KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. (Kyodo) An English-language school in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, had posted a recruitment poster seeking instructors with "blond hair, blue or green eyes," leading activists to file complaints, people involved said Sunday.
The recruiting poster for instructors whom the school sends to kindergartens was displayed at the Yamanashi International Center for six months until November, when the center removed it after receiving the complaints. The center apologized for its "lack of consideration."
"Linking appearance and qualifications of English educators is questionable. It encourages discrimination on appearance and race," according to the complaints filed with the center by the activists, including American-born Japanese citizen Debito Arudou.
Arudou, associate professor at Hokkaido Information University, who regularly campaigns for the rights of Japan's foreign residents, also made written requests to the school, the kindergartens and the Kofu Regional Legal Affairs Department, urging to promote human rights.
According to people related to the school, several kindergartens in Kofu have asked for English instructors so their children can get accustomed to "foreigners," attaching such conditions as "blond hair" and "blue eyes."
The school "was aware that it was an old discriminatory idea, but couldn't resist customers' needs," one related person said, noting that the school now regrets the poster.