Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Jun 5, 2016
Japan's police still unfettered by the law, or the truth
by Debito Arudou
Repeat-offending Ibaraki police called to account for backsliding on the issue of hotel snooping.
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE May 1, 2016
Enjoy your life in Japan, for the moments
by Debito Arudou
After more than 30 years of studying Japan, I've learned to appreciate one thing people here do well: living in the moment.
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Jan 31, 2016
Osaka's move on hate speech should be just the first step
by Debito Arudou
Ordinance officially 'Japanizes' the naming and shaming of haters, which is at least a start.
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Jan 3, 2016
Battles over history, the media and the message scar 2015
by Debito Arudou
A rundown of the top 10 human rights issues of the past year as they affected non-Japanese residents.
Voices | COMMUNITY CHEST Dec 31, 2015
The issues that grabbed you or got your goat in the Year of the Sheep
Readers praise and pan Community articles from the past 12 months.
Issues | THE FOREIGN ELEMENT Dec 23, 2015
Much jaw-jaw about war-war: the year 2015 in quotes
by Debito Arudou
The past year has seen a number of tugs-of-war, as conservatives promoted past glories and preservation of the status quo while liberals lobbied for unprecedented levels of tolerance.
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Nov 1, 2015
Tackle embedded racism before it chokes Japan
by Debito Arudou
Japan has a dire problem it must address immediately: its embedded racism. The country’s society and government are permeated by a narrative that says people must “look Japanese” before they can expect equal treatment in society. That must stop. It’s a matter of Japan’s ...
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Oct 4, 2015
Japan rightists' patient wait is over as conveyor belt of death shudders back to life
by Debito Arudou
With the security bills now law, the next step is to put soldiers on the conveyor belt and feed them to the sacrificial altar of Yasukuni.
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Sep 6, 2015
Why Japan's right keeps leaving the left in the dust
by Debito Arudou
The left keeps losing, and much of it is its own damned fault.
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Aug 2, 2015
Claiming the right to be Japanese — and more
by Debito Arudou
If Japan cannot get over the conceit of having to "look Japanese" to be treated as one, then it cannot make "new Japanese," and the country will continue to sink into an insolvent economic abyss.
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Apr 5, 2015
Viewed through a religious lens, Japan makes more sense
by Debito Arudou
Ever noticed how Japan — and in particular, its ruling elite — keeps getting away with astonishing bigotry? Recently Ayako Sono, a former adviser of the current Shinzo Abe government, sang the praises of a segregated South Africa, effectively advocating a system where people ...
Issues | JUST BE CAUSE Mar 4, 2015
U.S. author recounts 'lecture' he got about 'comfort women' from uninvited Japanese guests
by Debito Arudou
The American historian whose book has been slammed by the Japanese government for its content on WWII sex slaves speaks out.