International mixed servers is what made FFXI unique in it's own way. In my opinion it is a defining feature of the way in which SE runs its MMO servers (with regards to FF anyhow). Giving people the option to not associate with people of differing cultures is a step in the wrong direction. The language barriers caused by international servers are not a big deal, we always managed to get by in FFXI just fine. So you can't have a full conversation about the origin of the universe, it's not the end of the world. If SE lets people regress into their cultural groupings (taking the easier road or the path of least resistance) it will be for the worse for all servers.

Also the Japanese community isn't "mean" or "racist" or any of that nonsense. Some people are mean and racist in any community NA or JP or EU, sucks to those people I'm not structuring what I do or don't do around their dumb-ass view of the world. In any event if you don't really want to play with those people because of the language issue you don't need to... they're in a drastically different time zone that means you basically don't see them anyhow a lot of the time.

Being on international servers can only be to everyone's benefit. It means the markets are getting a constant inflow and outflow of goods at all hours of the day. It means the server does not experience serious dead times because the gap is bridged by people from different time zones. Both of those things seem like a bonus to me.