Obviously, the problem of racism is an important issue, and I would like to
encourage further discussion on the topic -- especially, as it applies to Japan.
Although I have never studied the problem of racism formally, I have devoted
much of my idle time to the problem and would like to offer the following
observation.

I often have the impression that Japanese do not consider themselves racist.
When they observe rioting, police brutality, demonstrations and other socially
disruptive phenomena outside their own national borders, they shake their heads
in wonder and exclaim racism. On the other hand, they find nothing at all racist
about treating foreigners living in Japan as "eternal guests". Moreover, many
foreigners living in Japan actively support this notion by insisting upon their
foreigness when it is socially convenient and suppressing it when it is not.
Indeed, many of the foriegners living in Japan who complain of racist practices
in their country of origin, often accept their role of "eternal guest" in Japan
with little or no objection.

Of course, this is not true of everyone of foreign origin. Moreover, it is often
said among both Japanese and foreigners alike, that whereas Japanese regard
Europeans and Americans with respect, they often scorn peoples from other Asian
countries and Africa. Indeed, among the three largest foreign populations living
in Japan, I would rather be an American, than either a Korean or Chinese.

I do not suppose that any of this is new to anyone who as lived in Japan for any
length of time, but it does bring up a very important point about racism. Racism
is both omnipresent and variegated. Although in one society it is considered to
be morally wrong and thus subject to public criticism and discussion, in another
society it is considered socially acceptable and a non-issue. Even in the United
States where racism is largely problematic,
the way in which American society deals with the problem of race varies among
different geographical regions.

Racism does not always lead to social violence. Notwithstanding, when it does,
one might naturally expect a change in the tone of language employed.
Still, the tone of the language employed would have to be measured within the
cultural context in which it occurs, and would not lend itself easily to
cross-cultural comparison. Nevertheless, one might measure the intensity with
which this change occurs in one country, and then compare that change in
intensity across borders. In so doing one might conclude that in a certain
country with regard to a specific issue greater racial reaction was registered.
From this one could not conclude, however, that one country is more racist than
the other. Simply that a particular issue is more closely, or less closely
associated with race in a particular country.

Hashimori, Iwato
qd6i-hsmr[atx]asahi-net.or.jp
Economics Department, Saitama University