Toshiki Kaifu

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• published: 15 Feb 2010
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JAPANESE OFFERS APOLOGY FOR SLUR Published: October 18, 1990 TOKYO, Oct. 17— Japan's Justice Minister said today that he wanted to send ''my deepest apologies to the American people'' for comparing foreign prostitutes in Tokyo to American blacks who move into white neighborhoods and ''ruin the atmosphere.'' He said that while his comments comments were ''inappropriate and wrong'' they were ''not at all related to racial discrimination.'' The Justice Minister, Seiroku Kajiyama, said in an interview at his office here that he knew that ''my comments hurt very deeply the hearts of the American people'' and said he was sending a letter of apology to the Congressional Black Caucus, which has sought his ouster. But at the same time Mr. Kajiyama, a prominent figure in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, took issue with critics here and abroad who maintain that that his comments indicate a strong undercurrent of racial intolerance in Japanese society. Mr. Kajiyama's remarks were the latest in a series of derogatory references to blacks by senior Japanese politicians in recent years. ''In Japan, there is no discrimination against any races,'' Mr. Kajiyama said. Rather, he said, Japanese ''may not have a rich sensitivity toward racial questions'' because the country has little ''experience in communicating and intermingling with different nationalities.'' Trying to Quell Controversy Mr. Kajiyama's comments today were part of a broad effort in recent days by the Government of Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu to put to rest the continuing controversy surrounding the Justice Minister without forcing him from office. Mr. Kaifu publicly chastised him this month, and the Foreign Ministry has announced its intent to bring blacks and other minorities to Japan in an effort to raise the national consciousness about racial issues. Mr. Kajiyama made what he termed today his ''big blunder'' during a nighttime raid by police officers who were rounding up prostitutes in the Shinjuku section of Tokyo, a well-known red-light district. Noting that most of the prostitutes were non-Japanese, he reportedly said, ''It's like in America when neighborhoods become mixed because blacks move in, and whites are forced out.'' By some accounts, he said that both blacks and prostitutes were examples of how ''bad money drives out good money'' in urban neighborhoods. Mr. Kajiyama retracted the comments a few days later. But the controversy grew, in part because they seemed to echo comments by another top Liberal Democrat, Michio Watanabe, who said two years ago that blacks often go bankrupt to avoid debts. Reading Prepared Statements Five years ago Yasuhiro Nakasone, then Japan's Prime Minister, became enveloped in a similar controversy when he suggested that American minority groups had lowered the national intelligence level and literacy rate. There are disagreements about what, precisely, Mr. Nakasone said, but he also apologized. In the interview today, Mr. Kajiyama appeared cautious and serious. When replying to questions he usually read from prepared statements handed to him by aides. Mr. Kajiyama said that as Justice Minister he ''would like to make positive efforts so that the correct awareness'' about racial issues ''takes root in Japanese society.'' But when he was pressed about whether that meant accepting large numbers of Asians, blacks and other minorities to Japan, one of the world's most racially homogeneous societies, he had no new ideas or programs to offer. ''We have widened the doorway, so to speak, for the foreigners, if they have professional skills, professional knowledge and professional techniques,'' he said. But he declined to endorse any wider access to Japan for non-professionals, who often have difficulty entering Japan, despite a huge labor shortage here. ''I don't think that regarding menial workers the door can open widely all at once,'' Mr. Kajiyama said. Mr. Kajiyama's contention that ''there is no discrimination against any races'' is often heard in Japan, although one of his aides later said that the minister meant to add that ''regrettably there are some people with racist views'' in Japan. Such protestations of tolerance are frequently disputed, chiefly by Koreans, the country's largest minority group. Lack of Racial Awareness Mr. Kajiyama conceded that there were ''a number of cases in which human rights have been infringed,'' including among Koreans, who are routinely barred from holding some civil service jobs and entering many elite schools, companies or jobs. But he stopped short of calling that racism. Americans and others who have campaigned for greater racial awareness here say that view is common. ''It is difficult to recognize racism in this culture when in your daily life you don't have many blacks or other minorities.