Sachiko Ishikawa

We all know “wokeness” is spreading. People who’ve always had privilege feel threatened by sharing their space with people “who aren’t like us.” Women. PoC. LGBTQ+. Disabled people. Anyone from all economic backgrounds. All religions. All jobs.

(Sure, of course, of COURSE they want ‘them’ to have rights... just, you know, somewhere else. Just not here. Because I’m here. And I’m comfortable.)

Japan is at this juncture in time where technology is advanced (though companies still use fax), the streets are safe (if you’re a cis man), the police are diligent (if you’re a cis man), and service is excellent (if you’re a cis man).

At the same time, Japan is still stuck in this feudal era pseudo-philosophy train of though where patriotism (racism), manliness (sexism), hard work (slavery), uniformity (bigotry) is upheld with pride.

“We are the land of the samurai!” Sure. Whatevs. It’s 2019, there are more white and blue-collared workers and neets today. That shit doesn’t fly anymore. So basically Japan is a land that enforces everything the white patriarchy has ever stood for.

And with the wokeness elsewhere, white mediocre cishet men flee to the comfort of a country that is so up its own ass with bigotry, they feel right at home. This is why these white cishet men won’t talk about feminism in Japan: because they don’t care.

They don’t care about the horrific working conditions of the PoC community here. They don’t care about the LGBTQ violence. They don’t care about disabled people living in the street. They don’t talk about homelessness. “Just get a job,” they say.

Overtime is rarely paid under the cover of “みなし残業” contracts up to 20 or even 40h a month. Where women cannot climb the corporate ladder because they might get married or pregnant. Where PoC aren’t welcome even if they have better qualifications than a Japanese person.

White mediocre cishet men feel comfortable ignoring in Japan what they’ve ignored in their homecountries. They will say “Ah! Japan is excellent!” because they will be at the top of the privilege ladder. Let’s face it: out of all foreigners, white people are the welcome ones.

You claim that “Japan doesn’t need to follow the rules of wokeness like in western countries” because you’re forgetting that wokeness = human rights. You already have those, so why do you care, amirite? It’s because of people like you that Japan is late changing.

Ignorant, evil, unjustifiable people like you is why Japan continues to hold its head up in pride instead of down in humility. “Japan is humble?” HAH. Don’t make me laugh. Japan needs to listen to women. To PoC. To LGBTQ. To disabled people. To sex workers. To everyone.

This isn’t a matter of colonialism, this is a matter of what’s right. And I’m telling you, you with your racism and misogyny and homophobia and transphobia and all and every kinds of bigotry, are not fucking welcome here.

It might not happen in my lifetime, but l’ll be damned if I allow you to delay this country’s impending and necessary reality check.

Disclaimer: hashtag not all men, not all whites, not all misogynists, not all racists, not all bigots.