Japanese Sexism

 Why Japan can't shake sexism

A short while ago, Yoshiro Mori, the Tokyo Olympic boss, made global headlines when he stated at a Japanese Olympic Committee meeting that women talked too much.  A week later, he resigned, and was replaced by a, younger, female executive.  

Companies criticised Mr Mori’s comments, but some of them have less than 1% female board members — something that needs to change — but to what affect.  Could this be just the tip of the iceberg.  

The topic of gender equality keeps making headlines in Japan, for all the wrong reasons. Indeed, just a few days after Mori resigned, the ruling party hit the news again by announcing that, while it was willing to allow women to attend its all-male board meetings, they would not be allowed to speak.  

These incidents coincide with a steady drop by Japan in global gender equality rankings; the World Economic Forum describes the country’s gender gap as the largest amongst advanced economies. 

An entrenched division of labour has impacted population growth. Some women, faced with the prospect of giving up work or stepping off the career track when they have children, are having fewer children, or none at all. Japan’s birth rate is currently at a record low. Its marriage rate is also plummeting – one factor there is that men worry they can’t support a family on just their salary. 

Japanese society’s unspoken etiquette: in general, people don’t get into arguments, particularly with their elders. Japan is a country where people find it difficult to speak out regardless of your age or gender, it is said, If you do, you could be seen as selfish. 

It’s the Japanese concept of “reading the air” – kuuki o yomu  in Japanese. Even if you find someone’s remarks sexist, many choose not to confront the issue, so that the situation doesn’t become awkward. In the past, even if these leaders were criticised, they were able to apologise. 

I must close, for the moment, with a related comment that is not discussed or debated.  The Japanese ancient culture is quite unique and, in my view, should be preserved.  Dropping Japanese demographics will introduce, so-called, multiculturalism.  Should there be some concern that within a few more generations, the clam, serene, Buddhist temple culture will be replaced by the amplified voice of a muezzin. 

Have you noticed how the unaddressed subject of immigration appears everywhere.

Politics 20 - Put Up, Shut Up, or Get Out

In today's copy of Maclean's magazine, Andrew MacDougall writes the following Opinion; “Bernier’s warning about ‘radical multiculturalism’ has outraged Canadians, including fellow Tories — and will test Scheer’s leadership of the post-Harper Conservative Party” .

In the same edition, Scott Gilmore writes; “In the long list of problems facing Canada, multiculturalism doesn’t even make the top hundred. Let’s give Bernier’s rant a pass.”

Mr. Bernier was, no doubt, referring to the PM’s statement, “Diversity is what makes Canada strong.” A statement that, on its own, may assume some merit but, which, hides a multitude of problems equal to those in Pandora’s box.

Suffice to say that I am enraged by their foolishness in the face of facts, only for political gain, especially when we are referring to a Conservative party.

It is said that, surely, Mr. Bernier would not have criticized the Ukrainians who farmed the Prairies, the Italians and Greeks in Montreal (not to mention the Irish) or the Chinese in Vancouver, but we seem to have a multiculturalism problem today, that is identified by mismanaged immigration. In my view, whether multiculturalism is a curse or not, we need managed immigration (not xenophobia) but we do not need anyone who believes that Sharia laws are inevitable. Thus, Islamophobia is not going away, because we are sensitive to the anger from our great-grandchildren who will curse our souls.

I hope that Mr. Bernier has the courage of his convictions.

Please comment

8,000 Pageviews

We're at 8,000 page views, with a few changes to show.

Firefox leads the browsers, followed by Google Chrome, and then Microsoft Explorer.

Operating systems were lead by Linux, followed by Macintosh, and then other Linux systems.

Canadian, US, and UK viewers were most common, with an interesting number from Australia and France.  Not to mention a couple of agents from Poland and Ukraine.

Titles that gained the most 'hits' since my last report were:

• World Domination - An Essay (June, 2015)
• Aerospace 10 - Bombardier CS300 (February, 2015)
• Bottles Of Water (June, 2015)
• Religion 2 - Are You Religious? (August, 2011)

Comments were concentrated at:  

• Politics 2 - Multiculturalism (August, 2011)
• Politics 8 - Percentage Formula (August, 2013)
• Education 10 - A Ticking Time Bomb (November 2014)
• Politics 10 - Vladimir Putin, A Question (January, 2015)
• 
  

I have a feeling that 'Percentage Formula' has an irresistible title ... and may be relegated to the penalty box next time.

Politics 2 - Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism, even in a political sense, may be interpreted in various ways.  Generally speaking, it has come to mean the argument for extending equal status to distinct ethnic and religious groups without promoting any specific community values.

Originally, in my opinion, it was thought to lead towards assimilation and monoculturalism.  But, now, this commendable idea seems to have failed.

We have a global society that is multinational and where everyone in the developing countries, today, because of the Internet and other forms of international media, desires a higher standard of living ... and we cannot be critical of that.  The problem is the perceived entitlement of citizens of poorer countries to emigrate to richer countries and, this, they will attempt to accomplish illegally, if necessary.

As I said in the introduction, it is “extending equal status to distinct ... groups without promoting any specific community values”.  Therefore, it accepts religious beliefs dependent upon observance of the country’s laws and constitution.  For example, if Sikhism requires a man to carry a knife, the knife should by symbolic and unable to cut.  If Islam requires a women to be modest, it is too extreme to completely cover the face, and security laws must predominate.  If genital mutilation is considered to be a violent and disfiguring injury, then, those who carry out such acts must face the full force of the law.  Finally, Sharia law is not part of Canadian law, and any attempt to include parts of it, must be strongly resisted.

Ask an immigrant from Somalia (for example) if they are, either, a Somalian, a Somali Canadian, or a Canadian (assuming citizenship), there should only be one answer.

Assimilation was never going to be successful and, now, it seems that multiculturalism is a failure too, at least, according to many powerful world leaders — Thus, another look at our whole immigration philosophy is necessary.

Therefore, it is a political requirement ... highlighted in Norway, recently.


Is that a controversial comment to make?  I hope so.