WHO fires Japanese director in Asia, accused of racist misconduct

Documents and recordings showed Kasai made racist remarks to his staff and blamed the rise of COVID-19 in some Pacific countries on their “lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race and socioeconomic level.”

He was just echoing Aso and others in the gerontocracy with their whitewashing of the COVID response by crediting Japanese "mindo".

Horrible man!!! Good riddance!!

Documents and recordings showed Kasai made racist remarks to his staff and blamed the rise of COVID-19 in some Pacific countries on their “lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race and socioeconomic level.”

I wonder if he declared this in the often-heard, arrogant doctor and other assorted ojisan's tone, without a whit of self-awareness, that indicates complete confidence in what he said, as if it is natural to believe it. There's a lot of it about.

Looks like he is career bureaucrat in Japan,

https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000356511.pdf

Who want to do things Japanese way, where subordinate just won't complain in Japan no matter how bad is superior, but when working abroad people will complain.

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-japan-pandemics-asia-69fe09e70b39e9ee9325778315bd5932

It take times for WHO to really fire him, even multiple offices where he worked already complain about his attitude.

Good. I just wish these investigations were conducted more quickly so this guy could have been shown the door months ago.

I've worked with some of these "old school" Japanese guys in the past. I remember once I was asked to translate for an "old school" style guy at a Japanese factory in the USA. This was over 30 years ago. Part of what he said was... "you employees are still suckling at your mother's breast". I changed a few words to tone it down and we were good but this guy was bad news when taken out of Japan. Some Japanese managers are just not meant to work in an International environment.

Want to bet that he will be rewarded with a top position in the public health system when he's back to Japan?

The termination stands in stark contrast to WHO’s reluctance to punish other perpetrators of abusive and sometimes illegal behavior,

I fear though some people will use this information and try and make him out to be a victim. Why was he singled out but all these other ne'er-do-wells got away with it.

The Japanese government, which supported Kasai’s nomination for the role, declined to comment.

As the proverb says, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

I wonder if this will be on NHK news tonight.

@koiwaicoffee

Want to bet that he will be rewarded with a top position in the public health system when he's back to Japan?

Of course, he did nothing wrong or illegal under the Japanese law, so whatever sanctions he got at WHO doesn't count back home.

Being a racist is not a crime under the Japanese law.

a TRUE face of racism, and a disgrace to the nation.

A disgrace to be sure. Unfortunately, these types still pervade many corporate and governmental organizations. I had to report one such person for making racist remarks in our US office but they just covered the repeated incidents up and quietly transferred him back to a management position in Japan.

Documents and recordings showed Kasai made racist remarks to his staff and blamed the rise of COVID-19 in some Pacific countries on their “lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race and socioeconomic level.”

Conversely, culture, race, and socioeconomics might help explain Kansai’s foolish behavior. Nature or nurture: what made him a jerk?

Too much long process and only dissmissed when à real trial would have been a strong proof that WHO really care about human rights.

More humiliation for the WHO, a mere agency which has also taken its eye off the ball on numerous health related issues such as malaria, monkeypox, HPV, and of course Covid.

Took them long enough to kick this guy to the curb.

Disgraceful.

Isn’t his behaviour after all common among many oyaji “shachou” and LDP politicians?

I’m sure this racist scum bag will return to his country and even get another good position.

I wonder if this will be on NHK news tonight.

Perhaps the LDP’s Sanae Takaichi and Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications are rapidly drafting documents to see that it doesn’t. (◔_◔)

created a “toxic atmosphere,” that staff members were afraid of retaliation if they spoke out against him and that there was a “lack of trust” in WHO.

Standard practice in the motherland. You ride, cheat, abuse p, threaten and humiliate people into doing your will. It’s the way of the world and it’s too mendokusai ( bothersome ) to fight back.

How could this not have worked in Gaikoku?

I was once introduced to Dr Kasai in a Japanese restaurant I frequent, and since he was about to dine alone, I joined him at his table to have an evening meal. I found him to be affable and urbane and easy to get along with so this report about his conduct has come as a shock. Since I cannot claim to know him and nothing at all about the allegations against him, I have no further comment except, unbelievable!?

Knowing things with Japanese organizations, he's just going to get shuffled to another position in the organization. No biggie. The same goes with government.

