10 comments on “「外人犯罪裏ファイル」雑誌コンビニ等で発売中”

• February 4, 2007 at 8:57 pm

  Philip M. Adamek says:

  Kagoshima, February 4, 2007

  The first day of spring felt like it and I could think of no better way to enjoy the mild weather than biking to various Family Mart convenient stores to protest a racist publication. The Google business map I printed in advance proved highly unreliable; however, since Family Marts are numerous　in Kagoshima, I found that zigzagging across town led me to many of them. After stopping at four　stores that did not have the magazine, I began to savor the idea that Kagoshima might be an exceptional　place. No military base, so few foreigners relative to other cities in Japan… but this congratulatory vision　was brief. I visited approximately fifteen Family Marts and distributed the letters of protest, originally　scripted by Debito, to seven stores that had 「外人[まま]犯罪裏ファイル」 in stock. One store had about 12 of them, stacked　book-like, with bindings facing the prospective customer. There must be many more Family Marts in Kagoshima, but in　addition to becoming physically exhausted, I found that scanning so many demoralizing images of young　women was beginning to depress me. Feeling more and more like a targeted foreign pervert, on sore legs, I decided　to call it an afternoon.

  A few observations: It is interesting to note where this magazine is generally stacked, which is to say in the midst of high school girly smut magazines. It is as if the concept of “foreigner crime” were associated with the lure of cheaply gotten sex (or at least the dream thereof). What’s more, the inclusion, within　a magazine purporting to treat of “foreigner crime,” of scenes of amorous affection between mutually consenting interracial couples, shows just how wide-ranging and exotic the very concept of “foreigner crime” can be. In other words, any deviance from rigidly, pathologically defined reactionary racial and social norms becomes a violation on par with legally punishable crimes. Indeed, “foreigner crime” may even be felt as more shocking since, unlike textbook crimes, whether organized, corporate, or petty, “foreigner crime” is a category reserved entirely for a special sort of being. It does not even have to　apply to crimes. Its very name indicates that applies more to persons than to acts. This may explain the exotic and tantalizing flair of the idea of “外人犯罪.”

  In any case, looking at those candid photos of amorous couples, with the presumed glare of disgust that the reader is tacitly encouraged to share, one can measure pretty well just how many centuries away Tokyo is from rivaling Paris as the “city of love.”

  Finally, to return to a comment posted at Debito.org the other day: Someone suggested that a contributer had been “Eurocentric” or racist by identifying a person in one of the photos as a dark-haired guy. The point was that it would have been “balanced” if the contributor had called the man “white” just as he had called a man in another photo “black.” Far from being racist, the comment, I thought simply clarified the substance of the image, since, at least on the pdf file provided, the man pictured could have easily been mistaken as a Japanese. More to the point, when I looked closely at the actual magazine image, I wasn’t even confident that the guy could be called “white.” But the point here is that the absence of total balance in the descriptors does not necessarily imply a racist mindset. If the person who made this criticism had simply figured how unlikely it was that the contributor was being hypocritical and racist, then I think the criticism would never have been launched. It’s fine to strike righteous poses, but silly to do so over trifling matters. 「外人[まま]犯罪裏ファイル」 is, by contrast, hardly a trifling matter. It is hate speech sold as such for public amusement and consumption. And it is this sort of calculated cynicism that leads to warped mentalities and possibly worse.

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• February 5, 2007 at 9:45 am

  Nick says:

  This has been spotted in Daily Yamazaki and AM/PM stores… IF we are going to target EVERY player, we need to update the contact info listed above to be accurate.

  –QUITE. I HOPE THAT PEOPLE AREN’T GETTING WORRIED THAT WE ARE MERELY STICKING A FINGER IN THE DAM, AND ARE BEGINNING TO FEEL OVERWHELMED AND A FUTILITY IN THE SITUATION. THEY SHOULDN’T. ABOVE ALL, WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING, THAT WILL HELP RAISE AWARENESS OF THE SITUATION.

  IF PEOPLE FIND OTHER SELLERS, THEN CUSTOMIZE THE LETTER AND LET THE SELLERS KNOW YOUR DISCONTENT. YOU DON’T EVEN NEED THE LETTER, BUT HAVING ONE ESTABLISHES MORE CREDIBILITY AND GIVES THE MANAGER SOMETHING TO FAX THE CENTRAL OFFICE.

