109: A Nice Country (1)

By Joe Kim

​【Safe & Polite】
Safety. It’s what many people around the world envy most about Japan.
 
Why?

Because it’s safe to walk around the city--even alone at night.
 
While this may seem perfectly ordinary to most Japanese people, it’s a refreshing surprise for many visitors. Of course, terrible crimes still occur every day in Japan. But, generally speaking, its safety is top notch by global comparison.
 
And when it comes to safety, Japan deserves great praise especially for its strict gun control. Gun possessions are largely prohibited, and the enforcement of these laws is superb. Guns are hardly ever accessible to the general public, allowing people to live without the constant fear of gun violence.
 
How wonderful is that?

The contrast becomes especially clear when compared with the US, where the possession of firearms is widely allowed by the constitution.
 
In the US, where mass shootings seem endless, children must prepare for the possibility of the worst simply by going to school every day. Despite such reality, we still live in an absurd society where immature masculinity often idolizes guns, contributing to senseless violence and the loss of countless lives, daily. Even if not killed, people suffer injuries, permanent disabilities, psychological trauma, gun threats, gun assaults, the grief of losing loved ones, or the immeasurable emotional burden of living in constant fear of gun violence [See #68].
 
Beyond it’s safety, Japan is also admired for the politeness that visitors pleasantly experience during their stay. One could argue that this is the positive side of Japan’s less-than-enviable “cookie-cutter” education system.
 
And for its safety/politeness, many people praise Japan as a “nice country.”
 
But is it really?
 
We’re compelled to ask this question because Japan’s safety/politeness seem to be maintained by refusing/excluding people in real need of help around the world.
 
In fact, both in the past and still today, discriminatory sentiments are heard in Japan. For example, some people say, “We no longer feel safe because so many foreigners are moving into our neighborhood.” Others make divisive remarks such as, “Better not go near areas where foreigners live because they’re dangerous.”

The “foreigners” being referred to here are likely not the overseas professionals who appear to live fancy with glamorous jobs. Rather, they’re often international students and migrant workers doing the hard labor, who aren’t necessarily well off socio-economically.
 
By contrast, the US and many European nations--often referred to as developed countries--make significant efforts to welcome diversity and immigrants. They work hard to also welcome many refugees fleeing war/violence/conflict/persecution in their home countries.
 
Immigrants Welcomed  (% of population):
US                       50.63 million  (15%)
Germany         15.76 million  (16%)
UK                          9.36 million  (14%)
France                  8.52 million  (14%)
Japan                    2.77 million     (2%)
 
Refugees Welcomed:
Germany            2,590 thousand
France                      660 thousand
UK                              450 thousand
US                               410 thousand
Japan                           20 thousand
 
Ukrainian Refugees Welcomed:
Poland                19,900 thousand
Germany              1,170 thousand
US                                 540 thousand
UK                                240 thousand
France                           70 thousand
Japan                                2 thousand
 
To be sure, it’s a tremendous challenge for people of different cultures/customs to share and live together in the same space. It’s rather common to discover that our “norms and common sense” aren’t necessarily the same for others from different backgrounds.
 
Welcoming diversity and bringing together people from various backgrounds can be quite messy at times. Inclusivity is not an easy task even for those with the biggest hearts. It may occasionally require compromises on safety/politeness to a certain extent.
 
In the next post, let’s dig in a little deeper on this point.

Read Next: A Nice Country (2)【Nice Person】

Read Theme: Perspective