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Arudou Debito (有道 出人 Arudō Debito), a naturalized Japanese citizen born in the United States, is a teacher, author and controversial activist. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
A foreign-born Japanese is a person who was originally born outside Japan and later acquired Japanese citizenship. ...
Background
Early life Arudou was born David Christopher Aldwinckle in California in 1965. He attended Cornell University, and first visited Japan as a tourist on invitation from his pen pal (and future wife), for a few weeks in 1986. Following this experience, he spent his final year at Cornell studying the Japanese language. He then taught English in Sapporo for one year, but "swore against ever being a language teacher again, plunging instead into business."[1] He returned to the US and entered the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UC San Diego. He took a year off from this program in 1989 to return to Japan, where he married and spent a year at the Japan Management Academy in Nagaoka. He then returned to California and completed his MS in 1991. It has been suggested that Califas be merged into this article or section. ...
Cornell redirects here. ...
Japanese (日本語, ) is a language spoken by over 130 million people, mainly in Japan, but also by Japanese emigrant communities around the world. ...
Sapporo scene Sapporo White Illumination Sapporo (札幌市; -shi) is the fifth-largest city in Japan and it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture. ...
The University of California, San Diego (popularly known as UCSD) is a public, coeducational university located in La Jolla, California. ...
This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
It has been suggested that Califas be merged into this article or section. ...
1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Aldwinckle then joined a small Japanese trading company in Sapporo. It was this experience, he recounts, that started him down the path of the controversial activist that he would later become. "This was a watershed in my life," Arudou writes. "...and it polarized my views about how I should live it. Although working [in Japan] made my Japanese really good--answering phones and talking to nasty, racist, and bloody-minded construction workers from nine to six--there was hell to pay every single day." [1] Claiming to be the object of racial harrassment, Aldwinckle eventually quit the company.[2] In 1993, he returned to teach English conversation at a private university in Sapporo, where he still teaches today. Sapporo scene Sapporo White Illumination Sapporo (札幌市; -shi) is the fifth-largest city in Japan and it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture. ...
Sapporo scene Sapporo White Illumination Sapporo (札幌市; -shi) is the fifth-largest city in Japan and it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture. ...
Japanese naturalization Aldwinckle became a permanent resident of Japan in 1996. He obtained Japanese citizenship in 2000, whereupon he changed his name to Arudou Debito, a kanji transliteration that, according to Arudou, has the figurative meaning of "a person who has a road and is going out on it." To allow his wife and children to retain their Japanese family name, he adopted the legal name Sugawara Arudou Debito. He gave the following amongst the reasons for naturalization: Permanent residency refers to a persons status such that the person is allowed to reside indefinitely within the country despite not having citizenship. ...
Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyogana Uses Furigana Okurigana RÅmaji Kanji (Japanese: ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮å), katakana (片仮å), and the arabic numerals. ...
- [To] me naturalization is just an obvious extension of what somebody in my position would desire anyway--the right to vote and to LEGALLY participate in society the same as any other citizen. I am already as entrenched as any other citizen: I have a house and land with a debt of a quarter-million dollars; with a thirty-year loan I really *cannot* leave Japan.
- Moreover, naturalization has knock-on benefits that suit a person with my personality. It will enable me to stand on my rights (yes, more than I do now!) with renewed vigor--because I will indeed HAVE more rights, as well as a firmer ground to demand even more (I can except myself from, say, this "as a foreigner, you are a guest in our country so shut up" bullshit). And--dare I say it?--I would be able to participate in politics as a *candidate* if I so choose).
Arudou initially maintained dual nationality in violation of Japanese nationality law which requires those who naturalize to renounce their former citizenship. According to Arudou, in 2002 a U.S. consul in Sapporo threatened to divulge this information to the Japanese government following a disagreement with Arudou regarding his activist activities near Misawa Air Base. U.S. Consulate officials deny the allegation (see Criticism). Following the incident, Arudou chose to renounce his U.S. citizenship.[3] Multiple citizenship is simultaneous citizenship in two or more countries (whether it is recognized by all countries or not). ...
