Japan perceives itself and is perceived by other nations as a mono-ethnic and racially pure society. Since the post-World War Two era, a low crime rate has existed in Japan. Recently however, crime has been on a sharp rise. The combination of Japan perceiving itself as mono-ethnic with the fact that there has been a large influx of foreign workers entering Japan (due to its economic success) has caused an increase in stereotypes and labeling of foreigners as being responsible for the increase in crime. This paper will present evidence that nullifies the theory that foreigners are responsible for increased crime in Japan. In addition, the rise of this racial stereotyping will be examined, and an illustration of its correlation with Japan's illusion of mono-ethnicity will be presented. Additional theories on why crime is rising will then be discussed.

"The Governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, called on the Japanese army division stationed near Tokyo to be prepared for a possible uprising by "third country" people, or "illegal foreigners," in the event of a natural calamity, such as an earthquake (ISSHO)."

However, it cannot be denied that racist sentiments do exist in Japan. "The implication of Nakasone's statement, ["There are quite a few blacks, Puerto R

Once we returned to the main road he kept telling me to wait. "Choto-matte," he said. Suddenly about ten other police officers approached in two cars and on two bicycles. This is quite an intimidating sight, almost a dozen serious-looking officers in dark blue uniforms with tazers and guns is quite a menacing sight even if you are six inches taller than all of them. I thought to myself, as the serious officers encircled me, "Oh shit! I'm working here illegally on a tourist visa, I don't have my passport, and I've been drinking!" Needless to say, it was not the muggy summer heat that caused droplets of sweat to form on my nervous brow.

"Nonetheless, we should not assume an unbroken continuity of the prewar colonial discourse in contemporary Japan (Lie, 174)." Many Japanese are ignorant of what were once racial epithets. "At a rowdy bar in the now seedy Golden Street in Shinjuku, a clearly inebriated man ranted and raved about "Chankoro." [However, Lie's Japanese friend] was ignorant of this racial epithet for Chinese. On another occasion a female teacher used the phrase "baka de mo Chon de mo" (even fools and Koreans) to express her disgust at some slow students. The phrase is used to denote that even fools and Koreans can do a simple task. When asked if she was conscious of the racial epithet Chon for Koreans, she became embarrassed, and said that she had used it unconsciously. As these examples suggest, the survival of racist epithets and phrases should not necessarily be taken to mean that the prewar ethno racial worldview remains robust. Simply to castigate contemporary Japanese people as racist obscures more than it illuminates about the nature of the contemporary Japanese ethno-national worldview (Lie, 174)."

The issue of racism and anti-foreign sentiments has not gone unnoticed. Many foreign and Japanese scholars have taken note of the fact that "most prejudice comes from the data issued by the National Police Agency (NPA) itself (Wilkinson)." According to the Japanese author Nakashima Shin-Ichiro, a member of Kumusuta-ka Group, the NPA uses statistics to selectively promote the idea that foreigners are by and large criminals. In a recent book on the statements made by Ishihara (the statement at the beginning of the paper) "Nakashima examines the statistics published by the NPA itself, and subjects them to a dose of common sense. The conclusion, overall, is that the NPA's statistics do not lead to the conclusions they draw (Wilkinson)."

If there is no justification for accusing foreigners of being criminals, then are the Japanese racists? Kokubo Masao, a regional politician, said, "We know in our heads that discrimination is bad, but our feelings are different....When you shake hands with someone who is completely black, you feel your hands getting black." In addition, Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro made international headlines in the mid-1980's by making these racist remarks against American ethnic minorities: "There are quite a few blacks, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans in America, and their [intelligence] is on average still extremely low. [However] the Iwakura Mission in the mid-nineteenth century reported: "There is no relationship between skin color and intelligence." A 1950s' study of Japanese novels showed that "Negroes are always described favorably." [But, according to Lie] Some contemporary Japanese people hold negative stereotypes about African Americans, but they learned them proximately and principally from Americans and the American media (Lie174)." This leaves the question "are Japanese racist?" up in the air. It appears from the remarks of these politicians that racist sentiments do exist in Japan. However, one should take note of the way the media has misinterpreted translated phrases and gestures in the past.

Nathan's father is an inter

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Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)