Mainichi: Tourism to Japan plunges by over 40% compared to last year
Posted by debito on March 30th, 2009
Hi Blog. Quick tangent for today. We have tourism to Japan plunging, the second-highest drop in history. Of course, the high yen and less disposable income to go around worldwide doesn’t help, but the Yokoso Japan campaign to bring 10 million tourists to Japan is definitely not succeeding. Not helping are some inhospitable, even xenophobic Japanese hotels, or the fingerprinting campaign at the border (which does not only affect “tourists”) grounded upon anti-terror, anti-crime, and anti-contageous-disease policy goals. Sorry, Japan, must do better. Get rid of the NJ fingerprinting campaign, for starters. Debito in Okayama
——————————————-
Number of foreign tourists visiting Japan plunges
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090326p2a00m0na002000c.html
(Mainichi Japan) March 26, 2009, Courtesy of Jeff K
The number of foreign tourists to Japan in February declined by more than 40 percent, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has announced.
The JNTO said Wednesday that 408,800 foreigners visited Japan in February, a 41.3 percent decrease from the same month the previous year. The rate of decline was the second largest since statistics were first kept in 1961, after a 41.8 percent reduction in August 1971, the year following the Osaka Expo.
The plunge in the number of foreign visitors to Japan is thought to have been caused mainly by the global recession. It is also believed attributable to last year’s leap year and the Lunar New Year holidays in January this year, which were in February last year.
ends
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訪日外国人：過去２番目の減少率 ２月４１．３％減
http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/news/20090326k0000m040062000c.html
日本政府観光局（ＪＮＴＯ）が２５日発表した２月の訪日外国人旅行者数は、前年同月比４１．３％減の４０万８８００人と大きく落ち込んだ。大阪万博の反動で減少した１９７１年８月（４１．８％減）に次いで、統計を取り始めた６１年以降で２番目の減少率となった。
世界的な景気後退が主因で、昨年がうるう年だったことや、昨年は２月だったアジアの旧正月の休暇が今年は１月だったことも影響した。
主要１２カ国・地域すべてで訪日客が減少した。ウォン安が続く韓国が５４．５％減と大幅に減ったのをはじめ、旧正月の要因が大きい中国、台湾、香港もそれぞれ２５．９％、４８．０％、６０．４％の減少だった。【位川一郎】
ends
March 30th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Have they bothered to find out how many people have decided against visiting Japan because of the racist border fingerprinting?
March 30th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Unfortunately the tourism statistics don’t back up your thesis. Japan instituted fingerprinting at the border in November of 2007, and the number of foreign tourists entering Japan in November and December of that year was up an average of almost 21% over the previous year (22.7% and 18.9% respectively). Tourism continued to grow through the first half of 2008, up 13.7% over the same period in 2007. In the second half of 2008 we see a decline that accelerates from month to month (from only 2.2% growth over 2007 in July to a 26.3% shrinkage in December as compared to December 2007), however the numbers for the whole period were still 10% higher than 2006. Things don’t go really bad until about November of 2008, which was 5% down as compared to 2006 (December was down over 12%). That downward spiral continued in January and February of this year, but so did the downward spiral in all sectors of the economy basically everywhere (well, according to an NHK documentary the other night, Dhaka is still doing OK, but I don’t think Bangladeshis make up a significant portion of the tourists coming to Japan).
The fact is, most tourists couldn’t give a rat’s behind about being fingerprinted at the border, and most aren’t going to care about being asked to show their passport when checking into a hotel, nor are they likely to be staying at some small hotel out in the sticks where the staff cannot deal with English. They are going to be going where their Friendly Planet guide or tour agency tells them to go. Now, being laid off from work, or having their stock portfolio’s value drop into the single digits, that they care about. And that is why tourism is down, plain and simple.
March 30th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
“The plunge in the number of foreign visitors to Japan is thought to have been caused mainly by the global recession. It is also believed attributable to last year’s leap year and the Lunar New Year holidays in January this year, which were in February last year.”
Lame excuses, the recession has its toll but there are other factors in play.
The media and some agencies in Japan show a lack of neutrality which is unbelievable.
40% is not a small number and cannot be justified just by the worsening of the economy.
But we know that nobody can contradict the good GoJ, since its policy is CERTAINLY
unfailable =) We all have no doubt. Dream on.
Sometimes I have the impression that the majority of Japanese do NOT live in the
real world but in a world inside their mind created by society.
So if they think (or are taught) that a red apple is blue
then it must be blue. Repeat with me, this apple is BLUE =)
Ah btw only Japan has 4 seasons…….
March 30th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
The yen is definitely a major reason for Australians- when I was in Japan last June/July the exchange rate was around AUS$1 = 100 yen, the worst it has gotten in the last few months has been around AUS$1 = 55 yen… so everything has literally doubled in price!
March 30th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Serves Japan right. As much as I love Japan, there are too many major problems. I can not in good conscious recommend to any friends or family to visit.
However, I seriously doubt that Japan will understand this. Surely it will just be attributed to the poor economy, which is probably is the major factor though.
March 30th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
There are problems with the border for sure. And more problems with hotels. But I think these numbers describe something completely different.
Cities like Yufuin, Beppu and Fukuoka in Kyushu are in dire straits. After domestic tourism dried up, they turned to Asian countries like South Korea and were very successful. This pre-dates the Yokoso Japan campaign. A lot of the Korean tourists in Kyushu go for a weekend of golf or onsen and while they don’t stay long, their numbers are very high. These numbers make up a large part of the new foreign visitors to Japan. However, with the won reaching historic lows, these casual visitors have been forced to stay home.
