Regarding the Nov. 18 article "Merchants' plan for Chinatown in Ikebukuro faces resistance": As a former assistant manager of the Japan Center in San Francisco, I am extremely perturbed over the Japanese business community's reaction to the goodwill overture made by the Chinese business community in Ikebukuro.
How is it that, in this age of internationalization, there remains such a bigoted view of other cultures? Japanese cultural and business communities all over the world coexist with communities of their host countries. Of course, Japan is the Johnny-come-lately, whether it concerns disturbing issues like whaling, proliferation of yakuza, unequal access to health care, nonrecognition of victims of forced prostitution, etc.
h. hakoda