"Documents and recordings showed Kasai made racist remarks to his staff and blamed the rise of COVID-19 in some Pacific countries on their 'lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race and socioeconomic level.'”

I wonder if Kasai is one of those medics who has family connections to the "Devil's Doctors" performing medical experiments at Unit 731 in northeast China? After the war, many of the Unit 731 "alumni" became prominent in Japan's medical establishment.

He sounds like every Japanese boss I’ve ever had.

I wonder if this will be on NHK news tonight.

＠Big＠

I was on the news at 7am on NHK, sorry.

Nothing new! Lots of them work as 公務員 or "civil servants" here in Japan! And I mean.... LOTS!!! Being a 公務員 seems to be synonymous to being racist at some point. Before you could even start your inquiry at any government offices, you are already tagged as "the gaijin" with all the stereotypes they have read in their manual/books.

A lot of comments are being made without knowing the situation. Quite frankly, some comments are consistent with a clear bias against Japanese and very unfair. Conclusions should not be made unless the facts are revealed. First, Tedros is not a MD; he is an epidemiologist. An epidemiologist's strengths are biostatistics; however, he is not qualified for his role as one needs to understand the medical aspects of the job. He did not proactively investigate the Covid-19 virus possibility that it leaked from a China laboratory. This virus clearly deviates from the H5N1 influenza virus which disappeared because it killed its hosts and the myxoma virus in Australia which decreased its virulence against rabbits due to selection. I have worked on both sides of the Pacific as a laboratory director in a specialty including a 150 people clinical microbiology laboratory. It was very easy to work with the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese licensed laboratory scientists. We focused exclusively on patient care with limited non-business interactions. We discussed and I made the decision. It is very possible that Dr. Kasai had difficulty working in the Manila environment. In my laboratory, the staff (female) from the South China country felt that I was distant and not friendly. When one is interacting exclusively with physicians on patient care, there is little time for social time. Japanese do not use first names (bottom name in Japanese) unless you know them from childhood or in-laws. My brother-in-law and cousin are the only two people that I use first name. In my current consulting career, my clients that come to Japan from S. Korea and I get along very well. Perhaps this is a cultural difference and conclusions based on negative feelings about Japan and Japanese should be avoided. If it is proven that he made racist comments, the dismissal is very justified. We should be fair and wait for what happened.

blamed the rise of COVID-19 in some Pacific countries on their “lack of capacity due to their inferior culture, race and socioeconomic level.”

Should have used the word different instead.

Every race and culture is different.

Another one (racist with power) bites the dust. So many more to go, especially in the prime minister's cabinet and over in the U.S. It's a start, though.

Japan has had a lot of people in high positions saying stupid things lately. The difference is, outside Japan you get fired. In Japan, you willingly "step down" and are given another job right away. This man will too, he will return to Japan and find something with an equal salary.

40 years ago Japan talked about being a superior culture.

20 years ago Japan talked about being a superior culture.

Today, every variety program on TV has segments parading other countries and cultures around like clowns. "This is a pen." went viral, every travelling foreigner is a criminal... just last weekend, Finnish people all had the pastime "tree hugging." Japan still talks about being a superior culture.

20 years from now?

https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000356511.pdf

@sakurasuki, thanks for this informative resume. So this buffoon has lived in (at least) four different countries? And his takeaway was not that each one of them has something to share with the world; each one has good and bad points; each one has something to learn from the others? No, his conclusion was that other cultures are "inferior" to almighty Japan?

How do you have the experience this man has and come to that kind of bigoted, supremacist conclusion?

