Some ugly faces from Finland have gone viral in Japanese Internet.

“Severe Headache”

A picture of Sarah Dzafce, who was crowned Miss Finland in September,  circulated on the social media with her slanted-eye gesture saying “kiinalaisenkaa syömäs,” which means “eating with a Chinese person” reportedly on 30^th November. Her excuse, on an interview of Ilta-Sanomat on 1^st December, insists she had a severe headache so she rubbed her temples and stretched her eyes to relieve the pain. According to her, the picture was taken by her friend and the text was also added by her friend; moreover, it was only for close friends, not for global distribution like this. After subsequent video, which is already deleted now, with her on Finnair saying “people are spreading hate, but I’m in business class” made the rage erupt, she eventually posted her apology on Instagram on 8^th December. But the public opinion was still tough on her racist photo; thus her title was officially stripped by Miss Finland organisers on 11^th December.

Racist jokes are not funny. But people, especially the youth, make mistakes. She is only a twenty-two years old childish girl with an ability of self-determination and might not know the common sense of the world although she was Miss Finland who should have represented the country of Finland among the world. At least she apologised with a vacant statement. We thought this case was closed.

“Je Suis Sarah”

Suddenly we have come to know this was only the beginning. Juho Eerola, a member of the Finnish Parliament, posted a photo of himself playing eye-stretching gesture with prominent front teeth, adding that “Je suis Sarah,” which reminds the phrase used when Charlie Hebdo was attacked by terrorists in 2015. Eerola belongs to Finns Party, which is notorious for its far-right policy while it has 46 seats at the Parliament of Finland and forms the coalition government. After being criticised, he justified himself by insisting that it was to protest against the Miss Finland’s decision and to show solidarity to Dzafce.

His racist action was followed by his fellow incumbent politicians such as Sebastian Tynkkynen, Kaisa Garedew and Petri Kolmonen. Tynkkynen is a Finnish member of European Parliament, also served for Finnish Parliament as a member and was the third vice chairman of Finns Party. Garedew is an incumbent member of Finnish Parliament. Kolmonen is a council member of Nurmijärvi town and chairman at two NGOs called Lasten oikeudet (Children’s Rights Association Finland) and Isät lasten asialla ry (Fathers for Children Association). All of them belong to Finns Party. In addition, Finnish Human Rights Ambassador Katja Pehrman blocked a Japanese Twitter user after she asked about human rights situation in Finland. Pehrman also called some other questioners “trolls” and received community notes to several tweets. She has made her account private after all. Apparently Asians are pressed an unpleasant present from the country of Santa Claus.

“It was Never Intended to Offend Them”

Eerola later gave an apology saying that he would like to say that he apologise to all the people Asian background if they felt that way, it was never intended to offend them; while his changed profile picture on Facebook still looks insulting in another way. On the contrary, Garedew took a stand after all this outcry by giving an interview to Iltalehti saying that she believes the media and the pageant organisation should apologise, not herself. She gave an quick apologise on 18^th December right after Finns Party parliament group imposed serious warning on her and Eerola. Kolmonen reportedly apologised to a Japanese Twitter user who started a petition calling for an investigation and abolition of Finnish racism against Asians. Pehrman refused an interview with the media and shifted the responsibility for responding onto the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ communications.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo apologised on 17^th December through Finnish Embassies in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing in respective languages while his apology technically does not acknowledge the gestures were racist. On the next day, 18^th December, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara disclosed that Japanese government officially conveyed, through Japanese Embassy in Helsinki, their concerns on the scandal to the Finnish government and expressed their expectation for appropriate conduct. On the same day, as written above, Finns Party parliamentary group held a meeting to discuss possible sanctions for Eerola and Garedew only to give them “a serious warning,” which is too mild to hear. Finnish national public broadcaster Yle uploaded an analysis stating that “the apparent ignorance of Finnish politicians of the meaning of symbols shows the kind of blindness we live in in Finland. It is also evident from the fact that [some Finns] define being offended by a photograph to be hypersensitivity or misunderstanding. The Finnish population is still more culturally homogeneous than in most other Western countries.”

“Finland Pose”

Originally, Japanese nation had a relatively positive feeling towards Finland. The country was famous for its independence history where Japan-Russo War is indirectly involved, Winter War and its legendary sniper Simo Häyhä, Moomin, Sauna and aurora before the scandal. However, for most Japanese who was not familiar with Finland, these eye-pulling photos have become how they come to know the Eastern European country. Basically, quite a few Japanese citizens are not mad at this insult but disappointed to the double standard of Finland, where the government professes its zero-tolerance policy against racism, and preaches on human rights in the international community and calls for dignity to other countries. This contradiction has completely destroyed Japanese trust in Finland: for instance, the slanted-eye gesture is now named “Finland pose” on social media; in short, Japanese people now regard Finnish reputation as of little value. Good country becomes ignorant, childish and indifferent country overnight in Japan.

We don’t care if you love sushi or anime. Your “friendly” gesture is considered as racist action all over the world, Asians feel offended and that’s enough. Just stop it. The most significant and serious problem here is that racism against Asians are not recognised in Finnish society. No, it’s not racism but just a joke, some of them say. Apparently these racists don’t understand why this problem is a grave crisis because these racists cannot even define who they are — the racists. This small gesture is actually as same as painting your face black. We are not exaggerating the issue, we are serious. Again, jokes must be funny. Racist jokes are not funny. Simple as that.

“Whose Human Rights?”

In the meantime, Edward W. Said states the Western countries regard Eastern countries as primitive and have no ability to define themselves on Orientalism (1978). He points out that a typical Orientalist believes that the West knows the East and that the East is what the West knows. Since the Eastern countries, in this case East Asian people, are subject to Europe, some Finnish people cannot admit they have done an unbelievable, barbarous and childish reproach to their noble pride. They deadly seriously think the uproar is based on excessive cancel culture or even Chinese hybrid war conspiracy because “the Oriental is irrational, depraved, childlike, different” while “the European is rational, virtuous, mature, normal.”

Orientalism against the East Asian countries and their people still have mass appeal today. Anti-whaling terroristic protest was only executed toward Japan by Sea Shepard. Japan has received Fossil of the Day for four successive years although Japanese CO₂ emission per capita is nearly twice lower than Australia, the United States and Canada; Japan also continues to reduce it year by year by cutting over 20 percent from the year 2000. These inequality perhaps has been caused due to Japanese inadequate objection based on their national traits, which accidentally accommodates to what Said illustrated, “the Orient was not Europe’s interlocutor, but its silent Other.” The Occident “finished” discriminating Africans, Middle Easterners and Native Americans. The Last frontier of Orientalism has reached the East Asia region.

In the final analysis, Japanese people are rather shocked by Finnish ignorance and indifference than mad at their racist gesture. What we are thinking now is that “human rights? Tell us whose human rights, we dear you.” Anger can be settled by sincere apologies but you would take much time, words and deeds to recover the reputation. Now Finland has become a racist country in spite of its intrusive sermon on the lofty philosophy of human rights from Japanese perspective. Prime Minister’s apology will indeed lessen the tensions to some extent, but Finland is going to suffer from their inattention in which they neglected the scandal in the first week for years. To tell the truth, I have never imagined that I would write an article which blames Finland — I think this explains all.