Author: Adamu

Shameful: Cosmetic maker scraps TV commercial mocking blacks


Japan Today had this the other day:

TOKYO — Cosmetic maker Mandom Corp has stopped airing a TV commercial containing an expression mocking black people, company officials said Tuesday.

In the commercial for face blotting paper for men, several black people wipe sweat off their faces with the paper, while a chimpanzee with a curly hair wig and a multicolor outfit imitates them and wipes its face besides them.

The commercial had been on air since March 28, but a human rights group criticized it for putting black people on the same level as apes.

After consulting with lawyers and advertising agency officials, the company stopped airing the commercial June 9 and has also stopped using a printed version of the ad in magazines, saying it “lacked an international sense of ethics.”

Motonobu Nishimura, a company executive, said, “We are very sorry. We apologize to viewers and other people who felt offended.” (Kyodo News)

Here’s a characteristically nonsensical reaction from 2-channel, Japan’s virtual men’s room stall:

  • You can’t blame them. If you ever see a black smiling in a high-class car you can’t help but think they’re a drug dealer. Who’d buy such a car?
  • But Japan’s population is smaller than the number of blacks in the world! (tr: ie: We’re the minority!)
  • It wasn’t right to treat blacks as badly as we treat the Koreans.
  • What would happen if a few white people wiped sweat from their faces and then some blond ancient Greek with dark skin started mimicking them?

    • It should go without saying that this is totally unacceptable so I won’t say anything more about it unless someone comments. And I mean the racism, not the fact that they are marketing makeup to men, though I’m not a big fan of that either.

    Here’s an excerpt from a protest letter, signed by Debito, who was involved in the movement against the commercial:

    I find this advertisement to be highly offensive, particularly the use of a chimpanzee mimicking the actions of the Black men portrayed in the commercial. Visually equating Black men as “apes” or “monkeys” is a particularly egregious racial slur due to the fact that for hundreds of years, Black men have been referred to as apes in an effort to dehumanize and degrade them. Much of the anti-Black racist literature has claimed that Blacks are more akin to apes than to human beings, and the image of the ﾒBlack bruteﾓ has been used to associate Black men as dangerous ape-like savages.

    Furthermore, dreadlocks in the colors of red, gold, and green are Rastafarian religious symbols. The dressing up of a chimpanzee in such garb would be akin to dressing it up as a Buddhist monk or a Shinto priest. It is highly offensive to members of a particular religious group, one that is particularly identified with Blacks of Caribbean origin, and should be avoided.

    The use of a chimpanzee mimicking the behaviors of Blacks, in addition to its use of religious symbols as a costume, is, at the least, an extremely insensitive and tasteless attempt at humor. At the worst, it can be construed as a blatantly racist and degrading portrayal of Blacks. We request that Mandom Corporation terminate the broadcasting of this commercial immediately. Furthermore, we request that Mandom Corporation show greater sensitivity when portraying Blacks in future advertisements.

    As someone living a sheltered life in the multicultural and liberal DC area, I’m curious to see examples of other countries (like China — scroll to the bottom to read about Condi’s treatment there) regarding black people with the same casual disdain that the above commercial revealingly portrays. Because outside of areas with large African populations, I suspect that it’s pervasive. At the Korean grocery in Virginia there’s an oreo ripoff cookie called “Black White” or something like that and on the cover are a cute cartoon white person and a grotesque, big-lipped black person cartoon. I was kind of shocked but then I thought Korea can’t be too different from Japan where comments like, “I wouldn’t want to eat food prepared by a black guy because it’s dirty,” are uttered as small talk, though perhaps not around the gaijin-san.

    UPDATE: Shimizu4310 has an interesting take on the issue:

    [Quoting from the apology letter] “Blacks are similar to apes,” that’s just too precious. Next we won’t be allowed to make jokes about afros! No more Danceman, Karaoke UGA (click the bottom link to see a HUGE afro), or Sergeant Afro? Human rights groups (Who are they and where did they come from anyway? They certainly aren’t the people from the commercial.), please tell me!

