WHAT IS “A JAPANESE”?Issues of an internationalizing Japan, from the viewpoint of a

Naturalized Japanese

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By ARUDOU DebitoAssociate Professor, Hokkaido Information University

Miyazaki International College, Thursday, April 24, 2008

Alright, I’ll ask you, right now:What is “a Japanese”?

There are no right or wrong answers.

Just write down your own, personal opinions as you discuss it with your friends.

Take a few minutes, go ahead.

じゃあ、 Are these people Japanese or not?

Wada AkikoEntertainer

Miyazawa RieActress

Umemiya AnnaModel, Tarento

Kinugasa SachioBaseball hero

Oh SadaharuBaseball hero

Alberto FujimoriFmr. Peru Prez

じゃあ、 Are these people Japanese or not? (2)

KonishikiTarento

AkebonoPro Fighter

Ramos RuiSoccer Hero

AmyDaughter

AnnaDaughter

Arudou DebitoYours Truly

Previous Student Surveys: “Who qualifies to be a Japanese?”

In-class, orally, show-of-hands informal survey with discussion.

HIU regular and senmon gakkou intensive classes.

Nationwide: Sapporo, Niigata, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Kokura (recorded), plus Sendai, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Oita (not recorded).

Overwhelmingly male, lower-income bracket, non English majors, ages 18-25 (plus a few shakaijin).

1995-2005, with little significant change over time.

Students’ answers (in no order of preference or importance)

A person who has lived in Japan

日本に住んだことがある人A person who considers him/herself "Japanese"

自分が「日本人だ」と思う人A person who has Japanese citizenship

日本国籍を有する人A person who has assimilated into Japan

日本に溶け込んでいる人A person born in Japan

日本で生まれた人A person who has spent the majority of his/her life in Japan

人生の大半を日本で過ごした人

Students’ answers (2) (in no order of preference or importance)

A person who likes Japan 日本が好きな人A person who has Japanese blood 日本の血が入っている人A person who knows a lot about Japan 日本について詳しい人A person using Japanese in everyday conversation 日常会話で日本語を使う人A person with Japanese parents/grandparents 両親・祖父母に日本人がいる人A person who is proud of Japan 日本について誇りを持つ人

Person Is Japanese Is NOT Japanese

Cannot say/

Don't know

Total Votes

Highest Vote's

Percent of Total

Wada Akikoa òaìcÉAÉLéq

135 students 31 students 39 students 205 65.9%

Miyazawa Rieb ã{ëÚÇËǶ

207 4 8 219 94.5%

Umemiya Annab î~ã{ÉAÉìÉi

184 7 18 209 88.0%

Kinugasa Sachiob àflä}èÀóY

47 4 22 73 64.4%

Oh Sadaharua â§íÂé°

138 47 34 219 63.0%

Alberto Fujimoric ÉAÉãÉxÉãÉgÅEÉtÉWÉÇÉä

69 78 41 188 41.5%

Survey Results (1)

NOTES: a) Zainichi without Japanese citizenship b) Mixed-blood person with Japanese citizenship, born in Japan. c) Naturalized Japanese citizen.

Person Is Japanese Is NOT Japanese

Cannot say/

Don't know

Total Votes

Highest Vote's

Percent of Total

Survey Results (2)

NOTES: a) Zainichi without Japanese citizenship b) Mixed-blood person with Japanese citizenship, born in Japan. c) Naturalized Japanese citizen d) Daughters Amy and Anna were included because of their equal status as born in Japan, raised in Japan, native speakers of Japanese, same parents, but with different phenotypes. Before voting, students were shown the same photos as those included in this Powerpoint presentation.

Konishikic è¨ã— 117 12 17 146 80.1% Akebonoc èå 131 35 35 201 65.2% Ramos Ruic ÉâÉÇÉXó⁄àÃ

174 22 23 219 79.5%

Daughter Amyb d àüî¸ÇøÇ·ÇÒ

200 3 18 221 90.5%

Daughter Annab d à«ìfiÇøÇ·ÇÒ

194 5 18 217 89.4%

Arudou Debitoc óLìπèoêl

176 16 29 221 79.6%

Interpretations of the data

People voted clearly Japanese, registering more than 85% of the total votes, were the “mixed children” (Miyazawa Rie 95%, Daughter Amy 91%, Daughter Anna 89%, Umemiya Anna 88%).

