The word for it in Japanese is ayamachi, diplomatic argot for a grave mistake, even a sin. Last week none other than Yasuhiro Nakasone, Prime Minister of Japan, committed a world-class ayamachi when he told a meeting of his Liberal Democratic Party, "So high is the level of education in our country that Japan's is an intelligent society. Our average score is much higher than those of countries like the U.S. There are many blacks, Puerto Ricans and Mexicans in America. In consequence the average score over there is exceedingly low."
At first few people in Japan's remarkably closed and monolithic society, 98% of which is native born and historically chauvinistic, picked up on the horrific implications in the remark. Then the reaction from the U.S. hit the fan. William H. Gray III of Pennsylvania, black chairman of the House Budget Committee, angrily withdrew a dinner invitation to Japanese Ambassador Nobuo Matsunaga. Representative Mickey Leland of Texas led the 21-member Congressional Black Caucus in calling on President Reagan to demand an apology. Esteban Torres of California and his 14-member Hispanic Caucus were equally furious.
An abashed Nakasone promptly tried to "explain it all" by praising the "great achievements" of the U.S. "But there are things the Americans have not been able to do because of multiple nationalities there," he continued, sinking deeper into the ayamachi even as he struggled to extricate himself. "On the contrary, things are easier in Japan because we are a monoracial society." These secondary remarks mollified no one. Declared Japanese-American Congressman Robert Matsui of California: "Mr. Nakasone's explanation is almost as outrageous . . . as his original statement." At this point, some Japanese also rang in. "Our Prime Minister," said Professor Kennichi Shibuya, evaluation expert at Joetsu University of Education, "should never have opened his mouth on this question."
In his heart of hearts Nakasone must have agreed. For in addition to the anger swirling around him, there was deep irony in his situation. Just last month the Prime Minister invoked the term ayamachi when he fired his Education Minister, Masayuki Fujio, for having infuriated half the Orient. In a magazine article Fujio claimed that Korea bore some responsibility for Japan's deeply resented 1910-45 occupation of the peninsula and, moreover, that Japanese atrocities in Nanking during 1937 were acceptable in the context of military conflict. Having fired his top educator for such a profound national and ethnic offense, Nakasone appeared to have stepped into the same minefield. At week's end the Prime Minister backtracked completely, expressing a "heartfelt apology" through Ambassador Matsunaga, who read the statement on Capitol Hill. His words won a measure of forgiveness from Gray and Leland, thus perhaps defusing political and economic consequences of the affair. But as Professor Shibuya's blast indicated, the Prime Minister still had an earful coming from educators, who rated his remarks simplistic, if not downright wrong.