    [Re: the protest letter] Umm… just looking at the ad, let me say a few words. Why are they using black people in their ads? Because black people are cool! This is a country where gyaru exclaim, “I wanna be black!” lest we forget.

    If they intended to make fun of blacks OR apes, I seriously doubt they would make an ad like this. (I don’t know about the home country of Mr. “thoughtful denizen of Japan”, though! [tr: a dig at Debito I’m sure]).

    More wacked out Japanese Spam

    This starts out sounding like a disgruntled employee trying to get back at his boss, but ends up being just another ploy. Enjoy:

    Subject: Destroy this site please.

    Target URL: http://knowledge.yahoo.co.jp/ (tr: address changed to protect the innocent)

    Hello, everyone, I started working part time at this online dating site 6 months ago, and at first I pretended to be a woman (nekama) and was pretty good at it, getting several responses from customers. But a difference of opinion with the boss got me sent to the spam department where I send tens of thousands of spam messages a day. I guess this e-mail would also be considered spam, huh? Yes, of course it would.

    OK, enough about me, here’s the reason for this e-mail. I want you all to to help destroy the most profitable section of this company to get them back for moving me to the spam department. This would be beneficial to you all, and the company won’t even know why it’s happening, leaving them with nothing to do but cry about it. Here’s the strategy:

    1. Enter your gender, location, nickname, e-mail address and password and send it in.
    2. An e-mail will come back to you with a login link. Use that link to login with the user name and password you created.
    3. This will take you to the profile entry area, so quickly make a profile and proceed to the member’s menu.
    4. Enter the verification code to use the free 500 points, a 5,000 yen value.
    5. This will be a good value for you. Now preparations are complete for my strategy to make the company cry.
    6. Now the important part: After seeing your profile men pretending to be women (nekama) are certain to come at you. Those with no dot before their nicknames are all nekama, and those with a dot are all “free” (tr: ie: real), so only respond to those with a dot before their names. Check this in the profile lists. There should definitely be some members with and without dots before their names. DEFINITELY do not respond to the ones without dots. That’s because if you use all your free points on nekama the strategy is a failure! After that you can all enjoy talking to the “free” women. I mean, there are only about 12-15 of them each day! Since they are definitely not nekama the probability of meeting them should definitely be much higher, so keeping in touch with them won’t be a waste of time. I can imagine the worried faces of my bosses when they see that registrations are up but they aren’t responding to the nekama. HAHAHA!
    Remember, the target site is http://news.goo.ne.jp/

    That is all, you may begin your mission. Thank you very much.

    Umeda Hankyu Department Store to be Rebuilt

    From Asahi:

    Construction to begin August 16

    Hankyu Dept. Stores announced that it would begin construction on the rebuilding of its flagship store in Umeda (Osaka Kita-ku) on August 16. Beginning in the South part, they will complete the first stage of construction by Fall 2007. Since the store will lose 30% of their its total sales floor space during construction, Hankyu plans a broad reduction in its living room and food merchandise while maintaining the present level (90%) of floor space for its main product, clothing. It is a strategy aimed at minimizing the effects of construction while trying to attract customers in the fiercely competitive North District of Osaka.

    The reconstruction will come in two stages, to be fully completed in the Spring of 2011. After completion, the new building will be an composite commercial building (41 stories above ground, 2 below, with the department store taking up 13 of them). Sales space will expand from the current 61,000 square meters to approximately 84,000 square meters to become the largest department store in Japan.

    However, the company predicts that it will not be able to avoid a loss in revenue during the construction, placing an estimate of 25% from current sales numbers (192,000,000,000 yen in March 2005). Such concerns drove the decision to change the sales structure in an effort to increase sales as much as possible.

    After beginning construction, Hankyu will tear down an event area in the north side of the store and build a new 5-story building in order to save floor space. They will also install a temporary sales area above the concourse of Hanyku Umeda station.

    This will create 5,000 square meters of floor space, securing space for women’s clothing, dry goods, and cosmetics. They will also eliminate some of their restaurants and a rooftop playground.

    Further measures to counter revenue losses will be needed when the second stage of construction begins in Autumn 2007. By 2014, Hankyu plans to open 4 suburban department stores and 6 supermarkets a year in an effort to transform their revenue structure.