The point is, these cities have been very accommodating to foreigners and very successful. But even they can’t stand up to the collapse of value of the won. I imagine a similar thing is going on in Hokkaido with the Australians. Between those two groups and other similar situations, a large part of this 40% figure is explained.
March 31st, 2009 at 7:59 am
The 2008 stats help support Murphy’s argument to some degree. But I believe the number of foreign visitors wouldve been much higher had the government not insituted the police state measure of fingerprinting visitors. I for one would have made two or three trips since November 2007. I know I am not alone in my thinking and that there are hundreds of thousands or millions of people who do give a “rat’s behind” about being treated like a criminal as they enter the country. Murphy may not mind submitting to tyranny, but we do.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:05 am
Since all foreigners, except the priviledged Special PRs, are subject to this stupid fingerprinting at the port of entry, are these “tourist” figures including all the PRs and other flavors of visa holders too I wonder? How do they separate them? I mean even PRs are described as “visitors” aren’t they? In reality, the true tourists numbers must be far worse than the issued figures.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:21 am
“Sometimes I have the impression that the majority of Japanese do NOT live in the
real world but in a world inside their mind created by society.
So if they think (or are taught) that a red apple is blue
then it must be blue. Repeat with me, this apple is BLUE =)”
Can’t stop myself: Sometimes I think people’s concerns about racist treatment would be a whole lot more credible if they themselves didn’t resort to racially biased generalizations. How can you complain about being treated like “all Gaijin are this,” and then turnaround and say “all Japanese are that”?
– Well said. And I urge respondents to heed Iago’s advice and avoid this tendency.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:57 am
To answer Snowman’s question, and in the interests of disclosure as to where the numbers came from, aside from the 2009 figures the numbers of entrants coming into Japan, as given by JNTO, do clearly list the total number of entries (and departures) as well as the number of tourists. How do they separate them? Well, surely it is not too difficult for immigration to keep track of how many tourist visas they issued on any given day. As a matter of fact, I would really hope they are keeping track, and not just standing there for show.
Anyway, the numbers for 2007, 2008 and 2009 can be found here, and since we know the numbers for 2007 and the % increase over 2006 it is simple enough to calculate the 2006 numbers for those so inclined: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ttp/sta/index.html
Jon, if being fingerprinted bugs you, fine. I can see how it would bug some people. I can see it bugging PRs especially, since one group of PRs is “special” and gets to just walk through while every other PR gets fingerprinted. That is unacceptable. And perhaps there even are a significant number of like-minded people out there, who say they won’t travel anywhere that fingerprints at the border. But the facts are that prior to the global economic downturn/collapse/whatever, tourism was booming in Japan, it was booming in the US, it was booming almost everywhere. Would it have boomed more, if there were no fingerprinting? Perhaps, but there is no way to prove that beyond a few anecdotes like Jon’s that “I would have gone but…” However, the fact that tourist numbers went up, way up, even after fingerprinting was introduced, and were still going up right up until people ran out of money is statistical proof that for most tourists the fingerprinting issue was at most something they grumbled about amongst themselves but put up with anyway. In other words, it was not a deal-breaker.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Ok Debito you got me, I came back. But just to make one comment.
I just had to reply to Murphys idiodic comment.
I apologize about before but I do not take back the part about this place being full of whiney white people who have never experienced being underneath someone just because of the colour of their skin before. It is unacceptable but it cannot be helped for the moment. (I guess I would be part of the しょうがない派?)
`I can see it bugging PRs especially, since one group of PRs is “special” and gets to just walk through while every other PR gets fingerprinted.That is unacceptable.`
Even if you have PR you ARE NOT AND WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AS someone with Special PR.
They are either.
1. Somone who was born in the Japanese empire, given Japanese citizenship from the moment they were born and treated their whole lives as a Japanese and expected to give their lives to the emperor (under a Japanese name mind you. Their family name passed through from generations now has NO meaning. Anyone who is familiar with any confucian society knows the importance of the family name) and then all of a sudden Japan loses the war, takes this persons citzenship and tells them to go back to their country and when they don`t has the friggin nerve to say they entered the country illegally when Chosen and Japan were once part of the SAME COUNTRY. While at the same time those Japanese were bowing their heads in shame every time they see an `American face` (peco peco). This trend still exists today because although Japan lost to America, Korea never actually `won` their territory back. It was handed back to them by the US of A.
2. The Children or grandchildren of that person who chose not to `go back` (I use quotations because although not all, but `some` Japanese tend to think your home country is inherent in your DNA and has no relation to where you were born and culturally raised.)I.e. people who have been born in Japan for generations and choose not to have japanese citizenship.
These people are called zainichi. Even if they naturalize they are called zainichi (stastically they are Japanese but Japanese will refer to these people as 帰化人 or 日本の国籍を持ってる在日) they were born here, their parents were born here and their grandparents were either born here, brought here forcefully (from the chosen peninsula, not from a different country because they were inherently the same country) or came here because of rice shortages on the peninsula (because thats what a colony is for, to exploit the resources and bring it back to the `homeland`. Despite this Japanese (not all but ALOT) despise them. They can usually speak only Japanese and until the 80`s they were not even granted basic human rights(kokumin hoken and kokumin nenkin also not given). Today zainichi face problems getting into careers and even part-time jobs. Marriage to Japanese is also sometimes difficult because of opposition of either sides parents. The right-wing tells them to either go home or naturalize. For generations they were born and raised in Japan and spoke nothing but Japanese. Why would they go out of their way to go through the humiliation of changing their nationality because the SAME government that took it away from them in the first place is telling them to? (keep in mind that people born in the empire had ONLY japanese citzenship as Chousen didnt exist as two countries like it does today, or exist as even one country as it did before the annexation.)