takabin3650Today  09:47 am JST

*A lot of comments are being made without knowing the situation. Quite frankly, some comments are consistent with a clear bias against Japanese and very unfair. Conclusions should not be made unless the facts are revealed. First, Tedros is not a MD; he is an epidemiologist. An epidemiologist's strengths are biostatistics; however, he is not qualified for his role as one needs to understand the medical aspects of the job. He did not proactively investigate the Covid-19 virus possibility that it leaked from a China laboratory. This virus clearly deviates from the H5N1 influenza virus which disappeared because it killed its hosts and the myxoma virus in Australia which decreased its virulence against rabbits due to selection. I have worked on both sides of the Pacific as a laboratory director in a specialty including a 150 people clinical microbiology laboratory. It was very easy to work with the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese licensed laboratory scientists. We focused exclusively on patient care with limited non-business interactions. We discussed and I made the decision. It is very possible that Dr. Kasai had difficulty working in the Manila environment. In my laboratory, the staff (female) from the South China country felt that I was distant and not friendly. When one is interacting exclusively with physicians on patient care, there is little time for social time. Japanese do not use first names (bottom name in Japanese) unless you know them from childhood or in-laws. My brother-in-law and cousin are the only two people that I use first name. In my current consulting career, my clients that come to Japan from S. Korea and I get along very well. Perhaps this is a cultural difference and conclusions based on negative feelings about Japan and Japanese should be avoided. If it is proven that he made racist comments, the dismissal is very justified. We should be fair and wait for what happened.*

There are hundreds of Japanese working in international situations yet they don't display this kind of behavior. If there was a bias against Japanese as you claim, there would be more such incidents wouldn't there.

Your example of Japanese not using first names to address people as being misunderstood is irrelevant. He did a lot more than just that. Racist, abusive, and unethical behavior were cited by WHO.

These incidents started happening 2- 3 years ago. He was relieved of his duties and replaced last year. More than enough time has passed. There's no need to wait any longer to find out what happened.

I wouldn't take this story at face value based on the facts. 15 years and his behaviour only just came to light? There's even worse reports of abuses, and down right illegal behaviours by others who are unpunished.

Sounds like politics is in play here, I hope Sakai sue the WHO so the public can see what the WHO really is. They all like their Swiss villas, Swiss boarding school fees paid for, first class travel as part of salary....

Tedros publicly came out and played the race card recently and supporting terrorists in Ethiopia...no investigation, not even a complaint. The WHO is rotten, coupled with collusion with Wuhan lab on false covid origin etc., its days should be numbered. Sakai, please tell all.

@MilesTeg

First, Dr. Tedros is not qualified for the position. He covered up 3 cholera upbreaks in his home country. Perhaps he did not know that 90% of cholera victims will survive with rehydration therapy (rehydration salts). For severe cases, IV and electrolytes will help. He ignored the possibility that the Wuhan Lab was responsible for the outbreak (the virus shows every indication that it was genetically engineered). Next, the Philippines are very different from East Asia culturally and genetically. Also, MDs and PhDs in the clinical field are often seen as somewhat arrogant; however, this has to do with the heavy responsibilities of their respective positions. If they make a mistake, they can lose their license. Unless there is clear evidence of abusive and racist behavior, judgement should be withheld. If you can understand Japanese and watch Japanese TV news, this is not a major issue. It will be a major issue, if and when, evidence is shown.

takabin3650Today  12:16 pm JST

@MilesTeg

First, Dr. Tedros is not qualified for the position. He covered up 3 cholera upbreaks in his home country. Perhaps he did not know that 90% of cholera victims will survive with rehydration therapy (rehydration salts). For severe cases, IV and electrolytes will help. He ignored the possibility that the Wuhan Lab was responsible for the outbreak (the virus shows every indication that it was genetically engineered). Next, the Philippines are very different from East Asia culturally and genetically. Also, MDs and PhDs in the clinical field are often seen as somewhat arrogant; however, this has to do with the heavy responsibilities of their respective positions. If they make a mistake, they can lose their license. Unless there is clear evidence of abusive and racist behavior, judgement should be withheld. If you can understand Japanese and watch Japanese TV news, this is not a major issue. It will be a major issue, if and when, evidence is shown.

30 WHO staffers submitted written complaints about him. There is plenty of evidence and was plenty of time for those complaints to be investigated. Nothing has been determined to the contrary therefore they are legitimate complaints. Just the sheer number of complaints also indicates that there's a pattern of behavior.

It's utterly irrelevant to keep focusing on Tedros and his medical background. He didn't file a complaint against him and he's functioning in an administrative role here. Nor is Tedros acting on his own arbitrarily. WHO as an organization has made the decisions based on the evidence presented. Everything you wrote is irrelevant to this situation and is a poor attempt to deflect from the actual behavior and incidents and make unrelated excuses.

