JAPAN TODAY


 

A Russian sign showing directions in a Tokyo train station that had been covered with a sheet of paper last week following complaints from passengers upset at Russia's invasion of Ukraine was uncovered Friday by the rail operator.

East Japan Railway Co (JR East) reversed its decision to cover the sign at Ebisu Station on Tokyo's Yamanote Line after criticism that the move could be considered discriminatory.

According to JR East, the names of two stations on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line -- Roppongi and Nakameguro -- have been displayed on signage near its Ebisu Station ticket gates in Russian, English, Korean and Japanese since 2018.

With the Russian Embassy located near Roppongi Station, the company said it decided to put up the signs ahead of last year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to help passengers transfer to the metro line.

Station staff covered up the Russian sign and attached an "out of service" note in Japanese in its place on April 7 after receiving complaints from some passengers that the sight of the Russian language made them "uncomfortable."

The move sparked a wave of criticism online, with Twitter users posting comments such as "the Russian language is innocent," and "Ukrainians also use Cyrillic script."

JR East's Tokyo branch, which learned of the situation on Thursday, said it had been considering removing the foreign language signs after the Tokyo Games concluded last summer, "but we have yet to decide what to do."

The government's top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, said at a press conference Friday that he believed JR East would respond appropriately as "it is necessary to be careful not to foster discrimination in any situation."



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