Being zainichi is not fun. And no zainichi considers themselves `special`. It is incredibly difficult for some zainichi to deal with the history behind their very existence.
Although I do not agree with fingerprinting anyone, zainichi are for all intensive purposes no different than any other Japanese born and rasied in Japan. If it is unacceptable for Japanese to have Japanese fingerprinted, it should be unacceptable for them to also have zainichi fingerprinted. The only difference is they have a passport to a country they have never been to (South Korea) or they don`t have a passport because (a they associate with north korea which doesn`t issue passports or b) they associate with `chosen` because they can identifity with neither north or south korea, only a unified korea. In case b) the person is state-less and can never leave the country ever until they aquire citizenship somewhere.
These people are Special PR`s. They aren`t special because they are given some random preference by the government.
It might not be your fault though that you do not know this because the japanese government insists on translating 在日韓国・朝鮮人 to `Koreans living in Japan` which is not a proper translation at all. Although to properly translate it and have whitey understand what it means would require the government you go into what I just did above. They never will.
Young people don`t know any of this and treat zainichi as foreigners due to ignorance.(I actually had a classmate in one of my classes who was convinced that the 3rd generation zainichi who appeared in a documentary we watched had a `foreign` accent. You can imagine their embarassment when the teacher went through explaining that they are 3rd generation korean and a native of the Japanese language and that that accent was `kansai-ben`)
Old people have a sort of silent agreement where the zainichi issue is not to be discussed. To the older generation Zainichi/Chosen people are nothing but an inferior race whose only purpose is to exist miserably under the Japanese. Young peoples attitudes are somewhat different but you can really REALLY tell whos granmother/grandfather really had it in for the chosen people just by seeing their reaction when the word zainichi comes up.
can you imagine being that person murphy? Being born and rasied in Japan for generations yet being treated as though you are contaminating Japanese society. You are nothing but a pollutant and as is the case we will exempt you from fingerprinting even though secretely wishing you never come back.
That is why Special PR`s are exempt from fingerprinting. If you want to argue anyone with PR is even remotely in the same position then go ahead. They still, mind you, need to apply for a re-entry permit. INTO THEIR COUNTRY OF BIRTH. ..And I though I was given a rough time when the lady at canadian immigration asked `why` I went back to Canada.
If you already knew this, shame on you for making the comment above.
If you didn`t I apologize for sounding like I am attacking you for being ignorant.
I read quite frequently on the subject (books, not the internet) and I have a specialist degree in east asian studies at the university of toronto so it would be no surprise that I know this and other people who are say engineers, don`t. My best friend is 3rd generation Zainichi who went through the 朝鮮民族学校 system so I do have the chance to verify information that is questionable. (Anything written in Japanese is questionable either by Japanese or Zainichi authors because even IF sources are listed they are extremely questionable. This stems somewhat from the tendancy for Japanese authors to not go into detail and zainichi authors tendancy to incredibly exagerate.)
heres a fun fact. The term `zainichi` was actually created by a `zainichi` poet named 金時鐘 (Kim Shijong) who was born in 済州道 during the colonial rule. He now resides in Osaka living in a district where zainichi settled due to having no money. I think he teaches a writing/poetry class. I am actually thinking of signing up once I move back to Osaka…
Too bad being this well-read on Japanese colonial history can`t get me a job in the 大手メーカー
I know it can`t get me a job in acedemia because there is still the slight tendancy for people to feel(at least in this area of study) that a white person can`t `really` understand and teach east asian history. They can only study it under an east-asian who really knows what he/she is talking about. You would be surprised but there are many Koreans/Chinese (Japanese are fairly scarce) who study at UofT and actually still have this attitude to some degree.
aah,when will the 不況 end…
教養とやる気あんのに不況のせいか誰も雇うてくれへんまんまやあ。:( それかgaijinであるせいで？まさか。。。
Murphy just curious, you ARE white, right?
March 31st, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Murphy, tourism to the USA fell by six million after the USA introduced border fingerprinting. Your “boom” is relative.
March 31st, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I think the same way as Murphy on this subject.
First, many tourists don’t even know about Japan’s fingerprinting until they get to Narita airport and the display tells them to place their index fingers on the pads. I’m sure some do, but most don’t.
Second, tourists aren’t likely to walk into a hotel that refuses foreigners. Tourists generally made reservations in advance over the internet or with a travel agency. In fact, the immigration card asks that specific question of the visitor’s address in Japan. I don’t think immigration officers of any country would feel comfortable with a person entering the country with no idea where they will stay.
Third, European countries have long demanded and photocopied tourists’ passports. Overseas travelers often, and should, expect it. In fact in Europe every hotel is required to have their guests fill out an information card that is forwarded directly to the police, separate from the hotels own records. Again, this isn’t and shouldn’t be a surprise.
In all fairness, I think the strong yen and relatively weak Euro has encouraged tourists to visit Europe and the UK while it’s still affordable. Furthermore, like the article itself mentions, in the current economy who can honestly afford an expensive overseas vacation?
