Media stews over growing Chinese numbers in Japan

Media stews over growing Chinese numbers in Japan

By Mark Schreiber, contributing writer

Since last year, immigration has been dominating the news in North America and Europe. Recently, it’s become a hot topic in Japan as well.

Business weekly Shukan Diamond (July 7) ran a 34-page, three-part special titled “Nippon no Chugokujin: Zen kaimei” (The Chinese of Japan: A full clarification”). Its subhead reads, “The unknown world of Chinese in Japan.”

As of June 2017, reported Diamond, the number of resident Chinese nationals, including those on short-stay or posted here by the government, reached 878,000. “Add to this the more than 100,000 kajin (ethnic Chinese) who have naturalized as Japanese and illegal sojourners, and they’re on the verge of passing 1 million,” the magazine remarks. “In less than 20 years, from 320,000 Chinese in the year 2000, they’ve increased approximately threefold.”

“Year by year, it gets harder to grasp what’s going on with Chinese in Japan,” journalist Kei Nakajima, an author who studied in China and speaks Chinese, is quoted as saying. “This is not only owing to their growing numbers, but because they engage in a wider variety of occupations of which the quality has been improving. Only Chinese can resolve all the problems that crop up in China’s society, and for that reason, it’s become difficult for Japanese, who are on the outside, to see what’s been happening.”

Around 2007, Chinese passed the combined figure of North and South Koreans (currently about 560,000) to become Japan’s largest foreign group.

Diamond devotes a two-page spread to demographics, with data showing almost 1 out of every 3 foreign nationals in Japan is Chinese. In terms of age, they are comparatively young, with 58 percent between the ages of 20 and 39, and females considerably outnumber males, 57 percent to 43 percent. Broken down by visa status, 28.3 percent are permanent residents, 17.4 are on short-stay status, 13.7 are students, 9.6 are technical trainees and 8.3 percent are accompanying family members.

A sidebar in Diamond quotes Li Xiaomu, a “guide” to Shinjuku’s sleazy Kabukicho district, who took Japanese nationality in 2015 and subsequently stood unsuccessfully for a seat on the Shinjuku Ward Assembly. He now operates a restaurant serving spicy Hunan-style dishes.

“I am neither completely Japanese nor completely Chinese, so I can do things that other politicians can’t,” Li says. “I can convey the voices of foreigners to Japanese society, and can also persuade foreigners to ‘obey Japan’s rules.'”

Prices of condominiums in Chinese cities have become so expensive, writes Atsushi Ozuka, that a pad in the vicinity of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture, on Tokyo’s outskirts, is cheap by comparison. That municipality has become home to nearly 20,000 foreign residents, ranking it fifth overall nationwide.

Part two of Diamond’s report examines the forming of large “neo-Chinatowns” around the north side of Tokyo’s JR Ikebukuro Station and Nishi-Kawaguchi Station in Saitama.

Learning to love one’s neighbor is also challenging in multiethnic neighborhoods, as underscored by a plethora of cautionary Chinese-language signs spotted by the reporter, such as: “Please don’t loiter around here” (outside a kindergarten); “It is prohibited to remove carts from the store” (at a supermarket); “Please flush after defecation” (a public toilet); and “Please refrain from spitting off the veranda”(an apartment building).

Spa! (July 10) focuses on Chinese who operate through large-volume, small-margin trading, by cornering the market on limited edition brand goods. They are referred to as tenbai-yā (resellers), with the yā extended to resemble the English word baiyā (buyer).

Their modus operandi is to hire students or housewives to stand in long queues for limited edition items; they then buy as many as allowed. “Hot” items of late include rice wine from Niigata Prefecture, deluxe golf clubs, fishing rods and Balenciaga sneakers.

“It means that nearly all types of limited edition goods don’t reach Japanese,” commented Yuki Okukubo, a freelance writer.

“The consumer has the right to exchange his or her money for goods,” countered a reseller. “When the supply is insufficient, the manufacturer on the supply side should take steps to relieve the shortage. It’s not a problem for which we should be blamed.”

Meanwhile, Sunday Mainichi (July 22) ran a three-page story titled “Tokyo is becoming Chinatown-ized.” Just as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been criticized for allowing Japan to become the 51st U.S. state, the magazine writes, if you walk around the area of Takadanobaba in Shinjuku Ward, you might conclude that a new state — or province if you prefer — of the “Chinese Empire” is on the verge of coming into being.

