Does the Japanese public have a strong reaction to the Tibet protest issue?
I sense a rather muted response. The Japanese response to the Tibet issue is very much muted as you say. It is a sad comment on both the society and politics of Japan, but human rights issues (especially those that concern foreigners) rarely ever get people agitated. Except for a tiny minority of human rights activists, the only people who are making any noise over the issue are anti-China right-wingers who somehow think what Japan did in China, Korea, Taiwan etc. bears no resemblance to what China has been doing in Tibet—thereby further alienating those who are concerned but do not see the matter in a simple black or white manner. At the same time, the media and the general public alike share a very naive belief that sport events can and should be “apolitical.” Fukuda may refuse to declare whether or not he will be attending the opening ceremonies at this point, but few would look at that as a sign of genuine concern for the Tibetan monks rather than an attempt to use it as a bargaini
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