Racist Japanese Magazine-Book
Amazon, 7-11 and a full list of convenience stores in Japan have recently started selling a xenophobic and racist magazine that among many other things makes liberal use of the N-word. Fukumimi expresses his outrage at the Eichi trash publication that is widely distributed across Japan:
Of course, that doesn’t mean everything that global pressure is trying to force on Japan is, in my opinion, good. Far from it. But rascist rubbish (and, perhaps more importantly, its tolerance by the general public and businesses) needs to be addressed, and this is an instance of a need to air dirty laundry in public.
How could such racism be tolerated by major corporations such as 7-11, Amazon, Family Mart, Kinokuniya and Rakuten?
Japan Probe says:
As reported, it labels foreigners as a source of crime and even has pages in which it condemns interracial sex between foreigners and Japanese women:
Translation of the above image from the magazine: Oi N*****!! Get your fuckin’ hands off that Japanese lady’s ass!! [Actual scan from the book, and it clearly says “n*****†in katakana.]
UPDATE: Debito reports Family Mart has agreed to remove the books from their stores within the next 7 days.
February 2nd, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I know!! I just saw copies of pages fom this magazine on Debito ’s site yesterday. It is outrageous! It’s basically titled, “The crimes of foreign devils”. I try to keep an open mind about things, but this is pretty harsh. Not just interracial sex, even any sort of dating is condemned. Things like, “Hey, go back to your own country!” or “This is a public place, what the &&$%# are you doing here.”(regarding a picture of an interracial couple sitting on a picnic blanket) Things about how foreigners mislead poor unsuspecting Japanese businessmen and take their money. About how they (we) are basically there (here) to take their women and basically rape them (althlough all the pictures shown did appear consentual). I haven’t checked my local conbinis yet, I usually don’t go to the magazine isle, but I’ll have a look the next time I go. It’s hard to believe. Real shame.
~Sven~
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Japanese racism - available now at convenience shops near you…
From the Magazine. In Japanese it says:Oi Nigger! Don’t be touching a Japanese girl’s ass! Ejovi, Fukumimi and JapanProbe blog about a mook (magazine/book) published by Eichi called ““Gaijin Hanzai Ura File” or “Foreigner Crimes Secret File…
February 3rd, 2007 at 11:21 pm
[...] Ejovi Nuwere ? Racist Japanese Magazine-Book Ejovi points to a Japanese magazine with an overtly racist cover, which is being sold on Amazon and in many convenience stores. (It’s subsequently been removed) (tags: japan racism publishing) [...]
February 4th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
I’ll say here in a nutshell what I said elsewhere.
Eichi is free to publish this crap, just like the KKK (or Nation of Islam) is free to publish their crap in the USA.
I wont comment on the content till I’ve seen it myself.
Its only through more speech (in Japanese) that we can try to counter these kinds of ideas.
Of course we cant pretend its exclusive to Japan either.
February 4th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Walmart and Barnes & Noble don’t carry KKK propaganda. This isn’t about the content, its about major businesses carrying and supporting it.
February 5th, 2007 at 1:17 am
My point is to address the root, not the symptom. I think that showing ourselves as respectable members of society and participating in the media beyond the common role of Takeshi’s whipping boys will do alot more than Al Sharpton style boycotts.
February 5th, 2007 at 6:31 am
Chris,
Isn’t the fact that businesses and mainstream Japanese society on the whole are ignorant or uncaring about this kind of issue a root cause in and of itself?
Comparisons with 1930’s Germany shouldn’t be invoked lightly, but if that society had been less tolerant of the National Socialists’ racist policies and rhetoric, would history have still taken the same path?
Unfortunately if we define the root cause of the proliferation of racism as being the racist thoughts themselves, we get onto the difficult topic of “thought crimes”. I don’t think there is ever a way to regulate what people can or cannot think. (hint. slippery slope. 1984)
Given that the thoughts cannot be regulated, society can only attempt to starve such ideologies of oxygen by making such thoughts unprofitable, and preventing the virus from spreading. (apologies for mixing my metaphors)
“all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”
February 5th, 2007 at 7:10 am
A brief tour of my neighborhood showed that this mook is available in every combini and bookstore near where I live. The picture cited above is small but definitely there. Out of all the comments on that page, this is the only one which refers to nationality or race at all. The whole mook is definitely messed up in a really vile way.
Problem is, what IS the “right” action here? “Porno publisher publishes racist/xenophobic mook” is hardly a headline thats going to catch anyone and the basic stance of crime and lax morals are a problem of foreigners is held by the majority. I think the average person would consider this book distasteful, but agree with the basic stance.
Frankly I dont identify with Debito and his general tactics. There are such a wide range of foreigners here but in such few numbers that “rights groups” dont really share alot of common ground. The only foreign guy I can even vaugely identify with on TV is the one gaijin commentator on the 11PM business news show. Considering the extremely steep slope to citizenship, only a few of the few will ever have a political voice here. Besides living a “right” life domestically, participating in the community and business world, I cant think of much else “we” can do here. Even that is getting harder now that many companies are purging their foreign staff.
What IS the right thing to do locally?
