#95: Wake a Sleeping Baby (PART 4)

【Discrimination Doesn’t Exist?】
Certainly in the past, and even today, we hear criticisms that “White people overly dominate the American society.” For those of us living in the US, we’ve probably come across at least a few moments where such sentiments were reminded.
 
Even then, White Americans comprise roughly 59% of the US population. In contrast, a whopping 98% of the population in Japan is comprised of Japanese. Talk about dominance-- we’ve got a massive one in Japan.
 
Here, let’s dig a little deeper into this fact, together with the following actual data, while reflecting on the proud perspectives of “We celebrate diversity,” or “We accept people of all backgrounds,” or as the poet Misuzu Kaneko wrote, “We’re all different, and that makes us all wonderful.”
 
Immigrants welcomed:
US        51 million people
Japan    3 million or less
 
Refugees welcomed:
US        340 thousand
Japan       1 thousand
 
Ukrainian Refugees welcomed, prompted by the Russian military aggression (as of 2/2023):
US        270 thousand
Japan       2 thousand
 
The US is now nearing triple its initial pledge of welcoming 100 thousand Ukrainian refugees. In contrast, Japan, despite demonstrating unprecedented generosity in break from the past, and in spite of winning high praise domestically, the disappointing numbers speak for themselves especially when compared with its global peers.
 
In the recent years, more than ever before, we bump into many technical intern trainees from abroad working and living in various Japanese cities. Nonetheless, they’re strictly enforced to return to their home countries in 3 to 5 years--not allowed to stay in Japan barring rare exceptions.
 
In this way, Japan remains passive in welcoming People of all backgrounds; a very closed society to the outsiders. As if to “Turn them away at the door.”
 
And to “Unjustly exclude/reject people--turn them away at the door--based on an inborn trait” is undeniably a discrimination. It’s a far cry from “Discrimination doesn’t exist much in Japan.”
 
Rather, the truth is “Most of us aren't welcome to stay in Japan because of discrimination.”
 
What’s more, a select few from abroad with permission to stay in Japan--they rarely raise much concern about discrimination. Make no mistake, it’s not because “Discrimination doesn’t exist much in Japan.”
 
Rather, it’s a daunting task for any 2% minority to make their voices heard beneath the overbearing weight of the 98% majority.
 
The terrible truth in Japan is that the minority’s agony--having no choice but to succumb to the sheer force of numbers--often goes unnoticed by the majority because of such overwhelming dominance.
 
From time to time, people say Don’t wake a sleeping baby and mean Better not talk about it; safe to steer clear. Almost as if to willfully ignore the existing tensions of Discrimination.
 
That is, indeed, a prejudiced justification created by the majority. 

Read Next: Wake a Sleeping Baby (5)【A Baby Within Us】
Read Previous: Wake a Sleeping Baby (3)【Learning is Unnecessary Trouble?】

Complete Series: Wake a Sleeping Baby (1)～(5)
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Read Theme: Discrimination