A couple is out shopping for an expensive item, but the store clerk addresses only the man. A person of ethnic Korean descent but born and raised in Japan is complimented on their impeccable Japanese. Someone from the LGBTQ community is told by a friend, "You're going through a phase. You'll be cured one day."
These are just some of the examples of microaggressions and unconscious bias that Kayo Fujiwara, a researcher on the issue, recently listed up to spread awareness of how the problem manifests in Japan, a country she feels may now be ready to start grappling with the problem in earnest.
Researchers say that microaggressions — usually unintentional or casual hurtful words or actions — made toward members of marginalized groups, including ethnic and sexual minorities and women, are commonplace.