Izakaya’s ‘Japanese Only’ Sign Taken Down by Disgruntled Okinawa Citizens

An Izakaya in Naha, Okinawa, had a sign saying ‘Japanese only’ that was taken down by disgruntled citizens who voiced their complaints to the government.

Upon noticing the sign on the Izakaya, a citizen group called ‘Okinawa Counters’ consulted the government. According to the shop manager, the sign mentioned that the staff is Japanese only, and he explained that it wasn’t meant to discriminate as the establishment only has one person in charge of the kitchen and one person for serving, so they have “no time to spend on customer service.”

Refusing entry based solely on nationality violates the ‘International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,’ so the Okinawa Izakaya was eventually forced into removing the ‘Japanese Only’ sign from the shop.

“The government is only calling over foreign customers, but I want them to teach them about izakaya culture,” said the store manager after taking down the sign.