For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...
American and Japanese air traffic controllers work together in Misawas busy control tower. ...
Otaru onsen lawsuit Arudou made headlines across Japan and the world as one plaintiff in a racial discrimination suit against the Yunohana Onsen in Otaru, Hokkaido. Yunohana had an official ban on non-Japanese patrons, which it claimed to have instituted after Russian sailors allegedly scared away patrons from one of its other facilities. After receiving several reports of exclusions in 1998 and 1999, Arudou visited Yunohana, along with a small group of Japanese, white and East Asian friends, and discovered that only visibly non-Japanese people were excluded.[4] From debito. ...
From debito. ...
Outdoor pool, Naruko Outdoor Onsen on Nakanoshima island in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture Old onsen in Hakone An private outdoor rotenburo in Gorakadan Guidebook to Hakone from 1811 This rotenburo at Jigokudani Onsen is for Japanese Macaques. ...
Otaru (å°æ¨½å¸‚; -shi) is a city and port located in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido, Japan. ...
Arudou assumed that when he returned in 2000 as a naturalized Japanese citizen, he would not be refused; but the manager, although accepting that he was Japanese, refused him anyway on the grounds that his foreign appearance could cause existing Japanese customers to assume the onsen was admitting foreigners and take their business elsewhere. An investigation revealed that other similar cases had occurred at the same onsen, such as a case where a mixed-race family (who were nonetheless all Japanese citizens) had been split up, with only those whose appearance took after the Japanese side of the family being admitted.[citation needed]
Arudou and two of his friends, Kenneth Sutherland and Olaf Karthaus, then sued. On November 11, 2002, the Sapporo District Court ordered Yunohana to pay the plaintiffs 1 million JPY in damages. The court stated that "refusing all foreigners without exception is 'unrational discrimination' [that] can be said to go beyond permissible societal limits." This made the ruling a lukewarm victory for the plaintiffs, as it did little to change legal precedent towards racial discrimination in Japan.[5] The plaintiffs also attempted to claim against the city of Otaru for failing to create an anti-discrimination ordinance, but this claim was dismissed as without merit. These rulings were upheld by the Sapporo High Court on September 16, 2004 [6] and the Supreme Court of Japan denied review on April 7, 2005[7] Olaf Karthaus (born 1963 in Koblenz). ...
November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ...
For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...
September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Supreme Court of Japan (最高è£åˆ¤æ‰€, SaikÅ-Saibansho; shortly called 最高è£, SaikÅ-Sai), located in Chiyoda, Tokyo is the highest court in Japan. ...
April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Current activities Arudou is currently planning a multi-party lawsuit against the government of Japan for failing to protect the human rights of foreigners.[8] This article describes the structure of the Japanese Government. ...
Quotes - "Other people have called me a 'human rights' activist. I don't mind the label, but I don't think I'd go so far...I'm just an average guy with a bigger mouth than average."[9]
- "Japan is not an outlier in terms of racism, but it is in terms of protections against it."[9]
- "Starting from 1993 in Otaru, Hokkaido, and now running unchecked throughout Japan, signs saying 'Japanese Only' have gone up, making an unspoken undercurrent of fear of the outsider into clear, present, and brazen exclusionism--following the best traditions of segregation and apartheid."[10]
- "Truth be told, having two passports in Japan is not necessarily a problem. If one lived a quiet life, one could conceivably keep renewing a non-Japanese passport ad infinitum. The USG permits dual citizenship and doesn't go out of its way to tell other governments about the nationalities of their citizens. However, as you know, I don't live a quiet life."[3]
Publications Arudou has written a book about a particular incident of discrimination he faced, in which he went with his family and some friends to an onsen (hot spring) in the Hokkaido town of Otaru in 1999. The book was originally written in Japanese; the English version, Japanese Only—The Otaru Hot Springs Case and Racial Discrimination in Japan (ISBN 4-7503-2005-6), was published in 2004 and revised in 2006. Outdoor pool, Naruko Outdoor Onsen on Nakanoshima island in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture Old onsen in Hakone An private outdoor rotenburo in Gorakadan Guidebook to Hakone from 1811 This rotenburo at Jigokudani Onsen is for Japanese Macaques. ...
