[/floatr]The Sankei today has an opinion piece by Kanji Nishio on its website. Nishio is a well-known critic who has been a leading light in promoting the use of controversial history textbooks in schools. I can't do justice to the piece with a full translation but here's a taste.
Nisho considers the idea that discussion of imposing restrictions on foreigners in Japan has become something of a taboo subject. He starts by looking at the sumo world and says it is evident that the domination of foreign wrestlers is driving away fans and causing young Japanese to turn to other sports. He argues that western operas and orchestras aren't dominated by Asians so why should a cultural product like sumo be unprotected? He thinks this taboo, or fear of being accused of being racist, extends to discussions about local suffrage for permanent residents and subsidies for non-Japanese schools. He rails against the Korean schools which he says get subsidies to indoctrinate pupils in anti-Japanese beliefs. He fears the possibility that Chinese permanent residents will have local ward offices and boards of education at their beck and call.
Nishio is a scholar of German literature and points out that multicultural policies in Europe are causing great unrest with local children sometimes the target of bullying by immigrant children and local residents feeling driven out of their communities. He argues that unless the Sumo Council takes stronger initiatives to reclaim the dohyo for Japanese wrestlers then Japan could well face the same kind of problems in the future.
8O8O8O8O8O
.
