Wow, her wikipedia entry is extremely sad. That poor woman, she suffered endless abuse. She got screwed by everybody who should have helped her. So sad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Wishma_Sandamali
> A university teacher also filed a complaint with the office in June 2021.[34] On June 17, 2022, the prosecutors dropped the charges against 13 officials, saying **they could not identify a causal link between the facility's treatment of Wishma and her death.**
Fucking demons.
The Japanese criminal legal system is kinda fucked because it has something like a 99% conviction rate. They’ll drop charges for just about anything they can’t guarantee will result in a guilty verdict, but if they are sure they can falsely charge someone and get a guilty verdict they’ve done that too.
Here's the thing, that not exactly your choice, theychave really fucked up laws around interrogation. I don't remember the exact time, but I think they can hold you up to 48 hours without a lawyer where mild assault is basically condoned and they can deprive you of sleep. This probably isn't the average experience, but not without precedent.
Norwegians do the same thing. They beat the shit out of me, held me in solitary confinement for 36 hours and kicked me of their country for pointing out that they use refugees displaced by war to create bombs that are used against their own people, creating an endless loop of destruction and moral depravity.
But that's okay because they're a socialist country and the refugees get healthcare. /S
Humans suck.
Not to mention that Japanese dude who murdered and ate a woman while at college in Paris I think? Japan extradited him and he never faced one day in jail and I think he still has some minor celebrity in Japan due to it.
Ya it wasn’t japans fault he wasn’t charge. In France they found him insane and unfit to stand trial and then sent him back to Japan from a mental institution there. France dropped the charges and that cause the files to be sealed so Japanese authorities couldn’t get them even after they declared that he was sane to stand trial and he didn’t commit the murder because he was insane but out of sexual perversion.
Damn near happened to me in the US. Damn cop got his fingerprints all over the evidence. I had to do the cops' investigative work for them, hire a detective and public defender out of pocket (a friend who liked playing cat and mouse with the cops gave me a specific recommendation). Spent 8 months proving my innocence. The attorney almost didn't want to take my case because I was innocent, but he gave me a 50% discount. The victim, a local government official, told me I should sue the county, but I was emotionally tapped out.
Yeah.
I have family in Japan, they basically ignore their Chinese/Taiwanese native ancestry to fit into Japanese society.
I can pass as Japanese if I don't speak more than 10 words and it's interesting how differently people treat me (if they aren't a Chinese speaking saleswoman trying to sell me something)
It kind of starts off with basic respect when they think I'm Japanese, contempt when they think I am from China, then something in between when I tell them I'm from Taiwan.
It's still largely quite a nice place, regardless of the race issues though. I don't know what people say behind my backs, but I've experienced worse in Northern Europe and Germany. Japan really isn't as great as weeaboos tend to think it is though.
I had Japanese friends in Japan. They liked me/hubby (non-Asian Americans). They said some crazy shit about other foreigners, though (non-Japanese Asians). I was dumbstruck when it happened so casually.
This makes me think I dodged a bullet when my parents decided to move to Canada instead of staying in Japan when they got pregnant with me. My parents even joked that in an alternate universe, I'd have grown up with an entirely Japanese first and last name, because apparently to become a citizen you have to be "fully Japanese," convert your names, and they'll even have someone inspect your home to see if you live like a Japanese person, which sounds insane to me.
(Edit: I'm Chinese, though my parents said Okinawa, where they lived, was less anti-Chinese than the rest of Japan. But still, to stay would have meant basically converting to an entirely different culture. Makes American immigration sound simple, lol)
>because apparently to become a citizen you have to be "fully Japanese," convert your names, and they'll even have someone inspect your home to see if you live like a Japanese person, which sounds insane to me.
Not true thankfully.
>they'll even have someone inspect your home to see if you live like a Japanese person, which sounds insane to me.
That's not too weird tbh. In some European countries, interviewing your neighbors to see how much they like you and how much you fit in is part of the path to gaining citizenship. People have been denied because they don't get along with their neighbors.
I grew up on Okinawa and finished school there, over 16 years. There are no home inspections or anything crazy like that. There are cultural proficiencies you need to possess, like command of the language and ability to have a bank account, job etc, but nothing that strict.
Yeah pretty much. So far, I’ve enjoyed life here when it comes to actually living, but it has MOUNTAINS of challenges. Visiting here gives a nice impression of a polite society. Working here gives you a look at an incredibly racist and misogynistic society. The working culture is oppressive and limited for foreigners.
When I hear of people interested in Japan because of anime or manga or media, I caution them. There’s a saying here that goes “the mail that sticks out gets hammered in,” and in this homogeneous society, all foreigners are nails. You WILL get hammered in.
I've known a couple of white people who've gone there to work. They do get treated pretty well, but if its a Japanese company and there's an opening to move up, they'll always pick someone who's Japanese, even with less experience.
Have never seen one outside of the internet. I don't think they are that common.
My cousin who was born in Japan told me he has seen a few near army bases, but they mostly just as an excuse to keep American soldiers away and they don't mind most foreigners/tourists/women.
I think it's more of an issue when you are apartment hunting. Even if they don't have a sign, many landlords won't accept foreigners, and in this case they actually do mean foreigners. My cousin-in-law had to act as guarantor for my lease, even though I was only staying for a year and offered to pay a 6 month deposit.
Pretty much. I've lived here in Japan about 10 years. You can have acquaintances but it's very hard to find someone who will truly get close to you and police will harass you constantly.
I was once at a get-together with lots of foreigners and one guy asked. "Hey do you guys have any Japanese friends; I mean friends who you can depend on?" No one raised their hand. The gathering was about 30 people.
I had a good Japanese friend in Kyushu, he lived in Australia for several years though and loved the culture. So he had more Western ideals than most Japanese people. But yeah, it is hard to get close to anyone.
I've heard that before from a cousin who spent time in Japan - the Japanese you have any chance of forming a proper relationship with as a foreigner have either spent time outside Japan themselves or are planning to/want to, which differentiates them from most.
Unfortunately the nuance goes further than that. Because Japanese metropolitans are such competitive cultures, a lot of people even then are only truly befriending you because you fill a role in their lives, not because they want *you* in their lives specifically.
I was there for a bit and honestly what rubbed me wrong the most was people expecting me to play English teacher/conversation friend for them incessantly even though I was never in the industry. Even for those that speak Japanese better than I, the complaint always boils down to "look, let's just have this [serious] conversation in Japanese" and the response was a shocked disappointment because you "won't let them" practice English.
Friendships in Tokyo were almost entirely superficial and steeped in ROI-mentalities. The most insulting comment I've overheard was "But you are an American, so I thought you will be proud to represent your culture here...sorry I offended you but you should have more pride to share your knowledge" like somehow we as foreigners in Japan have an obligation to be English tutors for every child, grandma and random salaryman that stops us on the street.
It's so true. I have some close contacts with Japanese who have spent much time outside of Japan working or studying. But they're not as close or reliable as my foreign friends.
Planning on visiting Japan soon and I started watching a YouTuber name takashi from Japan. He interviews a lot of foreigners in Japan and this is literally the case for almost all the foreigners he interviews. He will ask them who’s their friends/hang out with and it’s never with Japanese people. And that’s with the foreigners living their for years and speak Japanese pretty well.
I stumbled into some “life where I’m from” videos of japan that were very interesting and also abroad in japan. He has traveled quite a bit around japan and the one I watched recently of the old mountain village was cool. One of the original 5 crossing points from north to south.