Chinese journalist Zhou Laiyou, who has been based in Japan since 1987, tells the magazine: “At the time I first came to Japan, Takadanobaba was a student area with maybe two or three Chinese restaurants, which were operated by Japanese. Now things have really changed.”

Last August, a new Sichuan-style eatery called Honkaku Panda (Real Panda) joined the dozen or so others clustered between the station and Waseda University campus, where some 3,000 Chinese students have matriculated.

“Chinese married couples are attracted to places with a favorable environment for raising children,” observes a legal scrivener who assists Chinese in the neighborhood with their visa applications. “I’m under the impression that many of them are in fairly good shape economically and not driven here out of resignation.”

Rissho University professor Kiyomi Yamashita offers an explanation of the distinctions between the old-style chukagai self-identified ethnic neighborhoods, such as Japan’s “big three” in Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki, with the “Chinatowns” (using the English word) that have been spontaneously springing up more recently in places such as Tokyo’s Takadanobaba, the north side of JR Ikebukuro Station, JR Kameido Station in Koto Ward and Nishinari Ward in Osaka.

“If you take the long view, these ‘new Chinatowns’ are helping to invigorate local economies,” Yamashita said. “And I also suppose that as venues for exchanges between Japanese and Chinese, they will help sow the seeds of dispelling friction between the two nations.”

