From: claude@trc.mew.mei.co.jp (Claude Huss)
Newsgroups: fj.misc
Subject: Racism in japan (was CFA/CFD fj.life.in-japan)
Date: 30 Jul 92 01:23:32 GMT
	<CLAUDE.92Jul28180617@tokyo.trc.mew.mei.co.jp> <2185@aegis.or.jp>
	<CLAUDE.92Jul29093529@tokyo.trc.mew.mei.co.jp>
	<ISHIKAWA.92Jul29171510@ds5200.personal-media.co.jp> <2200@aegis.or.jp>
Organization: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.


Dave> How did she "force" you, put a gun at your head? Call in her yakuza
Dave> brother? What exactly?

To easy. I had to agree with that terms or otherwise I couldn't rent
the house. Other more complicated aspects were that MY company found
that house and only few day before I moved to the house, they said 
to me about this agreement. "Force" is not only by strength, but
by circuntances as well...


Dave> Sorry, but I fail to see the connection between the problem and the
Dave> suggested remedy. He wants to get a place to live. He has trouble
Dave> with a landlady. He takes up the question of blatant racism? Sounds
Dave> like overkill to me...

I want to make clear it, but I *DON'T* have problems with my landlady
(so far...). I wanted to talk how sometimes japanese are excessively
affraid about foreigners and then want to control them by some way or
other. It was racism based in how affraid she (or the real estate
agent) was to rent an apartment for a foreigner... 

Dave> If you walk into a restaurant and they don't have what you want,
Dave> do you file a charge with some legal counselor's office? No, you
Dave> find another restaurant.

However, if this restaurant said they don't have what you want (and
in fact they had) only because they have prejudice about you, then I
think you have the right to prosecute them. It's not only a question
to find a new house, but even they having one they will say "Sorry
We don't have it now...".. This is prejudice and its active form,
IMHO.

Dave> But of course he says that he "AT LAST" found a place. What does
Dave> this mean? I mean how did he go about finding a place? For example,
Dave> did he talk to somebody who didn't have any problems and ask them
Dave> how they went about it? 

If somebody didn't have any problems this doesn't  mean everybody may not
have. I talk with various persons and received a lot of references from
my managers. Even doing this, almost all real estate agents were very
"active" in reject my case because I'm  a foreigner...

Dave> IMHO, the infamous "I was the object of blatant racism" complaint is
Dave> because there are a certain number of people who come to Japan and
Dave> believe "the wheel that squeaks is the one that gets oiled". Thus
Dave> they go around saying how badly they are treated in hope that
Dave> somebody will help them. But, unfortunately, this isn't how things
Dave> work here and the more you complain, the more problems you cause
Dave> yourself. And even more unfortunately the people who don't have any
Dave> problems tend to be quiet so you have to search them out...

I didn't understand the point... I came to Japan 5 years ago and I even
before that I had contact with japanese people since my childhood. I'm
not saying "how badly I was teread in hope someone help me". I want to
help everybody. I know a lot of Korean-Japanese that even being born 
here they have the same problem! Let me see, do you think "Ask for
human rights" == "complain"?? I know a lot of people in South Africa
"complaining", don't you know? Of course, the more you "ask for rigths"
the more the dominant society will think it about this a "disturb".
And of course, you can resolve *ONLY* your case and then don't have any
kind of problems. We don't need "help", we need  "rights". Aren't we
paying taxes? Aren't we colaborating for society? 
There is prejudice in any country, but "rights" to be protected from
someone who does in active form in how many? 

Dave> Only my experience ;-)

and mine :-)

--
Claude Huss
Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. Tokyo Research Labs.
Phone: +81-3-3452-4941	FAX: +81-3-3451-0793  Home:(044) 549-4913
Mita 5-13-2, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108, JAPAN
DISCLAIMER:"I'm not singing, dancing, joking or even working for my employer"
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