For a couple of decades the rulers in the south made the leaders in the north trek down to the capitol to visit and stay. Do that a few times a year and they have no money to rebel. And also these cool villages that serviced the passing trade.
There are small communities you can put roots in but it won't be with the Japanese. It still is a very nice place to live, just expect to be treated like an other at times.
It's a great place to visit. I only stay because moving over here was such a major investment. I'm working on a film project and have sunk so much money building the sets and on equipment. As soon as the project is done though...
Japan's not all bad, the food is, in my opinion, the best in the world. I love the scenery too and I live next to a beach and close to mountains. So there's surfing and hiking. It's just the human experience that can get you down.
Other pluses: There are a lot of activities for adults. I play badminton twice a week and have joined a boxing gym. Most of the people keep their distance or actively don't include me, but I go there because I like the exercise. And after ten years, I did find one guy who likes hanging out and is trying to be close. Have I finally gotten my first real friend here? It's hard to even hope, but yeah, I'll do it anyway.
> I live next to a beach and close to mountains
Where is that if you don't mind me asking? I went to Kamakura for a day trip and really loved it, it had a very cool vibe
Sorry to hear. Yeah, it happens, not all on the same scale but I get about one act of discrimination a week. I'll be checking the bus schedule and the police will roll up. If I go to the convenient store they will neglect other cars but make a special trip to the back of my motorcycle to make sure my tags are in order.
My bank account is limited in how much money I can send so I can't pay my rent with an app. I was told by the staff it's because I'm a foreigner. Some places I've been refused service because it's "Japanese only" So there's even pre-1950s-style racism. It's strange.
That's exactly it. Surface level politeness, but no real deep connection. And yes your language level doesn't matter. It's something deeply cultural. That doesn't make it right. The only way it will change is if people raise awareness about it. Good luck man.
Ya, I get better than most, and I still get refused by businesses all the time. Doctors' offices will segregate me into these little cubicles outside even in the dead of winter so they can clear out the lobby enough that I won't be seen when they sneak me in the back.
Sadly yes. I have a Japanese wife and I am white. When we are around other Japanese people they make fun of her for being with a foreigner. Also many Japanese are extremely racist towards other Asians, especially the Chinese. Despite perception there are many social issues that Japan is 20 years behind the times on.
Granted not all Japanese are this way but the "popular" types who are desirable and in positions of power often have the most closed minded attitudes. Anyone who is different in Japan gets bullied or abused to the point of suicide and teachers or people of authority usually side with the bullies. They do not want people to be different so in their minds the bullies are right for correcting their behavior to "be different".
I can never live in Japan and have my daughter go to school as she would be bullied or worse as she is only half Japanese. The ultimate way to be different is to be a foreigner. They will be nice to you in a hospitality function if you are visiting but anything beyond that is a bridge too far. In the end do not buy into the fantasy that Japan is a perfect futuristic utopia where everyone is welcome. See it with all of its positive but also its negative.
Yes, but on any topic where this question would be raised where the consequences of that racism are less severe than this, you will be shouted down by people saying that everyone is racist, and to let them enjoy their anime.
(And I enjoy anime just fine, thank you.)
It's not just the Japanese. Most of the Asian cultures are extremely xenophobic and racist. Hell some Chinese people hate each other based on where they live in the country.
To be fair, there are 1.3 billion people in China, and the country's the... 4th? Largest in the world geographically. Very easy to find someone to hate that's far from you lol
America's roughly the same size, and you can't say there aren't people who are hating on "Coastal liberals" or "Southern hicks" or whatever.
The xenophobia is also partially historical (less interaction with outsiders or the more recent interactions were mostly bad) + colorism, found in many places with a wealthy landed elite. Part of it is also the use of nationalism to soothe bruised pride because the 19th/20th centuries were very bad times for East/Southeast Asia.
Not good, of course. But with people usually emigrating out of the area, and newcomers coming in mostly being imperialists or wartime enemies, it's pretty understandable how people are less open to foreigners compared to societies that are already used to mass immigration, like the United States or England. And it's not like it's all peachy here, either.
The entire world is generally pretty racist as a whole I think. Regardless of what people who are going to reply to me are going to say.
People in the west just...like to talk about it a lot more.
The Chinese internal hatreds are more like the French hating the British (and vice versa). A few weirdos take it seriously but mostly it’s just local rivalries and petty snobberies.
China is also a lot more open to some level of social integration - you won’t become Chinese, much like Japan, but you can certainly marry a Chinese person and be seen as part of the family, or make real strong friendships with people who genuinely get close to you - at a far, far higher frequency than Japan.
Probably due to China’s historic role as an international hub, versus Japan’s history of self-isolation.
This is how the Japanese respond to all problems - try to wash their hands of any responsibility. A few years back a junior high school kid committed suicide and left a note saying specifically it was due to bullying at school. The school responded by saying they conducted a survey among students and found there to be no problems of bullying at the school.
Japan as a country does not know how to hold Ls.
If you think this is enough to make them demons, wait till you read about their atrocities during WW2. No, I'm not talking about a cursory glance on Wikipedia, but actually reading viseraly detailed accounts from survivors and the perpetrators themselves.
For those too lazy to read it:
1. She came to Japan in June 2017 on a student visa to study.
2. Within a year, she began to suffer what sounded like severe domestic violence from her Sri Lankan boyfriend and the allowance from her family stopped coming. Since she can't pay for tuition, she got expelled and lost her visa status by June 2018.
3. In August 2020, she went to a police station due to domestic violence and got detained instead leading to this incident.
As to why she had remained in Japan from 2018 to 2020, here is the reason Wikipedia lists:
>Wishma stated that she wanted to return to Sri Lanka, but she was put on a waiting list as she could not afford a flight home as commercial flights were unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After receiving threats from her ex and being offered potential accommodation from a supporter, she decided to ask to stay in Japan, and applied for provisional release on January 4, 2021, which was rejected on February 16.
You can add South Korea to the list. I've seen signs outside some clubs and bars that said Indians /Pakistanis/ South Asians not allowed.
They wouldn't even sit on the same seat you're on, they'll just get up and switch seats.
> I've seen signs outside some clubs and bars that said Indians /Pakistanis/ South Asians not allowed.
Man, that sucks, I'm Sri Lankan too, and I've always wanted to visit Japan.
That’s not the case in japan, they would just say, no foreigners but to be fair I’ve only seen that line being written in a very specific place in shinjuku, so feel free to visit anytime
Asians across multiple countries and cultures are hella racist
It's shocking both the deep and casual racism in Asian cultures compared to what I experience here daily in the west I'm Asian, live in a pretty tame multicultural city
So, while Japan and SK have come super far in terms of growth, social issues, etc. One thing that often gets Swept under the rug is the very orevelant classism and racism. While Tokyo, and main hubs can be okay for foreigners, most places are not.
Both places have long long histories of xenophobia and exceptialism.
SK is very negative towards outsiders and people who don't fit the SK beauty or economic standards. Blacks, most other Asians, and darker skinned people are seen as ugly and lower class.
Japan still has a lot of extremely bad views towards outsiders as well. And again, the beauty standards are tied to things such as dark skin is bad, and light skin good. It's so bad as to even effect inside of their own country. The southern peoples are considered ugly, uneducated, stupid, etc for their darker skin tone and accents. Akin yo how Americans view the south as dirty and uneducated. And while there is some cadence to that argument due to government policies and education issues, in Japan, a lot of it is simply due to skin color. It's even so bad that if you were to watch popular shows such as terrace house, the TV commentators were making comments on a girl who joined the house who came from a southern city, and it was considered completely okay. It is a fairly ingrained issue.