Comments

 * B.2: The relationship Japan has with China is extremely beneficial for both countries and many people in Japan forget that 114,000 Japanese citizens are currently living and working in (China,Taiwan,Hong Kong,Macau). Japan is in dire need of more investment and human resources from China in order to compensate for an ever shrinking domestic economy, tax base, and worker shortage. The Chinese people in Japan have an entrepreneurial spirit which young Japanese completely lack (low risk low return occupation choices) and create small and medium size companies which contribute greatly to local economies.
 * R.K. (at B.2): Well if Chinese wants to work here they need to know Japanese and follow their rules and culture traditions not their own as they are doing business with not only with their own people but with Japanese people as well. That is the only method for Japanese people to accept immigration and gain their trust.
 * J. (at R.K.): Sorry, but this is in fact a cliche that is also deceptive. Do the Japanese in China live like Chinese and do business like Chinese, etc etc. Let's follow your logic, shall we? Do Japanese in other countries act and behave and conduct business and walk like their hosts? Or (and this is reality) take pride in being Japanese and oh so virtuous Japanese? As you know, Japanese elsewhere are so proud to be Japanese, but now Chinese have to be Japanese in Japan.
 * Guest: This comment was deleted.
 * S.J. (at Guest): I am astounded by the inherent bigotry in your post. After having lived in Japan for years, I do not think the Japanese are all that different from the Chinese. One can make the argument that they are bad-mannered, rude, uncultured and obnoxious in different ways, but it does not make the Japanese better than the Chinese. I posted the following comment here in The Japan Times over a year ago, which I think illustrates my point:  "The "Japanese Only" and "No Foreigners" signs are just the most visible things people notice in Japan. However, for those of us who live in Japan and regularly use public facilities or private businesses, this problem goes much deeper.  For example, a popular sports club and gym in Tokyo which I belong to has no such obvious signs posted anywhere, but they certainly seem to want to achieve the same results through more stealthy means. The staff and other Japanese members go out of their way to create a hostile, unwelcoming and uncomfortable situation for foreign members by using a variety of stealthy tactics to harass and intimidate them. Their goal appears to be to discourage foreign members from using the gym or to bait them into getting into some sort of confrontation that would justify the gym revoking their membership.  Consider that a typical visit by me to this gym goes something like this:  3:00 pm: I check in at the front desk and go to the locker room to change into gym clothes. Being early afternoon, the entire locker room is pretty much empty, so I choose a vacant locker in the corner. As I am in the middle of changing, another guy comes in, looks at me and loudly utters, "atsui, atsui!" (it's really hot!) in Japanese. Then, despite the whole place being empty, he selects the locker right next to mine while pinning me in the corner. I finish changing and leave.  3:10 pm: I go to the stretching area to warm up. The stretching area is almost entirely empty, so I select a mat at the far end. After I'd been stretching for just a couple of minutes, suddenly two guys appear and start chatting in Japanese while stretching right next to me, even though, the entire other side of the stretching area is completely empty. I recognize one of them as a staff of the gym, but he's changed out of his uniform into regular gym clothes. The other guy starts doing dynamic stretches, while jumping up and down and kicking his legs in the air just a few inches away from me. He then sits down right next to where I'm laying down and stretching, as he stretches his legs and sticks his feet right into my face.  3:30 pm: I leave the stretching area and go to where the treadmills are for my usual 5K run. No one else is using the treadmills, so I select treadmill number 3 out of the ten or so treadmills which are lined up in a straight row. As soon as I start jogging, a guy approaches and gets on treadmill number 2 right next to me. He has an extremely strong and musty body odor as if he hasn't showered or washed his clothes in a long time. I notice that he has a big pot belly and is wearing a shiny gold necklace on top of his very tight tank top. He doesn't strike me as a runner and this is confirmed as he starts huffing and puffing and is all out of breath within just the first few minutes. His body odour is gagging me and I'm finding it hard to focus on my running, so I decide to switch treadmills and move to the other end to finish my 5K run. Later, I see him trip and fall on his face on the treadmill and have a good chuckle. Clearly, the guy's no runner.  4:15 pm: Having drunk all that coffee earlier, I have to use the restroom. As I'm using the men's room, a staff member in uniform enters the toilet and starts wiping the sink and mirror right next to me. I have to wonder why the staff always have to clean the toilets as soon as they see me using one.  4:20 pm: I proceed to where the free weigts are. Suddenly, the room is full of four staff members in uniform following my every move. Being still early in the day, the place is virtually empty, so I have to wonder where all the staff suddenly came from. I start by doing some bench presses. One of the staff comes and stands directly in front of me. Another staff who seems off-duty and wearing regular clothes starts using the machine directly behind me. After doing bench presses, I move on to do some more free weights and barbells. The pattern continues, whereever I go the staff in uniform and the off-duty staff follow.  