Inside the movement: TOKYO BLM MOVEMENT AND RACISM IN JAPAN
in conversation with co-organiser of Tokyo BLM Jaime N.Smith
By Olive Enokido Lineham
It’s been four months since the murder of George Floyd by white policeman, Derek Chauvin, in Minneapolis, USA. Floyd’s killing, catalysed Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests across the world, signalling the beginning of one the largest movements in US history, the New York Times reports. Echoing calls of the civil rights movement, highlighting institutional racism and demanding change - the protests signified a pivotal moment in history that our generation will never forget.
As BLM movements around the world continue to fight for racial equality, our Politics and Opinions Editor, Olive, looked across the Pacific to find out what’s happening in Japan. She spoke to one of the young organisers of Tokyo BLM, Jaime N. Smith, to discuss her involvements in the Tokyo protests, racism in Japan and problematising the current narrative.
Protestors marching, 14th June, Tokyo │ Image courtesy of Louisa Wong
Tokyo BLM:
On 14th June, 3,500 people peacefully marched in protest of the killing of George Floyd in Japan’s capital, Tokyo. With a protest permit for only 300 people, a sea of masks and placquars descended onto the busy streets of downtown Shibuya, political activism in the plight of a global pandemic.
In light of Floyd’s murder, the Tokyo BLM group was created by a group of young activists - mainly foreign university students studying in Japan. With a small group of friends, co-founder Sierra Todd, a student from the US, took to the streets of Harajuku, holding placards to urge discussions about Floyd’s murder and the situation in the US.
On left: Sierra Todd, co-organiser of Tokyo BLM, On right: Jaime N. Smith, co-organiser of Tokyo BLM, at 14th June protest │Image courtesy of Louisa Wong
Soon, appetite for greater action gathered resulting in the formation of Tokyo’s BLM Facebook group, which saw its membership increase from 30 to 300 in one night. Discussions led to plans for a march and how this could be done safely, as the state of emergency had only recently been lifted in the capital.
Whilst Tokyo BLM began to plan its 14th June protest, the movement was not limited to the capital. A wider network of grassroot movements across Japan from Tokyo to the southern city of Fukuoka emerged.
Jaime N. Smith, co-organiser of the 14th June Tokyo protest, is originally from Maryland, US and moved to Japan four years ago, fascinated by its culture. The 25-year old works part-time as a marketing assistant, art teacher and model.
Previously, she didn’t identify herself as particularly engaged in activism in the US, yet recent events have urged Jaime to take action in Japan. Heading a small team of volunteers, she was responsible for designing protest posters, images and spreading the word on social media.
The Tokyo protest gained widespread media attention on Japanese national news, accompanied by messages of support on social media from Japanese celebrities like model, Kiko Mizuhara and musician, MIYAVI.
For a country whose population is often depicted as apolitical and conformist, organisers of the Tokyo protest in June were astonished by the turnout. Describing it as ‘astronomical’, Jaime highlighted the importance of solidarity amongst non-black Japanese people.
“To see that high of a number of Japanese people there was amazing to me. Foreigners in Japan are a minority and black people in Japan are an even greater minority within that, so for this to be successful, we had to have other people show up”.
Compliments of the Tokyo protest also emphasised the representation of LGBTQ people within the groups organisers. Identifying as queer herself, Jaime notes the particular importance of such representation within the BLM movement in Japan.
“Many of our organisers are members of the community, so of course we care because we understand the plight of black people and LGBT+ black people and how they face an even bigger brunt of discrimination”.
Attendees of 14th June Tokyo protest│Image courtesy of Louisa Wong
Looking Inwards: Racism in Japan
Whilst the march mirrored BLM protests taking place across the world, it also forced Japan to confront the uncomfortable truths of its endemic racism.
Its history evidences discrimination against marginalized groups within society, such as its anti-Korean sentiment which still lingers, dating back to Japan’s colonial occupation of Korea.
Whilst the population remains highly monolithic, perhaps the product of an isolationist immigration policy which lasted 200 years, the number of mixed raced children born in Japan is rising. Last year, the BBC reported that in Japan about 1 in every 50 babies born is mixed race.
Yet despite the growth of a more racially diverse population, the country still has a long way to go when it comes to combating racism towards both foreigners living in Japan and its native mixed-raced population.
Having lived in both the US and Japan, we asked Jaime whether she thinks that racism presents itself differently in both countries and if such a comparison is in fact useful.
“Racism in Japan is a bit different, it’s not quite as overt, which is why I think it allows a lot of people to brush it off. A lot of people say there is no racism in Japan, only xenophobia. But I don’t think they realise that within xenophobia there are preferences based on race and nationality as well. But before they even know your nationality, they see your skin colour first, so assumptions are made about people based on the colour of their skin”
Having lived in Japan for four years, Jaime shared her own experiences with discrimination, as a black person and a ‘gaikokujin’, a common word used in Japanese to describe a foreigner.
