On Monday, in Craig Calcaterra’s wonderful irreverent newsletter, “Cup of Coffee,” I found notice of Munetaka Murakami’s posting, and Craig’s bewilderment that the left-handed slugger is called the holder of the single-season home run record among Japan-born players.

“I’m not sure why that “Japanese-born” distinction is repeated by everyone. There is a long and rich history of racism against non-Japanese players in NPB history. I don’t know where that stands these days, and I don’t know how it’s been reckoned with if at all, but it seems to me that separating the records between Japanese-born and non-Japanese-born players isn’t pushing things in the right direction, ya know?” — Craig Calcattera

Aside from the fact that it’s not an official record, the answer has a little to do with Japan’s racist ethnic branding but a lot to do with its cultural emphasis on group conformity.

When something idiotic like this catches on in Japan’s mainstream news, every writer and editor will feel some pressure go along with the crowd and ascribe importance to it.