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July 06, 2025
 

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Debito Arudou

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Debito Arudou
Debito is the Just Be Cause columnist for the Community Page and has been contributing to The Japan Times since 2002. Author of eight books, including "Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants and Immigrants" (2nd Ed.), "Japanese Only" and the novel "In Appropriate," his most recent work is "Embedded Racism: Japan's Visible Minorities and Racial Discrimination" (Lexington Books). He has been a naturalized Japanese citizen since 2000, and his daily blog and archive is at www.debito.org.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Dec 31, 2020
2020 was a watershed year for Japan's foreign residents
Increased discussion on the status of biracial Japanese, media misinterpretations of foreign communities and a bungled border policy made up our 2020.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 20, 2020
Remain calm when stopped by the police in Japan
Non-Japanese residents face a pretty high chance of being randomly stopped by the police. Make sure you know your rights ahead of time.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 6, 2020
'Low IQ' kids, parental rights and problematic terminology dogged Japan's international community in 2019
Of the issues non-Japanese had to deal with in the past year (and even the past decade), some were major news stories and some fell quietly into the cracks.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jul 24, 2019
'Love it or leave it' is not a real choice
When U.S. President Donald Trump told four congresswomen of color they could 'go back' where they came from if they weren't happy, some of us in Japan recognized the line as being one used here for far too long.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Apr 17, 2019
Know your rights when checking in at an Airbnb
Last year, the government passed a law covering minpaku, which is when people rent out space on their properties to travelers (a la Airbnb). The law is part of an effort to regulate accommodations amid a tourism boom ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 27, 2019
From new visas to a tourism backlash, the Top 10 issues that affected us in 2018 may forecast our future treatment
Every January, Just Be Cause takes a look at how things went for the non-Japanese residents of Japan (NJ) in the previous year.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Sep 19, 2018
Warning to Naomi Osaka: Playing for Japan can seriously shorten your career
Naomi Osaka's decision to represent the country she left at the age of 3 may be good for her bottom line but not necessarily her longevity.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jul 15, 2018
What about we stop it with the 'whataboutism'?
These are troubling times for human rights activists.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Mar 7, 2018
White supremacists and Japan: A love story
Far-right fanboys see in Japan an ethnostate that gets a free pass on the world stage, but it's a reputation that Japan needs to shake for its own good.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 3, 2018
In 2017, Japan woke up to the issue of discrimination
The year saw a landmark human rights survey and action on hate speech and pensions — but conditions remain dire for foreign 'trainees' and other workers alike.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Oct 11, 2017
'Attach the evidence and wait for your day in court,' says Turkish plaintiff after Osaka victory
Ibrahim Yener discusses the lessons learned from his successful discrimination case against a used car dealership.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Aug 23, 2017
In wake of Charlottesville, U.S. should follow Japan and outlaw hate speech
Carnage in Virginia shows why America needs to limit expression that necessarily leads to violence.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Apr 26, 2017
Time to act on insights from landmark survey of Japan's foreign residents
Government's attempt to understand the foreign experience of Japan produces valuable data despite some blind spots.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Mar 5, 2017
Government of Japan, survey thyself
Something landmark happened late last year. Japan's government undertook a nationwide survey of discrimination toward Japan's long-term non-Japanese (NJ) residents.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Feb 19, 2017
Media outside Japan must stop normalizing sumo as an ethno-sport
Foreign correspondents should not pander to stereotypes, passing overt racism off as 'tradition' practiced by those mystical, hidebound, inscrutable Japanese.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 8, 2017
Japan's human rights issues fared better in 2016
Welcome back to JBC's annual countdown of the top issues as they affected Non-Japanese (NJ) residents of Japan. We had some brighter spots this year than in previous years, because Japan's government has been so embarrassed by hate speech toward Japan's minorities that they did something about it. Read...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Nov 16, 2016
Trump's lesson: You can lie your way to the very top
As the Republican victory in the U.S. threatens to undo eight years of progress, a silver lining in Donald Trump's success proves hard to pin down.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Oct 30, 2016
U.S. and Japan elections: scary in their own ways
American political campaigns can be frighteningly tribal while fear of the foreign permeates polls here.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Oct 2, 2016
Comparing elections in the U.S. and Japan: the good, the bad and the ugly
I love elections. Anywhere. It's fascinating to see how politicians craft public appeals. No matter how flawed the process, it's how nation-states recharge their legitimacy and publicly reaffirm their leaders' mandate to govern.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Sep 4, 2016
JBC marks 100 columns and a million page views
Column has been shining a critical light on issues affecting Japan's foreign residents since 2008.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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