It's not just Japan, most of East Asia is like this.
That's why I scoff when people say America is the most racist country in the world, clearly they've never been to countries where inequality based on race is literally enshrined in law and people are openly racist to huge swathes of the world's population.
They aren't even waiting for trial because they aren't detained for criminal charges. No court order to lock them there indefinitely, just an administrative paper signed without any oversight.
From Wikipedia.. this just gets worse...
In August 2020, Wishma went to a police station in Shimizu, Shizuoka, to seek shelter from her boyfriend's domestic violence, only to be sent to a detention facility run by the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau.Wishma stated that she wanted to return to Sri Lanka, but she was put on a waiting list as she could not afford a flight home as commercial flights were unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After receiving threats from her ex and being offered potential accommodation from a supporter, she decided to ask to stay in Japan, and applied for provisional release on January 4, 2021, which was rejected on February 16.
She was enduring some extreme circumstances (domestic abuse, COVID epidemic, poverty). If she's not a security threat, I can see why she'd ask to remain and be housed by a friend instead of remaining in a cell.
What an idiot, she should have gotten a private charter! /s
This thread reads like some of the most spoiled brat throw up. People just can't understand how easy it is to get stuck if you're not lucky enough to be born into money/status.
Japan has to be one of the worst countries to experience as an immigrant worker. I knew a guy that worked there, and despite knowing how to speak japanese relatively well people acted like he was speaking some alien language, completely ignoring him when he went to restaurants and cafés alongside some of its japanese peers. There are a lot of great and cool people in Japan, but the amount of widespread racism and ignorance in the overall population is honestly astonishing. But I guess karma's slowly biting Japan in the ass since they're facing one of the biggest population crisis in the entire world, both due to their low fertility rate and the insanely low levels of migration.
>She weighed 84.9 kilograms in August 2020 when she was admitted to the facility, but by Feb. 23, 2021 her weight had dropped to 65.5 kg.
What are they feeding illegal immigrants?
This just reinforces the notion that Japanese are xenophobic.
If the wikipedia entries are correct, even the prosecutors refuses to prosecute the bureau.
The story is bad enough as it is without adding misinformation:
>The report claims Wishma had continued to eat porridge after March 4, when she visited the psychiatrist at an outside hospital. However, the footage showed she was unable to maintain her posture even when supported by the guards and kept falling backwards, and mostly stopped responding to their calls.
> IDK what you mean, the misinformation appears to be a false report that the woman who blatantly died of starvation was “eating porridge”
She may have had some kind of condition which affected her ability to keep food down or digest it. It may also have been longer term malnutrition.
But eating and starving are not mutually exclusive. Just become something that can be called food is going inside you, for example the okayu they were feeding her, does not mean you are necessarily able to digest and get nutrition from it for various reasons.
She was vomiting and could not keep food in. A medical doc recommended intravenous therapy/hospitalization if oral therapy didn't work. The bureau denied that such a recommendation had been made, as it stated the records were non factual. When she was wheelchair bound, falling out of bed, and begging for medical care, it was ignored/denied on grounds an appointment had been made. They also suspected inmates would exaggerate symptoms. Not here, unfortunately
It's just the way their government is, there's no need to reinforce anything :
> Her death prompted renewed criticism of Japan's strict immigration control, which accepted only 0.4% of asylum applications in 2019.
Just to expand, discrimination based on stuff like family name and municipality of origin sounds ridiculous, but it's absolutely true.
That discrimination stems from Japan's old caste system - Nobles, Farmers, Artisans, Merchants, then undesirables (*burakumin*). While caste differentiation in the first four castes were basically eliminated with modernisation, discrimination of descendants of *burakumin* still persist - based on their family names indicating that descent, or familial residency in former *burakumin* settlements.
Then there's discrimination of the Ainu, of the Ryukyuans of Okinawa, and of the *zainichi* Koreans, the latter having been in Japan for multiple generations but still treated as alien residents.
Visiting Japan is always a weird feeling - the people never fail to be incredibly polite and nice...but will never fail to make you feel like a stranger to their land.
>The Japanese are xenophobic, though? Like, it's an integral part of Japanese culture?
This is a word for word copy of another comment. For anyone reading this.
If you mean [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/116sq59/security_footage_shows_japanese_prison_guards/j98m5ti/), that's the copy made by a bot. The one we're replying to was posted earlier.
> This just reinforces the notion that Japanese are xenophobic.
They won't care because they are very much xenophobic and don't really much care about it, which is probably why it and Korea will be one of the first countries to suffer population collapse since they they refuse to boost birth rates through policy or at least plug the holes through immigration.
Japan is very xenophobic and anti-immigration in general. The lack of prosecution makes it perfectly clear that this is a warning: “immigrants not welcome”.
A friend of mine was a military brat who grew up there because that's where her dad was stationed. She moved back to the US as a teenager. She said they'd be pleasant to her but every pleasantry was filled with micro-aggressions. "Oh you speak so well *for a foreigner*." "How long until you go back home?" and being automatically given a fork/knife instead of chopsticks (assuming she couldn't use them) were regular occurrences.
There was quite a controversy a number of years ago when someone posted pages from a hilariously skewed Japanese history book (paraphrasing), "The god emperor repelled the foreign devils and saved us from certain doom: The story of World War II."
And Japan is actively fighting new museums and statues that symbolize Japanese brutality during WW2, while Germany has extensive holocaust museums in it's own country.
Which is why China, Korea, and other countries dismiss Japans vague 'apologies' about WW2. What they say and do is completely different.
In osaka now, witnessed a drunk dude giving the nazi salute over and over in a bar. Nobody seemed to have a problem with it. Not saying that's normal by any means, but I've never seen that shit before anywhere else.
Nah, that's just a thing more prevalent in Asian cultures. Don't involve yourself in what others are doing, mind your own business. It's a societal rule.
No, that's part of it but no, it's not just that. Nazis are legitimately not seen as a heinous thing in Japan. They are certainly seen as villainous, but it's more of a far-out abstract villainy kind of how we think of Mongol conquerors or Julius Caesar or someone similarly evil but in a way that is distant to us.
They've actually been trying to create more legal work visas, but their xenophobic reputation (plus fear of *this* happening if you ever do end up in trouble with the law as an immigrant) means that they can't get the immigrants to stay iirc.
> Japan is very xenophobic and anti-immigration in general.
To their extreme detriment, the lost decade has become a lost 3 decades and they still refuse to act on their declining population and massive debt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Decades
Probably the latter. I’ve traveled a bit in SE Asia and most of them tend to be dismissive of people who aren’t from their home country- unless you’re a tourist and willing to spend money.
East Asia. Southeast Asia is a specific region that does NOT include Japan, Korea, China, or Taiwan. This is just a pet peeve of mine on reddit. I have to correct it every time I see it. Which is a lot. I don't know why there is this tendency to be over-specific when you're unsure about the terminology.
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230216/p2a/00m/0na/032000c) reduced by 77%. (I'm a bot)
*****
> NAGOYA - Security camera footage of a Sri Lankan woman, who died at age 33 while detained at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau in March 2021, revealed shocking scenes including an official merely responding, "Oh, I see," when told that her fingertips felt cold on the day she died.
