By far, the most satisfying thing was seeing how the segment got edited and
broadcast. My name and position as 実行委員長 / Steering Committee Chairman were
shown on the screen. There was no reference to or discussion of my country of
birth, or why I am in the position. They did ask me to indicate how many years I
have been chairman (around eight, by my count). To me this is the best kind of
social progress: The implication that people who do not look and are not named
in traditionally Japanese ways are just out there in society doing stuff, and
this is normal enough that no particular discussion of it is needed. When people
see that a news broadcast included such a scene without that discussion of
nationality or otherness, it changes their perceptions more than any explicit
discussion would. The way I envision it (wishfully, sure; indulge me), a viewer
who would have expected that discussion wonders internally, “Hmm, they didn’t
even mention this dude’s clear otherness. Maybe it’s getting common enough for
non-traditional-looking people to simply do stuff that TV programs don’t discuss
it anymore. Huh.” That is why I like to do community things, and to be on TV in
this way.
