From: dali@stein.u.washington.edu (David A. Lee)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Japanese student seeks school apology for harrassment
Date: 22 Dec 92 05:42:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Dec22.054215.21359
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

Just more fear in Japan about the outside world.

"Uh oh, he's been TAINTED by the evil BARBARIANS!!!"

"Maybe we'd better SHOOT HIM to take him OUT OF HIS MISERY"

"If he is not JUST LIKE US he must be MISERABLE, right?"

Sarcasm intended, I am tired of the attitudes Japanese have about 
the outside world.  It's worse than the segregation between 
blacks and whites that existed in the United States through the
1950s.

From the newsgroup, clari.news.children:

Article 690 in clari.news.children (moderated):
From: clarinews@clarinet.com (UPI)
Newsgroups: clari.news.gov.international,clari.news.children
Subject: Japanese student seeks school apology for harassment
Keywords: international, non-usa government, government, children,
        special interest
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 92 15:58:06 PST
Location: japan
 
        TOKYO (UPI) -- A junior high school student alleging harassment and
abuse by schoolmates because of his English language ability has asked
the Tokyo Bar Association for restitution and a formal apology from the
school.
        The 15-year-old student, who spends every summer vacation in the
United States where is mother was born, acquired English skills far
ahead of his regular classes but claimed he was harassed by his teacher
for his language ability, according to a statement submitted to the
association's Children's Human Rights Relief Center.
        Tsutomu Shimizu, the lawyer representing the unidentified student,
said the case is the first of its kind. The association decided to take
it up since the decision could have a major influence on similar cases,
he said.
        ``The problem is the Japanese school system does not respect the
student's individual character,'' Shimizu said.
        In the first trimester of his first year at No. 7 Junior High School
in Tokyo, the student received the highest score of five on his report
card and passed level three on the national English proficiency test,
demonstrating his mastery of high school-level English, according to the
association's statement. However he soon was at odds with his English
teacher due to his advanced skills. He claimed the teacher would not
accept answers differing from a given pattern even if they were correct.
        After receiving a score of three on his report card, the student's
parents protested. They were told their son could not continue at the
school if they complained, the statement said.
        The student said classmates made such remarks as, ``His mother is
American, so he may have AIDS.''
        The student did not attend school for one trimester during his third
year because of the frequent harassment, the statement said. He changed
schools after officials asked him to do so on numerous occasions.
---

Can we accept these kind of attitudes?  I sure can't:

The student said classmates made such remarks as, ``His mother is
American, so he may have AIDS.'

Sick.

-- 
"There are hundreds of tiny balls in every machine, and hundreds of machines
in every pachinko parlour, and a pachinko parlour on every block in every
town in Japan; so there are billions of little balls falling forever, like a
chromium-plated hailstorm that never melts."  - from "Clive James in Japan"