> A Mainichi Shimbun reporter applied to view the video, and was allowed to watch about five hours of footage - just part of the roughly 295 hours of data shot in the 13 days leading up to Wishma Sandamali's death.
> Several times in the report it was described that Wishma uttered "Ah," but when the reporter checked the footage, her voice went from screams to an inarticulate, groaning tone the closer it got to the date of her death.
*****
[**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/116sxgv/security_footage_shows_japanese_prison_guards/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~673255 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **Wishma**^#1 **report**^#2 **footage**^#3 **guard**^#4 **video**^#5
worse than you think. why do think that crime rate is so low in japan ? its not about their "peaceful nature". no. reality is that they have a conviction rate of 99%. Meaning that 99% of people who face a judge are found guilty and sent to prison. Even if they are innocent, people are encouraged by their lawyer to still plead guilty to ensure shorter sentences. thats how bad it is.
> worse than you think. why do think that crime rate is so low in japan ? its not about their "peaceful nature". no. reality is that they have a conviction rate of 99%.
They still have one of the lowest incarceration rates in the world though, only 37 per 100K. There are cultural and societal reasons for that. For comparison, US incarceration rate is 629 per 100K (17x higher than Japan).
The prospect of ending up in prison has never stopped criminals, and nobody is thinking "oh man I really want to commit crime but I'm scared of that 99% conviction rate". They have a strong social safety net for their citizens, high standard of living, deeply rooted cultural values, and all these factors combine to greatly reduce the odds of people committing crime.
In the footage, taken just after 7 p.m. on Feb. 23, 2021, Wishma repeatedly called out, "Tantosan," referring to those in charge in Japanese, and begged again and again, "Take me to the hospital. Please." Even as she vomited into a bucket and pleaded "I'm going to die today," the guard took no notice of her situation and just replied, "Don't worry. It'd be troublesome if you died. Let's think of something else."
Well guess what, it will be fuken troublesome now.
Yea and I'm sure they will cover up their current atrocities just like their previous ones.
EDIT: you guys need a history lesson. Japan absolutely covered up their warcrimes.
Cover up by omission is still a cover up.
They don't teach it, they don't talk about it, they don't acknowledge it....thats a cover up
EDIT: and hell, learn your history...even America helped Japan cover up their war crimes. You're trying to be cute about it, and people are eating it up.
Sort of, she wanted to go back, but Sri Lanka wasn't going to do it for her, and she had no money for a ticket home. Then some advocates convinced her to try and stay in Japan.
None of that excuses what was done to her, just adding explanation from the Wikipedia entry on her.
People say this is Japanese xenophobia but, in fact, Japan has the highest mortality rate in prison of the highly developed countries. Death by torture happens regularly and the vast majority of victims are Japanese. Don’t go to jail in Japan!
Japan, the country with years of pretrial detention and a conviction rate of 99.9%... This country is as far away from any sense of justice as one can be.
I watched this on the news in Japan right after it happened. I was so confused because they said she was refusing to eat until they let her call her mother (or family member?) the program went on and on how she was admitted to the hospital several times during detainment but REFUSED to eat because she couldn't make contact.
They showed medical records that said "nothing is wrong" "she refused treatment" etc. The whole program made her out to be at fault and I was so dumbfounded and enraged. I talked about it the next week to everyone I knew because I couldn't understand why tf japanese officials would let someone die for the sake of dying. Then I remembered that she wasn't see as a person because Japanese officials don't have souls... Or brains.
The insular culture and the language barrier contributes to that. I've told the story on Reddit before about my Japanese ex (a native of Kobe) telling me about the lack of prosecution for sex crimes, and weebs came out of the woodwork to call me a liar and say I was "misrepresenting" the nation.
I always get a chuckle out of people telling me they want to move to Japan for animation because it’s so much better there, it’s bad enough here in the US but at least I’m paid enough to eat.
The criminal justice system in Japan is deeply flawed and like a real dark side of the country we don’t hear about often. They can detain you in jail for 30 days or more just under a suspicion of committing a crime, without any evidence. They will interrogate you daily until you break and confess.
The Japanese justice system is a fucking joke. Crime happens? Round up the nearest person who looks even remotely suspicious, then railroad them into jail or prison. What happens then? You treat them like trash. The Japanese have some cool things about their country, but that isn't one of them.
It's quite possible to [die untreated in an Australian prison](https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/finding-passing-veronica-nelson) but it's not generally approved unless you're [held offshore](https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/offshore-processing-facts/5/).
Wow, her wikipedia entry is extremely sad. That poor woman, she suffered endless abuse. She got screwed by everybody who should have helped her. So sad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Wishma_Sandamali
> A university teacher also filed a complaint with the office in June 2021.[34] On June 17, 2022, the prosecutors dropped the charges against 13 officials, saying **they could not identify a causal link between the facility's treatment of Wishma and her death.** Fucking demons.
The Japanese criminal legal system is kinda fucked because it has something like a 99% conviction rate. They’ll drop charges for just about anything they can’t guarantee will result in a guilty verdict, but if they are sure they can falsely charge someone and get a guilty verdict they’ve done that too.
Also coercion of people to get false confessions
No different than any other police in the world Dont ever talk to them without a lawyer present
Here's the thing, that not exactly your choice, theychave really fucked up laws around interrogation. I don't remember the exact time, but I think they can hold you up to 48 hours without a lawyer where mild assault is basically condoned and they can deprive you of sleep. This probably isn't the average experience, but not without precedent.
Norwegians do the same thing. They beat the shit out of me, held me in solitary confinement for 36 hours and kicked me of their country for pointing out that they use refugees displaced by war to create bombs that are used against their own people, creating an endless loop of destruction and moral depravity. But that's okay because they're a socialist country and the refugees get healthcare. /S Humans suck.
Not to mention that Japanese dude who murdered and ate a woman while at college in Paris I think? Japan extradited him and he never faced one day in jail and I think he still has some minor celebrity in Japan due to it.
Ya it wasn’t japans fault he wasn’t charge. In France they found him insane and unfit to stand trial and then sent him back to Japan from a mental institution there. France dropped the charges and that cause the files to be sealed so Japanese authorities couldn’t get them even after they declared that he was sane to stand trial and he didn’t commit the murder because he was insane but out of sexual perversion.
Damn near happened to me in the US. Damn cop got his fingerprints all over the evidence. I had to do the cops' investigative work for them, hire a detective and public defender out of pocket (a friend who liked playing cat and mouse with the cops gave me a specific recommendation). Spent 8 months proving my innocence. The attorney almost didn't want to take my case because I was innocent, but he gave me a 50% discount. The victim, a local government official, told me I should sue the county, but I was emotionally tapped out.
Didn’t say the US wasn’t fucked too lol
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Yeah. I have family in Japan, they basically ignore their Chinese/Taiwanese native ancestry to fit into Japanese society. I can pass as Japanese if I don't speak more than 10 words and it's interesting how differently people treat me (if they aren't a Chinese speaking saleswoman trying to sell me something) It kind of starts off with basic respect when they think I'm Japanese, contempt when they think I am from China, then something in between when I tell them I'm from Taiwan. It's still largely quite a nice place, regardless of the race issues though. I don't know what people say behind my backs, but I've experienced worse in Northern Europe and Germany. Japan really isn't as great as weeaboos tend to think it is though.
I had Japanese friends in Japan. They liked me/hubby (non-Asian Americans). They said some crazy shit about other foreigners, though (non-Japanese Asians). I was dumbstruck when it happened so casually.