30 WHO staffers submitted written complaints about him

...or, 30 WHO staffers were solicited for dirt on him, whilst hundreds if not thousands others refused to risk their own reputation dabbling in politics. It means nothing as far as the WHO is concerned.

It's utterly irrelevant to keep focusing on Tedros and his medical background

ah, now you want to play the relevance card. The smell of hypocrisy....

A stereotypical Japanese racist, who doesn't rely on he doesn't live in the golden 20th anymore. International politics is always a deadly game, and this level of performance from Japan really demonstrates their decline in global power but also intelligence.

I encounter this type of hypocrisy many times in business. They are all cowards from the inside. They grovel at the feet of more powerful people in Japan, who are all gaijins. Americans, Chinese, Southeast Asians, Koreans,... These racist elites tell more about the big games and sell a fantasy image of Japan to the dominant foreigners, who don't give a damn for Nihonjinron except for acquiring valuable assets on the dying island.

In fact, it reminds me of the racist, ironic, tragic ultranationalist named Shintaro Ishihara. He was once bullied by an American military man which caused his girlfriend to abandon him. This guy swore to hate all Americans; however, he did not shed a sense of "big man" in front of American elites when he was the governor. Ishihara groveled at the feet of American elites, even though he hated them very much. Later, this guy attempted to start WW3 by purchasing the Senkakku/Diaoyu islands to lure both Americans and Chinese to fight; however, he was ousted from office by them instead. If he lived long enough to realize Shinzo Abe (not only Korean in the blood) but was a puppet of the Korean Unification Church, then he would be heartbroken for a second time.

The same story applies to this very racist Japanese elite who also became a laughing stock.

https://youtu.be/WYfHWsWJhtg

The world starts closing its eyes on Japan, and it's merely a matter of time before this country reverts back to an irrelevant island.

Happy he is gone. Great call.

The funny thing is that he’s probably still convinced that Japan did better than those countries he looked at from above, while it’s simply not true.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

And it was virtually impossible to get tested in Japan for at least the first year of pandemic unless you were coughing your soul out, while other East and South East Asia nations were tracking (and counting) cases carefully. But we had Abenomasks and a superior culture, nothing could beat our pure country.

Sh1mon M4sadaToday  12:53 pm JST

30 WHO staffers submitted written complaints about him

*..*.or, 30 WHO staffers were solicited for dirt on him, whilst hundreds if not thousands others refused to risk their own reputation dabbling in politics. It means nothing as far as the WHO is concerned.

It's utterly irrelevant to keep focusing on Tedros and his medical background

ah, now you want to play the relevance card. The smell of hypocrisy....

You're saying those 30 were coerced into making false statements and that thousands of others were also asked to do so yet refused????

Relevance card?? It is irrelevant to continue to focus on Tedros and his medical background as they're unrelated to Kasai's behavior or the actions taken by WHO.

What you wrote doesn't make any sense.

I am a new school and present day Program / Project Manager and worked for a Old School Manager to whom the world revolved around Monthly, weekly, daily meetings to paper over his short comings.

After he got rid of some really good new school co-workers, I had a talk with him and told him straight that there are better ways to work with employees than his old school mentality.

I got fired.

@ThonTaddeo

@sakurasuki, thanks for this informative resume. So this buffoon has lived in (at least) four different countries? And his takeaway was not that each one of them has something to share with the world; each one has good and bad points; each one has something to learn from the others? No, his conclusion was that other cultures are "inferior" to almighty Japan?

How do you have the experience this man has and come to that kind of bigoted, supremacist conclusion?

I didn't come to that conclusion at all, all I said in Japan usually subordinate won't complain about their superior/supervisor/boss. No matter how abusive their boss is.

Check comment from SaikoPhysco, where Japanese boss can use whatever offensive verbal whenever they like.

Things can be pretty shocking when this abusive person go abroad and becoming a boss for people with different cultural background, when those employee get something abusive or racist comment they'll just report it, either internally or to media.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/03/f3d75b3b239c-japanese-head-of-who-regional-office-fired-for-misconduct.html

The Japanese government, which supported Kasai’s nomination for the role, declined to comment.

Yes well we kinda know what type of people the Japanese Government endorse... like minded people...

