The great eastern Japan earthquake and prejudice toward foreigners

After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake took place, the Japanese received a lot of encouraging words from abroad, which often expressed admiration for the Japanese both for their great patience and for keeping their dignity and order. CNN even called for opinion from its viewers on the following question: ‘In Japan, why did not looting and other unlawful incidents take place, which usually come together with disaster?’ The viewers’ opinions in this regard tended to attribute it to Japanese culture and its national pride. It is for sure that no prominent lootings did take place in the disaster-hit regions even after a few days had passed since the earthquake, the time when aid materials had not been delivered there. However, it does not mean that no injustice occurred in Japan after the earthquake, as it is widely pointed out that racist rumors had spread both inside and around the disaster-hit regions. Therefore, this presentation will highlight the basic data concerning this issue that are drawn from the survey conducted in the City of Sendai, a major disaster-hit region. This survey was conducted after a year had passed since the earthquake by a mailing method for residents with Japanese nationality. The questionnaire items included: recognition and attitude toward rumors spread at the time of the earthquake; exclusivist consciousness toward residents without Japanese nationality; and so on. The data is expected to bring into sharp relief a certain aspect of exclusivist consciousness toward foreigners in Japan after the earthquake.