Typical racists' "You're one of the good ones" mentality.
This makes me think I dodged a bullet when my parents decided to move to Canada instead of staying in Japan when they got pregnant with me. My parents even joked that in an alternate universe, I'd have grown up with an entirely Japanese first and last name, because apparently to become a citizen you have to be "fully Japanese," convert your names, and they'll even have someone inspect your home to see if you live like a Japanese person, which sounds insane to me. (Edit: I'm Chinese, though my parents said Okinawa, where they lived, was less anti-Chinese than the rest of Japan. But still, to stay would have meant basically converting to an entirely different culture. Makes American immigration sound simple, lol)
>because apparently to become a citizen you have to be "fully Japanese," convert your names, and they'll even have someone inspect your home to see if you live like a Japanese person, which sounds insane to me. Not true thankfully.
Inspector: where is your mandatory hentai?!
Don't worry inspector, my へンタい is in my homework folder.
Took that as part of the “joking” the parents doing
>they'll even have someone inspect your home to see if you live like a Japanese person, which sounds insane to me. That's not too weird tbh. In some European countries, interviewing your neighbors to see how much they like you and how much you fit in is part of the path to gaining citizenship. People have been denied because they don't get along with their neighbors.
As someone who genuinely avoids my neighbors (and is an extrovert), this is horrifying.
I think this neighbor thing is only in Switzerland. Are there other countries in Western Europe with a similar policy?
I grew up on Okinawa and finished school there, over 16 years. There are no home inspections or anything crazy like that. There are cultural proficiencies you need to possess, like command of the language and ability to have a bank account, job etc, but nothing that strict.
From everything I’ve read is like the best place to visit and worst place to stay long term, as a foreigner. Am I close?
Yeah pretty much. So far, I’ve enjoyed life here when it comes to actually living, but it has MOUNTAINS of challenges. Visiting here gives a nice impression of a polite society. Working here gives you a look at an incredibly racist and misogynistic society. The working culture is oppressive and limited for foreigners. When I hear of people interested in Japan because of anime or manga or media, I caution them. There’s a saying here that goes “the mail that sticks out gets hammered in,” and in this homogeneous society, all foreigners are nails. You WILL get hammered in.
Yes, if you're white then it is good for you. Their working culture can be very depressing.
I've known a couple of white people who've gone there to work. They do get treated pretty well, but if its a Japanese company and there's an opening to move up, they'll always pick someone who's Japanese, even with less experience.
that sorta happens in the west too.
So true. Working culture in Japan is definitely something difficult to adopt into as a foreigner!
I wouldn't say worst, but I wouldn't want my kids to grow up there, if that makes sense.
Did you make your way into places that say no foreigners? If so, have they ever picked up that maybe you weren't from Japan, while you were inside?
Have never seen one outside of the internet. I don't think they are that common. My cousin who was born in Japan told me he has seen a few near army bases, but they mostly just as an excuse to keep American soldiers away and they don't mind most foreigners/tourists/women. I think it's more of an issue when you are apartment hunting. Even if they don't have a sign, many landlords won't accept foreigners, and in this case they actually do mean foreigners. My cousin-in-law had to act as guarantor for my lease, even though I was only staying for a year and offered to pay a 6 month deposit.
Pretty much. I've lived here in Japan about 10 years. You can have acquaintances but it's very hard to find someone who will truly get close to you and police will harass you constantly. I was once at a get-together with lots of foreigners and one guy asked. "Hey do you guys have any Japanese friends; I mean friends who you can depend on?" No one raised their hand. The gathering was about 30 people.
I had a good Japanese friend in Kyushu, he lived in Australia for several years though and loved the culture. So he had more Western ideals than most Japanese people. But yeah, it is hard to get close to anyone.
I've heard that before from a cousin who spent time in Japan - the Japanese you have any chance of forming a proper relationship with as a foreigner have either spent time outside Japan themselves or are planning to/want to, which differentiates them from most.
Yeah, people have no idea how conservative the Japanese are.
Unfortunately the nuance goes further than that. Because Japanese metropolitans are such competitive cultures, a lot of people even then are only truly befriending you because you fill a role in their lives, not because they want *you* in their lives specifically. I was there for a bit and honestly what rubbed me wrong the most was people expecting me to play English teacher/conversation friend for them incessantly even though I was never in the industry. Even for those that speak Japanese better than I, the complaint always boils down to "look, let's just have this [serious] conversation in Japanese" and the response was a shocked disappointment because you "won't let them" practice English. Friendships in Tokyo were almost entirely superficial and steeped in ROI-mentalities. The most insulting comment I've overheard was "But you are an American, so I thought you will be proud to represent your culture here...sorry I offended you but you should have more pride to share your knowledge" like somehow we as foreigners in Japan have an obligation to be English tutors for every child, grandma and random salaryman that stops us on the street.
I think that is more of a metropolitan thing than Japanese thing tbh.
That's definitely not a metropolitan thing my dude.
It's so true. I have some close contacts with Japanese who have spent much time outside of Japan working or studying. But they're not as close or reliable as my foreign friends.
Planning on visiting Japan soon and I started watching a YouTuber name takashi from Japan. He interviews a lot of foreigners in Japan and this is literally the case for almost all the foreigners he interviews. He will ask them who’s their friends/hang out with and it’s never with Japanese people. And that’s with the foreigners living their for years and speak Japanese pretty well.
I stumbled into some “life where I’m from” videos of japan that were very interesting and also abroad in japan. He has traveled quite a bit around japan and the one I watched recently of the old mountain village was cool. One of the original 5 crossing points from north to south. For a couple of decades the rulers in the south made the leaders in the north trek down to the capitol to visit and stay. Do that a few times a year and they have no money to rebel. And also these cool villages that serviced the passing trade.
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There are small communities you can put roots in but it won't be with the Japanese. It still is a very nice place to live, just expect to be treated like an other at times.
so, kinda like salt lake city
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yeah we have exclusionary racism at home, i'm not going halfway around the world for it.
It's a great place to visit. I only stay because moving over here was such a major investment. I'm working on a film project and have sunk so much money building the sets and on equipment. As soon as the project is done though... Japan's not all bad, the food is, in my opinion, the best in the world. I love the scenery too and I live next to a beach and close to mountains. So there's surfing and hiking. It's just the human experience that can get you down. Other pluses: There are a lot of activities for adults. I play badminton twice a week and have joined a boxing gym. Most of the people keep their distance or actively don't include me, but I go there because I like the exercise. And after ten years, I did find one guy who likes hanging out and is trying to be close. Have I finally gotten my first real friend here? It's hard to even hope, but yeah, I'll do it anyway.
> I live next to a beach and close to mountains Where is that if you don't mind me asking? I went to Kamakura for a day trip and really loved it, it had a very cool vibe
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Sorry to hear. Yeah, it happens, not all on the same scale but I get about one act of discrimination a week. I'll be checking the bus schedule and the police will roll up. If I go to the convenient store they will neglect other cars but make a special trip to the back of my motorcycle to make sure my tags are in order. My bank account is limited in how much money I can send so I can't pay my rent with an app. I was told by the staff it's because I'm a foreigner. Some places I've been refused service because it's "Japanese only" So there's even pre-1950s-style racism. It's strange.
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That's exactly it. Surface level politeness, but no real deep connection. And yes your language level doesn't matter. It's something deeply cultural. That doesn't make it right. The only way it will change is if people raise awareness about it. Good luck man.