– Fair enough with your arguments regarding tourists. However, just taking up one point, I would suggest you avoid comparisons with tourists and hotels and passports in Europe. Japan is quite different in enforcement.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Also on the ‘not helping’ list specifically regarding HK tourist I would add the customs guys at Narita stashing the cannabis on the HK tourists luggage and now with Jill Vidal & Kelvin Kwan being held for over a month for well no-one really knows as he has been released without charge although had admitted possession and she is still in detention due to controlled substances being found in her luggage (which could be over the counter cold medicine)… folk in Hk are used to such simple things as basic law and access to lawyers etc,,,
Fingerprinting is used in HK in the swift channels so that I do not think is an issue and we had SARS so neither really is being blamed for contagious diseases. The dearth of inexpensive or even reasonably affordable English speaking hotels however is an issue. Oh and anything the J-government does to bait China - mislabeling food/gyoza scares, territorial issues and now the suicide in immigration detention…
Regarding the rest of the world… if you are not an anime or concrete fan then there is not much reason to visit Japan. It is hard work and transport/hotels just too expensive when compared to say HK…
– Try proofreading, please. I have trouble understanding your first paragraph.
March 31st, 2009 at 11:37 pm
And it can also well be that not that many people are interested in Japan enough to visit. This website preaches to the choir (those that like Japan and stay). We have to assume that there are legions that frankly don’t care about Japan at all.
April 1st, 2009 at 12:27 am
“Murphy, tourism to the USA fell by six million after the USA introduced border fingerprinting. Your “boom” is relative.”
USVISIT program was implemented in Jan. of 2004. The total arrivals to U.S. in 2004 was 46 million. In 2005 and 2006, the figure increases to 49 million and 51 million, respectively. World Tourism Organization estimates that in 2007, the total jumped to 56 million.
– Links please.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:38 am
“Links please.”
http://www.unwto.org/facts/menu.html
Click “UNWTO Tourism Highlights, Edition 2008″ for 2005,2006, and 2007 stats.
Click “UNWTO World Tourism Barometer” January 2006 - Volume 4, Issue 1 for 2004 stats.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:42 am
The worldwide economic decline and the strong yen probably are the main reasons for the decline in tourism. However, there is no question that the police state measure of fingerprinting also accounts for a certain percent. What percent is indeed unknown. Yet, even if it is only 5 or 10 percent (I suspect it is higher), that is still a large number of people and consequently a large amount of tourism dollars staying away from Japan.
Here’s another anecdote. In my small circle of friends and acquaintances alone, there are 5 people who changed their plans about going to Japan. Now multiply that by X. Also many unsuspecting tourists were unlikely aware of the the measure in 2008 but word has spread since then.
It is true, unfortunately, that at this point the majority of people either don’t care about submitting to Orwellian measures or simply believe the myth abut the need for it. Nevertheless, don’t discount the growing number of us who do care and who don’t believe the myth and, therefore, refuse to travel to Japan.
Incidentally, this article from Switzerland in November 2008 predicts a 3% decline in tourism for 2009. Now, while the Swiss Franc has not appreciated as much relatively as the Yen, it has still outperformed the Euro and many other currencies over the last year.
http://www.worldradio.ch/wrs/news/switzerland/tourism-sector-braces-for-downturn.shtml?11894
April 1st, 2009 at 4:29 am
STP may be right in his numbers, but let’s not forget that by far the largest number of visitors to the US are Canadians. They are exempted from being fingerprinted. The second largest number of vistors to the US are Mexicans. Based on the link below, visa-carrying Mexicans are also exempted for short trips near the border. And once again, how many more international visitors would have visited the US had these measures not been implemented?
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=37434
April 1st, 2009 at 10:52 am
“What percent is indeed unknown. Yet, even if it is only 5 or 10 percent (I suspect it is higher), ”
Sorry Jon. I suspect the percentage are so minimal that the only ones that are having second thoughts about going to Japan are those with prior immigration violations or are wanted in the INTERPOL.
And if I may use my anecdote, I have yet to encounter any friends, acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors, or whomever decided not to visit Japan because of their immigration procedures. That’s ZERO. If you multiply that by X, you still get ZERO.
And who cares if in the U.S., Mexicans and Canadians are exempted. It still doesn’t explain the FACT that the number of visitors to U.S. INCREASED after the implementation of USVISIT and very large % at that 2007 versus 2004.
April 1st, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Well, we’re getting well away from the topic to hand, but Alex seems to have some serious misconceptions which I hope I will be allowed to address.
SPRs are either former Japanese citizens (not too may of those left nowadays) or the descendants of such. True. They are not all Koreans, let’s get that straight. The Koreans are the most vocal, but there are Zainichi Chinese and Taiwanese as well. The “name issue” was probably pertinent 60-odd years ago, but everyone involved took back their proper family names after the war. Japan has never said the Zainichi were “illegal immigrants”. I don’t even know where that came from. The argument about “home country being inherent in your DNA” could just as easily apply to the Zainichi Koreans - in fact, more so. These are people, as Alex says, born and raised in Japan to parents and grandparents also born and raised in Japan, who often went to Japanese schools (now more than ever), speak Japanese (and increasingly do not speak Korean well, if at all), are culturally Japanese, and yet insist they are “Korean” and refuse to become Japanese citizens.
“Even if they naturalize they are called zainichi (stastically they are Japanese but Japanese will refer to these people as 帰化人 or 日本の国籍を持ってる在日)”
Do you actually live in Japan and talk to Japanese? I do. I have never heard a Japanese call a naturalized Korean either of those cumbersome phrases. Perhaps a few old folks do, but most people nowadays refer to such people as “Nihonjin”. When confronted with a Japanese with the name “Pak” they might call him Zainichi, but if corrected do not even blink, and will apologize for the error.
