The Impact of COVID-19 on Foreign Residents in Japan: Support Measures and Japanese-Style Multiculturalism

I was recently invited to give an online talk on the impact of COVID-19 on foreign residents in Japan as part of the Waseda Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies Seminar Series run by the Institute of Asian Migrations (IAM), a project research institute at Waseda University. The title was quite a mouthful: "The Impact of COVID-19 on Foreign Residents in 'No Immigration' Japan: Structural Inequity, Japanese-Style Multiculturalism, and the Loss of Social Capital." Not wanting to put off my regular readers, in this post I'm going to give a brief summary of the main points. Any masochists wanting the full presentation can actually watch it HERE on YouTube or read the full paper HERE, though probably not recommended for those of a non-academic ilk! 

I started off the talk with a visual (below) showing the key events relating to the spread of COVID-19 in Japan. This shows the five waves of COVID-19 (with a big jump after the Olympics!) as well as the four state of emergencies (green arrows). One point I highlighted was the re-entry ban for foreign residents - including most permanent residents like me - which ran from April to August 2020. This was seen as discriminatory by many at the time, but I learned after the presentation that the reason was, apparently, due to a lack of PCR test kits. Why the government didn't explain this at the time and instead let discontent fester is rather difficult to understand.

I've talked in other posts above Japan's "No Immigration" Principle, an institutionalisation of the ‘homogeneous people’ ideology of Japanese identity that explains Japan's resistance to migrants and a proper migration policy. The Waseda talk used that as the ideological base to explain the experience of foreign residents during the pandemic. The following figure, based on the content of calls to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government helpline for foreign residents, illustrates the financial and mental impact the pandemic has had on the foreign community in Japan.

In terms of support measures, the government response was refreshingly flexible and inclusive, treating foreign residents, for the most part, the same as Japanese. However, as the diagram below shows, equality is not the same as equity: although, in theory, much support was available, in practice it was often difficult for foreign residents to access these resources due to language and other problems. 

The rest of the presentation focussed on Japanese-style multiculturalism (tabunka kyōsei =多文化共生), a non-integrative exclusionary policy that serves as one of the key barriers in providing equitable support to the foreign community. An extension of the 'homogeneous people' ideology, I discussed how it isolates and disempowers foreign residents, failing to foster the skills and abilities they need to access resources equitably and become fully-functioning independent members of society. Indeed, one of the key themes of the presentation was belonging: about the only time I have ever heard the government acknowledge that we foreign residents are members of society (shakai no ichi'in =社会の一員) was when they wanted us to fill out the census forms. I remember seeing the ad below in my newspaper and nearly choking on my morning coffee: apologies for the coffee stain!

Yearning for the Real Japan: Showa Nostalgia at Seibu Amusement Park

Copyright ©SEIBU Railway Co.,LTD

They say nostalgia isn't what it used to be - except in Japan, where it's never gone out of fashion! In fact, the Showa retro boom or Showa revival - the Showa Era, named after the reign of Emperor Showa (Hirohito), ran from 1926 to 1989 - has shown no sign of losing steam 40 years on from when it first emerged. As I wrote about in a blog post on the Shitamachi (downtown) Museum in Ueno, the boom/revival started in the early 1980s and is marked by a yearning for a "real" or "authentic" Japan with warm community bonds and people who are "honest, forthright, and reliable" (Buckley, p. 529). It is also characterised by a yearning for a economically strong and thriving Japan: Inamasu notes that the boom is for the most part centred on the period 1955 to 1974 (Showa 30s and 40s) which roughly coincides with the so-called Japanese economic miracle. In other words, the boom focuses on nostalgia for a time of cultural and economic growth, a "hot" (nekki=熱気）period of excitement and fervour, when Japan was on its way to becoming Number One.

Copyright ©SEIBU Railway Co.,LTD

Seibu Amusement Park in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture (right next to Tokyo), is a good illustration of the incredible longetivity the Showa retro boom has enjoyed. Built in 1950, smack in the middle of the Showa period, it underwent a big extension and re-design for the 2021 season, with a grand re-opening on May 19th 2021. The theme? Why the Showa era of course! As well as the world's first Godzilla ride - most of the classic movies were shot during Showa - and a children's area based on the work of the "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) - you can't get much more Showa than Atom Boy! - the centrepiece is a new "Sunset Hill" Shopping Street (Yūhi no Oka Shōtengai =夕日の丘商店街) bursting with shops, shopkeepers, and street performers lifted straight out of the period. From stall holders playing drums on the pots and pans in the kitchen-ware store and singing banana-sellers, to story-telling with pictures (kami-shibai＝紙芝居) and cafes selling cream soda the detail and level of immersion is incredible. There are even police officers chasing a thief! See here for the marketing vision behind the creation of a place where "people can find happiness."

