The Guardian and other newspapers have reported that the E-Mobile CM showing a monkey in a suit addressing an election rally was pulled. E-Mobile denies accusations of racism but has decided to pull the advertisement.
E-Mobile stressed it had used the macaque mascot in several other adverts and never intended to insult Obama but had decided to pull the “Change” ad in response to criticism in the blogosphere.
We at Black Tokyo applaud E-Mobile’s decision to remove the culturally insensitive advertisement. No matter what others think, this is not only a Japan issue nor is it an issue that is only important to Black Americans.
Some bloggers strongly disagreed with Black Tokyo’s decision to question E-Mobile’s advertisement. Sites such as Japan Probe believed that the average Japanese viewer could not make a connection between the E-Mobile CM and Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for Change. Instead, it was felt that the Japanese would draw a parallel to the Japanese television drama, Change, starring Kimura Takuya (Kimutaku).
According to UPI Asia Online, “83 percent [of the Japanese] were closely following the election coverage – slightly more than the 80 percent of Americans who took the same survey. Japan’s expat community on a popular blog mirrored the poll’s results: “Interesting how Americans could care less about who’s running for Japanese offices, but Japan is all over American candidates,” wrote one blogger. “America is the focus of attention quite frequently.”
E-Mobile’s chief executive, Sachio Semmoto, told Reuters: ”We had no bad intentions, but this is a cross-cultural gap issue and we have to accept it. There are African-Americans in Japan, so we decided to take prompt action and shut down the ad.”
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I received this from Debito regarding a [World Famous Company] in the Debito regarding a [World Famous Company] in the Tohoku region of Japan that refused to employ a young Japanese man probably because he’s half/biracial/double a.k.a. in this situation, not Japanese. The [World Famous Company] even retracted their original job offer!
Apparently after the interview, the young man was separated from two other job applicants who also passed their employment and health tests. The two “full” Japanese were given jobs at the main location and the “half” was given a job seven kilometers further away from the place he was promised employment. That place does not even have a dining hall.
Now I do not know if there were only two positions at the main location or if test scores had anything to do with the decision but the young man sensed that he was a victim of racial discrimination. He kept his mouth shut for fear of not getting the “other” job. Mind you that this is not the job that he was interviewed for. The interviewer told the young man that the decision to place him in another location had nothing to do with him being half Japanese. Hmm! That does not seem like a normal thing to tell a person that you just interviewed.
A couple of things stick out: The interviewer knew from the young man’s rirekisyo that he was born in the area, went to youchien, elementary school, junior high and high school in the town the [World Famous Company] is located. The young man was raised as a Tohoku person as can thus speak the local dialect. More importantly he has a Japanese Koseki.
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Reported by the BUNGEI SHUNJU (Page 236, July 2008 Issue)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) picked new senior officials at the Japanese Embassy in the United States.
“Ichiro Fujisaki, former ambassador at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Geneva, who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in 1969, has arrived at the post of ambassador to the United States, succeeding Ryozo Kato, who served in the post for six and half years.
Kenji Shinoda, former consul general in Chicago, who entered MOFA in 1976, has assumed the post of deputy chief of mission, the no. 2 post at the Embassy. The appointments of Fujisaki and Shinoda have now filled the two vacancies there.
But the future will not be easy for them. The reason is that Fujisaki was unexpectedly appointed ambassador because the ministry had failed to promote Ambassador to Britain Shin Ebihara to the post of administrative vice minister. There is a rumor that in picking his successor former Vice Administrative Minister Shotaro Yachi, who has a reputation of being a patriot, gave priority to protecting the order in the ministry over national interests. Read the rest of this entry »
Wow! I have received many emails regarding my posts on E-Mobile’s commercial (CM) that parodies Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for Change. Many wrote to inform me that the CM is only a parody of a Japanese television drama. I try to keep an open mind but E-Mobile does not get a pass on this one!
As presented in my posts and comments, Blacks have had to combat negative images and stereotypes in Japan (and elsewhere). One can easily turn on the television in Japan to watch a variety of programs that still show the CONTINENT of Africa as some backwards land or Blacks in America and elsewhere as the problem to whatever plagues a country. With that said, there are also some positive portrayals of Blacks on Japanese television. I am just doing my part to make sure that there are more.
Other replies that I received asked: Why don’t you focus on more positive things? My reply: Who say’s that I don’t! Let’s just say that I am doing my part to present a positive image of Blacks and of America. When I proudly wore the US Marine Corps uniform, I presented myself, my service, my nation, and just as important my “image” as a Black male in the most positive manner. Why? That’s how I was raised and “conditioned.” Part of my conditioning comes from understanding the power of an image and power of positive action.