”
their grandparents were either born here, brought here forcefully”
OK, let’s get this urban legend out of the way: Yes, Koreans were forcibly brought to the home islands during the war. Those Koreans were also given priority repatriation after the war by GHQ and Japan. Almost no Zainichi are descended from those people, or if they are it is because they returned to Japan after being repatriated to the Korean peninsula. The old myth about “Zainichi being descendants of slave labor” is just that, a myth.
“or came here because of rice shortages on the peninsula”
Again some did, yes. But there was a sizable ethnic Korean population in Japan well before the war and well before rice shortages. Many Koreans came to the home islands by choice. They established businesses, became successful, and were elected to public office in some cases. Yes, they suffered discrimination and all was not rosy, but they came voluntarily and established themselves intheir communities.
“Despite this Japanese (not all but ALOT) despise them.”
Again, you are stuck in the distant past.
“Today zainichi face problems getting into careers and even part-time jobs.”
Wrong. Perhaps the occasional bigot won’t hire a Zainichi for his little company, but for the vast majority of Japanese it is not even an issue.
“Marriage to Japanese is also sometimes difficult because of opposition of either sides parents.”
As you yourself said, “either side” may object. Such cases are quite rare now, but yes, sometimes conservative Zainichi don’t want their kids marrying Japanese, or vice-versa.
“The right-wing tells them to either go home or naturalize. For generations they were born and raised in Japan and spoke nothing but Japanese. Why would they go out of their way to go through the humiliation of changing their nationality because the SAME government that took it away from them in the first place is telling them to?”
Um, because it is their home? Don’t forget that there are Zainichi who do want to naturalize, and who face ostracism from their own family if they do. That is hardly Japan’s fault, now is it?
“Although I do not agree with fingerprinting anyone, zainichi are for all intensive purposes no different than any other Japanese born and rasied in Japan. If it is unacceptable for Japanese to have Japanese fingerprinted, it should be unacceptable for them to also have zainichi fingerprinted.”
Wrong, Japanese are citizens and as such “citizen’s rights” or “citizen’s rules” apply. Zainichi are foreigners, just like other PRs, and they are foreigners by choice. They don’t have to be foreigners, they choose to be so. With choices come consequences.
“It might not be your fault though that you do not know this because the japanese government insists on translating 在日韓国・朝鮮人 to `Koreans living in Japan` which is not a proper translation at all.”
I think you are right, a proper translation would be “South Koreans/North Koreans living in Japan”, which is what they are.
“Although to properly translate it and have whitey understand what it means”
What’s with the racial epithet? “Whitey”? How 1970s…
“Young people don`t know any of this and treat zainichi as foreigners due to ignorance.”
Actually, they do know it, they have these things called “history classes” and they are far more open then you appear to believe. If any Japanese kids treat Zainichi as foreigners, well that would probably be because legally they are.
“Old people have a sort of silent agreement where the zainichi issue is not to be discussed. To the older generation Zainichi/Chosen people are nothing but an inferior race whose only purpose is to exist miserably under the Japanese.”
Yes, and old white people had a similar feeling towards blacks, but the world has moved on, leaving people like that stuck in the past. And soon they will be gone, pushing up daisies somewhere.
“If you want to argue anyone with PR is even remotely in the same position then go ahead.”
Fine. Legally, PRs are PRs. Or should be.
“They still, mind you, need to apply for a re-entry permit. INTO THEIR COUNTRY OF BIRTH.”
And PRs need to apply for one into their country of habitual residence, even though they may be married to a Japanese, with kids, own a house and property, run a business, whatever. If someone has been granted PR they should be free to come and go as they please, IMHO. But they aren’t, and again, they could choose to solve this “problem”. If they do not, then that is not Japan’s fault.
“I read quite frequently on the subject (books, not the internet)”
You might want to choose your sources better.
“and I have a specialist degree in east asian studies at the university of toronto”
Degrees and book knowledge are no replacement for actual experience. They may help you understand what you are experiencing, but only experience will tell you what is really going on. And from what you write, you seem to have very limited, if any, real-world experience with what Japan and Japanese are really like, or the realities of the Zainichi issue.
“My best friend is 3rd generation Zainichi who went through the 朝鮮民族学校 system”
I hate to say this, but if he went through that education system he may have a very big chip on his shoulder. That is the North Korean-run school system, and let’s just say they have some “interesting” ideas.
“Anything written in Japanese is questionable”
Your bias is showing. So, your going to doubt anything written in the language of the people affected, even if written by the Zainichi themselves? Nice.
“Murphy just curious, you ARE white, right?”
I don’t see how that is relevant to the discussion at hand in the least.
April 1st, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I have to respectfully disagree with the conclusions drawn in this post. Without a doubt, the strengthening of the yen against the won is the #1 factor contributing to the decline in foreign tourists to Japan. Of course, the yen’s strength against the US dollar, the Aussie dollar and other currencies comes into play, but South Korea send the largest number of tourists to Japan.
Plotting exchange rates for various countries against numbers of visitors from those countries shows this trend pretty clearly, and shows a very strong correlation. The fingerprint program, while misguided and a waste of money, seems to have no statistical significance on the number of tourists who visit Japan.
While the state of the global economy is also relevant, it is worth noting that in January, the number of visitors from China increased 31.4% to 110,400, while the numbers from Hong Kong and Singapore increased by 34.1% and 35.8%, respectively.
