They're not reading it wrong, they are packing an agenda into it. People chronically bring up the American south of 60+ years ago as examples of how contemporary full span America is racist. Just look at all the replies.

The outward shameless and crippling racism of 1940's American south is still in full force in many countries, but they never get attention for it because the minorities there are too minority to even show up on the radar.

Japan is probably going to collapse because giving a foreigner a position of power (commercial or government) is basically unthinkable. Meanwhile America "the most racist country on Earth" just had a black president for 8 years and has a congress composed of 25% minorities.

To convey: I think this is a good example, of what Workaccount2 might have meant, we are somewhat sensitized for racism that we perceive the comparison of the situation with another countries as racism denial and i think this is because it suggest that we are perfect in some sense and can stop fighting for more equality, which we can absolutely not, there is still a lot of work in front of us.

I think that in the context of this discourse Workaccount2 has a point in what i believe Workaccount2 has meant, which is that the countries with the lowest amounts of xenophobia and racism will attract the most migrants... because who would like to live in a country in which you are oppressed.

And to come back to Japan: Japan seams to have a horrific problem with xenophobia and racism, at least this is the impression i get when i look at the discourse that happen in Japan from the outside[0] and read through Wikipedia[1]. What, does not mean that the US or EU has no racism, and can stop working, quite the opposite.

[0] This one is especially revealing IMHO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CraWEwbyapQ

[1] > Japan lacks any law which prohibits racial, ethnic, or religious discrimination. The country also has no national human rights institutions. Non-Japanese individuals in Japan often face human rights violations that Japanese citizens may not. In recent years, non-Japanese media has reported that Japanese firms frequently confiscate the passports of guest workers in Japan, particularly unskilled laborers.

> A significant number of apartments, and some motels, night clubs, brothels, sex parlours and public baths in Japan have put up signs stating that foreigners are not allowed, or that they must be accompanied by a Japanese person to enter.

> "Discrimination toward foreign nationals in their searches for homes continues to be one of the biggest problems", said the head of the Ethnic Media Press Centre.

> "Discrimination toward foreign nationals in their searches for homes continues to be one of the biggest problems", said the head of the Ethnic Media Press Centre.

> Some hospitals have been known to turn patients away if they could not confirm their residence status.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Japan