Though the boom has been particularly enjoyed by the so-called baby-boomers who experienced the period first-hand, it is also notable how young people have flocked to this retro chic, as a walk down Sunset Hill Shopping Street shows. Quite why a wistful yearning for a bygone era should be attractive to this generation - aside from its obvious instagramability (instabae=インスタ映え in Japanese) - is a little puzzling. Wallin, in a piece that attempts to answer this question, quotes from a Tokyo tourism industry employee as follows: “Because many Japanese millennials only see hardship in their future, it’s no wonder they look to the past. They see a time that still had a bright and hopeful future.” In these bleak days of never-ending COVID news, it is perhaps no surprise that the simplicity and safety of a world long gone has provided a refuge to both old and young. But it also offers some puzzles and mysteries for the youngsters: how exactly, asked my daughter, do you use a rotary dial telephone?

Looking Back over the Olympics: Pride and Fear

 

In the June post, I wrote (pre-Games) about why the Japanese didn't want the Olympics; now the Games have finished, a lot of people have been asking what the prevailing mood and sentiment is now. I can probably sum this up in two-words: "mixed-feelings." On the one hand, Japan's record medal haul (including 27 golds) certainly got people excited and proud, especially success in "traditional" events like judo in which Japan has under-performed in recent years. On the other hand, during the Olympics we saw a huge spike in COVID-19 cases: as I write, we are at a record 25,000 cases a day (including a record number of serious cases), including almost 5,000 new cases daily in Tokyo, with medical infrastructure seriously stretched and ambulances unable to find beds for patients. Below, I'll look at these two sides in turn.

The strong performance of Japanese athletes - by far surpassing the previous record haul of 16 golds in 1964/2004 - saw a large number of people (64%) glad the Olympics went ahead (kaisai sarete yokatta=開催されてよかった). The number who thought the games should have been cancelled (25%) was also much lower than before the games (in my pre-olympic post numbers hovered around 40%). 

On the other hand, Prime-Minister Suga's approval rating reached a new low (35%) with many sceptical of his insistence that the Olympics were not to blame for the spike in cases. Certainly, the scepticism was a little unfair since the Olympic bubble, aside from a few infractions, more or less held: an incredible 624,000 PCR tests were conducted with only 138 positives (0.02%), including 29 athletes. No events were disrupted. The Organising Committee announced over 550 COVID-19 cases connected to the Games in total, the high figure perhaps reflecting the thoroughness of the testing. But while the bubble did succeed for the most part in stopping infections from the 80,000 or so visitors, as Shigeru Omi, Japan's Fauci, argued the Olympic atmosphere undoubtedly contributed to a rise in public complacency. The result was a huge spike in cases that forced the government to extend the (4th) state of emergency on August 2nd and further on August 20th. 

The mood hasn't been helped by news that the government covered up the first case of the deadly Lambda variant of the coronavirus identified in Japan which was brought by an Olympic worker from Peru in July. And the story of a newborn baby who died after the coronavirus infected mother couldn't find a hospital to accept her and was forced to give birth at home received blanket coverage and shocked many Japanese to the core. In sum, distrust in the government really couldn't be higher - expect the LDP to crash and burn in the upcoming House of Representatives elections - assuming, that is, Suga is still at the helm after the LDP leadership election on September 29th. 

UPDATE: Suga announced he was stepping down on September 3rd, continuing the "Olympic jinx" that has seen every prime-minister quit the year the (Summer/Winter) Olympics were held in Japan: 1964, 1972, 1998, and now 2021.

The Spectator-less (new) National Stadium (Kokuritsu Kyōgijō=国立競技場). Thanks to L for the fantastic pictures.

Back to Basics: Lilies, Lotuses, and Lanterns in Japan

Back in March 2017, this blog started as a place to share the things I see when out and about; as the header implies, it began with a strong nature focus and posts were short and frequent. Today, more than 200 posts and some 128,000 views later, the posts are much longer but less frequent (once a month); the content has also taken a much more culture and society turn than originally intended. With this in mind, I'm going "back to basics" and today am going to introduce the wonderful and extremely colourful array of flowers which I enjoyed during my daily dog walks during Japan's rainy season (yes, rain, shine, or typhoon Jaz insists we go out!).

Clockwise from top left: African Lilies (アガパンサス), Barbados Lily (白筋アマリリス), Flame Lily (グロリオサ), Madonna Lily (マドンナリリー), Orange Daylily (ワスレグサ), and Tiger Lily (オニユリ）

 

The first images are of lilies, those large trumpet-shaped colourful flowers which catch the eye at this time of year. Delightful to observe, comparing the English and Japanese names is also rather interesting. For example, the Orange Daylily is so-called because it only flowers for one day so the Japanese name wasuregusa (literally "forgotten plant") is no surprise! I noticed hundreds of tiny white aphids on the stems of these lilies (inset), aphids which eventually turned orange (like the lily) and sprouted wings. How strange!

