Regarding the Aug. 26 article "Japan defends steps to end discrimination": A country that makes it hard for foreigners to obtain permanent residence speaks its own language of discrimination, don't you think?

A country that allows landlords to refuse potential tenants because they do not speak Japanese so well speaks its own language of discrimination, don't you think?

A country that makes it hard for a person to obtain national health insurance, even for short residencies like one year, speaks its own language of discrimination, don't you think? A country that does not allow for same sex marriages or a similar status speaks its own language of discrimination, don't you think?

While Japan may be all in all a very friendly country on an individual-to-individual basis, the institutions of this country from private to public -- and from the central government to the village hall -- are riddled with discriminatory policies and practices. But it does not stop there.

As long as certain prefectures and their citizens suffer disadvantages as a result of government policy, such as the people of Okinawa or the Ainu of Hokkaido, Japan will not be able to honestly say that it pursues anti-discrimination policies with vigor or even sincerity.

The shadows of isolationism from before the Meiji Era, and the sad outgrowth of Japanese nationalism from before 1945, continue to darken Japanese culture and government policy. It will take a long time for Japan to open itself up as a society that can wholeheartedly say it does not discriminate against its own people as well as foreigners.

helmut kostreba