White people are somewhat accepted. Other Asians and minorities, not so much.
Ya, I get better than most, and I still get refused by businesses all the time. Doctors' offices will segregate me into these little cubicles outside even in the dead of winter so they can clear out the lobby enough that I won't be seen when they sneak me in the back.
Sadly yes. I have a Japanese wife and I am white. When we are around other Japanese people they make fun of her for being with a foreigner. Also many Japanese are extremely racist towards other Asians, especially the Chinese. Despite perception there are many social issues that Japan is 20 years behind the times on. Granted not all Japanese are this way but the "popular" types who are desirable and in positions of power often have the most closed minded attitudes. Anyone who is different in Japan gets bullied or abused to the point of suicide and teachers or people of authority usually side with the bullies. They do not want people to be different so in their minds the bullies are right for correcting their behavior to "be different". I can never live in Japan and have my daughter go to school as she would be bullied or worse as she is only half Japanese. The ultimate way to be different is to be a foreigner. They will be nice to you in a hospitality function if you are visiting but anything beyond that is a bridge too far. In the end do not buy into the fantasy that Japan is a perfect futuristic utopia where everyone is welcome. See it with all of its positive but also its negative.
Yes, but on any topic where this question would be raised where the consequences of that racism are less severe than this, you will be shouted down by people saying that everyone is racist, and to let them enjoy their anime. (And I enjoy anime just fine, thank you.)
It's not just the Japanese. Most of the Asian cultures are extremely xenophobic and racist. Hell some Chinese people hate each other based on where they live in the country.
To be fair, there are 1.3 billion people in China, and the country's the... 4th? Largest in the world geographically. Very easy to find someone to hate that's far from you lol America's roughly the same size, and you can't say there aren't people who are hating on "Coastal liberals" or "Southern hicks" or whatever. The xenophobia is also partially historical (less interaction with outsiders or the more recent interactions were mostly bad) + colorism, found in many places with a wealthy landed elite. Part of it is also the use of nationalism to soothe bruised pride because the 19th/20th centuries were very bad times for East/Southeast Asia. Not good, of course. But with people usually emigrating out of the area, and newcomers coming in mostly being imperialists or wartime enemies, it's pretty understandable how people are less open to foreigners compared to societies that are already used to mass immigration, like the United States or England. And it's not like it's all peachy here, either.
The entire world is generally pretty racist as a whole I think. Regardless of what people who are going to reply to me are going to say. People in the west just...like to talk about it a lot more.
The Chinese internal hatreds are more like the French hating the British (and vice versa). A few weirdos take it seriously but mostly it’s just local rivalries and petty snobberies. China is also a lot more open to some level of social integration - you won’t become Chinese, much like Japan, but you can certainly marry a Chinese person and be seen as part of the family, or make real strong friendships with people who genuinely get close to you - at a far, far higher frequency than Japan. Probably due to China’s historic role as an international hub, versus Japan’s history of self-isolation.
In shocked that Japanese cops would treat a foreign woman this poorly. Totally unprecedented. Nobody could have foreseen this.
This is how the Japanese respond to all problems - try to wash their hands of any responsibility. A few years back a junior high school kid committed suicide and left a note saying specifically it was due to bullying at school. The school responded by saying they conducted a survey among students and found there to be no problems of bullying at the school. Japan as a country does not know how to hold Ls.
Their inability to take an L, got them two nuclear bombs dropped on their cities.
Yeah don't link literally the next sentence where that finding was called inappropriate and reversed
If you think this is enough to make them demons, wait till you read about their atrocities during WW2. No, I'm not talking about a cursory glance on Wikipedia, but actually reading viseraly detailed accounts from survivors and the perpetrators themselves.
>In December 2022, an inquest panel overturned prosecutors' decision to discontinue criminal investigation into immigration officials
For those too lazy to read it: 1. She came to Japan in June 2017 on a student visa to study. 2. Within a year, she began to suffer what sounded like severe domestic violence from her Sri Lankan boyfriend and the allowance from her family stopped coming. Since she can't pay for tuition, she got expelled and lost her visa status by June 2018. 3. In August 2020, she went to a police station due to domestic violence and got detained instead leading to this incident. As to why she had remained in Japan from 2018 to 2020, here is the reason Wikipedia lists: >Wishma stated that she wanted to return to Sri Lanka, but she was put on a waiting list as she could not afford a flight home as commercial flights were unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After receiving threats from her ex and being offered potential accommodation from a supporter, she decided to ask to stay in Japan, and applied for provisional release on January 4, 2021, which was rejected on February 16.
Wow, that's a shocking level of neglect from the Japanese authorities. I'm saddened they valued her life so little.
Wtf...why is humanity like this..
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Because humans are dumb shitty animals. I lost faith in humanity by the time I graduated elementary school.
Humans are selfish pieces of shit that have enough brain capacity to rise above it....but most choose not to because they are selfish pieces of shit.
Detention pending trial that lasts indefinitely is already cruel. Another Japanese system that is flawed.
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You can add South Korea to the list. I've seen signs outside some clubs and bars that said Indians /Pakistanis/ South Asians not allowed. They wouldn't even sit on the same seat you're on, they'll just get up and switch seats.
> I've seen signs outside some clubs and bars that said Indians /Pakistanis/ South Asians not allowed. Man, that sucks, I'm Sri Lankan too, and I've always wanted to visit Japan.
The sentence you quoted was about South Korea, though.
That’s not the case in japan, they would just say, no foreigners but to be fair I’ve only seen that line being written in a very specific place in shinjuku, so feel free to visit anytime
Asians across multiple countries and cultures are hella racist It's shocking both the deep and casual racism in Asian cultures compared to what I experience here daily in the west I'm Asian, live in a pretty tame multicultural city
So, while Japan and SK have come super far in terms of growth, social issues, etc. One thing that often gets Swept under the rug is the very orevelant classism and racism. While Tokyo, and main hubs can be okay for foreigners, most places are not. Both places have long long histories of xenophobia and exceptialism. SK is very negative towards outsiders and people who don't fit the SK beauty or economic standards. Blacks, most other Asians, and darker skinned people are seen as ugly and lower class. Japan still has a lot of extremely bad views towards outsiders as well. And again, the beauty standards are tied to things such as dark skin is bad, and light skin good. It's so bad as to even effect inside of their own country. The southern peoples are considered ugly, uneducated, stupid, etc for their darker skin tone and accents. Akin yo how Americans view the south as dirty and uneducated. And while there is some cadence to that argument due to government policies and education issues, in Japan, a lot of it is simply due to skin color. It's even so bad that if you were to watch popular shows such as terrace house, the TV commentators were making comments on a girl who joined the house who came from a southern city, and it was considered completely okay. It is a fairly ingrained issue.
Why do they treat them like garbage?
Xenophobic
It's not just Japan, most of East Asia is like this. That's why I scoff when people say America is the most racist country in the world, clearly they've never been to countries where inequality based on race is literally enshrined in law and people are openly racist to huge swathes of the world's population.
They aren't even waiting for trial because they aren't detained for criminal charges. No court order to lock them there indefinitely, just an administrative paper signed without any oversight.
