In an editorial published last week, the respected publication, The Japan Times newspaper, said the upcoming United Nations anti-racism conference in Geneva, Switzerland, will "enshrine" vilification of Jews. The editors called for Durban II to be cancelled. Japan is still slated to attend. 
"One could argue that Durban is an attempt to punish Israel and the Jews..." -- Japan Times editorial
The Japan Times, the longest running English-language periodical in Japan, declared on March 10 that the U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (Durban II) scheduled for next month is either cruel and mistaken, or blatantly anti-Semitic. After reviewing the run-up to the conference, the editors conclude:
"The charitable explanation for the mentality behind the Durban meetings is the mistaken belief that the best way to remedy the sufferings of one group is to victimize another. Less charitably, one could argue that Durban is an attempt to punish Israel and the Jews, regardless of what they have done."
Acknowledging that "on paper" Durban II "is an eminently laudable project - if you believe that the United Nations should promote grand statements that promote norms of good behavior," the newspaper protested that "instead of fighting racism, the conference looks set to enshrine it as policy by singling out Israel for criticism and equating Zionism with racism."
The Japan Times laments that Libya, the chair of the conference, and Cuba, the special rapporteur, "are not the only countries that desire to single out Israel for international censure."
Protecting Islam, Defaming Jews
Aside from the issue of Israel and Zionism, Western states have objected to the Durban II conference's planned call for restrictions on free speech, specifically protecting religion from "defamation". However, as noted by the The Japan Times, "the only religion identified by name is Islam."
The newspaper explains that "members of the Muslim world are also using the frictions generated by the war against terrorism to privilege their religion at the conference. ...At the same time, protections for Jews are being blocked. An effort to protect against discrimination and intolerance looks like anything but."
Ignoring Slavery Among Africans and Arabs
In addition, the conference will apparently be calling for Western states to provide "reparations" for the slavery of Africans. Here, again, the The Japan Times observes an ingrained hypocrisy.
"Many Western governments have acknowledged their role in enslaving and relocating millions of Africans," the newspaper said. "The demand that they make compensation payments may be cathartic but it is unrealistic. Moreover, it ignores the role of other players, some African and Arab, in the slave trade."
The Effect on U.N.
"Meetings like this undermine the U.N. and empower its critics," according to the TheJapan Times. "Acquiescing to this agenda is a mistake. The more countries protest against this meeting, the more hope there is for getting the U.N. back on track."
The newspaper warns that the anti-racism norms supposedly championed by the U.N. "are intended to protect minorities, not enshrine the prejudices of the majority. Numbers, like military might, do not make right."