For example, when there is news in Japan on Blacks or negative press relating to the US Forces Japan, I try to get the “rest of the story” from my various sources in and around Japan not only to provide a fair and balance report but to get the ura (behind-the-scenes, on the street, or underground) Japan version. If you have followed the Black Tokyo Discussion Board for the past nine years, you know that I report on both the good and bad and I tend to not sugarcoat things!
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Well it seems like the foreign press picked up on my Obama is a Monkey in Japan? story. Addressing the E-Mobile CM is important to me because America, considered the richest and most powerful nation in the free world, is on the path of putting a Black male in the White House. Some folks are eager to point out that Obama is not really “Black” but biracial or multicultural. Some tried to give him the Tiger Woods moniker of self-identity. Some have felt that the one-drop rule can go by the wayside, while others equate the “other” side as being the “reason” for Obama’s successes. One minute Obama is Black, another he is not Black enough.
Now, if you throw a monkey into the mix, whether it was due to racist intent or just plain stupidity on the part of a manufacturer, advertiser, or E-Mobile, then it sort of keeps the kokujin (Black person) marginalized at the highest level. The funny (not really) part is that I have received emails telling me that Obama will have a tougher time dealing with the Republican party in his quest for the White House and that the E-Mobile CM is not a cause for me to get my Afro out of shape. I protested when a Japanese singing group wore blackface (to show their soul) and I got in the mix when the “new” release of Little Black Sambo hit Japan. Color me crazy I guess!
I have talked and blogged myself crazy on issues regarding Blacks in Japan. Blacks share many notable experiences and achievements in Japan but there is still work to be done in improving our image in Japanese society. The Black experience and the use of the Black Other in Japan as a tool, scapegoat, or invisible entity in Japanese media, political circles, businesses, and in other circles is something that must be examined and corrected.
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I received the following question from a new BT reader this afternoon. He asked: “Why do you find Japan so fascinating?” My quick reply to the question: “I find Japanese history and culture fascinating, the Japanese interesting (from a sociological point-of-view) and life in Japan, as a case study of a nation trying to gain respect in the international a.k.a. multicultural world order. The new BT’er also asked: “Why don’t you focus on Africa instead of Japan?” Well, here comes the long answer!
Unlike past “norms” when life in Japan was mainly reported from the point-of-view of the victim or victor of wars with Japan, my current norm for examining Japan has more to do with how the Japanese and Blacks have interacted over the centuries. For example, some of my research looks at how the Japanese viewed and formed opinions of Blacks over the ages. We were seen:
- as warriors like Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758 - 811), a Black man who is considered the first Shogun of Japan during the early Heian Period (check Chinese and Japanese historical records)
- as servants for the Dutch (1543)
- as samurai, like Yasuke (1582), who was personally trained by Daimyo Oda Nobunaga and later played a crucial role in Nobunaga’s last battle Honnou-ji no hen
- as minstrels thanks to Perry’s sailors in blackface
- as Little Black Sambo
- as marginalized negro soldiers during the post-World War II occupation living in segregated barracks (i.e, Tachikawa AB)
- as whatever those that import “their” prejudices teach, preach, or tell
- as our own worst enemy as times
Other parts of my research deals with the works of Black and Japanese scholars who focus on African & African-American - Japan relations.
“Contrary to popular misconception, there are large numbers of Black scholars whose academic research has nothing whatsoever to do with skin color or race relations” (Fikes, Jr., 2002).
To help the BT’er better understand why I chose to focus on Japan, I recommended the following publications from my constantly growing library:
- African Presence in Early Asia (Rashidi and Sertima)
- African American Views of the Japanese: Solidarity or Sedition? (Bracey)
- The African American Encounter with Japan and China: Black Internationalism in Asia, 1895-1945 (Gallicchio)
- The Black Samurai: A Novel of Feudal Japan (Bracey)
- Black Samurai: Work, Travel, Culture, Religion, Struggle, and Perspective of a Black American Man (Brown)
- America Encounters Japan: From Perry to Mac Arthur (Neumann)
- Securing Japan: Tokyo’s Grand Strategy and the Future of East Asia (Samuels)
- U.S. Japan Strategic Reciprocity (Olsen)
Many Black academics often fall into certain academic fields that connect them to the color of their skin. There is nothing wrong with this but I want to follow the path of Blacks that have made it possible for other Blacks to provide information on Asia, in my case Japan, from an Afro perspective.