4:40 pm: I've barely started doing barbell squats when a guy comes over and asks me if I'll be finished soon. I say yes and the guy stands there waiting for his turn while I quickly finish my remaining sets.  5:15 pm: This is a large gym and I move to where the machines are. The place doesn't get crowded until after 7:00 pm, so I start using a machine in an empty part of the gym. Suddenly three other guys descend on the same area and proceed to use the machines on either side of me and the one directly infront of me. I recognize the Japanese guy using the machine infront of me, since I have seen him before. He certainly has a knack for always finding me no matter where at the gym I am and having to use the machine directly in front or next to me. He's a big muscular guy with a shaved head and he wears long sleeves and tights to hide his tattoos. He starts staring at me while squinting and giving me dirty looks. I finish using my machine and move to another part of the gym. The guy to the right of me gets up and follows me to the new spot (walking so closely behind me that he's almost touching me as he breathes down my neck) and once again starts using the machine right next to me.  5:30 pm: After the guy following me has left, gym staff shows up with a vacuum cleaner and starts ferociously vacuuming all around me getting in my way as much as possible. He then sets down the vacuum and proceeds to wipe down the machines next to me with a piece of cloth.  5:45 pm: As I'm using one of the machines, I see a guy wearing bright red shorts and a neon orange top whom I'd never seen before come into the gym. He spots me from a distance and makes a beeline straight to where I'm sitting. He sits facing me on the machine right infront of me and gives me a dirty look while doing the loud and obligatory cough routine. I think to myself that maybe this is his favorite machine in the gym, so that's why he's come right to it. However, this notion is quickly dispelled when I see him fidgeting with the machine and realized that he has no idea on how to use the machine or its various adjustments. Clearly, this is his first time using this particular machine. I go to the water fountain to get a drink of water and the guy follows me there and waits behind me while loudly clearing his throat several times. I find the whole situation absurd and comical, so I decide to call it a day and head back to the locker room to shower and change.  I have belonged to many sports clubs in several countries and various states in my home country of America. I have never ever observed this sort of rude, obnoxious and totally unacceptable behavior targeted towards anyone at any of those gyms. It is only in Japan, where the level of insularity, racism, discrimination and xenophobia are so high that this kind of thing is considered acceptable."
 * L.T. (at J.): There is a flawed logic in your argument, no one is saying that to be in Japan, one needs to eradicate all traces of their ethic identity, what everyone is saying is simply that they need to follow the rules, the established cultural norms and manners. This applies to every race and nationality who desires to live or even travel to a foreign country.
 * R.K. (at J.): Japan is very different than Europe or the West, they stick to their own culture and ways and has been for generations which is unique compare to most developed nations.They are open to outside culture things and ideas but they do not accept multi-cultural society, just look at South Korea same thing. They will be isolated in society if they only follow their own ways and speak their own language in front of regular Japanese people. China is different story, they already have a huge domestic population compare to minority Japanese living there. You can argue Germany did it, but Japan is a smaller nation where majority of the world's ethnic Japanese population resides in and only a mere ~3-4 million Japanese immigrants and descents are in other nations compare to Germans and Japanese society can easy collapse if immigration is not controlled. Of course this will change in the future, but Japan is not ready to open its doors that wide yet. It will take time for Japan to accept immigrants. Chinese and Japanese culture are very similar in ancient times but it is totally different today and can be a challenge for Chinese to assimilate into Japanese society
 * Guest: This comment was marked as spam.
 * R.K. (at L.T.): Since when did Japan not open to globalization? If they won't they won't even form partnerships or talk with other countries. I'm not talking about globalization I'm talking about immigration, Japan is slowly opening immigration but very slowly. When you wish to live in Japan you follow the their laws and educate them on culture and ways of interacting or manners. I'm not talking about ideas, innovation or work which is completely different I'm talking about everyday life etiquette. How you interact with citizens there is important and work is a different story. Japan welcomes diversity, but that doesn't mean every immigrants should only stick to their own style of behavior and do the same thing when interacting with Japanese people. This is Japan not US. You can change Japan's way of doing things when it comes to innovation or work and they welcome culture exchange and learn other nation's culture that has to offer, but you cannot change them on their own etiquette and culture they grew up on. Whether I like my country or not is not for you to say.
 * L.T. (at R.K.): Immigration is part of globalization, you can't have one without the other. This is where the funny thing occurs, while it is perfectly reasonable to expect foreigners to respect the Japanese cultural norms, societal rules and mannerisms but I still don't see how that serves as justification for Japan to "slowly opening its doors" (politically correct lingo for not welcoming immigrants) as that is an individual issue not a nationality or racial issue for that matter.  I see that as two separate issues in and of itself as the much vaunted "Japanese behaviour" is often flouted by Japanese themselves whereas there are also many foreigners who lives in Japan and adheres to the rules and culture.  Hence to assume that foreigners in Japan will certainly flout rules, disregard the cultural norms and mannerisms is steeped in quasi-racism.  With regards to diversity, even though foreigners in Japan should respect the cultural norms, rules and manners, one should not be mistaken as to expect that foreigners thinks like the Japanese do for that in itself serves to diminish diversity of thought.
 * LM (at R.K.): R.K., I don't know where do you live in Japan (or if you live here) but the Japanese government is already accepting lots of immigrants from all over the world, who are creating their own communities apart from the Japanese culture. There's already 250,000 Brazilians in Japan (lots of them in Aichi, where I live) and they cleary live apart from the Japanese society, biggest part of them doesn't even know the basic of the Japanese language and speak Portuguese all the time. Chinese are naturaly more favorable to integrate our society due to cultural similarities.
