I understand where this is coming from, but I think it's much more complex. In terms of "foreign" or non-Japanese women's experiences, it depends on whether you are white, East or Southeast Asian, Black, brown, etc. It has to do with your class & your job/industry. https://twitter.com/HirokoTabuchi/status/1360420903021076481

But there are forms of visibility that are hard in very different ways (& to diff. extents). If you "almost" fit in but don't, it's also hard. The typical comparison possibly involves a middle-class white woman (vs. a middle-class Japanese woman), but this excludes many women.

If you're East Asian, I'm not sure if ppl give you a pass for "cultural differences." Mainland Ch, Zainichi Korean, & Taiwanese women such as @WenYuju struggle w/racism & xenophobia. At Waseda, senior Jp faculty were very courteous, but I'm infantilized in other situations.

Young SE Asian technical trainees are very vulnerable. A white female friend has native-level Japanese & puts up with borderline harassment at her major corporation. I'm in the most elite group of non-Jp women but would reeeally think twice about giving up my job in HK.

In short, non-Jp women do have various forms of privilege, but these are limited & highly dependent on context. I know @HirokoTabuchi is aware of these issues but just wanted to comment/reflect more on these points because I hope more people think about them!