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‘No Chinese allowed’: Japanese shop criticised for coronavirus sign

  • Shop owner in Hakone says he wanted to prevent Chinese tourists from spreading the virus
  • Tourism centre apologises; legal expert says sign is ‘obviously wrong’ but not against the law

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A shop in Hakone, Japan, has been criticised for a sign saying ‘No Chinese are allowed to enter... I do not want to spread the virus’. Photo: Twitter
The owner of a store in the Japanese mountain town of Hakone has been criticised for blocking Chinese people from entering his shop on the grounds they might be carrying the Wuhan coronavirus.
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“No Chinese are allowed to enter the store”, said a sign attached to the shop’s door. “I do not want to spread the virus.”

The owner of the confectionery store, who has not been identified, told the Asahi newspaper that he used a translation application to write the message in Chinese, adding, “I want to protect myself from the virus and I don’t want Chinese people to enter the store.”

Japanese health authorities have so far confirmed only one case of the virus, which is thought to have originated in Wuhan, China, but are stepping up precautions amid signs the disease is spreading. China has confirmed nine deaths and 440 infections from the virus.

Japan’s health ministry has instructed immigration and quarantine officials at air and sea ports to be on the alert for people showing signs of the virus and has put up posters in Japanese, Chinese and English urging travellers to contact medical institutions if they are experiencing symptoms.
A quarantine notice at Haneda airport in Tokyo about the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Photo: Reuters
A quarantine notice at Haneda airport in Tokyo about the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Photo: Reuters
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Shin Hae-bong, a professor of law at Aoyama Gakuen University, said the store owner was not breaking the law as there was no legislation in Japan that specifically made acts of discrimination illegal.

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