Voices
in
Japan

quote of the day

Our club has a quota for foreign nationals and former foreign nationals who have become naturalized Japanese and restricts new memberships. We currently have no vacancies in that quota.

32 Comments

A representative of the Aigi Country Club, an exclusive golf club in Gifu Prefecture. Despite being a naturalized Japanese, a man born to ethnic Korean parents was refused membership to the club on the grounds that its quota for non-Japanese was full.

© Asahi Shimbun

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

32 Comments
Login to comment

browny1May 17  07:35 pm JST

@OssanAmerica

There are restrictions in sumo on how many foreigners can enter any one stable.

Wrestlers chose to become naturalized Japanese citizens to overcome this, but the rules were changed again.

.....Originally, it was possible for a place in a stable to open up if a foreign born wrestler acquired Japanese citizenship. This occurred when Hisanoumi changed his nationality from Tongan at the end of 2006, allowing another Tongan to enter his stable, and Kyokutenhō's change of citizenship allowed Ōshima stable to recruit Mongolian Kyokushuho in May 2007. However, on February 23, 2010 the Sumo Association announced that it had changed its definition of "foreign" to "foreign-born" (gaikoku shusshin), meaning that even naturalized Japanese citizens will be considered as foreigners if they were born outside Japan. The restriction on one foreign wrestler per stable was also reconfirmed....

Such actions surely amount to discrimination and is not so different from the article detailing how the golf course sets a limit on foreigners and naturalized Japanese as well.

It's a sad day in 2022, when a person gives up their own citizenship to take up a new nationality, and become a fully fledged citizen of that country only to find that ....well not all of the time are you a real citizen.

Your information is outdated and has not been accurate since at least 2017.

Former Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu established his new own stable on April 1, 2017 making him sumo's first European-born stablemaster, Naruto Oyakata. He is a Naturalized Japanese citizen.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What discrimination in Sumo are you refering to, with nearly all the top Rikishi being Mongolian or half Phillipino, and Georgians, Bulgarians, and other Eastern Europeans at lower ranks?

the one where no more than one Foreigner is allowed in a stable.

Wasn't aware if that is still the case. I was under the impression that a foreign Rikishi on retirement could only move up to stablemaster if he naturalized.

There are a lot of things you don't seem to be aware of.

agree

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

OssanAmerika:

Wasn't aware if that is still the case. I was under the impression that a foreign Rikishi on retirement could only move up to stablemaster if he naturalized.

There are a lot of things you don't seem to be aware of.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

You're just not as a handsome as all the Ojisan members?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Gee it sure would be an awful shame if lots of people were to leave 1 star reviews for this place on its Google review and other sites as a result of this. I really hope nothing like that happens because that sure would be terrible.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

He should of asked why do they have a “quota” for non-Japanese and whether they have one for Japanese and if so what are the quotas….

they need to be exposed further and let the world see how racist this golf club is!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

As a protest, someone ought to take a golf cart and go blow donuts on all the greens.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

browny1Today  07:35 pm JST

@OssanAmerica

There are restrictions in sumo on how many foreigners can enter any one stable.

Wrestlers chose to become naturalized Japanese citizens to overcome this, but the rules were changed again.

.....Originally, it was possible for a place in a stable to open up if a foreign born wrestler acquired Japanese citizenship. This occurred when Hisanoumi changed his nationality from Tongan at the end of 2006, allowing another Tongan to enter his stable, and Kyokutenhō's change of citizenship allowed Ōshima stable to recruit Mongolian Kyokushuho in May 2007. However, on February 23, 2010 the Sumo Association announced that it had changed its definition of "foreign" to "foreign-born" (gaikoku shusshin), meaning that even naturalized Japanese citizens will be considered as foreigners if they were born outside Japan. The restriction on one foreign wrestler per stable was also reconfirmed....

Wasn't aware if that is still the case. I was under the impression that a foreign Rikishi on retirement could only move up to stablemaster if he naturalized.

Such actions surely amount to discrimination and is not so different from the article detailing how the golf course sets a limit on foreigners and naturalized Japanese as well.

Not sure if that "amounts" to the same as I haven't heard any complaints of discrimination coming from the Sekitori themselves. Whereas the golf club situation is clearly and openly discriminatory.