    In “Kita” the North District that includes the JR Osaka Station area, rival department store Daimaru is also planning an expansion, and Mikoshi, which closed in May, has plans to open a store in a new building on the north side of Osaka station. While enduring a rebuilding period, Hankyu is attempting to grow in scale and “maintain its position as number one in the region.”

    Comment: I’ll miss the old Osaka, but maybe the new one will look even cooler somehow.

    China to ban foreign animation during prime time

    The East China Daily reported that the Chinese government plans to ban popular Japanese anime and American cartoons from prime time television (5-9pm) in an effort to develop domestically-produced animation.

    It is as yet undecided when the ban will take effect, but it is said that regulations on cartoon character merchandise are also possible. The moves are sure to set off debate both in and out of China since such laws may violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. The Daily writes that this may affect attendance at Hong Kong Disneyland, set to open this September.

    China’s television stations are already required by the government to include Chinese-made cartoons as 60% of their cartoon schedules, but outside of China Central Television, this rule is not being followed by regional stations. It is said that this is the reason why the CCP decided to take stronger measures.

    America’s Disney cartoons and Japanese anime such as “Captain Tsubasa” (a soccer-themed cartoon), “Chibi Maruko-chan” (a family-oriented comedy), and “Super Magic Hero Wataru” (Some fantasy thing) are popular.

    Gourmet Watermelon “Densuke” auctions for 280,000 yen

    The first-ever auction of the black-skinned watermelons known as “Densuke”, a delicacy of Hokkaido’s Tohma village, took place in markets in Asahikawa and Sapporo on June 10th.

    The 15 melons auctioned in Asahikawa weighed, on average, 8kg with a diameter of about 30cm. A-Coop Asahikawa, a regional supermarket, paid the highest price, or 280,000 yen for one. This price was the same “charity price” as last year (tr: i.e. the Coop overpaid to support the farmers).

    The melons this year are smaller than usual due to poor sunlight but are reported to be sufficiently sweet. During the peak time at the beginning of July, the melons will sell for a few thousand yen apiece mostly in retail stores in Hokkaido and the Tokyo area.

    Tohma began raising the Densuke 「田助」 melons 22 years ago, and the unique name comes from a comic actor’s stage name. It also has the meaning of a rice field whose crops were rotated due to yield reductions (tr: or a slang term for a portable tape recorder).

    I just can’t get used to this クールビズになじめない僕

    I mean… he looks good… but all these years of seeing stuffy politicians in suits make this somehow feel wrong:

    And the ads are attractive enough:
    (More Cool Biz goodness at Nichinichi)

    I just can’t get my head around it.

    Thankfully, Koizumi’s still wearing a suit to Diet sessions at least (but forgetting his badge, the klutz):

    They just look so… relaxed:

    But umm.. wtf is this and what does it have to do with not wearing a tie?!

    Continue reading I just can’t get used to this クールビズになじめない僕

    【和訳】北朝鮮に関する米政府の最近の発言　Just because: Stuff American officials have said about North Korea (Japanese ONLY)

    If you care about this stuff, go to the White House (boring and patriotic), State Dept. (elegant and easy to navigate), and Defense Dept. (slick and expensive-looking) websites. It’s all there in English.

    ブッシュ大統領
    ５月３１日の記者会見にて

    Ｑ：イラク戦争の前にあなたは「イラク戦争は他の国のＷＭＤ開発の抑止となる」と言っていたが、実際はイランや北朝鮮では何の抑止にもなっていないじゃないか。

    Ａ：北朝鮮は２０００年以前にも隠れた兵器プログラムを持っていた。我々は北朝鮮と２カ国協約を結んでいたが、北朝鮮はそれを破った。それで、私は政策を変えて、北朝鮮が核開発プログラムを廃止するように他の国の参加を呼びかけた。
    中国が「責任のある国家であれば、兵器プログラムを廃止しろ」と我々と同じことを言っていることが重要だ。 日本、韓国、ロシアも同じことを言っていることも重要だ。
    北朝鮮の件で問題が山積みであるがやめるわけではないし、責任のある国家として扱って欲しいなら、参加している５カ国を聞かなければならないとはっきり分からせることに努力を続けるつもりだ。

