University of Tokyo fires associate professor over anti-Chinese Twitter posts

Good for the school to can him.

"I will not bother to hold an interview if (I learn the applicant is) Chinese. I will eliminate the applicant in document screening," he tweeted, adding,

Racist for sure, and probably being applauded by the right-wing nuts here!

"Workers with low performance levels deserve to be discriminated against in the context of capitalism."

For someone in AI he certainly doesnt seem to know an awful lot about the demographics of the people who work in his field!

What artificial intelligence would contribute to humanity by a person who has no intelligence at all ?

"controlled by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party" ? The party never invaded Japan, occupied Japan, humiliated Japan, killing millions Japanese.

"controlled by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party" ? The party never invaded Japan, occupied Japan, humiliated Japan, killing millions Japanese.

True, but then again why would they need to when they killed 10 times that many on their own prior to and during the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Backward!

"Workers with low performance levels deserve to be discriminated against in the context of capitalism."

That's true. If he chooses to hire an incompetent Japanese over a more talented Chinese just because of his ethnicity, his firm will suffer the consequences as somebody else will hire the talented Chinese and get ahead of the competition. This is how the free market punishes people who discriminate on irrelevant basis. I even doubt Chinese students will choose to stay in Japan, as China is currently a world leader in AI while Japan is on a 3rd world level as described by Masayoshi Son, who is Korean by the way, and i bet this Ass. Prof. wouldn't want to hire him either.

Osawa also wrote that the university is "controlled by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party."

I've always wondered how can someone so utterly delusional and brain dead be in such a high ranking position? Then again this is not unique to Japan. Back in the early 1900s, some of the leading proponents of eugenics and scientific racism in America were all well known and respected scientists and people from academia.

"Workers with low performance levels deserve to be discriminated against in the context of capitalism."

How can you say that? Seriously? Nobody and I mean NOBODY deserves to be discriminated against for being different from someone else. Regardless of creed, race, disabilities, education level, language spoken, skin colour, history or anything like that! Love everyone!

.........except for peadophiles! Do or say what you like about them!

Stupid people are free to post their ideas in a free society. If he were in China, it would have been censored by the state police. His "social credit" score would definitely take a beating. Wonder what the Uighurs average social credit score might be?

He was talking about his private company. Why should he hire someone in his private company who might steal all his research and leave the country? China has been sending AI researcher to every University, every company, everywhere in the world where they can get a position.

His hiring has nothing to do with U-of-T. Speaking about it on campus is stupid. Academics often live in an odd world and are confused about the real world where we all live.

So, it appears that I'll never work at U-of-T either.

LOL

good riddance to bad rubbish

Just goes to show that brainwashing has a detrimental effect on the development of intelligence. The strangle-hold of nationalistic ideology driving identity politics (Aso et al.) and the straight jacket of an authoritarian education system reproducing sterile conformity is bound to create such robotic individuals with thought processes akin to AI. "Deprogramming" is urgently needed if Japan is to prosper into the 22nd century.

Just goes to show that brainwashing has a detrimental effect on the development of intelligence. The strangle-hold of nationalistic ideology driving identity politics (Aso et al.) and the straight jacket of an authoritarian education system reproducing sterile conformity is bound to create such robotic individuals with thought processes akin to AI. "Deprogramming" is urgently needed if Japan is to prosper into the 22nd century.

Very well said!

Now what a load of rubbish from this Osawa.

So rather than hire people for skills and logic he does it based on a racial profile?

Besides I find that young Chinese are way more active and dynamic compared to their Japanese counterparts,and this is due to an educational system that impose it’s primal route in just obbeying and bow to the sempai.

Osawa also wrote that the university is "controlled by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party."

This is already happening in Australian universities.

"I will not bother to hold an interview if (I learn the applicant is) Chinese. I will eliminate the applicant in document screening," he tweeted,

Perhaps he's right. PRC communists are well known for stealing IP from hi-tech companies. Just ask the US.

If he had been from PRC and had made similar comments against Japanese or Americans, he would have been lauded as a 'hero'.

I would understand if he just trashed the Chinese government. But all Chinese people? That's pretty stupid. There are many Chinese students/staff in that school and many of them delivers good research, even better that most of their Japanese counterparts. He doesn't deserve that 特任教授 position.