 * L.T. (at LM): Don't you find it funny how you're trying to say that one foreign culture is less worthy or if I were to phrase it milder, "less suitable" as compared to Chinese whom for some reason, you consider to be "more suitable" with cultural similarities when the only similarities I see are the usage of chopsticks, some kanji thrown into the mix and being east asian. You can't possibly push the argument that the Chinese is "more suitable" for the Japanese culture while trying to single out and attack a race for being "less suitable"  Its like saying that one should not be racist towards the Chinese but it is OK to do so to the Brazilians because they're less like "us"
 * LM (at L.T.): What? If you think these are the only similarities between China and Japan you should make a visit for both countries again. By the way, just by the simple fact that both, Japanese and Chinese, are East Asian it becomes way easier for them to integrate in the Japanese society rather than Brazilians, Europeans or North Americans. Even when it comes to food, there's thousands of dishes in Japan that are similar or even identical. Racism? Saying that neighboor countries have more in common and can addapt easier than someone from across the globe isn't racist, its obvious.
 * L.T. (at LM): Absolutely missing the point.
 * L.T. (at B.2): the problem is when the Chinese comes to Japan and insists on not adapting to the culture, rules and manners, instead, using rhetoric to insists that Japan change to accommodate them and their needs.
 * R.F.29: I’ve met many fine people from China. If one wants to bad mouth them they can say what they want but I can tell you there are as many unscrupulous Japanese or foreigners from any other country ‘soiling’ the environment. Manners are not limited to a race or country or culture. Good manners is inherent in all humans. Whether they choose to follow their higher minds is purely educational.
 * L.T. (at R.F.29): Naturally, but the discussion isn't about who is "better" it simply is about how foreigners in a foreign land, especially one as mono-ethnic as Japan should do their best to adapt to the local rules, cultural norm and manners if they so wish to reside in Japan. We all know that no country and no race is perfect but like the old adage goes, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do"
 * R.F.29 (at L.T.): Exactly. However, the Ugly American decades ago was followed by the ugly Japanese, Koreans, etc. We're at it with the Chinese at present & others will follow. China has been burdened by communism. They were broken. Anything of value was considered anti revolutionary. It takes time to come back to civilization. Give them time. Some are already back.
 * n.: Chinese workers are beneficial in that they fill positions, but as a whole they have a ways to go in terms of adapting to Japanese and international social mores. When I interact with Chinese clerks in Japan they are as a whole, rude and unpleasant to interact with. I can order in perfect Japanese but asking for things like water, or a spoon turn into travails. Recently I was at a convenience store and two of the store clerks were chatting with each other in Chinese while they were attending to my purchase. I understand they have a right to talk to each other, but Japanese store clerks do not have chats with each other in the middle of interacting with customers.
 * L.T. (at n.): Welcome to China.
 * J.: Here comes the quasi-racist Japanese comments... With that said, Japan has its own problems to deal with. Its prime minister is a puppet,a stooge who cannot be more up Trump's rear end.  From seeing US dump TPP, to tariffs, to paying more for bases (which itself shows Japan is not a real independent country 80 years after WWII), to seeing Trump praise and befriend Kim to having to abandon beneficial business and relationships to appease the American master Abe will stop at nothing.  Even the official secrets act was prompted by the Americans.  Yet, what does Japan get in return Did it get an exemption on tariffs? Did it get a atta boy? No, nothing and here come auto tariffs...  What will Abe do? Run to the US, bend over and ask 'Thank you sir, may I have another?'  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-politics-abe/japans-abe-to-cancel-iran-trip-over-u-s-pressure-on-tehran-kyodo-idUSKBN1JU1IQ
 * Guest: This comment was deleted.
 * J.F. (at Guest): Care to explain why you think so?
 * Guest: This comment was deleted.
 * c. (at Guest): You may have a few valid points, but your attitude (labeling, exaggerating, over-generalizing) is the same that has led to extreme racist actions in various countries throughout history. I have known many Chinese in Japan, and I have never seen one litter (but I have seen many Japanese litter). And the ones I have met are very friendly and caring. Maybe if you would talk to them and get to know them, your unhealthy mindset would change.  True, there are cultural differences, but they are not offending you on purpose. That is what they know and it is perfectly acceptable in their home. If they learn and get used to the local custom, most will follow.  "Also, they are taking up space. Japan is small country and they are taking living space (literal, physical land area) which could be used by a potential Japanese family."  Japan is suffering from depopulation. There is no lack of places to live, and the government wants to increase the number of immigrants. Ridiculous argument.
 * J.L. (at Guest): I have the same experience..."they are dirty, they litter..they don't care about anyone around them but themselves"...of Japanese people on a daily basis.
 * Guest: This comment was deleted.
 * J. (at Guest): Yup reminds me of the salarymen on the road drunk and vomiting blocking cars I saw recently or all the girls sleeping on the sidewalk overnight after getting hammered. There is so much good in Japan, but as the Japanese cling to these fabricated ideas of purity and cleanliness they forget the country is going bankrupt (in money and knowledge and truth)
 * n. (at J.): True, there is a myth of Japanese purity which is presented as a justification for xenophobia
 * k. (at Guest): and Japan uses Chinese writing and copied so much of ancient Chinese culture
 * J.L. (at Guest): Nihonjinron rot.