    Q:　今朝あなたは北朝鮮を扱うのに外交がベストな手法だと言っていたが、失礼だけど、「外交は何の成果を果たしておらず、むしろ北朝鮮核開発を進歩させたじゃないか」と言う人がいる。
    Ａ：　はい。
    Q How do you — what do you say to them? そういう人にたいしてどう言い返すか。
    Ａ：　さて、考えよう。もし外交が間違った方法であれば、次は軍事だ。それは私の考え方、外交か軍事かだ。私は外交に賛成である。だから、あらゆる提案は検討中だが、外交で解決する機会がある。

    チェイニー
    先週：チェニー「金正日は無責任」とののしったことに対して、北朝鮮の報道はＣＨＥＮＥＹのことを「血に飢えた獣性」と言い返した。

    ライス国務大臣

    ５月２６日・ＢＬＯＯＭＢＥＲＧとのインタビューにて

    Ｑ：アメリカと中国にとって今年でもっとも重要な成果とは何か。

    A:　色々な面で米中関係が強くなったので、全体的に米中関係は強くなっている。江沢民の完全なる引退をゆえに実力を固めた胡錦涛大統領はとてもいい関係を確立している。北朝鮮の核問題で協力と調整を維持している。未だに解決されていないが、アメリカと中国が、特に北朝鮮と近隣国家である中国が受ける大変なプレッシャーを受けているにもかかわらず、外交を通じて「非核の朝鮮半島」に関して継続的に取り組んでいることはかなりの成果だと思う。
    対テロの面でも協力を強くなっており、ほぼなんでも正直に、そして露骨に話せるような関係を作った。

    Ｑ：中国が６カ国協議において役立っていると言っているが、中国は米国が（北朝鮮と）もっと実質的な２カ国協議を行って欲しいと言明している。なぜアメリカは２カ国協議をしないか。

    A:　それは、既にその道で１９９４年に協約を結んだが、違う手段で核開発を図ってそれをすぐ破ったからだ。
    アメリカは北朝鮮と２カ国協議を行うと、ＮＫがケチを言って米朝間の問題にすることができる。しかし、米朝間の問題ではない。地域はどんな形になるのかや、核を持った北朝鮮は朝鮮半島に存在するのかという問題で、それは日本、韓国、中国、ロシア、それからアメリカの安保にとってどんな意味を持つかという問題だ。
    ６カ国協議の本当の成果は何かというと、いまだに北朝鮮問題を解決していないが、核を持った北朝鮮はアメリカの問題だけじゃなく、北朝鮮の近隣国全部にとって問題であることをハッキリさせたことだと思う。その枠組みを維持しなければならない。我々は（北朝鮮と）はなしている。コミュニケーション目的（交渉目的じゃない）でニューヨークを通じて（北朝鮮と）はなしている。６カ国協議の形でも話している。北朝鮮と話すことが怖いわけではない。ただ、その会話がどんな形を取るかという問題だから、その形が米朝の二カ国関係についてであれば、話すことはあまりない。

    Ｑ：この５年で核技術を拡大してきたのにかかわらず、それに対する罰は極めて軽かった。そのまま続けないと思わせる理由はあるか。

    A:　罰は軽かったとは思わない。機会費用ならいっぱい費やしているに違いない。１９９９,２０００,２００１年には、ロシアと拡張的な関係について協議があった。ルーチンは北朝鮮を訪れた。日本と外交正常化についても協議があった。南北対話も大きく進歩していた。我々も２００２年に北朝鮮に対して「大胆なアプローチ」という政策を準備していた。それはリビアに対するアプローチとよく似ており、アメリカや地域全体にももっと改善した関係への道でもっと正常的な関係につながるはずだった。

    ラムスフェルド防衛大臣
    ６月４日・International Institute for Strategic Studiesにて

    Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, Saturday, June 4, 2005.