Almost everyone in the survey was voted to be “a Japanese”, even if they did not have Japanese citizenship (Wada and Oh).

Interpretations of the data (2)

The lone exception, even with “citizenship” was Alberto Fujimori. Even with blood, students said it was his lack of language Japanese ability.

However, Arudou Debito was granted “Japaneseness”, because of his language abilities. This would not have happened if students had only just met him, or had only seen a photo of him, they said.

Now let’s talk about a case in Hokkaido, of “Japaneseness”

.Sapporo.

OTARU CITY

(Distance from Sapporo to Otaru: 31 kms)

Onsen Yunohana in Otaru

Otaru’s largest public bathing facility.Established 1998.

(Photos courtesy www.yunohana.org)

Yunohana’s JAPANESE ONLY sign

In Japanese, English, and Russian.

(Photos dated Sept 19, 1999)

Visit to Three “JAPANESE ONLY” Onsens, Otaru, Sept 19, 1999

Olaf Karthaus (German, Permanent Resident), his Japanese wife and three children.

Morgan (American), his Japanese wife and child.Our Chinese friend and her two Japanese children.Dave Aldwinckle (then an American, Permanent

Resident), his Japanese wife and two children.Other Japanese friends, witnesses, and a

Hokkaido Shinbun reporter; total 17 people.

What happened?

Everyone was permitted entry.Except, however, the three

non-Asians: Olaf, Morgan, and yours truly.

Our Chinese friend, however, was unwittingly admitted.

We asked: Why refuse “foreigners”?

Russian sailors foul the bathwater with soap, laundry, and excreta.

Russian sailors carry in vodka bottles, get drunk, and disturb the peace.

Russian sailors are scary and smell bad.Russian sailors carry lice and disease.In sum, Japanese customers stay away if

Russian sailors are present.

Source: Interviews with Otaru onsens “Yunohana”, “Osupa”, and “Panorama” managers, 1999-2000

Why do you refuse us?

We are not Russian sailors. We are residents of Japan with families.

We speak Japanese, and have lived in Japan for over ten years.

We know how to take a bath.What about Asian foreigners?

Answer: Because we can.

“We cannot just refuse Russians. That would be discriminatory. So we refuse all foreigners equally.”

“Yes, that includes Zainichi Japan-born ethnic Koreans and Chinese. If we know.”

Oops. Kick the Chinese lady out.“Okay, so it’s discrimination. But if we let

foreigners in, we will go out of business. Kindly leave.”

(Amy (left) and Anna Sugawara Aldwinckle 1996)Born and raised in Japan. Native speakers of Japanese. Japanese citizens.

“Your younger daughter looks foreign. We’ll have to refuse her entry.”

“Sorry, your younger daughter will be refused service.She looks too foreign.”

This is discrimination by race.

None other.

Japan’s invisible kokusaikaThere are around 40,000 international

marriages per year in Japan.International children do not show up in

statistics on “registered foreigners”. Of course not. They are citizens.

International children are also invisible statistically. The Japan Census Bureau does not measure for ethnicity.

ConclusionsIt is increasingly difficult to distinguish

between “citizens” and “non-citizens” by physical appearance.

Which means...“Japanese Only” signs will also exclude Japanese citizens.This situation is not tenable for Japan’s future.

Hokkaido Shinbun Jan. 15, 2000

Sept. 2000: Arudou Debito gets Japanese citizenship.

Returns to Yunohana Onsen Oct 31, 2000.

Yunohana manager: “We accept that you

have citizenship. “But you don’t look

Japanese. “So to avoid misunder-

standings, we will have to refuse you entry.”

