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Relatively loose restrictions on immigration over the last few decades have had a dramatic effect on English society. In parts of cities with large immigrant populations it is possible to walk around without ever seeing a white face. And yet, this is England, and many of the variously-coloured people you can see are born-and-bred English, too. What kind of mental shift has been caused by this change in the make-up of our society? And what can Japan - facing, as it is, a population crisis - learn from the English experience?

One of the big changes that has been brought about as a consequence of the racial diversification of English society is that skin colour or religious affiliation are no longer reliable guides to an individual’s nationality. The very essence of what it means to be English has been challenged, and thinking people have recognized the need to adapt. People nowadays talk about the common values that make us a society - namely, tolerance and justice. We have had to shed a lot of the intellectual garbage left over from the age of the British Empire and get back to basics. Of course, the struggle against racism, the battle to demand respect for all people no matter what their colour, sex or religion, continues and will continue for many decades to come.

As awareness of and interest in new immigrant communities grew, thinking people began to notice the difficulties they face in adapting to life in England. This sensitivity, sharpened by the almost parallel struggle by women for equal status in society, led people to be aware of how their words could offend. Our hitherto sheltered ‘little England’ was turning into a multi-cultural maelstrom and people were forced to test their values and re-think their attitudes. As part of this process, people began to be more sensitive about language and to realize that, with a little thought, they could speak in a way that would not give offense. Not give offense, that is, to groups which had previously been the targets of discrimination and prejudice - be they blacks, or Jews, or Pakistanis, or women, or gays and lesbians. And so, words like ‘nigger’, comments like ‘women are weaker than men’ and various slurs against gays and lesbians became taboo. Out of a simple desire not to cause offense to the people who are living among us.

In a sense, that is all the English really insist on - no matter how outrageous your personal opinions, or your sex life, or your religious beliefs, etc., as long as you can conduct yourself in a manner that shows respect for the people around you, no-one will give you any trouble and the same respect will be shown to you. As part of this process, the moral certitudes of traditional religion have had to be gradually overturned. Religions like christianity are slow to accept change, and with all the pressures on English society, we needed change quickly. We can’t wait hundreds of years, and expect oppressed communities to do the same, for a just and tolerant society to be born.

I wonder whether the Japanese, who have excelled in adapting and absorbing foreign ideas for many centuries, will be able to adapt so well to a large influx of immigrants. The fact that foreigners still make up a relatively small proportion of the population means that they are generally treated very well but this may change with a dramatic increase in numbers. Whatever happens, use of language is going to become much more important if social calm is to be maintained, and the insensitive way with words of men like Tokyo governor Ishihara, or Yanagisawa in Abe’s cabinet is not going to help the situation at all.