Japanese edition of webtoon book on racism to hit bookstores next month

Cover of Japanese edition of the Korean comic book, ″A Black Person Sitting Next to Me on the Subway,″ to hit Japanese bookshelves on Feb. 2 [KAMOGAWA]

The Japanese edition of a webtoon-based comic book on Korea's latent racism titled “A Black Person Sitting Next to Me on the Subway” will hit the shelves in Japanese bookstores next month.

The book, written and illustrated by webtoonist Yerong and published by Japan's Kamogawa Publication, will go on sale in bookstores nationwide in Japan on Feb. 2.

“A Black Person Sitting Next to Me on the Subway” began as a series of online webtoons posted on the author's Facebook account in January 2019, where she — a Korean woman born in 1993 — recorded the racist utterances and behavior she experienced from her peers during her relationship with then-boyfriend from Ghana.

The episodes included microaggressions and prejudices she learned, namely how people reacted with visible reluctance when a Black person sat next to them on the subway, hence the title. The comics were put together and made into a printed book in October 2019.

Yerong said the Japanese version will include new episodes touching on issues such as cultural appropriation.

“I learned that Japan is similar to Korea in that people unknowingly discriminate against others due to a lack of understanding of the gravity of the issue,” the author told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “I hope that this book rings an alarm bell in Japan about the small acts of racism that take place.”

“The term 'microaggression' has been attracting attention in Japan for several years,” Kamogawa Publication said.

“Microaggressions are small acts of discrimination. Everyone has engaged in it, either as a perpetrator or a victim. Through this book, I hope that as many people as possible will learn about microaggressions, and I hope this book brings us closer to realizing a symbiotic society.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]