If you want more about this case:

(Akashi Shoten Inc. 2003 and 2004, revised 2006)

More Profound Conclusions “Japanese Only” signs violate Article 14 of the

Japanese Constitution. Said signs violate the UN Convention on

Racial Discrimination, which Japan effected in 1996.

Ten years later, there is still no law against racial discrimination in Japan.

Thus, “Japanese Only” establishments are unconstitutional, yet not illegal.

Conclusions to the research

“Japaneseness” and “language ability” might not be seen as a matter of race in future. More and more people who do not “look Japanese” are speaking Japanese.

This is good news for Japan’s emerging multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual society.

Research Conclusions (2)But in Arudou Debito’s view, “A

Japanese” is someone who has Japanese citizenship. Nothing else.

You must make “Japaneseness” a matter of citizenship--something you can earn. Any other conditions for “Japaneseness” are too vague and arbitrary for clear judgment.

Why? Let’s take a look at Japan’s multicultural, multiethnic future:

“The Japanese labor force will probably drop by 10 million by 2030.”Economisuto, Jan 15, 2008 pg 18

By 2050, the majority of Japanese will be beyond a productive working age (15-64)

Source: Ekonomisuto Jan 15, 2008 pg 16

The Immigrants probably The Immigrants probably outnumber the Zainichis as outnumber the Zainichis as

of last yearof last year

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

2007 (est)2008 (est)

Zainichis(TokubetsuEijuusha)"Newcomers"(Ippan Eijuusha)

In any case, soon close to a million NJ will be here to stay, permanently

“NEWCOMERS SUSTAIN SECTORSWHERE JAPANESEAREN’T ABLE OR WILLING TO PICKUP THE SLACK.”

--NEWSWEEKSEPT 13, 2006

Yet Japan is the only major industrialized nation without

any form of a law against Racial Discrimination.

And it shows.

.SapporoOtaru

MonbetsuWakkanai

.Rumoi

Nemuro

.

Ohtaki-mura

.

..

.More information and photos at

www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html

....

..

......

MISAWA, AOMORI PREF.

AKITA CITY

TOKYO OGIKUBOTOKYO AOYAMA DOORITOKYO SHINBASHITOKYO SHINJUKU-KUTOKYO KABUKICHO

KOSHIGAYA, SAITAMA PREF.TODA CITY, SAITAMA PREF.KOFU, YAMANASHI PREF.

NAGOYA

ISESAKI CITY, GUNMA PREF.

KYOTO

KURASHIKI CITY,OKAYAMA PREF. HAMAMATSU, SHIZUOKA PREF..

OKINAWAURUMA CITY

.HIROSHIMA

OHTA CITY, GUNMA PREF.

KITAKYUSHU CITYFUKUOKA PREF

DAITOU-SHI, OSAKA PREF

“JAPANESE ONLY” signs and rules have been found at:Bathhouses, bars, discos, stores, hotels, restaurants, karaoke and pachinko parlors, ramen shops,

barbershops, a swimming pool, a billiards hall, a sports store, and a

woman’s footbath boutique.

The moral to this tale:

If you don’t have the legal means to stop

discrimination, it spreads.

Nationwide.

Research Conclusions (3)If you don’t make “Japaneseness” a

matter of legal status, i.e. something earnable, you create unchangeable conditions, such as blood or birth.

Making “Japaneseness” a matter of physical appearance will hurt many international children with Japanese passports. Also many long-term international residents and taxpayers.

That’s what we’re fighting for...Hokkaido Shinbun Nov.

17, 2003:“Visiting exclusionary

bathhouse in Monbetsu.

“Olaf Karthaus and Arudou Debito ask for foreign sailors to be permitted entrance.”

NB: Bathhouse was then opened to all foreigners.

And yes, we are making progress.

Erstwhile exclusionary onsen Osupa manager Mr. Ohkoshi and newfound friend enjoy a soak...

Photo courtesy Kyodo News/Kumanichi Shinbun, from nationwide feature article Jan 12, 2002

More on this and other issues:www.debito.org

English and Japanese ISBN 4 7503 2741 9

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