Good on the school. I hope this moron Osawa doesn't fail to see the irony in being fired for saying he'll eliminate people for "poor performance", then crying about how unfair it is. LOVE IT. Hope his company goes bust, he applies for a loan, and is automatically turned down when his name is seen.

Good on the school

but he was fired for expressing his views. That is wrong.

So much for his right to freedom of expression

He expressed an aim to intentionally break the law. Try telling your boss that you plan to have a bottle of scotch before you drive to work tomorrow and see how long your desk remains uncleared.

This will produce a chilling effect in a country already famous for self-censorship.

Cue dark, ominous music....

Glad some action was taken. No place for comments like that at a University. It would be foolish for Japan not to take advantage of talented Chinese who might be tired of harsh CCP rule. America has been the vacuum of brains, Japan should definitely keep the ones in our region within East Asia where they belong.

Cancel-culture has finally landed in Japan.

True, but then again why would they need to when they killed 10 times that many on their own prior to and during the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Backward!

This why these sanctions the US uses, China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea don't really work. First you threaten to use 20 atomic bombs on China (MacArthur) then you impose a total trade embargo on China for defending herself in the Korean War. After the sanctions were lifted by the UN, the US goes on single-handedly to continue the embargo designed to curtail their growth only to end up hurting their people. The effects of the embargo from 1950-1972 along with Mao's own failed policies resulted in the loss of millions.

With all due respect, you might want to read history through a narrative other than that of your own country. It's not like they just woke up one day and decided to kill their own people.

I am curious about his claims that the institution is "controlled by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party." Is there anymore on this? I wouldn't put it past the CCP to try and influence Japan's top university through sweetened academic exchanges.

but he was fired for expressing his views. That is wrong.

The problem is that the view expressed makes him fundamentally unfit to do the job.

Major Japanese national universities, including Todai, have a lot of international students studying at them, many from China.

They simply can't have a guy who openly states he discriminates against Chinese people solely on the basis of their being Chinese teaching classes. Or indeed expressing the same views against any national or other group like that. I think the reasons for this are obvious.

This doesn't preclude him from criticizing the Chinese education system or Chinese government or anything like that. But when you state, as he did, "I am going to arbitrarily discriminate against a group of people simply based on their nationality" you are basically marking yourself as someone who fundamentally cannot be trusted to teach and supervise students without bias, a key duty that goes along with being a professor.

I am curious about his claims that the institution is "controlled by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party." Is there anymore on this?

No, there isn't, its just rambling nonsense.

There is legitimate concern about Chinese government influence on universities in some countries like Australia through their financing of research institutes and the heavy reliance those universities place on foreign graduate students as a source of revenue.

Japanese universities like Todai don't have the same business model (as national universities they are still heavily regulated by the Ministry of Education) though and aren't susceptible to the same means of influence.

Just like you shouldn't hire people who are less qualified for the job, just for the sake of "diversity", you shouldn't stop someone from being hired due to their race or sex if they are the most qualified.

Racism and conspiracy theory are the last refuges for morons.

Racism and conspiracy theory are the last refuges for morons

You are right. That is why the morons in the CCP are imprisoning and torturing thousands of Tibetans, Urgur Muslims and Fulongong members.

If a profrofessor at the University can do this way, even the man on the streets are more kind ???.very sad for japanese, still racists. Are anyone sure that we should have tourists in japan ???.

Want to know who rules? Find out who you can’t say bad things about.

Well then, this clearly shows that having an education does not necessarily mean one is intelligent.

Want to know who rules? Find out who you can’t say bad things about.

So random Chinese people applying for entry level jobs rule? interesting.

I think Osawa learned those radical racial idea from Donald Trump!

While his wording as well as forum of expression certainly leaves much to be desired, anyone who runs an AI techonlogy firm has the same concerns. In China they are called Sea Turtles, born in China go to the US to study, train, learn then return to China.

https://www.chinalawblog.com/2018/04/chinas-artificial-intelligence-plan-and-ip-theft.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/04/china-aims-to-steal-us-a-i-crown-and-not-even-trade-war-will-stop-it.html

https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-08-06/how-chinas-sea-turtles-will-crush-us-economy

Osawa also wrote that the university is "controlled by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party."

Apparently, OSAWA Shohei referred to not the ethnic group, Chinese but the nationality, Communist China(aka PRC).