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Okay, time to post videos to help you learn Japanese.
Be sure to check out the language links located in right sidebar under 2.1 Japanese.
Gambatte ne!
You know, People do not realize how colonized their minds are by stereotypes! This morning during breakfast I had time to read the numerous comments on my post, “Obama’s a Monkey in Japan?” Some of the comments were outright nasty and hateful; others were worthy of a reply. After breakfast, I decided to drive to the Apple Store in order to pick up a new Mac Book and other goodies to help me in my mission to finish my book. During my drive, I could not stop thinking about the replies I received. Even after my first attempt to further address the issue of using a monkey to parody Senator Obama, it seemed that I must continue to inform, educate, present, or piss off (please choose the appropriate word or add your own) those that read the Black Tokyo Blog.
My journey to Japan began with James Clavell’s movie Shogun. The reality of Japan hit me square in the head in 1981 when I touched down in the Land of the Rising Sun. Hopefully, I can help readers understand why “I” and others that have been a part of the BT Community for the past nine (9), yes nine, years discuss things in or about Japan from an Afro perspective. Our reality is not the same as “Gaijin-san.” Does this mean Japan is not welcoming for we Afro-types? Not by a long shot, I enjoy living here. We know where we stand (I couldn’t rightfully use kneel) as “non-Japanese” in a slow but evolving society that seeks international recognition on a broader scale.
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Well the first round of feedback on E Mobile’s “Yes, We Change” commercial shown on TBS and TV Tokyo’s World Business Satellite comes from one reader that thinks Black Tokyo harbors a “bitter racist” and from the website Japan Probe:
While I respect everyone’s opinion, let me clear a few things up and respond to comments such as these:
- “The only people who find this racist are LOOKING for racism; butthurt gaijin who need to get a life.”
- “Taken completely out of context by foreigners, this commercial will appear racist.”
- But hey - why would e-mobile parody a currently-broadcast weekly TV drama starring a very popular and bankable idol when they could instead enrage foreigners everywhere by a blatantly racist parody of the Obama campaign!
These comments mischaracterize and misinterpret what Black Tokyo is all about. Black Tokyo presents information and discussions on Japan from the Afro perspective! The Black Tokyo Webmaster and Moderators have ZERO need and time to LOOK for racism. Believe me, we have better things to do! In my 27-years of dealing with Japan (as a US Marine, US GOV Civilian, businessman, linguist, actor), interacting with my Japanese spouse, in-laws, and numerous friends, and 45-years of dealing with “things/issues/other” considered Black, I respectfully disagree with the comments above. Come on now, do not insult me and my intelligence. The E-Mobile commercial is doing that just fine!
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Hello BT’ers!
Well it seems like the ugly head of racism has reared its big head again on Japanese television. E Mobile’s new cell phone commercial seems to depict a presidential campaign with “red” supporters (red is E Mobile’s corporate color and not representative of the Democratic Party (blue) in this case) in the background holding signs the say “Change.” While change is good, having the candidate depicted as a monkey is not!
Am I crazy to think that the monkey is supposed to represent Barack Obama? Given the track record for companies in Japan that use monkeys and blacks or monkeys as blacks in advertisements…maybe not!
I am sure that many of the BT’ers remember the Mandom advertisement and television commercial that had African and African-American males playing the role of Rastafarians and a monkey playing the role of…. well a black man! The tag line for the product was, “strong enough to even clean “their” skin!” Thanks to The Community and the power of protest via email along with my interview with the Asahi Shimbun, Mandom issued a public (newspaper and television) apology.
Click here to see the EM Mobile video. Be sure to send the Chairman and CEO, Sachio Semmoto, and President and COO, Eric Gan, a message! It seems like E Mobile would have used better judgment in producing such a commercial since one of their outside directors is Peter Cowhey, Dean of the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California San Diego. Cowhey formerly served as Chief of the International Bureau, Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
To end on a positive note, I previously posted that it seems like the majority of Japanese believe in change and in Obama. Hopefully other people will also believe and change. Be sure to let me know what you think!