@u_s__reamer

I was once introduced to Dr Kasai in a Japanese restaurant I frequent, and since he was about to dine alone, I joined him at his table to have an evening meal. I found him to be affable and urbane and easy to get along with so this report about his conduct has come as a shock. Since I cannot claim to know him and nothing at all about the allegations against him, I have no further comment except, unbelievable!?

You are lucky because you are not his subordinate at all, so you won't get his face that being used to his staffs.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9833651-the-japanese-say-we-have-three-faces-the-first-face

It's not one or two staffs but 30 staffs complained about his behaviour.

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/27/1076056335/who-staffers-accused-western-pacific-director-of-racism-and-abuse

@u_s__reamer

https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000356511.pdf

Please check again, he was working at WPR WHO office, is not dedicated only Philippines but whole region. That includes Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam.

So even it's office in Manila, WPR WHO has international staffs that represent country that under its region. Like UN in NY, even people who work there stay in NY how many are really from NY, they are from different nationalities.

Beside complaint, other people they just quit and there are 55 of them, many of them won't trouble themselves to report it.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/WHO-examines-alleged-staff-abuse-by-Western-Pacific-director

Also remember that's not only one or two staffs but 30 staffs complained about his behavior.

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/27/1076056335/who-staffers-accused-western-pacific-director-of-racism-and-abuse

@sakurasuki

I didn't come to that conclusion at all, all I said in Japan usually subordinate won't complain about their superior/supervisor/boss. No matter how abusive their boss is.

Oops; the "you" in my post is Mr. Kasai himself (or just any person in general). I'm asking him (or anyone who thinks like he does) how he could have the experiences he has had and still be such a bigot.

Watch him get a slap on the back and a nice government job now, welcome to the old boys club. A truly sickening man.

More humiliation for the WHO, a mere agency which has also taken its eye off the ball on numerous health related issues such as malaria, monkeypox, HPV, and of course Covid.

Not really, only in your personal biased and fantasy based opinion, for the rest of the world not being able to solve every health related problem of the world with magical infinite resources is not their responsibility.

First, Dr. Tedros is not qualified for the position.

Yes he is, his degree is precisely what is required for the position he is in, and the WHO has acted in the best way it can in most situations, most of the situations where it can't do the best is because the same countries that complain about its lack of power where the ones that restricted that problem after the influenza pandemic of 2009, there is no sense in complaining about something they caused in the first place.

There is a lot of things that can (and will) wo wrong in an organization of the size of the WHO, but trying to generalize and say this is the usual and not the exception makes no sense.

The right and proper decision if he made racist remarks.

This bad news for Japan, I hope an independent investigation will be held to find the truth soon.

Kasai regularly harassed workers in Asia, including engaging in “aggressive communication, public humiliation, (and) making racial comments.”

Isn’t that standard management practice in Japan?

koiwaicoffeeMar. 9  07:49 am JST

Want to bet that he will be rewarded with a top position in the public health system when he's back to Japan?

Why would he? He rubbed mud on the J-govt's face who supported his appointment.

The definition of racism is simply there is the difference of culture race by race. Bad thing is discrimination. Did he treat his subordinates or member countries of WHO differently by race, etc?

It's a fact that there is the difference of victimized number by COVID19 country by country. As far as we don't analyze ANY possibility of the cause, we will never reach the solution. Medical is science, not politics.

Using other race's culture such as Kimono is accused by those who think it defilement of traditional culture but the Japanese don't think so. I hate such victims mind political correctness.

The definition of racism is simply there is the difference of culture race by race.

No it's not. Racism is discriminating against a person or a group of people based on their race, rather than on their actions, or discriminating against a person or a group based on their stereotypes rather than on their actions.

look at the opinion of the WHO itself, which believed China saying Covid is not transmitted from human to human!!! Do you deny the WHO made this statement?

Are you referring to this statement you posted:

Preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel #coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in #Wuhan, #China

Because it doesn't support your claim that they said "Covid is not transmitted from human to human". They only said that they didn't have any clear evidence of that at the time. Are you suggesting they did have clear evidence and were lying? Or were you angry over what you thought they said, and only just now, when I pointed it out, realizing you were confused and had actually misunderstood what you thought they said?