A sign reading "We oppose eugenics and individual responsibility theory" marks out the special corner near the entrance of Books Ogaki Co.'s Karasuma Sanjo store in Kyoto's Nakagyo Ward, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Mainichi/Kotaro Chigira)
KYOTO -- A bookshop here set up a corner of titles about eugenics and the history behind social welfare, in a modest yet firm act of resistance against Japanese celebrity YouTuber DaiGo's comments belittling the lives of homeless people and those on welfare.
Books Ogaki Co.'s Karasuma Sanjo store is in a business district in the heart of Kyoto, and is bustling with people in the evening, including office workers who stop by on their way home from work. The special corner was placed near the entrance alongside the new releases.
Just a handful of books graced the shelf, including one with a title roughly translating to "Please end the cycle here: The Nazi genocide of people with disabilities and eugenics," by Katsunori Fujii and published by Godo-Shuppan, and another titled "The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good?" by Michael Sandel, translated by Shinobu Onizawa and published in Japan by Hayakawa Publishing Corp. These publications pose questions and offer critiques on eugenics -- which was at the foundation of the Nazi persecution of people with disabilities -- as well as the theory of individual responsibility, which deems people entirely responsible for their own fates.
The corner appeared at the bookstore on Aug. 14 at the suggestion of manager Yuko Arai, 35. What had driven her to create the corner was news that self-proclaimed "mentalist" and celebrity DaiGo had made discriminatory comments against homeless people and individuals on welfare during a livestream on his YouTube channel.
Yuko Arai, left, manager of Books Ogaki Co.'s Karasuma Sanjo store, and Takuya Kuratsu are seen at the bookstore in Kyoto's Nakagyo Ward, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Mainichi/Kotaro Chigira)
"I dislike the idea of ranking human lives based on productivity or whether they're being useful or not," Arai said. She set up the corner out of desire to "let people know that there is a viewpoint that renounces eugenics, and inform them about the history that led to the creation of public assistance and other forms of social welfare."
Arai sought the cooperation of employee Takuya Kuratsu, 42, who agreed to the plan wholeheartedly and was entrusted with selecting the books. Kuratsu said he feared that people who had read any of the books penned by the TV life coach-turned YouTuber may think that whatever DaiGo says is true -- even if discriminatory. When choosing the books, he sought to let people learn about "the background and history leading to the creation of social systems like welfare, as well as the concepts of mutual aid and public support."
After the bookstore spread the word about the corner via its Twitter account, it received many positive responses, such as, "I'm glad that a bookstore is making this kind of effort," and "Adults must take the lead in conveying these sorts of views." Although the shop had been introducing books on its Twitter account on a regular basis, the special book corner was met with an unexpectedly large reaction, which left Arai "surprised and happy."
However, the store will not remove DaiGo's publications or books that advocate for "individual responsibility" theory from its shelves. Arai said, "In the end, a bookshop's job is to offer what readers want. I think there are people who want DaiGo's books, so we won't get rid of them. That said, I'd like for them to know that there are different views out there.
"We'd like to spread diverse information as a local bookstore to help young people absorb what various others say and form their own opinions," Arai continued. The books in the special corner have slowly but steadily been sold, and now all of them have found new homes. The shop said it will consider setting up the corner again if there are inquiries from customers seeking to buy the books.
(Japanese original by Kotaro Chigira, Kyoto Bureau)
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