February 5th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
[...] Ejovi Nuwere and Japan Probe wrote about a racist "mook" (magazine/book) called Gaijin Hanzai Ura File or Foreign Crimes Secret File published by Eichi publications being widely available in Japan’s largest convenience stores and bookstores like Family Mart [wiki] (a large chain of 6,000 stores - Family Mart later promised to pull the book from its stores): I was able to confirm these reports today when I found that a Family Mart in Saitama Prefecture had 5 copies of the magazine, all of them displayed in the very front of its magazine rack. I purchased one of the copies, so that I could look over the magazine myself. As reported, it labels foreigners as a source of crime and even has pages in which it condemns interracial sex between foreigners and Japanese women [...]
February 5th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
[...] Ejovi Nuwere and Japan Probe wrote about a racist "mook" (magazine/book) called Gaijin Hanzai Ura File or Foreign Crimes Secret File published by Eichi publications being widely available in Japan’s largest convenience stores and bookstores like Family Mart [wiki] (a large chain of 6,000 stores - Family Mart later promised to pull the book from its stores): I was able to confirm these reports today when I found that a Family Mart in Saitama Prefecture had 5 copies of the magazine, all of them displayed in the very front of its magazine rack. I purchased one of the copies, so that I could look over the magazine myself. As reported, it labels foreigners as a source of crime and even has pages in which it condemns interracial sex between foreigners and Japanese women [...]
February 5th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Eichi is free to publish this crap, just like the KKK (or Nation of Islam) is free to publish their crap in the USA.
They sell KKK publications in convenience stores in the US?
February 6th, 2007 at 2:37 am
Where it is sold is beggaring the point. You can still buy books on various theories of racial supremacy, holocaust denial, etc with very little effort in the US.
February 6th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
according to http://www.japantoday.com/jp/quote/2077 the issue has been picked up by Reuters.
February 21st, 2007 at 12:45 am
Actually here in Nagoya the Family Marts in Kasugai, Narumi, and Kasadera still had it as of Tuesday. The 7-11 in Narumi, Motohoshizaki, and Kasadera still have it. The major book stores in Sakae, Kanayama, and Nagoya Eki have it as does the book kiosks in Chubu Airport.
March 6th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Why not, huh? This is classic fear of a black planet… The term coined by none other than the hip-hop group Public Enemy. As in any other country, the Japanese males have an innate fear (or feeling of intimidation) of black males. Why? Let your mind run wild… All black males know this. I personally CAN understand anyone being intimidated by people like myself. Smart, young, beautiful and… Black. American Black men have a certain ’swagger’ that is found NOWHERE else in the world! So, of course we are loved by women and feared by men across the world. The alpha male comes out of all of us when a woman is involved. I do not hate anybody, except the power structure, which I generally refer to as ‘white people’. I know all white people aren’t bad, but this is what we call it none the less… As an aside… I love white women… All women for that matter. Let’s get stop hatin’ and start congratulatin’ Further, let’s start expecting more of this behavior as more and more American Black males get passports. Harsh, hard, but real.
August 14th, 2007 at 11:09 am
I know!! I just saw copies of pages fom this magazine on Debito ’s site yesterday. It is outrageous! It’s basically titled, “The crimes of foreign devilsâ€. I try to keep an open mind about things, but this is pretty harsh. Not just interracial sex, even any sort of dating is condemned. Things like, “Hey, go back to your own country!†or “This is a public place, what the &&$%# are you doing here.â€(regarding a picture of an interracial couple sitting on a picnic blanket) Things about how foreigners mislead poor unsuspecting Japanese businessmen and take their money. About how they (we) are basically there (here) to take their women and basically rape them (althlough all the pictures shown did appear consentual). I haven’t checked my local conbinis yet, I usually don’t go to the magazine isle, but I’ll have a look the next time I go. It’s hard to believe. Real shame.
~Sven~
October 11th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
And they wonder why people lable japan as a xenophobic society. It’s no surprise though. They don’t even allow koreans who were born there which they forced to come there citizenship. There may be racism here in the U.S. but at least we’re recognized as citizens. Its a suprise though to here that 7-11 was selling these books. I worked at the main corporate office for seven eleven and the japanes recently bought the rest of the comapny. There are a lot of blacks that work there and most of the people who work in the stores are foreingn. This shows what kind of respect they have for their employees. It’s really hurtfull to learn things are this way in japan. I love watching anime cartoons and have always thought their culture was cool.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:04 am
Ihavent seen the magazine but sucks to know that the Japanese government would tolerate that. I don’t believe all Japanese are xenophobic and racist.I mean a Japanese girl dates my black cousin and I’m sure you’re not racist if you do that! Lol. Anyway, the magazines represent narrowmindedness that shouldn’t be tolerated. Period.
April 4th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Do you see Japanese guys with their hand on a Japanese girl’s butt
in public?
I don’t.
So, if they see this here enough, they get an image that’s a negative one, and in the cruder mags, you’ll get a crudely worded reaction.
This is not Amsterdam, not Italy. Be sensitive to where you are.
Note: This is a comment on the above picture only. Not familiar with the mag nor saying it’s nice.