– Thanks Ken.
April 1st, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Apologies all…
I was attempting to articulate that in regard to tourists from HK the two incidents that have caused concern are:
The WTF case of the Japanese customs official losing the stash of cannabis (later recovered in HK tourists luggage/hotel room) and currently the detention of Canto singers Jill Vidal & Kelvin Kwan
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=80236&sid=23281812&con_type=3
Kelvin Kwan admitted ‘possession’ was released (without charge) after just over a month of detention. Jill Videl denied ‘possession’ and is still being detained due to an unnamed ‘controlled substance’ subsequently being found in her luggage.
I do not think anyone really has much sympathy for the pair (especially considering that they were poster talent for a anti-drug campaign in HK) but it has highlighted Japans 23(+)day ‘initial interrogation’. HK has basic/common law and thus Japans system beggars belief per se.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Alex, that’s useful information on the zainichi Koreans. It’s sad how they’re often seen as not being Japanese, whereas in most other countries their citizenship would not be in doubt. (I have no problem with them having Japanese passports while speaking Korean at home, but
A very accessible movie about the lives of zainichi Korean kids is “Uri Hakkyo” (”Our School”), which chronicles a year (?) in the lief of a Korean school in Hokkaido. Worth watching.
April 2nd, 2009 at 2:24 am
Ken… Lunar (Chinese) New Year - Kung Hei Fat Choi this year was in January and falling three weeks after New Years/Christmas there were a lot of very cheap 3/4 day offers for trips to Japan… Easter into Golden Weeks figures I think will be a little more revealing regarding tourism trends in general… will there be an exodus of J-folk abroad due to the strong yen or will the discounted hi-ways tolls mean less overcrowding on the shinkansen?…
Anyhows the topic is does Japan policies towards it’s non Japanese visitors affect regardless of outside influences… my answer has to be a resounding ‘yes’… in a way I wish that Tokyo gets the Olympics just to prove that point (again… as anyone who was here for the FIFA world cup will remember)…
– Not sure I understand your point. Again, proofreading, please.
April 2nd, 2009 at 2:55 am
Well, I have to admit I previously believed the point about the decline in tourism in the US. After reviewing the statistics, I have to reverse my position on that one.
However, I do take serious offense with STP’s comment: “I suspect the percentage are so minimal that the only ones that are having second thoughts about going to Japan are those with prior immigration violations or are wanted in the INTERPOL.”
I will spare you all a repeat here of the very real concerns that innocent people can have. I have posted some of my evidence in other posts, and in the future you will see more evidence. Apart from that, and staying away out of principle, and simply feeling insulted, there may be all kinds of perfectly legitimate reasons not to come or to take other action that I for one missed.
I’d say that people who either voice their concerns, or demand a decent answer, or who stay away, deserve a little more respect and consideration than: “I suspect … that the only ones that are having second thoughts about going to Japan are those with prior immigration violations or are wanted in the INTERPOL.” (You are having second thoughts, therefore…).
But it is my experience that this very statement, along with the eternal “J-bashing” refrain about sums up the ‘care’ of the Immigration Bureau. They do not need any more encouragement to persist in that attitude.
Summary. I’m not sure if the fingerprinting is going to have a negative impact on the number of visitors, though a number of high profile incidents where innocent people get in trouble because of fingerprint mishaps or abuse might just change that overnight. But given the attitude of the Immigration Bureau to people who already know about the problems, I would say that I very much understand the few people who choose not to take any chances.
One last thing. Chuck mentioned a copy of a passport in hotels. That’s not good either, a copy of a passport can potentially be used to take over the entire financial situation of someone. But one crucial difference is that in case of falling victim to identity fraud with a passport, you can at least replace the passport……….
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:10 am
STP writes:
“Sorry Jon. I suspect the percentage are so minimal that the only ones that are having second thoughts about going to Japan are those with prior immigration violations or are wanted in the INTERPOL.”
Sorry STP. That’s two dimensional thinking. I’m not going to repeat what I wrote in post 18 except to say that there are legitimate reasons for people to refuse to travel to Japan or at least have second thoughts about doing so. Incidentally, the South Korean government is considering implementing the same measure starting in 2010. The subheadline of the Korea Times article reads: “Revival of Fingerprinting Expected to Have Adverse Impact on Tourism.” This implies that other people, apart from those with prior immigration violations or those wanted by INTERPOL, might have second thoughts about visiting Korea.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/12/117_36872.html
“And if I may use my anecdote, I have yet to encounter any friends, acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors, or whomever decided not to visit Japan because of their immigration procedures. That’s ZERO. If you multiply that by X, you still get ZERO.”
I don’t doubt you are telling the truth. I also don’t doubt you are in the majority. However, I do doubt it is an overwhelming majority. People tend to gravitate to people towards like minded people. I guess the people I tend to gravitate to are not content with going with flow when that flow is totalitarian in nature. There are millions of us around the world who are unwilling to submit to the growing totalitarianism measures countries around the world are introducing and are numbers are growing daily.
The comments in this blogsite provide a cross spectrum range of thoughts about fingerprinting. Some don’t mind it, other refuse to accept it and then there are those in the middle.
http://www.travelblog.org/Forum/Threads/10700-1.html
“And who cares if in the U.S., Mexicans and Canadians are exempted. It still doesn’t explain the FACT that the number of visitors to U.S. INCREASED after the implementation of USVISIT and very large % at that 2007 versus 2004.”