For the dog breed, see Hokkaido (dog). ...
Otaru (小樽市; -shi) is a city and port located in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido, Japan. ...
Arudou has also written several textbooks on business English and debating in addition to many journalistic and academic articles.[11]
Criticism Arudou's tactics have been seen by some as unnecessarily confrontational with supporting research that is sometimes inadequately substantiated, spurious or exaggerated in its claims.
Some of his former colleagues who were initially active in the BENCI (Business Excluding Non-Japanese Customer Issho) project (unconnected to Arudou's "Community in Japan" project), have criticized his apparent unwillingness to co-ordinate efforts. Such friction contributed to a split with some of his initial supporters in the BENCI project. Others have criticized his alleged thirst for personal publicity, a claim which he has repeatedly denied.[12]
Some critics question Arudou's brand of conflict resolution: the judicial system. Alex Kerr, author of the best-selling Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Japan (ISBN 0-8090-3943-5), criticize such tactics as "too combative," is doubtful "whether in the long run it really helps," noting that "in Japan...[the combative] approach fails."[13] Others echo sentiments often expressed on Japan-related internet chat fora: that "Arudou's tactics may lead to an eventual backlash against foreigners, rather than expand their rights."[14]
In terms of research, Arudou appears to forego systematic evidence to support the allegation that "Japanese Only" signs are "proliferating" nationwide, preferring to depend on anecdotal evidence. His "Rogue's Gallery" published on his website[10] appears to have been collected in an ad hoc manner. As of January 2006, the gallery contained 28 signs in 15 venues, a very small percentage of nationwide businesses that allegedly demonstrate discriminatory practices based on race. In a number of publications, Arudou claimed that "Japan happens to be the only OECD country without any form of domestic law against racial discrimination" without offering documented proof.[15] The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ...
Some critics question Arudou's repeated claims that the Otaru Hot Spring case reflects a significant problem that requires immediate attention. Critics, such as Gregory Clark, Akita International University vice-president, view the lawsuit as the product of "ultrasensitivity" and "Western moralizing."[16] Other critics, such as Robert Neff, recognized hot spring (onsen) authority and author of Japan's Hidden Hot Springs (ISBN 0-8048-1949-1), acknowledge the odd clash with an allegedly xenophobic hot spring proprietor, but ultimately views much of Arudou's campaign to be "faux" and ironically divisive.[17]
Some critics object to Arudou's choice of targets, asserting that far more pressing and pervasive discriminatory behavior exists in Japan. Such alleged problems include racial discrimination in apartment rentals, the granting of tenured academic positions in Japanese universities, and the right of foreign fathers to gain access to their children in the event of divorce. Nevertheless, Arudou created the Blacklist of Japanese Universities [1] in 1997 to raise the issue of discriminatory hiring practices in Japanese universities, and has also written about and linked to other activists dealing with issues such as child custody and divorce. [2]
Some critics object to Arudou's attempt to evoke parallels between the institutionalized racial discrimination historically exhibited in South Africa, Nazi Germany, and the American segregated south with the alleged examples occasionally debated in Japan.[10] Peter Tasker, author of numerous best-selling non-fiction and fiction works on Japan, argues that in "attempting to monster [Japan] into George Wallace's Alabama, [Arudou] trivializes the real-life brutal discrimination that still disfigures our world and the heroic campaigners who have put themselves on the line to fight it."[18] Others question how a small and motley collection of allegedly discriminatory bath-houses, "soaplands," massage parlors, and nightclubs is representative of Japan's civil rights situation in any meaningful sense.[19] Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...
Segregation means separation. ...
Governor George Wallace (in front of door) standing defiantly against desegregation while being confronted by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach at the University of Alabama in 1963. ...