    世界で最も自由と圧制の違いがはっきりと現れているところは朝鮮半島と言えよう。
    私は「夜で見る朝鮮半島」の衛星写真を机の上に飾っている。ＤＭＺの下、南の半分にはほとんど光に覆われている。それは電力、活発している経済、それから生き生きしている民主主義のある国家を意味している。そして、ＤＭＺの北をご覧になれば、ピョンヤンのわずかな光を除いて暗闇しか見えない。北でも南でも同じ国民で、同じ資源を持っている。その違いは自由だ。政治的自由と経済的自由。
    現場に行けばその対象がさらにハッキリして、意味深いである。大韓民国は自由な国民と自由な市場における活力（ＤＹＮＡＭＩＳＭ）の一例である。
    比較すると、北朝鮮におけるスターリン主義政権を考えてみてください。あそこでは：
    反体制の人の子供や孫が強制労働をさせられる
    逃れた難民が外国から拉致される、それから
    飢餓に遭っている国民が一粒のご飯を見つけるために荒地を探す。

    北朝鮮で数ヶ月子供の医療をしていた欧州の医者はこう言った。「北朝鮮では二つの世界がある。ひとつは軍事高官・高層の人たちの世界と、もう１つはそれ以外の人たちのための生き地獄。
    北朝鮮の「核の野望」は地域の安保・安定の脅威となり、拡散の前科からみれば世界の脅威ともなる。ブッシュ大統領や後の４カ国の首脳は６カ国協議に戻るよう促している。
    それから、アメリカは近隣国の成長を支援してきた開放性と自由を抱くよう促している。
    北朝鮮が６カ国協議に戻るのに大きな役割を果たせる国家といえば、その国は中国である。
    アメリカや多くの国々は外交、経済、世界の安保など多くの場面で中国と協力したい。多くの国々は平和的で豊かで自由な地域という目標を促進させるようなアジア太平洋構造作りに賛成的である。他国間の取り組みは重要である。中国はその協力に大きな役割を果たせる。

    Japan’s Vocabulary Power: 19% of Private University Students at Middle School Level

    From Mainichi Shimbun via Yahoo News:

    It was found that the vocabulary strength of Japan’s university students is decreasing in a survey of major universities and 2-year colleges. The survey, conducted by independent government-run organization Media Education Development Center (Located in Chiba City), found that 19% of private university students and 35% of 2-year college students have the vocabulary of “a middle school student’s level.” An increasing number of universities are instituting classes or supplemental courses such as “Japanese Techniques” or “Japanese Communication Practice,” but this survey underscores colleges’ unease about this issue.

    Professor Hiroshi Ono and others at the Center conducted a preparatory survey of approximately 20,000 middle and high school students. Based on those results, they rated college students’ Japanese skill from “first-year of middle school” to “better than 3rd-year of high school.”

    For the survey, the Center created a “Japanese Skill Diagnostic Test”, a multiple-choice format test in which takers must choose the correct meaning of 75 words, since it is possible to decipher the “speaking, writing, and reading skills” that make up “Japanese skill” based on the richness of a person’s vocabulary. 7052 freshman at 19 universities, 6 2-year colleges, and a national college of technology (a total of 26 schools) took the test, and their levels were determined by comparing them to the preparatory survey.

    The results? The percentage of students at national public universities (3 schools) who were under “3rd year of middle school,” meaning they didn’t understand words like “鶴の一声” (Tsuru no hitokoe = voice of authority/ word from the top) and “露骨に” (rokotsu ni = frank/conspicuous/broad), was 6%, but at private universities (16 schools) that number jumped to 19%. 35% or more than one third of 2-year college students were at a middle school level. The number stopped at 4% for the national college of technology students.

    It is necessary to have high school level Japanese in order to understand a college class. In a similar survey conducted from 1998-2000, the rates of middle school level Japanese were 0.3% at national public universities, 6.8% at private universities, and 18.7% at 2-year colleges. The decline in vocabulary skill is striking.

