- A statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela stands outside the former Victor Verster prison near Franschhoek, South Africa. Mr. Mandela was freed from the prison on Feb. 11, 1990.
- Associated Press
South Africa’s ambassador to Japan has responded to a newspaper column by a Japanese author which advocated racial segregation for foreign workers in Japan, saying the column glorified South Africa’s notorious apartheid system.
In a letter to the conservative Sankei Shimbun, which published Ayako Sono’s column Wednesday, Ambassador Mohau Pheko wrote that racial segregation was a crime against humanity and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere in the world, according to the paper. Sankei said it received the letter last week.
Ms. Sono’s column addressed Japan’s shortage of workers and the need to recruit foreigners to fill certain positions, particularly caregivers. She wrote, though, that it would be better if foreigners lived separately from Japanese.
“Since I learned the situation in South Africa 20 to 30 years ago, I’ve come to believe residential areas should be separated, so whites, Asians and blacks will live among themselves,” she wrote.
Ms. Sono has written several dozen novels. She told The Wall Street Journal on Friday that she didn’t see any need to correct her column.
Sankei Shimbun also released a comment Saturday from its chief editor in Tokyo saying the column represents the author’s personal opinion and that it was natural for readers to respond differently to it. The newspaper doesn’t condone racial discrimination or segregation such as apartheid, the editor said.
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