We have all heard about the murders in the Akihabara district of Tokyo, Japan committed by Kato Tomohiro. What you may not have heard of are the debates or rationalization of why the incident occurred. Global Voices Japanese language editor, Chris Salzberg (writer/translator and graduate student living in Tokyo, Japan) has an excellent post on the Akiha Massacre:
“When all the dust had settled and the knife rampage in Tokyo’s Akihabara district last Sunday, which took the lives of seven people and left at least 17 injured, had come to a close, many were left wondering what it all really meant. Some pointed the finger at video games, while others pushed for stronger net monitoring. But whilenews media commentators tried to ease anxiety [ja] that there might be deeper social forces at play in murderer Tomohiro Kato’s motives, bloggers offered less simplistic interpretations.”
Click here to read part 1 of his report.
In the second part of his story, Chris discusses citizen media and the Japanese reaction to the use of blogging and other forms of communication via social networks to document the incident in real time:
“In the last post, I summarized some of the many blog conversationsabout social background to the massacre in Tokyo’s Akihabara district on June 8th. Another aspect of the tragedy sparking many discussions was the way the incident was covered through the citizen media: through blogs, but also through Twitter [ja], and most controversially through the use of streaming video [ja]. As blogger Akihito Kobayashi pointed out [ja], while this was not the first case in Japan where a news story broke first through these new forms of media, it was a very clear sign that times are changing. EvenNHK, Japan’s national broadcaster, was apparently using pictures off the Internet taken with mobile phone cameras by people who just happened to be on the scene.”
Click here to read part 2 of the Akiba Massacre.
The Black Tokyo Moderator, Zen, recently turned me on to a blog called Grits-n-Sushi. The Uchinanchu (Okinawan) blogger and UC Berkeley graduate student Mitzi Uehara Carter, Mit-chan, as her friends call her, is of Okinawan (Japanese) African-American ancestry.
Mit-chan has some very interesting views (and questions) on race and identity. For example, her observation of a New York Times article questioned why the writer did not go deeper to bring out the complexities of race and racialization in general such as “why is that you need to identify yourself as a racialized subject” and in our current political landscape, “in what ways do racial allegiances mirror or disrupt the notions of citizenship?”
The avid sailor and Kung-fu master, Zen discovered that the up-and-coming sailor, writer and activist Mitzi-chan and her Psychiatrist husband will to sail to Okinawa (her mother’s birthplace) located in the beautiful Ryuku island chain of Japan. While in Okinawa, Mitzi-san will reconnect and complete her thesis. While she’s soaking up the sun, I hope that she soaks up a few Orion beers and some Sokisoba for me. Having lived in Okinawa for four-years, I can vouch for the great people, beaches, and SOKISOBA!
Mit-chan served as a panel member during a forum held in San Francisco’s Japan Town. The forum explored Okinawan Identity, History, and Culture and how it relates to the Okinawan Diaspora. Her presentation on being “in between” explored the contradictions that exist between identity, history, and culture and how they reflect the ideas, thoughts and experiences of Okinawan-Americans, mixed-race Okinawans and Amerasians. Featured was performance artist and writer Denise Uyehara who showcased ”The Senkotsu (Mis)Translation Project.”
The BT family would like to send our congratulations to Mit-chan for having her essay published in the book, Multiculturalism in the New Japan. Be sure to check out Mitzi-san’s blog, Grits-n-Sushi.
It seems that most people around the world widely expect the next POTUS (President of the United States) to better U.S. policies toward the rest of the world, especially if Barack Obama is elected.
The chart shows global views on economics and the U.S. presidential race. Here are a few facts:
- 77% of the Japanese surveyed have more confidence in Barak Obama to handle world affairs properly.
- 83% of the Japanese are closely following the U.S. presidential election.
- Many in Japan, Turkey, Russia, South Korea and Mexico said the election would change little.
- Hillary Rodham Clinton, who lost the Democratic nomination to Obama, generally was rated higher than McCain overseas but lower than Obama!
Don’t forget to vote! You can read the article
here.
I was turned on to the group Soul Tribe Connection via King Tone of Zulu Nation Japan. I am sure that many of you have listened to J-Pop, Enka, or other genres of music from Japan but I am curious to know what you think of J-Soul.
Be sure to check out Soul Tribe Connection, Zulu Nation Japan, and other artists (independent and signed) in the J-Soul, J-Hip Hop, J-Reggae categories.
Having trouble keeping up with the hogen (dialects) in Japan? Ever wonder how the Japanese say, “crazy,” for example in different parts of Japan (refer to the map above)? Most of you know that it’s baka in Tokyo, Aho in Osaka, or Dala in Kanazawa for example.
Check out Yahoo! Japan’s website GoTouchi to learn more fun facts about the Japanese language.
