BRIDGING THE GAP
Dalia Anavian,
translator and interpreter for criminal and immigration
related issues, sounds off on the legal system's treatment
of West Asians --Iranians and Afghanis--in an interview
with
Michael H. Fox
Tell us a little about your work?
I was born in Teheran, raised in Kobe. and educated at the
Canadian Academy. My family continues to do business in
carpets and other Iranian goods. My mother performs and
teaches the santur (an Iranian harp) and we have also been
avid promoters of Iranian culture in Japan. After the Kobe
earthquake, business decreased and I went from cultural
exchange to legal and criminal exchange. I don't translate
into English, only Farsi. I translate for Iranians, and
Afghanis-- whose language is similar to ours. One cultural
misunderstanding is that people are afraid to speak openly,
afraid to testify in court. In Iran, the government is the
representative of God, and in Afghanistan, you had the
Taliban. It is no wonder that people often say things they
don't mean.
What
are the social conditions like back
home?
You have to understand that almost everybody in Iran wants
to escape the country. The government is horribly
repressive, the economy is terrible. The police make a
fortune by arresting those from well off families, and then
extort payment for their release. Everything we take for
granted in Japan is illegal: assembling in public with more
than three people, reading non-religous novels, listening
to pop music, listening to a female vocalist, wearing
lipstick, and any kind of political or religious criticism.
There are informers everywhere. I had an uncle who was
lashed for possessing a magazine which showed women in
miniskirts. When I began to laugh out loud in a tourist
hotel I was warned that women should not make noise in
public.
Why do West Asians come to Japan?
Iranians especially, have dreamy preconceptions of Japan:
an old and sophisticated culture with a well educated
populace. The cultures and communicative styles of the two
countries are surprisingly similar--the avoidance of
straight talk, hesitation in response to offers, excessive
politeness, and a tendency to look out for each other. The
NHK drama "Oshin," was shown in Iran and became very
popular. Its lead character who is hard working,
independent, and fighting for rights, is an ideal for many
women and men in Iran. So West Asians come here with
positive preconceptions, they seek political shelter and a
chance to make a living. But since they cannot get tourist
visas, other ways must be found. As or the Afghanis, their
government has been in array for years and does not
normally even issue passports.
So do many of these people enter Japan illegally?
Yes, that is the only way.
Many come through South East Asia. In Thailand, there are
well run clandestine organizations which manufactur
passports--for a price. The problem is that bureaucrats and
judges here think that entering the country with a fake
passport is a subversive act, akin to sabotage or terror.
Nothing is further from the truth. To a refugee, entering
Japan on a fake passport is immaterial, getting the hell
out of their homeland is all that matters.
What about Japan's policy of refugees?
As for political asylum, do they even know what these words
mean?Japan is 50 years behind the west. If someone comes to
Japan to escape from the police and asks for refugee
status, they get thrown in detention. But why put people in
detention if they have done nothing wrong, and if they
really are refugees. And who is a refugee depends on daily
changes in world politics. Authoritarian governments
dictate policies overnight, declaring certain ethnic groups
as targets for subjugation or eradication. But bureaucrats
here know nothing of the world situation. One inspector
filled in the ethnic background of a Hazara from
Afghanistan as "Taliban."
Are West Asians involved in crime?
As the Japanese economy worsens, some West Asians are
turning to drug importation to feed their families. In
Iran, opium is used for many medicinal purposes, colds,
coughs, stomach aches. Of course it is illegal, but it is
easily purchasable and widely used. Alcohol is much the
same. You have to understand that in Iran everything is
illegal, and everybody is breaking the law in some way.
Most of those who turn to the drug trade can't imagine the
repercussions of their acts. Naturally, those who deal in
drugs should be punished, but judges do not see the big
picture. They listen to defendants, and yawn a lot. The
press is much the same. Reporters come to court, and as
soon as a judge declares sentence, they jump out of their
seats and run off to write accusatory articles. The media
point fingers and declare foreignbers as criminals.
Journalists only write about the bad stuff, nothing about
the reasons why things happen.
Are there any drawbacks to this job?
Yes the pay is bad. I receive 4000-8000yen ($40~$80) per
hour depending on the crime. Drug cases pay more, thefts
pay less, I don't know why. On the surface, it seems like a
lot of money, but the work is fragmentary. Sometimes I have
to prepare for hours, with no extra remuneration. You can't
make a living and a lot of people quit. I do not do this
for the money, but to help bridge the gap.
A previous version of this interview was published in the
monthly magazine:
Kansai Time Out.