Notes - ^ a b Debito Arudou, "A Bit More Personal Background on Arudou Debito/Dave Aldwinckle," Debito.Org
- ^ "After I nearly got sick and they started doing things that no Japanese superiors would ever do to their subordinates (like threatening to fire me for any minor infraction--even for coming to work in sneakers!-- kicking me in public, and calling my wife and asking her out!), my wife gave me permission to leave the company." Ibid.
- ^ a b Debito Arudou, "How to Lose Your American Passport," Debito.Org, January 10, 2003.
- ^ Dave Aldwinckle, "The Trip to 'Gaijin-Okotowari' Onsen," Debito.Org, September 19, 1999.
- ^ Debito Arudou,"The Otaru Lawsuit Decision and its Possible Effects," Debito.Org, November 12, 2002.
- ^ Debito Arudou, "Preliminary Report on the Otaru Onsens Lawsuit: Sapporo High Court Decision," Debito.Org, September 16, 2004.
- ^ Newswire, "City Off the Hook for Bathhouse Barring of Foreigners," The Japan Times Online, April 7, 2005. According to the Supreme Court ruling, "The convention has only general, abstract provisions recommending appropriate measures to eliminate racial discrimination, and the Otaru government does not have any obligation to institute ordinances to ban such discrimination." For a look at the original (Japanese) ruling, see "Japan Supreme Court Decision on the Otaru Onsen Case," Debito.Org, April 7, 2005.
- ^ Kunibengodan ("National Lawsuit Legal Team"), "Statement on the Lawsuit Against Japan's National Government to be Filed in 2006 in Tokyo District Court When We Have Some More Plaintiffs on Board,"Debito.Org, January 24, 2006.
- ^ a b Interview with Debito Arudou, JapanReview.Net, November 17, 2001.
- ^ a b c Debito Arudou, "The Rogues' Gallery: Photos of Places in Japan which Exclude or Restrict non-Japanese Customers," Debito.Org.
- ^ "Debito Arudou/Dave Aldwinckle's Publications," Debito.Org
- ^ For one such example, see Yuki Allyson Honjo, "The Dave and Tony Show," Book Reviews, JapanReview.Net, January, 2005.
- ^ Tony McNicol,"Japan Sees Beginning of Change: Tony McNicol Talks to Dogs and Demons author Alex Kerr,"The Japan Times Online, October 25, 2005.
- ^ Patrick Rial, "Debito Arudou: Evangelic Activist or Devlish Demonstrator?", Zapanzine, December 2005.
- ^ For a few such examples, see Debito Arudou, "Japan's Misguided 'Kokusaika'," Japan Today, June 27, 2001; Debito Arudou, "JCLU Proposes Anti-Discrimination Law," Tokyo Professive, May 21, 2003; Debito Arudou, "Japan, the tourist destination?," Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry, May 23, 2003; and Debito Arudou, Japanese Only: The Otaru Hot Springs Case and Racial Discrimination in Japan (Tokyo: Akashi Shoten, Inc), pg. 305. For a few articles that repeat the allegation, see Mark Magnier, "Japanese Court Ruling Favors Foreigners: Bathhouse Must Pay Three Men who Were Denied Entry. Decision is Called 'Significant' in a Nation that Tolerates Discrimination," Main News, Los Angeles Times, November 12, 2002, pg. 3; and "Japanese Bathhouse to Pay 25,000 Dollars for Barring Foreigners," International News Section, Agence France Presse-English, Tokyo November 11, 2002.
- ^ Gregory Clark,"Destroying a Fragile Trust," Op-Ed, The Japan Times Online, February 12, 2001.
- ^ Interview with Robert C. Neff, JapanReview.Net, January 31, 2005.
- ^ Peter Tasker, "Opportunism Trivializes Real Discrimination," Letters, JapanReview.Net, June 2005.
- ^ For one such example, see Alexander Kinmont, "UN CERD and Representative Government: Sense or Nonsense?," Letters, JapanReview.Net, June 2005.
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