A restaurant in Japan with a sign that says “Sorry Japanese people only” has sparked outrage, but is this just a translation issue, underscoring the very reason for the restriction in the first place?

“Japanese People Only” Restaurants In Japan

A restaurant sign that says “Japanese only” could also indicate that the restaurant operates in Japanese, which means staff may not speak English and menus may not be translated. But a sign that says “Japanese People Only” does seem like a whole different matter.

This video has been posted all over social media and drawn intense outrage, even from many Japanese citizens in more cosmopolitan cities like Tokyo.

I’ve been to Japan 5-6 times for both leisure and business, always to Tokyo, but I would not call my knowledge or experience there extensive. I’ve also never seen anything like this, though I’ve certainly heard horror stories about Japanese racism and hatred of foreigners (and the line, “I’m not racist, I hate them all” seems to apply, so my American readers need not feel specifically slighted).

These sorts of signs more frequently appear in Okinawa, which is home to a US military installation. As one bar owner explained, who put up the sign below, “We only have one person working the dining hall, and one person in the kitchen, so we don’t have time to spare for customer interaction. We have no intent of discriminating.”

That’s the very definition of discrimination…even if the discrimination is between those who can speak Japanese and those who cannot (versus ethnic Japanese people and non-Japanese people).

I tend to think the language reason is merely a pretext for not wanting foreigners in restaurants, targeting Americans and Chinese travelers…and any group who can quickly become uncouth. But it’s hard to prove that…and I do think language barriers can present a problem for a restaurant.

On the other hand, instant transition apps and AI, now with voiceover features, really minimize the language barrier, though it is annoying to speak through a phone. I don’t think folks should be turned away for not passing a language test if Google Translate makes it possible to clearly convey orders and other wishes.

Therefore, I think those who defend these “Japanese People Only” policies do so on shaky grounds and that there are better ways via technology to overcome language barriers than to exclude people.

What do you think? Before you blanketly say, “Restaurants have the right to refuse service to anyone,” think about the ramifications of that and how such a policy was used for decades to exclude willing customers on the basis of their skin color.