(L to R) Indian or Sacred Lotus bud, flower, flower with stamen visible, and dried seed cup

 

Speaking of lilies, the water lily is revered in Japan (reflected in Japanophile Monet's many Water Lily and Japanese Bridge paintings). A few of my neighbours grow these amazing plants - more accurately known as Indian/Sacred Lotus or Hasu in Japanese - in large pots of water since it is obviously aquatic (the minimum water depth is about 30cm). The lotus root (renkon) - a crunchy, starchy, slightly sweet potato with holes - is a popular food in Japan, apparently making up about 1% of all vegetables consumed! One of the most beautiful sites to view these plants is Shinobazu Pond in the south of Ueno Park; in the summer, the surface of the pond is almost completely covered!

Another plant of note at this time of year is known as Asian (or Chinese) Lizard's Tail (ハンゲショウ) so called because each flower spike resembles a reptile's tail (?). This is actually a herb - in the past it has been used to treat inflammation - and can grow more than one metre high. The Japanese name Hangeshō can be written as either 半夏生 or 半化粧, the latter literally meaning "half make-up" reflecting the way the leaves appear to be painted half-white, as if someone had taken a white make-up brush to them but never finished the job. 

To finish off on a seasonal note, our final example is the Chinese Lantern (ホウズキ), also called the Devil's Lantern (鬼灯), a flowering plant with large bright red and orange airy husks covering its fruit. In the past, elementary school students would "pop" the balloon-like husks and gather the mini-tomato like fruit inside. As pictured, these lantern-like plants appear in shops in the run up to the holiday of Obon (August 13-16 this year), a key holiday when Japanese honour their ancestors who are said to briefly return to the world guided by lanterns - real or plant-based - hung in front of houses. Then, at the end of the holiday, the lanterns (or Devil's Lantern) are placed into rivers to guide their ancestors back to the underworld. A market/summer festival dedicated to the plant known as Hōzuki-ichi (ほうずき市）is held every year on July 9th and 10th near Senso Temple (浅草寺) in Asakusa.

Profit over Human Life? Why Japanese don't want the Olympics

Out in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, the other day, I spotted an Olympic/Paralympic countdown clock cheerfully informing me that there were only 30 days to go until the games begin (they start July 23rd). The Japanese slogan read minna no kagayaki, tsunageteikō (everybody's radiance/brightness, let's join together). Now, given that we are in the middle of a pandemic, one that appears to be getting worse rather than better in a country whose vaccination program is way behind the rest of the world's, "joining together" seems like a monumentally bad idea. But Tokyo taxpayers like me whose money has been poured into this $26 billion plus black hole, don't have much of a say on the matter.

What do you think about holding the Olympics?

 

So what do the Japanese public think about holding the Olympics? The pie chart shows a combination of last month's Asahi and Mainichi polls which show 41.5% think they should be canceled (中止する・すべきだ）and 31.5% saying that they should be postponed again (再び延期する・再び延期すべきだ). A Yomiuri poll from this month showed a similar picture, with 48% opting for cancel. The number of respondents thinking they should be cancelled has been growing steadily over the past year. 

The pandemic has meant that most of the opposition to holding the Olympics has been online, though there was a small protest in front of the Tokyo metropolitan government building (Shinjuku) on June 23rd (article and video here). Online, English hashtags such as #This is no time to stage the Olympics and #cancelTheOlympics have been trending; Japanese hashtags include #オリンピックより命を守れ and #五輪より命は大切/大事 which both say that lives are more important than the Olympics. Meanwhile, an online change.org petition has gathered almost 500,000 signatures (English here and Japanese here). 

Even the Japanese Emperor has joined the chorus of concern and is apparently very worried about a spike in infections during the games. Public - and royal - concern merely reflects the opinions of medical professionals both inside and outside Japan. The Tokyo Medical Practioner's Association called in May for the Olympics to be cancelled saying hospitals are already overwhelmed. When I was in Tachikawa, I passed Tachikawa Sogo Hospital which has a huge sign in its windows beginning with the word fun'nu (憤怒) in red meaning a hotpotch of anger, rage, resentment, indignation, and exasperation. Thereafter, the message reads 医療は限界！五輪やめて (“Medical capacity has reached its limit. Stop the Olympics!”) and below that もうカンベン！オリンピック無理！("Give us a break! The Olympics are impossible!")

But the government has not listened - or cannot listen - to any of this. With the Japanese Anthony Fauci, Shigeru Omi, chief of the government's virus sub-committee, now resigned to the government's decision to go ahead with the Olympics, preparations are in full swing. The state of emergency ended Sunday (June 20th) and with it the rule which banned the serving of alcohol. Now, restaurants are allowed to serve alcohol (the first time in 2 months) but only to a maximum of two customers for 90 minutes (here). Spectators have also been set at 10,000 or 50% of the venue capacity, whichever is lower, a decision that Omi vehemently disagreed with. To add insult to injury, spectators were originally slated to have access to alcohol (Asahi is one of the Olympic sponsors); only after an outcry that the Olympics were getting preferential treatment while ordinary businesses were suffering was there a U-turn.