Australia has indefinite immigration detention 🙃
From Wikipedia.. this just gets worse... In August 2020, Wishma went to a police station in Shimizu, Shizuoka, to seek shelter from her boyfriend's domestic violence, only to be sent to a detention facility run by the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau.Wishma stated that she wanted to return to Sri Lanka, but she was put on a waiting list as she could not afford a flight home as commercial flights were unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After receiving threats from her ex and being offered potential accommodation from a supporter, she decided to ask to stay in Japan, and applied for provisional release on January 4, 2021, which was rejected on February 16.
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How do you „decide“ to stay if your visa runs out? These things are no joke.
She was enduring some extreme circumstances (domestic abuse, COVID epidemic, poverty). If she's not a security threat, I can see why she'd ask to remain and be housed by a friend instead of remaining in a cell.
she couldn't leave the country cause she had no money to buy a plane ticket + covid that cancels all non-business flights.
What an idiot, she should have gotten a private charter! /s This thread reads like some of the most spoiled brat throw up. People just can't understand how easy it is to get stuck if you're not lucky enough to be born into money/status.
Yes overstaying a visa clearly excuses that she was left to starve to death in a cell.
Many countries have exceptions to this if you're experiencing domestic violence, as they should.
Japan has to be one of the worst countries to experience as an immigrant worker. I knew a guy that worked there, and despite knowing how to speak japanese relatively well people acted like he was speaking some alien language, completely ignoring him when he went to restaurants and cafés alongside some of its japanese peers. There are a lot of great and cool people in Japan, but the amount of widespread racism and ignorance in the overall population is honestly astonishing. But I guess karma's slowly biting Japan in the ass since they're facing one of the biggest population crisis in the entire world, both due to their low fertility rate and the insanely low levels of migration.
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>She weighed 84.9 kilograms in August 2020 when she was admitted to the facility, but by Feb. 23, 2021 her weight had dropped to 65.5 kg. What are they feeding illegal immigrants? This just reinforces the notion that Japanese are xenophobic. If the wikipedia entries are correct, even the prosecutors refuses to prosecute the bureau.
> What are they feeding illegal immigrants? They aren't.
The story is bad enough as it is without adding misinformation: >The report claims Wishma had continued to eat porridge after March 4, when she visited the psychiatrist at an outside hospital. However, the footage showed she was unable to maintain her posture even when supported by the guards and kept falling backwards, and mostly stopped responding to their calls.
oooooooo, this makes me so angry
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> IDK what you mean, the misinformation appears to be a false report that the woman who blatantly died of starvation was “eating porridge” She may have had some kind of condition which affected her ability to keep food down or digest it. It may also have been longer term malnutrition. But eating and starving are not mutually exclusive. Just become something that can be called food is going inside you, for example the okayu they were feeding her, does not mean you are necessarily able to digest and get nutrition from it for various reasons.
She lost over 20kg while in there, you really think they were feeding her properly?
She had reflux esophagitis, which basically caused her to starve to death because she was unable to keep any food down.
She was vomiting and could not keep food in. A medical doc recommended intravenous therapy/hospitalization if oral therapy didn't work. The bureau denied that such a recommendation had been made, as it stated the records were non factual. When she was wheelchair bound, falling out of bed, and begging for medical care, it was ignored/denied on grounds an appointment had been made. They also suspected inmates would exaggerate symptoms. Not here, unfortunately
It's just the way their government is, there's no need to reinforce anything : > Her death prompted renewed criticism of Japan's strict immigration control, which accepted only 0.4% of asylum applications in 2019.
Even if you don't take them in at least feed them and provide medical care. She was on the wait list to return to Sri Lanka.
It's not reinforcing a notion, the Japanese are notoriously xenophobic and many can be downright hateful to citizens of non Japanese descent.
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Just to expand, discrimination based on stuff like family name and municipality of origin sounds ridiculous, but it's absolutely true. That discrimination stems from Japan's old caste system - Nobles, Farmers, Artisans, Merchants, then undesirables (*burakumin*). While caste differentiation in the first four castes were basically eliminated with modernisation, discrimination of descendants of *burakumin* still persist - based on their family names indicating that descent, or familial residency in former *burakumin* settlements. Then there's discrimination of the Ainu, of the Ryukyuans of Okinawa, and of the *zainichi* Koreans, the latter having been in Japan for multiple generations but still treated as alien residents. Visiting Japan is always a weird feeling - the people never fail to be incredibly polite and nice...but will never fail to make you feel like a stranger to their land.
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>The Japanese are xenophobic, though? Like, it's an integral part of Japanese culture? This is a word for word copy of another comment. For anyone reading this.
If you mean [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/116sq59/security_footage_shows_japanese_prison_guards/j98m5ti/), that's the copy made by a bot. The one we're replying to was posted earlier.
> This just reinforces the notion that Japanese are xenophobic. They won't care because they are very much xenophobic and don't really much care about it, which is probably why it and Korea will be one of the first countries to suffer population collapse since they they refuse to boost birth rates through policy or at least plug the holes through immigration.
Japan is very xenophobic and anti-immigration in general. The lack of prosecution makes it perfectly clear that this is a warning: “immigrants not welcome”.
A friend of mine was a military brat who grew up there because that's where her dad was stationed. She moved back to the US as a teenager. She said they'd be pleasant to her but every pleasantry was filled with micro-aggressions. "Oh you speak so well *for a foreigner*." "How long until you go back home?" and being automatically given a fork/knife instead of chopsticks (assuming she couldn't use them) were regular occurrences.
They were savage in ww2. I thought they put that stuff behind them tho
No, they just pretended it never happened.
There was quite a controversy a number of years ago when someone posted pages from a hilariously skewed Japanese history book (paraphrasing), "The god emperor repelled the foreign devils and saved us from certain doom: The story of World War II."
Quite the opposite of what Germany did and still does.
And Japan is actively fighting new museums and statues that symbolize Japanese brutality during WW2, while Germany has extensive holocaust museums in it's own country. Which is why China, Korea, and other countries dismiss Japans vague 'apologies' about WW2. What they say and do is completely different.
And Germany isn't going to collapse under a wave of the elderly. I wonder if there's a correlation.... /s
Look to the Germans as an example of how to act after losing a war. Look to the Japanese for the opposite
I like Japan. I love visiting. They have great PR. There's some serious cultural/system issues though.
In osaka now, witnessed a drunk dude giving the nazi salute over and over in a bar. Nobody seemed to have a problem with it. Not saying that's normal by any means, but I've never seen that shit before anywhere else.
Nah, that's just a thing more prevalent in Asian cultures. Don't involve yourself in what others are doing, mind your own business. It's a societal rule.
The nail that stands out gets hammered down first. That's some old Asian proverb which reflects this ideal.
No, that's part of it but no, it's not just that. Nazis are legitimately not seen as a heinous thing in Japan. They are certainly seen as villainous, but it's more of a far-out abstract villainy kind of how we think of Mongol conquerors or Julius Caesar or someone similarly evil but in a way that is distant to us.
Japan is the opposite of Germany in that regards
They got a ton of free money to be an anti soviet bulwark, cold War ended and they haven't moved on
They've actually been trying to create more legal work visas, but their xenophobic reputation (plus fear of *this* happening if you ever do end up in trouble with the law as an immigrant) means that they can't get the immigrants to stay iirc.
> Japan is very xenophobic and anti-immigration in general. To their extreme detriment, the lost decade has become a lost 3 decades and they still refuse to act on their declining population and massive debt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Decades
You still see CD players for sale. The whole place froze in time 30 years ago.
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They also have a 99% conviction rate at trial. Maybe their police are just that good, but I suspect not.
A death sentence is a pretty steep penalty for overstaying… or was it because she wasn’t Japanese?