Canadians and Mexicans make up over half of the visitors to the United States. Therefore, a large percentage increase by them could offset a decrease by other nationalities. This may or may not be the case but it’s why an analyst should care about the fact that Canadians and Mexicans are exempted.
In 2007 the Canadian dollar made some of the strongest gains in the world. In fact it even was worth more than the US dollar at one point (versus a low of 73 cents in 2004). Consequently, alot of Canadians took advantage of this to travel to the US. The Euro was also very strong versus the US dollar in 2007. Yet, according to a report in the EU Digest, European travel to the US declined. Excerpts from the March 2008 report:
http://www.eu-digest.com/2008/03/newscarrentalscouk-fewer-european.html
“Fewer European overseas tourists visit US”
“The number of overseas tourists visiting the United States declined last year.”
“The US Department of Commerce made public key figures earlier today that suggest a noticeable drop in the number of overseas visitors to America.”
“The drop in European tourists to the US, however, is somewhat surprising, considering the fact that these visitors can take advantage of very beneficial exchange rates, since in 2007 the US dollar lost a significant amount of its value against both the euro and the British Pound.”
“In concrete numbers, the US saw approximately 10 million fewer tourists last year than what had been expected.” Comment: WOW!
“Another reason for this drop in tourism to the US from overseas is the increased red-tape related to what seem to be unnecessary US security measures.”
Comment: Perhaps millions of Europeans still have that historical memory of what can happen when you are not vigilant about protecting your liberties and instead acquiece to tyranny.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:23 pm
First of all I want to start off by saying anyone reading this shouldn`t trust Murphy`s previous post.
Murphy it is not worth arguing with somone who hasn`t studied history. I live in Japan buddy. I have lived here for years, My fiance is Japanese and I have nothing but Japanese, Korean, Zainichi (I have zainichi who were raised as Japanese and those raised as Chousenjin. I also have zainichi taiwanjin and chuugokujin friends but they are irrelavant to this conversation) friends and not to mention a huge group of Japanese people soon to become my family. I got into Graduate school here NOT using the 外国人枠 and I speak enough Japanese that not only can one not tell I am foreign on the telephone, but even in person I can say I am half-Japanese and not one person will doubt me for a second. (Ok, maybe one second) What does that say about how acultured I am to this country?
Murphy where do you get off saying that young people ACTUALLY STUDY THE ZAINICHI ISSUE. Are you actually young? I am 21 and I can tell you for a fact that anyone around me from age 16 (age of my kouhai`s at work) to 35 (age of my boss at my main part-time job) has not studied past the `many koreans came to Japan during the war and never left` part. When they weren`t so much going to Japan as they were going to 内地 from the 外地. They didn`t `come` to Japan in the sense we use the word today because they *were* Japanese. So it makes the only sentence in their history books that touched on the issue, not in-fact true.
Good god.
and the Zainichi issue IS the fault of the Japanese government.
I have not only the degree I have the experience as well. Just what did you experience that made you think the Zainichi issue is one of the past? I have BEEN to the 朝鮮民族学校 in Kobe several times and I lived in 十三, near 鶴橋 and in 西成区。But I also lived in areas where so-called `normal` Japanese live like 宝塚 or 西宮。
lastly, yes, Zainichi are not just zainichi koreans, yes I will give you that. There are also zainichi-chinese and zainichi-taiwan. I was just using koreans as a base because they are the largest zainichi population and easier to grasp as a group. You just do not hear about the Zainichi Chinese or Taiwan population much because they are much smaller and the Taiwan group have almost all assilimated.
Oh and on the `beware of Japanese sources` Japanese professors who aren`t テキトウ will tell their Japanese as well as foreign students to be extra careful when selecting sources. Of course it is the same in English Academia but the source citing system is MUCH MUCH stricter in English Acedemia. There are kids in prestigeous universities here (In japan) who use WIKIPEDIA as a source for their essays. good god. If you used Wikipedia as a source in the UofT or any prestigeous (or even a second or third rate) western university you would receive a zero. (I know a korean student at the UofT who has had this experience)
And yes of course you have to be careful when reading something written by the zainichi themselves. By calling me on this point aren`t you contradiction your whole clever inference to `the north korean school has some *interesting* ideas` bit? I bet you thought you were so clever making that little joke eh?
My talking with you is finished. You do not know Japan (nor zainichi Japan) and your post almost almost made me as furious as something written by that ass-clown gregory clark would.
Mark in Yayoi
Yeah I have seen Uri Hakkyo. Very important film in the study of the zainichi problem. Where you you saw it though is something I am curious about. I am pretty sure that a lot of these documentaries are available only on VHS and usually are only available if you go out of your way to look for them. You must be very well informed on the subject.
The problem (from what I personally surmise from my experience) isn`t so much that they aren`t seen as Japanese.(Because even Japanese in the empire with Chousen roots were `Chousenjin`. They just want to be treated equally). The problem is that the government is asking *once again*, that they become Japanese. They did what the government asked during the 36 years of the empire (plus the years previous in which Japan slowly poured into Chosen) and became completely Japanese, throwing away their Chosen identities in order to assilimate into their newfound empire. Not that they had a choice. Then when they lost the war they also lost their Japanese citizenship because part of the sanfrancisco agreement was the independance of Chosen.
All of a sudden *every single chosenjin in Japan* was to either go home or be caught and deported for get this *illegal* entry into Japan. Even though the whole reason they came to the home islands was because they legally *were* Japanese.
