Racism in Japan

racism in Japan

People often ask me what Japanese people think of foreigners and if people in Japan are racist. It is hard to say because just like people in other countries, Japanese people also have stereotypes about Americans, Chinese, Thai, Philipino..I think everybody is racist to an extent, but truthfully speaking Japanese people have a sense of superiority over neighboring countries. (Korean, Chinese etc) This situation has created significant tensions between Japan and the neighboring countries because of the historical reasons. Japan successfully introduced Korean Drama into Japanese households and many housewives have become addicted to these dramas. That led to a better understanding of Korean culture and also Japanese media has invited actors and actresses of Korean TV show so this connection seems to bridge the gap between Japan and Korea. But tensions among these countries still exist and it will take a long time to resolve the issues.

I have lived in Japan for 19 years, so I know as a fact that Japanese people have inferiority complex toward westerners. In some popular Japanese fashion magazines, ethnically mixed models (they usually have one white parent) are showing off their elegant body, long legs and arms and pale skin of which every Japanese girl is fascinated with so Japanese people tend to be nicer to white people or mixed people. However, even some of these mixed children complain that they were bullied and teased all the time in Japanese school. You just have to remember that Japan is an island and just as the history show, the country had been isolated from the rest for a long time and that core value is still something Japanese people stick to. Japan is a country of Japanese people and Japanese language. It is different from other parts of the world that embrace different races and people with different religions living together. In Japan, it doesn’t work that way. Japanese people have a strong sense of nationality and they trust the Japanese social system and the products. So if you are white or other race, you may still feel disciminated because it is very difficult to rent an apartment without having a guardian Japanese person. Japanese people tend to be very careful with legal process and they are not used to doing business with non-Japanese people so it is only natural for them to be apprehensive,

But I have heard worse cases of bullying against foreigners (non white) and their children in Japan. Japanese people are usually not very aggressive on the surface but kids can still be cruel and do hurtful things against anyone different from themselves. Most likely non-white children will be targeted in school in Japan and most likely white kids will be teased as well unless they are very good looking and parents are watching out for them.