 * H.: The - predictable - more or less racist comments below the article aside: Something I have always hated in Japan is how "normal" racist discourse is. Not even talking about the egregious "Japan is unique" Nihonjinron self-aggrandizing, but just the small things in everyday life.  Take this article: "Kaijin" are Japanese. Maybe Japanese with Chinese roots, but that doesn't change who they are in any meaningful way. There shouldn't even be a word for these people. But in Japan nationality is above all - defined by blood, so OF COURSE there is word for naturalized Chinese.  Or take the "problems" mentioned by the Japanese yellow press: Foreigners huddling together in a foreign land! Oh my gosh! How dare they! Japanese wouldn't do that! Or would they? They certainly do here in Germany ....  The whole discourse in Japan about this topic is just so far from being anything than a racist circle-jerk it really makes me sad and nauseous.
 * k.: Japan has never had an immigrant group become successful enough to modify the power structure much less capture it and I can't imagine it would be allowed without a fight.
 * C.T.: I cannot speak Chinese of any accent nor read it, so I hesitate to enter this sometimes heated discussion. At the risk of insulting innocent human beings, may I ASK whether it is true that in many countries, such as Pacific Islands and SE Asian countries and even Canada and to an extent the USA, some Chinese who remain distinct (both inevitably [for racialist stereotyping is such] and on purpose--by keeping to a community supporting a distinct culture) are succeeding in gaining the economic power strings of the nations they have entered? IF THIS IS TRUE, is this a deliberate plan? I realize that similar charges are brought against other groups, such as the Jews. Yet, that does not in itself vitiate the possibility of realism. Astonishing is the submission of expat Chinese to their government's demands of not only nationalist patriotism but even of conformity to totalitarianism. (This I have read in the media.) If this is the practice, the idea of a deliberate plan is not necessarily imagining a fictitious "plot"! What do you all say in response?
 * S.B. (at C.T.): C.@One thing you have to keep in mind when describing "succeeding in gaining the economic power strings of the nations they have entered" is that there is no single entity driving such a phenomenon. Quite the contrary; Chinese restaurants, shops, etc. compete fiercely with each other. Also, such businesses are subject to the same market forces as anywhere else, i.e., if they don't provide good service at affordable prices, customers won't use them. There is no such thing as a monolithic Chinese entity aimed at dominating a country's economy. In countries where Chinese were accorded fair treatment, such as Thailand, they have assimilated almost seamlessly with the indigenous population to create a thriving culture.
 * C.T. (at S.B.): Thank you for writing in response to my plea for help with this theme. As I wrote, I am grossly ignorant of this matter. I did hear from the media some words about Chinese dominating (to the distress of India-descended persons) the voting patterns of some countries--I think this was not yet SE Asia, but some Pacific Islands (whose geography and even names have been learned my me so late that I forgot them and cannot now recall them--perhaps after the BIKINI ISLAND Nuke-BOMB test by the USA their very existence was suppressed in my country?). Of course, if the Chinese were more numerous, that is that in a majority-ruled democracy. Alas, I am so ignorant of economic power that I do not quite know what pattern I am offering here to discuss. In the USA, for example, after a Stock Market crash labelled with the name "Lehman Shock" the very persons whose business practices led to their being blamed by name for the debacle were given money by the government. That seems to me economic power, beyond the "free market" competition. Renters were given contracts, it seems to me, that amounted to fraud. No one seems to have prosecuted the fraudulent owners, even after these ruined the rich peoples stock market as well as the poor renters lives. This seems to me economic power--It seems I am agreeing with you as I for one have no data on Chinese being especially involved in this sort of behind-the-scenes immunity from reasonable prosecution or special access to government favors. Yet, I am quite ignorant. Does anyone else have a comment???
 * T.-2020s: Very often I ask this question myself (who is a Cantonese-speaking Chinese): At the general level, is the general politeness, the service spirit, and the consideration of others in public interactions found in Japan a legacy of Japanese feudalism? As I know, Chinese feudalism was formally abolished by the First Emperor even before the Christian era. The Chinese traditional virtues and wisdom are all in books written before him. So, the welcome attributes mentioned above are all but gone from China (that includes all cultural China, not just the PRC). And, I recommend the recently published Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein (Princeton University Press, May 2018).
 * LM: China and Japan are the 2nd and the 3rd biggest economies in the world, they have a familiar language, cultural traces, are 1h away from each other and the most important, Chinese people can EASILY ASSIMILATE THE JAPANESE CULTURE! Do the Japanese government (and the Japanese nationalists) really thinks it is better to accept Brazilians, Bolivians, Filipinos, Indonesians, Vietnamese or other populations instead of taking in Chinese? This sounds absolutely crazy for me. Japan's society needs to open their eyes and see that accepting Chinese people is the key to boost the economy and also keep the country relatively homogeneous.
 * L.T. (at LM): I call BS on this, there is barely any cultural similarities between the Chinese and the Japanese in modern context. You seem very eager to push the rhetoric that Chinese should be welcomed in Japan while all other races should be turned away and this is absolutely disgusting and pathetic, if you still don't recognize the sheer racism in what you're saying then god help you.
 * T-2020s: I usually wonder why the Chinese people could not produce or manufacture their global brand name goods of high quality, such that they would not have needed only to buy up the world's luxury goods and living spaces. And again, cleanliness is still a hard-to-solve problem in the mindset of some Chinese for so many decades, even outside their own soil.

Source

 * https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/14/national/media-national/media-stews-growing-chinese-numbers-japan/#.XbNi07JE2hA