  KEEP AT IT, I SUGGEST. AND IF THE DOMESTIC PRESS SEES VALUE IN WHAT WE’RE DOING (IT’S ALREADY GAINING TRACTION IN THE FOREIGN PRESS, WHICH MEANS IT MAY BOOMERANG INTO THE DOMESTIC), THEN WE’VE GOT MOST OF OUR WORK DONE FOR US. IT’S MONDAY, REMEMBER, SO LET’S LET THE MEDIA AND THE DOMESTIC HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS THINK ABOUT THIS, SINCE IT’S NOW ON THEIR DESKTOPS. DEBITO

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• February 5, 2007 at 12:52 pm

  Douglas MacLean says:

  Something very ironic popped up on the Amazon Japan page for the magazine. The sponsor is http://www.ublove.com, which purports to “increase you network of foreign pen pals”. Somehow I think that people wanting to buy this piece of garbage won’t be too interested in that. Link is below for reference.

  http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/503-9726847-9619933?__mk_ja_JP=%83J%83%5E%83J%83i&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%8AO%90l%94%C6%8D%DF&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

  -Douglas

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• February 6, 2007 at 11:23 pm

  Robert says:

  i got a copy at Family mart today (february 6th) in Osaka

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• February 7, 2007 at 1:23 am

  ponta says:

  Hi Debito.
  I support the project Japan probe is promoting.
  I have a question to you.
  When(what day) did you send a complaint to Family Mart of Japan?

  I STOPPED BY TWO FAMILY MARTS ON SUNDAY, AND GAVE THEM THE LETTER.  THAT’S HOPEFULLY TAKEN CARE OF HOKKAIDO FMS, SINCE THEIR NEW ARRIVAL ON THE SCENE (THEY OPENED THEIR FIRST STORES IN HOKKAIDO IIRC LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AGO) WILL MAKE THEM MORE SENSITIVE THAN AVERAGE TO THE HOKKAIDO CUSTOMER.  ONE HOPES.  –DEBITO

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• February 7, 2007 at 5:13 am

  eku says:

  for sale all over the place actually
  Yahoo books
  http://books.yahoo.co.jp/book_detail/07179548
  AMAZON
  SEVEN ELEVEN BOOKS
  http://www.7andy.jp/books/detail?accd=07179548
  LIVEDOOR BOOKS
  http://books.livedoor.com/item_detai…4256182.htm l
  BK1
  http://www.bk1.co.jp/Category/6485

  the parent company is here
  〒150-0002
  東京都渋谷区渋谷1-11-1 COI西青山ビル
  有限会社ティーケーパートナーズ　

  http://www.tkpartners.jp/aboutus/executive.html

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• February 8, 2007 at 9:59 pm

  gme says:

  I have emailed Amazon Japan’s press office (press@amazon.co.jp) and used Rakuten Books’ enquiries page to ask them to take the product down. No responses as yet.

  Reply
• February 14, 2007 at 8:41 pm

  Mura says:

  Hello,

  It seems that there is more than Amazon / Family mart. I just found this link:
  http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/guest/cgi-bin/wshosea.cgi?W-ISBN=9784754256180
  and I guess there are many other like this.
  I don’t know anything about legal affairs in Japan, but what about going to the root
  of the problem and writing to Eichi first. Then, is there any possibility of class action
  here? As for “customizing the letter”, sorry but I am not native of either language
  and I guess a letter in French wouldn’t have the same impact.

  Pascal

  –THANKS FOR THE QUESTION AND THE INFO. I’M AFRAID THERE AREN’T ANY CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS IN JAPAN. ONLY MULTIPLE PLAINTIFF. AS FOR THE LETTER, JUST ASK SOMEBODY TO FIND THE BITS THAT ARE COMPANY NAMES AND SUBSTITUTE THEM FOR ROMAJI NAMES (THAT’LL DO IN A PINCH). SUBMIT A LETTER, IN ANY CASE. HAVING A PROTEST IN WRITING HAS A LOT MORE POWER IN THIS SOCIETY THAN JUST ORAL COMPLAINTS. DEBITO

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• February 14, 2007 at 11:47 pm

  Thomas says:

  I ask the “店長” shope manager of a Kumazawa Syoten (book store) in Kyoto to remove this magazine. He apologized and promised me the removal.
  http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=1156

  Reply