I can't agree with him more. Communist China utilizes the technologies of Japan, the USA and other countries to strengthen their military, and has been expanding(or is trying to expand) their territories to the outside such as Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Senkaku Islands, etc. We should see the reality. Communist China invaded Tibet, Xinjiang Uighur, Inner Mongol after WWII. They're now preparing for cyber wars, outer space wars and . AI technology can be applied to any kind of weapons and warfares. We should be more careful about PRC as well.

He was talking about his private company. Why should he hire someone in his private company who might steal all his research and leave the country? 

This guy's "private company" is in a run-down old apartment on a residential back street - so I doubt he has even one employee. And I doubt his company has anything to steal that is worth more than a toaster oven

Supposed to wait til after you get tenure. Then you cant be fired unless youre CONVICTED of a crime.

Academia like Sport, should have no boundaries - neither Race/Colour, Religion, Gender( -less), Physical ability nor Political beliefs. Once you start dissent within, then you are not focused upon the reason why you are there, objective Academic study.

Racism aside, the guy sounds like he's nuts.

This guy's "private company" is in a run-down old apartment on a residential back street - so I doubt he has even one employee.

Which is basically, like Google, Apple, HP, all started. AI isn't all about equipment. It is about software and the brains to help code software that lets the machines far surpass that initial code. Inside a software company, it is easy to steal code.

sir_bentley28Jan. 16  09:20 am JST

*"Workers with low performance levels deserve to be discriminated against in the context of capitalism."*

How can you say that? Seriously? Nobody and I mean NOBODY deserves to be discriminated against for being different from someone else. Regardless of creed, race, disabilities, education level, language spoken, skin colour, history or anything like that! Love everyone!

.........except for peadophiles! Do or say what you like about them!

-5( +1 / -6 )

Hmmm........I wonder why did 6 people not like this post?

@sir_bently28

Maybe because your argument is like complaining about a taxi company that won't hire people who can't drive. And you're crying discrimination. Yea, people who can't drive are "different" from people who can drive in the context of the job requirement.

TheFu: "Stupid people are free to post their ideas in a free society. If he were in China, it would have been censored by the state police. His "social credit" score would definitely take a beating. Wonder what the Uighurs average social credit score might be?"

So, Japan should aspire to be more like China is what you are saying? Well done, man. YOu probably Don't even recognize the irony and hypocrisy in your post.

OssanAmerica: "Maybe because your argument is like complaining about a taxi company that won't hire people who can't drive."

What a moronic comparison. He wasn't hiring them because they couldn't do the work -- he had no idea if they could or not; he would not even give them the chance because of their nationality, and that alone.

He didn't want to hire them out of fear they'd steal his work and run back to China where the govt would fun their new AI startup. He could attempt to keep the sensitive techniques away from any foreign worker or just not hire them.

Sadly, that is the real world.

The US is worried about the same thing.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-exclusive/u-s-widens-blacklist-to-include-chinas-top-ai-startups-ahead-of-trade-talks-idUSKBN1WM25M

AI is one of those tools which will reward whoever gets there first, since AI can build better AI. Being 6-months behind means forever being behind due to the rates that AI generations are expected to progress. Imagine AI that gets 10,000 smarter every 6 hrs. What happens in 6 months? The 2nd place team is like a cockroach to humans.

AI companies thrive not by having secret algorithms (the best AI companies publish papers and push forward the shared pool of research, this guy was an academic at Todai, his job is to publish openly) but by employing talented people who are able to take the academic cutting edge, push it forward and make it actually work in practical applications. You can't steal that.

Google, Facebook, Apple hires loads of Chinese people, they work on all kinds of things including at very senior levels. It is purely racism to assume that they will steal your tech. Also TBH, there are already so many extremely talented AI researchers in China, it's highly unlikely that this dude has any tech worth stealing.

In most developed countries his hiring practices would be illegal and if I was Chinese I would be sending my resume to his company so that I could sue him for racial discrimination when I don't even get an interview. The fact that this is not illegal reflects on Japan as a supposedly modern, liberal country.

I can't speak for Osawa. It may be an ethnic Chinese thing for him assuming that he wouldn't hire someone from Singapore or Indonesia or the USA or Canada who happened to be ethnic Chinese. If true, then I would agree that is racism. Otherwise, if he's only speaking about someone from mainland China, then he's being nationalistic.