    Professor Ono said of the survey, “On top of the relaxed education policy and the decline in reading among students, Admissions Office Policies that do not require major-specific exams and recommendation admission (practice of high schools making deals with universities to accept a certain number of students each year) are creating a situation where a diverse group of students are mixed together at private universities. At 2-year colleges as well there is a worry that students won’t be properly educated without supplemental Japanese classes.” (Yukiko Motomura Reporting)

    Click below to test YOUR Japanese (I stopped at Chu-2 🙁 )! あなたの語彙力を判定しよう！下をクリックしてください。
    Continue reading Japan’s Vocabulary Power: 19% of Private University Students at Middle School Level

    Man on date “kidnapped”, cash stolen using a woman from a matchmaking site as a decoy

    From ZAKZAK:

    At around 2am on June 6 in Ohashi 1chome, Okayama, 3 or 4 men forced a company worker (25) into their car while he was with a woman he met on an internet dating site. The men beat the man on the head while the car was moving, taking 5,000 yen and his mobile phone, and freed him an hour later on a city street 3 or 4 km from where he was kidnapped.

    The man sustained a broken nose which will take 3 weeks to heal. Okayama’s East Precinct is investigating the incident as a robbery and assault.

    According to reports, the men threatened the man before kidnapping him, saying, “What are you doing with my woman?!” They consider it a strong possibility that the woman was friends with the men. The men were all 18-20 years old.

    Comment: Poor guy!!

    Philly Cheesesteaks Suck — My trip to Philadelphia


    First, let me tell you why I’m writing this: THE HYPE SURROUNDING PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS IS A LIE AND MUST BE STOPPED. They are disgusting and deserve none of the fame that they have gained. Now let me explain:

    I recently had the chance to visit beautiful Philadelphia with Mrs. Adamu. The first capital of the United States includes a major monument to its role in the American Revolution in the center, which was certainly very impressive but not quite impressive enough to actually make me wait in line to see the liberty bell. Mrs. Adamu and I were soon bored, on our way home we decided to try the famous Philly Cheese Steak at Geno’s Steaks in South Philly — the biggest mistake I’ve made in a long time.

    I felt betrayed as soon as I took the first bite and was greeted with hot blandness. All the hype, all the anticipation amounted to this:

    Listen to the ingredients: Steakums, cheez whiz, and chopped onions on a soggy Portuguese roll. WTF? That’s it? This is the same crap I’ve been heating up in the microwave as a last resort food for years! What gives, Philadelphia??

    The only thing that made it edible was the hot sauce that was available in the condiments section. At least then there was something to taste.

    Initially I blamed myself. Had Japan tainted my taste buds so that I can no longer enjoy classic American food? Mrs. Adamu, a native Japanese, supported this initial suspicion. But then, no, I reasoned, I still like root beer, cheeseburgers and pancakes, so I must still be American enough to have an objective opinion.

    So how could this have happened? Millions of people must be cheated out of their money each year based on the false assumption that something is different about Steakum sandwiches in Philadelphia. What a scam.

    Clearly the cheese steaks are popular — there were stands all over the historical district and both Geno’s and the place across the street were lined up. Why weren’t more people spitting out their food and demanding their $6.50 back? I mean that’s a lot to pay for what’s basically the equivalent of peanut butter and jelly.

    The answer came to me in a message from God. Without warning someone in a car shouted “NAZI FUCKS!!!!” in our general direction and sped off. Were they talking to me? (I shave my head so who knows) I looked around:

    (Read here for more about this guy and Mumia)

    (Note the tribute to 9-11 next to the Freedom Fries — aside from us and some other tourists, the rest of the customers were cops and firemen)

    It was at once obvious that this place that serves its dubious delicacies with a heaping help of local pride and admiration for the most prominent local heroes, cops and firemen. These people don’t come here for good food, they come here because it’s part of their identity.

    Now, that’s all well and good, but why must cheesesteaks then become something pawned off on unsuspecting out-of-towners? Perhaps because without cheesesteaks and the liberty bell, there isn’t exactly much to differentiate Philly from, say, Boston, DC, or other second-tier American cities. Yet I can’t accept the idea that any claim to fame is better than none. You might as well brag about having the world’s best green beans. These things are BLAND, BORING, AND SHAMEFUL. All Philadelphians with any self-respect would do well to shut these scheisters down before they can do any more harm. Besides, I hear they’re run by Nazis.