As the new year begins, we are approaching the "awards" season: the Academy Awards, Grammies and my favorite, the Darwin awards (given to people who improve the human-gene pool as part of the natural-selection process by accidentally killing or sterilizing themselves during a foolish or careless mistake). I would like to propose a new award: the "Dejima Awards," given to those in Japan who actively try to shield themselves from foreigners and foreign influence, culture and ideas.
I would like to nominate the Setaka Town Assembly (Fukuoka Prefecture) for this year's award. The town was trying to attract a university to establish a campus in town, and in the process asked for comments from the townsfolk.
A group of residents submitted a deposition opposing a campus that did not reject foreign students. They were worried about the crime such students would bring. That's right -- the residents wanted a university as long as there were no foreign students. The town assembly voted to accept the proposal without debate.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.