BIGOTRY WATCH : There They Go Again

Drawing an analogy between prostitutes in Tokyo and blacks in America is ridiculous. Yet a Japanese cabinet official did that recently, in a most insulting manner.

After a police roundup of foreign prostitutes over the weekend, Justice Minister Seiroku Kajiyama likened their presence in the Shinjuku district to black Americans who move into white neighborhoods and “ruin the atmosphere.” He said: “It’s like in America when neighborhoods become mixed because blacks move in, and whites are forced out.” The Justice Ministry later issued a clarifying statement but did not apologize.

Kajiyama’s slur reflects an insular view of the world despite a program of “internationalization” and Japan’s business interests overseas. He is the latest official--others included former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and Liberal Democratic Party official Michio Watanabe--to make disparaging remarks about blacks.

Sadly, Japan’s embrace of Western ways apparently is superficial--designer goods and hamburgers. Tokyo may have difficulty understanding the tapestry of America’s diversity, but it should know better given the many Japanese tourists and businessmen who visit America.

Instead, we see the distressing popularity of best-selling books with anti-Semitic themes and continuing discrimination against Koreans in Japan.

The Japanese have long extolled their homogeneous culture, but it’s also an excuse. Tokyo needs some lessons in sensitivity before “internationalization” is genuine.