Japan bashing
Encyclopedia
The term Japan bashing, or Japan-bashing is a term referring to Anti-Japanese sentiment
. The term was first coined in the early 1980s by Robert C. Angel, a paid lobbyist for the Japanese government
. At the time, Angel was president of the Washington
-based Japan Economic Institute, an organization financed and overseen by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
.
Wanting to counter growing U.S. criticism of Japan
's trade
policies, Angel searched for a way to discredit Japan critics by insinuating their criticism was based on racism
and xenophobia
. "I looked around for a phrase to use to discredit Japan's critics," Angel later said. "And I hoped to be able to discredit those most effective critics by lumping them together with the people who weren't informed and who as critics were an embarrassment to everybody else."
He tried out the term "anti-Japanism" in speeches and interviews, but it did not catch on. Then he tried "Japan bashing". The term quickly caught on and gained widespread popularity. "The first people to pick up on it were the Japanese press," Angel said. "However, within a year the American press began to use the term." The term became a weapon in the public relations war being waged in Washington over trade policy and U.S.-Japanese economic relations.
Angel, who says he is now embarrassed by his triumph, commented, "I view that modest public relations success with some shame
and disappointment." And added, "Those people who use (the term) have the distinction of being my intellectual dupes."
Anti-Japanese sentiment
Anti-Japanese sentiment involves hatred, grievance, distrust, dehumanization, intimidation, fear, hostility, and/or general dislike of the Japanese people and Japanese diaspora as ethnic or national group, Japan, Japanese culture, and/or anything Japanese. Sometimes the terms Japanophobia and...
. The term was first coined in the early 1980s by Robert C. Angel, a paid lobbyist for the Japanese government
Government of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
. At the time, Angel was president of the Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based Japan Economic Institute, an organization financed and overseen by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
.
Wanting to counter growing U.S. criticism of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
policies, Angel searched for a way to discredit Japan critics by insinuating their criticism was based on racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
. "I looked around for a phrase to use to discredit Japan's critics," Angel later said. "And I hoped to be able to discredit those most effective critics by lumping them together with the people who weren't informed and who as critics were an embarrassment to everybody else."
He tried out the term "anti-Japanism" in speeches and interviews, but it did not catch on. Then he tried "Japan bashing". The term quickly caught on and gained widespread popularity. "The first people to pick up on it were the Japanese press," Angel said. "However, within a year the American press began to use the term." The term became a weapon in the public relations war being waged in Washington over trade policy and U.S.-Japanese economic relations.
Angel, who says he is now embarrassed by his triumph, commented, "I view that modest public relations success with some shame
Shame
Shame is, variously, an affect, emotion, cognition, state, or condition. The roots of the word shame are thought to derive from an older word meaning to cover; as such, covering oneself, literally or figuratively, is a natural expression of shame....
and disappointment." And added, "Those people who use (the term) have the distinction of being my intellectual dupes."
Japan-bashing today
As Japan's "bubble economy" burst in the late 1980s and went into recession, the term's popularity subsided.External links
- Campaign Issues: Trade (November/December 1992), Columbia Journalism Review
- Mediasaurus by Michael Crichton, Wired Digital, Inc.