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

@OssanAmerica

There are restrictions in sumo on how many foreigners can enter any one stable.

Wrestlers chose to become naturalized Japanese citizens to overcome this, but the rules were changed again.

*.....Originally, it was possible for a place in a stable to open up if a foreign born wrestler acquired Japanese citizenship. This occurred when Hisanoumi changed his nationality from Tongan at the end of 2006, allowing another Tongan to enter his stable, and Kyokutenhō's change of citizenship allowed Ōshima stable to recruit Mongolian Kyokushuho in May 2007. However, on February 23, 2010 the Sumo Association announced that it had changed its definition of "foreign" to "foreign-born" (gaikoku shusshin), meaning that even naturalized Japanese citizens will be considered as foreigners if they were born outside Japan. The restriction on one foreign wrestler per stable was also reconfirmed....*

Such actions surely amount to discrimination and is not so different from the article detailing how the golf course sets a limit on foreigners and naturalized Japanese as well.

It's a sad day in 2022, when a person gives up their own citizenship to take up a new nationality, and become a fully fledged citizen of that country only to find that ....well not all of the time are you a real citizen.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Aly RustomToday  07:50 am JST

yup. sounds like Japan. So not only Sumo but also Golf has those racist rules.

What discrimination in Sumo are you refering to, with nearly all the top Rikishi being Mongolian or half Phillipino, and Georgians, Bulgarians, and other Eastern Europeans at lower ranks?

And from thiss one quote, how do you conclude that it reflects every golf club in Japan, and not that just this paticular club is discriminatory?

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

If they are naturalized Japanese, by law, they are Japanese. This is purely a matter of looks.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

We have quotas in our club too favouring English, Swiss & Australian.

French, Scottish and Japanese are subject to quotas and a very heavy and unfair vetting process

Private club. We can do what we want

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I wouldn’t want to join a club that would have me as a member anyway.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

It's a golf club for Japanese-looking Japanese who are familiar with the distinct four seasons of Japan, and Japanese omotenashi.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

What’s your problem here? That golf sports club does the same at a smaller scale as for example all or most countries do too. There are also very restrictive and selective rules when it comes to Green cards, immigration, naturalization, new citizenships and all the like. So we have here only the microscopic version of what’s happening all day and at all other places too. You see, that has nothing to do with that club or that specific Korean golf player.

-14 ( +3 / -17 )

Anyone reminded of Lake Hills Resort club of South Korea and its 5 Golf Clubs and 6 resorts with No Ja@ Allowed campaign? or All those bunch of restaurants with No Ja@ Allowed posters at entrance?

http://japan.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/34103.html

http://anchikaluto.blog.jp/archives/51937076.html

1 ( +10 / -9 )

I've been to that place, it's totally overrated. I've been to way better clubs overseas. That former Korean man isn't missing much.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Interesting club. Checked their homepage- quite a dress code as well. You must wear a blazer when in the clubhouse restaurant, no towels around the neck allowed during play, your shirt must be tucked in when you are playing, no jeans/tshirts/sandals.....

7 ( +9 / -2 )

where are the BBC and CNN when they are needed?

This isn't China, so ABC, BBC, CBC, CNN are not interested in writing up a story.

-5 ( +9 / -14 )

R.A.C.I.S.M.

6 ( +16 / -10 )

The un-named "representative" and his club should have their pictures splashed all over the world's news: where are the BBC and CNN when they are needed?

8 ( +15 / -7 )

It's most likely he had a Japanese name, so I'm wondering the amount of intrusive backgrounds checks they made. Go back further enough, they'll find out that most of their members come from Korea, China or some neighboring Pacific island.

1 ( +13 / -12 )

Why is there such a quota, and why is it not illegal to have such a quota in Japan?

because its Japan.

-7 ( +14 / -21 )

Why is there such a quota, and why is it not illegal to have such a quota in Japan?

17 ( +20 / -3 )

piskian

:-)

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

They should have asked how many non japanese were allowed per the quota and how many are currently members. My bet is both answers are zero!

Disgusting this stuff is still going on!

6 ( +19 / -13 )

Par for the course.

13 ( +21 / -8 )

yup. sounds like Japan. So not only Sumo but also Golf has those racist rules.

-2 ( +21 / -23 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites