Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
January 28, 2025 at 13:07 JST
U.S. President Donald Trump gives his inaugural address on the inauguration day of his second presidential term in Washington on Jan. 20. (Pool via REUTERS)
Here’s a famous anecdote about the presidential transition from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush 24 years ago.
On Bush’s first day of business in January 2001, many White House aides reported to work to find their computer keyboards missing the “W” key.
That was serious, as the new president was often referred to simply as “W” to distinguish him from his father—former President George H.W. Bush.
In the United States where two major parties vie fiercely for power, a presidential transition from one party to the other spells a huge shift that entails not only the replacement of office equipment, but also the comings and goings of literally thousands of people.
That is because unlike in Japan where most government workers are civil servants hired according to the merit system, many senior members of the administration in the United States are presidential appointees.
Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has wasted no time hacking away at DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives. He had declared in his inaugural address that he will end the policy of trying to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.”
He also said that he will “forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.”
Reportedly, some federal agencies have been notified of the closure of their DEI-related departments and the order to put related employees on paid leave.
I am stunned by how quickly and easily the previous administration’s policies have been dismantled.
And as I understand it, this comes against the backdrop of white conservative men becoming increasingly alarmed about their declining superiority in society where discriminations have been gradually redressed due to affirmative action policies.
Some corporations are fighting back, but others are noticeably switching their policies in compliance with the Trump administration.
For instance, McDonald’s announced it will roll back some of its DEI initiatives, such as increasing the ratio of women in managerial positions.
Wondering if any of this will impact Japan, I became scared. This country is still dithering even on whether to allow married couples to use different surnames.
Where DEI issues are concerned, Japan is definitely lagging behind other advanced democracies of the world. What will happen if the headwind against DEI efforts starts blowing even harder?
—The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 27
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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