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Controversial Columnist:
Ayako Sono
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South Africa's ambassador
to Japan has sent a letter of protest to a conservative Japanese newspaper
about a recent column that in essence advocated separate residences for foreign
workers modeled on apartheid.
The Feb. 11 column in the
Sankei newspaper by well-known conservative writer Ayako Sono said Japan needs
foreign workers to offset its shrinking population, but that based on the South
Africa experience, different races should live separately.
In her letter, Ambassador
Mohau Pheko called apartheid a crime against humanity that should not be
justified in the 21st century, the Sankei said in an article published over the
weekend.
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Corporate members and
Directors experienced an extra-special South African Freedom Day,
enjoying an intimate dinner with Dr. Ben Ngubane, who was visiting Japan
on business, and Ambassador Mohau Pheko (2nd from Left). (Photo: saccjapan.jp)
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Sono has served on an
advisory panel for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on education.
In the article, Sono says
her column did not propose an apartheid policy for Japan. "I only wrote,
from my personal observation, that it is difficult for people with different
customs to live together."
A statement by senior
Sankei editor Takeshi Kobayashi says Sono's regular column reflects her
opinion, and that the newspaper believes that apartheid and racial
discrimination should not be permitted.
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