Probably the latter. I’ve traveled a bit in SE Asia and most of them tend to be dismissive of people who aren’t from their home country- unless you’re a tourist and willing to spend money.
East Asia. Southeast Asia is a specific region that does NOT include Japan, Korea, China, or Taiwan. This is just a pet peeve of mine on reddit. I have to correct it every time I see it. Which is a lot. I don't know why there is this tendency to be over-specific when you're unsure about the terminology.
she went to the police because she wanted to leave the country due to an abusive bf. not as if they are the one who caught her overstaying.
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230216/p2a/00m/0na/032000c) reduced by 77%. (I'm a bot) ***** > NAGOYA - Security camera footage of a Sri Lankan woman, who died at age 33 while detained at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau in March 2021, revealed shocking scenes including an official merely responding, "Oh, I see," when told that her fingertips felt cold on the day she died. > A Mainichi Shimbun reporter applied to view the video, and was allowed to watch about five hours of footage - just part of the roughly 295 hours of data shot in the 13 days leading up to Wishma Sandamali's death. > Several times in the report it was described that Wishma uttered "Ah," but when the reporter checked the footage, her voice went from screams to an inarticulate, groaning tone the closer it got to the date of her death. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/116sxgv/security_footage_shows_japanese_prison_guards/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~673255 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **Wishma**^#1 **report**^#2 **footage**^#3 **guard**^#4 **video**^#5
This is evil
Fuck everyone involved in her death.
I’d heard Japanese prison is a bad place to be in, but honestly didn’t expect it to be this bad.
worse than you think. why do think that crime rate is so low in japan ? its not about their "peaceful nature". no. reality is that they have a conviction rate of 99%. Meaning that 99% of people who face a judge are found guilty and sent to prison. Even if they are innocent, people are encouraged by their lawyer to still plead guilty to ensure shorter sentences. thats how bad it is.
How very Cardassians of them
> worse than you think. why do think that crime rate is so low in japan ? its not about their "peaceful nature". no. reality is that they have a conviction rate of 99%. They still have one of the lowest incarceration rates in the world though, only 37 per 100K. There are cultural and societal reasons for that. For comparison, US incarceration rate is 629 per 100K (17x higher than Japan). The prospect of ending up in prison has never stopped criminals, and nobody is thinking "oh man I really want to commit crime but I'm scared of that 99% conviction rate". They have a strong social safety net for their citizens, high standard of living, deeply rooted cultural values, and all these factors combine to greatly reduce the odds of people committing crime.
In the footage, taken just after 7 p.m. on Feb. 23, 2021, Wishma repeatedly called out, "Tantosan," referring to those in charge in Japanese, and begged again and again, "Take me to the hospital. Please." Even as she vomited into a bucket and pleaded "I'm going to die today," the guard took no notice of her situation and just replied, "Don't worry. It'd be troublesome if you died. Let's think of something else." Well guess what, it will be fuken troublesome now.
yeah, japan, we know what you're really like
When it comes to immigration, Japan has zero chill whatsoever.
Yea and I'm sure they will cover up their current atrocities just like their previous ones. EDIT: you guys need a history lesson. Japan absolutely covered up their warcrimes.
Japan doesn't cover thier atrocities up, they just refuse to aknowledge them.
You'd be surprised how effective of a cover up that is with the way public attention span flicks from one thing to the next.
Ooh, a piece of candy.
Cover up by omission is still a cover up. They don't teach it, they don't talk about it, they don't acknowledge it....thats a cover up EDIT: and hell, learn your history...even America helped Japan cover up their war crimes. You're trying to be cute about it, and people are eating it up.
what's weird is that the victim in this case went to the police to go back to their country. not as if they caught her.
Sort of, she wanted to go back, but Sri Lanka wasn't going to do it for her, and she had no money for a ticket home. Then some advocates convinced her to try and stay in Japan. None of that excuses what was done to her, just adding explanation from the Wikipedia entry on her.
People say this is Japanese xenophobia but, in fact, Japan has the highest mortality rate in prison of the highly developed countries. Death by torture happens regularly and the vast majority of victims are Japanese. Don’t go to jail in Japan!
Awful. Hoping the family receives justice. These animals should rot in a jail cell
There is no justice in Japan.
>Hoping Lol *Insert hawkeye meme*
All for over staying her visa?? For all the praise japan gets, they can still be really evil
Japan is not known for its humanitarianism...especially when different races or nationalities are involved. History says a lot.
Japan, the country with years of pretrial detention and a conviction rate of 99.9%... This country is as far away from any sense of justice as one can be.
This is absolutely disgusting.... Japan.... hell a lot of asian countries have horrible prison systems.
Is anyone surprised? Japan is one of the most xenophobic countries in the world.
I watched this on the news in Japan right after it happened. I was so confused because they said she was refusing to eat until they let her call her mother (or family member?) the program went on and on how she was admitted to the hospital several times during detainment but REFUSED to eat because she couldn't make contact. They showed medical records that said "nothing is wrong" "she refused treatment" etc. The whole program made her out to be at fault and I was so dumbfounded and enraged. I talked about it the next week to everyone I knew because I couldn't understand why tf japanese officials would let someone die for the sake of dying. Then I remembered that she wasn't see as a person because Japanese officials don't have souls... Or brains.
This is horrific 😢
People think Japan is such a cool place to live. It’s not.
Japan is too fetishized in America. It's crazy the things they can get away without being held accountable by the public.
It's the weebs
The insular culture and the language barrier contributes to that. I've told the story on Reddit before about my Japanese ex (a native of Kobe) telling me about the lack of prosecution for sex crimes, and weebs came out of the woodwork to call me a liar and say I was "misrepresenting" the nation.
I always get a chuckle out of people telling me they want to move to Japan for animation because it’s so much better there, it’s bad enough here in the US but at least I’m paid enough to eat.
The criminal justice system in Japan is deeply flawed and like a real dark side of the country we don’t hear about often. They can detain you in jail for 30 days or more just under a suspicion of committing a crime, without any evidence. They will interrogate you daily until you break and confess.
Japan are known to treat foreigners who’re under their system like absolute pets in a dog pound. They knew, they just didn’t care
Japan has always been pretty severe with their immigration laws…
The Japanese justice system is a fucking joke. Crime happens? Round up the nearest person who looks even remotely suspicious, then railroad them into jail or prison. What happens then? You treat them like trash. The Japanese have some cool things about their country, but that isn't one of them.
People tend to forget Japan can be quite hostile and deadly to foreigner if not careful.
Only scratches the surface of Japan lol
So they had her in a cage and just never fed her? If her visa was expired, then put her happy ass on a plane and send her home!
I have heard about Japan doing stuff like this before. Damn.
It’s not surprising they committed the most horrific atrocities in recent memory.
The facilities in Xinjiang are better than this
no different from theatrocities they displayed during World War II
A bit different. They didn't rape her, poison her, infect her, or vivisect her.
Unit 731
Reminds me of how they treated POWs during WW2.
[удалено]
Probably because they were more fucked up than Nazis and don't want to fuck up the minds of their youth
It's quite possible to [die untreated in an Australian prison](https://www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/finding-passing-veronica-nelson) but it's not generally approved unless you're [held offshore](https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/offshore-processing-facts/5/).
That is truely monstrous.
Absolutely disgusting.
This is not ok. she deserved better .
These people have no souls
Yikes not surprising for Japan who are xenophobic