Commentary: Japanese ultra-right wingers discredited over double-faced behavior

Japan's APA Group CEO Toshio Motoya, an extreme right winger, has recently come under international criticism again, and this time it was for his anti-Semitic comments.

In the February edition of the group's magazine Apple Town, distributed in at least six Coast Hotels in Canada, Motoya equated "international finance capital" with "Jewish capital" by saying that "Jewish people control American information, finance, and laws, and they benefit greatly from globalization because they move their massive profits to tax havens so they don't have to pay any taxes. Many Jewish people support the Democratic Party."

The comments sparked condemnation from Jewish groups in Canada. In response to strong resistance by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Motoya denied being "anti-Semitic" in a statement posted on the Federation's website and was forced to remove the offending material.

"It is very unfortunate that my writings gave you an erroneous impression that I hold anti-Semitic beliefs," wrote Motoya. He also promised to remove the magazines.

The hotelier is no stranger to international criticism. But last time, he was tough.

Earlier, the Japanese hotel chain had refused to pull the controversial publication, which denied the Nanjing Massacre, during which hundreds of thousands of Chinese were killed, and the forced recruitment of "comfort women," from its guest rooms. The hotel defended the publication's placement on grounds of "freedom of speech."

Being habitually double-faced and grovelling selectively, Japanese ultra-right wingers' so-called "freedom of speech" or the alleged "historical outlook" once again show how hypocritical and what a snob they are.

No matter what, the Japanese right-wing community that upsetting the Jewish people and other victims of heinous historical acts has and will inevitably lead to backlash.

In 1995, the Japanese magazine Marco Polo, owned by a major Japanese publisher, ran an article denying the Holocaust entitled "There were no Nazi gas chambers."

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights group, immediately protested and sent the English translation of the article to companies that advertised in the magazine.

Faced with the possibility of losing advertisement profits, the publisher not only apologized, but even shut down the magazine itself.

Motoya and other unapologetic right-wingers should stop their "shameful" actions. Or their offensive and hurtful statements and acts will make them more discredited and incur stronger backlash. Endi