Regarding Debito Arudou's March 3 article, " Of toadies, vultures and zombie debates": In his latest bout of calling anyone who disagrees with him everything but an "Uncle Tom," Arudou once again shows how he does not let facts get in the way of a good tirade. He writes: "Racial discrimination should be illegal too in Japan, under our Constitution. However, because it's not (yet), apologists take advantage, amorally parroting century-old discredited mind-sets to present themselves as 'good gaijin.' "
The problem with this statement is that racial discrimination is now, and always has been, illegal under the Constitution. Article 14 has been cited in court decisions as making discrimination illegal in general, and Article 22 has been cited specifically with regard to discrimination in housing. Arudou's claim that discrimination should be, but is not, illegal in Japan is patently and demonstrably false.
Giving space to differing viewpoints and opinions based on facts is a hallmark of a free press, although apparently a hallmark Arudou wishes to eliminate given his assertions that some people "don't deserve equal time." However, I would hope the editors of The Japan Times could, at a minimum, do basic checking to be sure that any facts presented are indeed true.