She recalls her experience with gaijin-checks, the colloquial term for a passport/ID check by the authorities. Cycling is a common form of transport in Japan and Jaime explains that bike checks are regularly conducted. Bikes are recorded - like a registration plate for a car and usually require proof of your residency card, yet, her experiences of such checks go beyond the norm.
The first weekend she moved to Tokyo, she went out with her boyfriend's new bike and knew that she was going to be stopped.
“For Japanese people you know it’s just a bike check, but when a foreigner gets checked, they check your card, that opens things up for further questioning, they write for your address, where you work, what your job title is”
She differentiates the experience of being stopped as a native Japanese person, versus as a suspected foreigner and its impact.
“Often it comes with more invasive questioning, it can be intimidating. I don’t think there’s ever a convenient time to be stopped, but every time I get stopped it’s at the most extremely inconvenient times. I’m going to work, I’ve got my hands full of groceries, or it’s raining. I’ve seen Japanese people get stopped for bike checks as well, but if you’re a foreigner and if you have a new bike or a nice bike, you’re probably going to get stopped”
Jaime’s experiences of gaijin checks further highlights the necessity for change in Japan. Yet, such attitudes to race are also prevalent in mainstream narratives too, like that of Naomi Osaka, the Haitian/Japanese professional tennis player.
The accomplished athlete, who was the first Asian to become the world’s No.1 female tennis player last year, was born in Japan and grew up in the US. Whilst Osaka has repeatedly used her platform in sport to speak out against racial injustice, including her recent withdrawal from her semi-final match at the Western & Southern Open, she has repeatedly been subject to racism at home.
One of Osaka’s sponsors, noodle company Nissin, was forced to apologise last year after being accused of white washing her in a cup noodle advert, depicting her as pale-skinned.
Jaime also raises the role of the media in shifting the narrative around racism in Japan. In June, the national broadcaster, NHK, was slammed for its short anime clip that attempted to explain the protests which erupted in the US. The video claimed that BLM protests were sparked by anger over economic disparities affecting African Americans in the US. Failing to mention George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, the animation depicted a number of angry, black men and women looting stores in violent protest. The video, which was taken down following fierce criticisms, was aired on national television and posted on NHK’s Twitter page.
Time for change:
Photo of father with young children at 14th June protest, Tokyo │ © em.fotografik | Emerge Inc.
Whilst Jaime notes that racism still remains largely undiscussed in Japan, the BLM movement at home and abroad has undoubtedly pushed conversations about race into the limelight in Japan.
Following a public apology, NHK aired a number of programmes and features providing more in-depth discussions on the history of slavery in the US, in an attempt to broaden education. Whilst Jaime notes that such productions are far from perfect, she sees it as a positive step in platforming these issues to the nation.
Since June, Tokyo BLM has shifted its focus from protests to community level outreach. In recent months, organisers launched ‘Real Talk’, a series of recorded webinars in English (with Japanese subtitles), exploring racism in Japan and abroad. The conversations which feature a variety of panellists including academics, activists, filmmakers aim to break down racial stereotypes and provide a space for educational discussions.
Tokyo BLM recently announced its first live-stream music event, ‘Harmonic Wavelength’, taking place on September 6th, via YouTube and Facebook. The event will feature seven musicians and performers in Japan to celebrate black culture.
Whilst it’s clear that many existing narratives around race in Japan are problematic and must actively be deconstructed, Tokyo’s BLM movement is undoubtedly testament to such progress. As calls for racial equality by BLM movements continue to reverberate across the world, Japan must also tackle its racism at home.
If you would like to find out more about Tokyo BLM please see the links below:
BLM Tokyo Twitter: https://twitter.com/blmtokyojp
BLM Tokyo Instagram: @blmtokyojp
BLM Tokyo FB: https://www.facebook.com/blmtokyojp/about/?ref=page_internal
Editor’s picks: if you’d like to read more on Japan’s relationship with racism we recommend the below:
Japan's protestors puncture the Western myth of political consensus, https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/japans-protestors-puncture-western-myth-political-consensus/
In Japan, the Message of Anti-Racism Protests Fails to Hit Home, New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/01/world/asia/japan-racism-black-lives-matter.html
“We Need To Turn Anger Into Education:” Japan For Black Lives Founders Terry Wright and Naomi Kawahara on Why We Should Talk About Racism in Japan, Tokyo Weekender: https://www.tokyoweekender.com/2020/06/japan-for-black-lives-terry-wright-naomi-kawahara/