Pretty much until the 1980`s when zainichi koreans were granted more than just the `right to stay in Japan`(Hence Special PR) the silent stance of the government was pretty much naturalize or `go home`. Would you refuse to give insurance or pension to somone who you wanted to stay?
The problem with those who still hold onto their chosen identities is Why SHOULD they naturalize? The reason they are still legally Korean in the first place is because Japan didn`t want them here from the beginning of the end of the war. And even if you take Japanese citizenship your are still zainichi. No offense to Debito but how many Zainichi would feel OK with having to go through the same process as him to become Japanese even though they have been born here for Generations and he came here in his 20`s? (Really debtito, no offense)
Murphy doesn`t know what he is talking about when he is saying that if you have japanese citizenship you are automatically Japanese. How many Japanese would consider stars like Wada Akiko to be the *same* as them? Not that people would look down on Wada Akiko but even though she has naturalized people still refer to her as 在日.
There are indians who carry only british citizenship and those who only carry indian citizenship. Why? because britain gave the indian population throughout the empire a CHOICE. Be Indian or be the British subject you have assimilated to be.
There was no choice for the Chosen people.
A plausible solution would be to change the laws to give all people born on Japanese soil citizenship and hope that the problem solves itself over a few generations, but even then those who hold korean citizenship may still apply for their children to be korean at the Korean consulate because Korea is just as stuck on Pureblood主義 as Japan is.
– Are you sure Wada Akiko has naturalized? I’ve heard she came out on her own accord as a Zainichi and still is one.
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Alex:
“I live in Japan buddy. I have lived here for years”
“I am 21″
“I am a graduate of University of Toronto”
“I have a specialist degree in east asian studies at the university of toronto”
“I grew up in an all Chinese-Canadian neighborhood and spoke cantonese by the time I was 10″
I’m calling your bluff. It is theoretically possible to be 21 and a university graduate. But even so, it would mean you only just arrived in Japan, at the very longest you’ve been in the country since last summer. Not “years”.
The University of Toronto’s only study abroad program in Japan is a summer one in Tokyo, not Kansai. So you couldn’t have been living in Japan while studying at university.
“My grammar and whatnot are not weird because I have a bad education (I am a graduate of University of Toronto) it`s because I simply don`t use english in my daily life at all.”
For a (very) recent Canadian university graduate to consistently make the grammar and spelling mistakes you do would be extremely unusual. I’ve been in Japan since before you got out of diapers. I’ve been married to a Japanese who does not speak English since you were allegedly running around Mississauga speaking Cantonese. In other words, I spend most of every waking day speaking and thinking in Japanese. My English has suffered, yes, but I still know to capitalize proper nouns and the first letter of sentences, put spaces between words, etc.
I don’t believe you are who you say you are, or that you know what you say you know, or that you have lived in Japan for years. I am not impressed that you can manage to write (on a computer) place names from around Kansai. And which North Korean school did you go to in Kobe “several times”? Because there is no “朝鮮民族学校” in Kobe. There is the 朝鮮高級学校 and the 朝鮮初中学校, but there is no “朝鮮民族学校” in Kobe.
You’re a fraud, “Alex”, plain and simple. Your story doesn’t add up because it can’t. And we don’t even have to look too closely at it to realize that.
– This is waaaay off topic now. I’ll let Alex reply once if he wants, and then we’ll close this thread within this blog entry to any more comments.
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:47 pm
CNN, March 31, 2009
“I think business travel is down,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “I think leisure travel is down, and I think people are just deciding if they don’t need to fly… if they can drive, that will be the alternative. But it’s all as a result of a very lousy economy that all of us are facing.”
– Link please. Thanks.
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Jon. I appreciate your comments but the links you provided did not convince me at all.
First, your Korean Times link.
“Impact on Tourism
The ministry has yet to decide whether to only fingerprint foreigners newly coming to Korea or to include those who have been here since 2003, the official added.
Many foreigners showed a negative to cautious reaction to the plan.
Mike Weisbart, who has stayed here since 1995, said, “My fingerprints have been on file at the immigration office since 1995 and I have no problems with that. But for short-term visitors, I’m not sure why they need it and, if the system is annoying or invasive, it might run counter to the government’s plan to attract more tourists.”
He said that he basically believes that it is the right of the country to demand visitors give the information if they want to come here. But he said it could have an adverse impact on the government’s plan to attract more incoming tourists. “If the system is poor and is inconvenient for visitors, they will go back to their country and speak poorly of Korea,” Weisbart said.
Another tourism expert, who declined to be named, said the Ministry of Justice’s plan, to be implemented in 2010, contradicts the Ministry of Tourism’s plan to attract as many foreign tourists through various promotion projects.
The U.S. obliges foreign visitors to register their fingerprints and a photo since 2004 as an anti-terrorism measure after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Japan began the system in November last year.
In Korea, the number of foreign residents is estimated at 1.1 million as of now, a figure equal to more than 2 percent of total Korean population. The Justice Ministry estimates the number of illegally residing foreign nationals at 220,000.”
Now. Based on the evidence provided by the writer above, can you honestly say that the article deserves the headline of “Revival of Fingerprinting Expected to Have Adverse Impact on Tourism.”??
And as for the comments on the blogs, all I can say is that saying it on the web versus actually doing it are totally separate and the gap between the two are oceans apart.
And as for the EU Digest, I believe the exerpt
“Another reason for this drop in tourism to the US from overseas is the increased red-tape related to what seem to be unnecessary US security measures.”
came from the editor of the site?
http://www.eu-digest.com/about.htm