for study, the policy really has been cruel. And, a version of the “cool Japan” mentality (Japan=good; foreign=bad) may be at the heart of the unscientific exclusion of foreign students.
In addition to the “Kumamoto-is-part-of-Japan” rationalization for posting this here, it occurs to me as I write this that the “Japanese = good; foreign = bad” mentality also has a lot to do with the false labeling of clams (asari) raised outside of Japan as being from Kumamoto. The issue was that good-quality asari from outside Japan just wouldn’t sell when labeled correctly. The TBS program “Hodo Tokushu” ran a follow-up segment to the clam (asari) scandal on Saturday and reported that, now that imported asari are labeled correctly as coming from China or Korea, sales have plummeted. They are, however, the same clams that people have been eating quite happily (and that have passed import inspection) over the past couple of decades.
I’m all in favor of recognizing and valuing aspects of ones own culture that are cool. But, at the same time, I think we all need to be careful not to let healthy cultural pride devolve into cultural narcissim and irrational xenophobia. Some issues that have been in the news recently may be object lessons in how cultural pride can go awry.
P.S. Here’s a link to a Nikkei article in Japanese that talks about “「残酷日本」鎖国” (zankoku Nihon sakoku). It’s behind a paywall but the first couple of paragraphs are available. https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOGM029ER0S2A200C2000000/
