マルク

“𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝑱𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒏” 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅. 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 “𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝑱𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒏” The new barista at Cafe Japan has rolled up the welcome to tatami mat and put a “Japanese only” sign on the door. We all knew it was coming, but some of us hoped to reserve a seat before the management changed. The details are in the chart. The fine print doesn’t tell you how devastating it really is. By the way, if there’s a mistake in the chart, let me know. If it seems like the rules will make it almost impossible for almost anyone non-Japanese (who is not wealthy) to make a permanent residence in Japan that’s because they are. You’re also asked to invest years of your life and mastering the Japanese language without any guarantee that you will benefit from it. Some are saying it’s racist, but it’s more of a class warfare kind of thing Of course, there has always been simmering xenophobia in Japan, much of it directed at the Korean-Japanese population, something that Shinzo Abe, as prime minister, capitalized on. But two or three years ago, if you had asked most people in opinion polls whether they were favorable toward welcoming foreigners into Japanese society, the majority would have said yes. Now we have the legacy of Abenomics, which made for a weak yen, and the promotion of tourism, which bred an influx of foreign tourists—some of them not respecting local customs and flaunting the money they have, which is worth much more against the weakened yen. And Japanese people in general don’t necessarily distinguish between permanent foreign residents and tourists. On top of all that, a far-right party called Sanseitō (参政党) realized that blaming the last 30 years of political and economic mismanagement on the roughly 3% of the population who are not Japanese was a surefire winner. Learning from Donald Trump, they launched their famous “Japanese First” (日本人ファースト) campaign. The media was quick to fan the flames of xenophobia because it made for good ratings, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan—which is neither particularly liberal nor particularly democratic—realized that it would be easier to distract the public by beating down on foreigners: those foreigners supposedly kicking the deer in Nara Park, as Sanae Takaichi famously claimed during her campaign to become prime minister. Rather than accepting responsibility for political errors or actually doing anything to improve the country, the ruling party—which, in my view, is effectively controlled by Taro Aso, the 80-year-old powerbroker and the real master of Ms. Takaichi—is only thinking about the next election. For thousands of people who hoped to make Japan their home, the coffee being served now has a bitter aftertaste. And it takes at lease ten years to cold brew a very expensive cup of it. “Cool Japan” is dead. Welcome to “Cruel Japan.” If you already have a seat at the table, try and show a little compassion for those who didn't make it in before the doors closed. It's cold out there.