Kirk here with another example of backlash to the major’s discussion with foreign members of the community.
— ChatGPT 4.0 translation — The comedian Honkon expressed his strong opinions on the 4th of November during his appearance on the Radio Osaka show “Saturday Afternoon is Totally Honkon!” He commented on the opinions raised at a dialogue meeting between the mayor of Kumamoto City and the foreign residents living there.
At the meeting, foreign residents had expressed concerns about administrative documents being difficult to understand due to their focus on Japanese era names instead of the Gregorian calendar. They also requested that school lunch menus consider cultural and religious practices. These comments sparked debates on social media, with some saying if they dislike it, they should just go back to their own country, while others argued that it’s normal for local governments to be aware of what issues settled foreigners might face.
Honkon was surprised by this, stating that era names are a Japanese convention, not meant for foreigners, and accommodating every single request would be absurd. He argued that if foreign residents complain about such things, it might lead to Japanese having to change their language.
He continued by saying that when one enters a household, they follow the customs of that household; similarly, when one enters a country, they should abide by its laws and customs. He pointed out that with a population of 730,000 in Kumamoto City, foreigners constitute less than 1%. If the requests of such a small minority regarding school lunches based on religious considerations were accommodated, it would disrupt the daily lives of the 99% majority.
Regarding the school lunch issue, Honkon suggested that if a family has dietary restrictions, they could bring their own alternative food. He strongly expressed that trying to accommodate everyone’s needs could lead to the country no longer being a democratic state.
Lastly, on the issue of era names, Honkon suggested using smartphones which can easily convert era names to the corresponding Gregorian years, implying that there was no need to change the existing system. — end of translation —
Frankly, I’m a bit surprised that this even merits a writeup. But, if nothing else, it seems clear that that people outside of Kumamoto have been paying attention.