While most delegations have yet to arrive, the Uganda delegation - only the second group to fly-in - arrived at Narita Airport the other day cheerfully waving their national flag; soon after, one of their coaches tested positive for the Delta variant. The response? Quarantine the coach only and bus the rest off to Osaka, accompanied by various local officials, guides, and drivers. The day after, a second member tested positive and soon everyone was in quarantine with new rules being drawn up - too little too late, like much else about the government's ad-hoc response.

Amid signs of another COVID spike and possible fifth wave, those of us who remain unvaccinated will have to put up with the circus that is the Olympics over the next month. Quite honestly it is difficult to know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe the former is the healthier response. John Oliver's take on Tokyo holding the Olympics is rather funny; The Mainichi Shimbun's parody of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, depicting IOC executives gorging on broadcasting rights, was very clever; and newspaper stories about the distribution of 160,000 condoms during the games amidst strict rules to avoid "unnecessary contact" brought a wry smile to the lips. Nevertheless, the laughter is mixed with despair. Indeed, the overwhelming emotion is anger, anger that, ultimately, profit is being put before human life. For further reading, check out the book below for a good analysis on the connection between Japanese politics, society, economy, culture, and the Olympic Games.

Click to preview

 

Giant Robots and Miniature Plastic Models: Gundam as Japan's Star Wars

There is a genre of (military) science fiction in Japan that is known all over the world: giant machines (=mechs, known as meka in Japanese, from the English mechanism or mechanical) controlled by ordinary soldiers. Easily the most famous - and first - of these is Mobile Suit Gundam (機動戦士ガンダム), a 1979 TV series which, despite the name, depicts robots many times bigger than their human pilots: the size of the mechs differentiates this genre from fitted "suits" worn by the likes of Iron Man (though inspiration did apparently come from the powered armour featured in 1959 Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers). 

In Japan, the impact of Gundam has been compared to that of Star Wars in the United States: the Japanese military (SDF) even code-named its advance personal-combat suit Gundam! Regarding pronunication, be sure not to make the same mistake I did and pronounce it as "GUN-dam": even though the first syllable does come from the English "gun" it is pronounced "gan" in Japanese and making this mistake will elicit stifled sniggers (and possibly worse among hard-core fans). Another interesting piece of background was that Yoshiyuki Tomino who wrote and directed the series apparently saw it as a anti-war commentary on Japanese agression in Manchuria in 1939 (though he has never explicitly discussed the message of his work). See here for the official English fan site.

Recently, I visited a life-sized (19.7m) replica of the Unicorn Gundam at Odaiba, Tokyo, standing in front of the DiverCity shopping mall (the 7th floor boasts the massive Gundam Base store). Four times a day the Unicorn switches to battle mode which sees its frame expand and emit a pink glow. Right behind the statue there is a Gundam Cafe which sells take-away snacks and memorabilia. More recently, an 18-metre moving Gundam statue opened in Yokohama which unlike its Odaiba cousin can flex all its limbs, move forward and even kneel down (video here). Unfortunately, unlike Odaiba, at Yokohama you have to pay to see the robot (and pay even more if you want to ride up to the observation deck for a closer look).

Although the original TV series was cancelled after only a year due to low ratings, it was the release of Gundam plastic models or Gunpura (often written as Gunpla but always pronounced ganpura =ガンプラ) in 1980 that revitalised the franchise. The ensuing years saw a slew of films, manga, DVDs, and spin off TV series whose popularity spread to Asia (from the 1980s) and North America and Europe (from the 1990s). Interestingly, it was not an Asian country but Italy which was actually the first to air the series outside Japan, in February 1980, and to this day many Italians fondly remember growing up with the programme (though Captain Tsubasa seems to be the most loved Japanese anime among football-crazy Italians). Today, Gunpura have a cult following and in Japan at least the word has come to refer to the actual practice of building the models rather than simply the models themselves. Gunpura reportedly make up 90% of the Japanese character plastic model market and have sold over 700 million units worldwide (as of March 2021), figures boosted by a rise in interest during the pandemic (the first ever English guide was released in 2020). If you want to start off with a simple one, why not try your luck at the newly opened Gashapon Department Store in Ikebukuro which boasts 3,000 capsule toy vending machines (known as gashapon or gachapon). In the words of the character Yuki Tatsuya, "Gunpla is freedom - you can build it as you like." Or as Gundam Unicorn said, "Only mankind has a god - a "god" by the name of "possibility." Was Star Wars ever this deep?