Why do Japanese women yearn for international marriage? In Japanese, international marriages have increased with the development of internationalization and globalization. Marriages between Japanese and foreigners in the 1960s are 4-5 thousand. The surge began in the late 1980s, exceeded 40,000 in 2005. However, it began to decrease after a peak of 4.47 million people in 2006. Foreigners in Japan is about 200 million people (alien registration number), the ratio of international marriages as compared to less than 2% of total population is quite high. To marriage foreigner of Japanese man has a reason. In an increasingly depopulated area it is going from wife shortage. And Japanese men ask their wife to focus on Asian countries. This is beneficial for both parties. Japanese men in countryside can find their wife. Women in developing countries can live in Japan. On the other hand, the reason Japanese women marry to a foreigner is admiration. Moreover, in this case marry foreign men are predominantly white or black not Asian. If Japanese woman marry to foreigner, they can live in Europe and America with the blonde husband. Their children are very cute because they are half. Husband must be active in housework and childcare. Most of Japanese women has image like this.

I found an interesting article. This is the article published by newspaper of China. International marriage has increased in recent years of Chinese and Japanese. A significant increase in cases, especially Chinese women marry in Japan. The newspaper cities the following four points about the effect of Chinese women marry in Japan. In the first it’s active birth. In Japan, the aging progresses, international marriage have played an important part of the Japanese marriage form. Couple number of births has increased every year during the day. Next that’s what made to stop the depopulation of rural labor. The minimum area of Yamagata Prefecture in the agricultural population is declining, according to statistics scholars, in 1989 were only 18 foreign. However, in 1995 most Chinese women were increased to 180 people. In addition, it plays an important role in international exchanges between China and Japan. In Yamagata Prefecture　the Chinese women put in effect “interpreters assisted living”. Married bride is faced with cultural differences in various scenarios. So, she eliminates the differences such as medical care, life and parenting. Finally, culture of China has to respect for their parents. And it appears that this effect can strengthen the bounds of the same family in Japan. In this way, international marriage sometimes has an important means.

by Saki Uetsuji

From the latter half of 1980, the number of Japanese-Brazilians who came to Japan to find work was increased remarkably. While Japan was in the bubble economy, Brazil hadn’t been improved the employment opportunity and the standard of wages. It was because immigrations of Japanese-Brazilians kept increasing. Japanese-Brazilian could not find their jobs very well. They still have the serious problems. Especially, I state about two problems――language, living in Japan.

First, it is difficult to find their jobs for Japanese-Brazilians who cannot speak Japanese. Moreover, because most of them have no skills to work, cannot get respectable job. And what is even worse, it is the situation that many Japanese-Brazilian children cannot receive education in Japan. It is said that over the half number of Japanese-Brazilian children doesn’t receive education in Japan. In Japan, support of education for foreign people isn’t enough to be provided. As a result, such children also cannot get the job, the Japanese-Brazilian are forced strict living.

Second, it is a problem that losing the Japanese-Brazilians’ job because of the depression after the collapse of the bubble economy. Most of the Japanese-Brazilians are temporary worker.  Because Japanese companies tried to cut personal expenses, many of them who cannot speak Japanese and haven’t skills are fired from temporary jobs. Not a few Japanese-Brazilians go back their country to find their job for their living. Also, their poverty is a one of the cause that no education of Japanese-Brazilian children as stated above.

Many differences of lifestyle between Japanese-Brazilian and Japanese caused some problems. In a certain apartment complex, Japanese people and Japanese-Brazilians live together. While Japanese tell that Brazilians have no manners, Japanese-Brazilians tell that Japanese are so stiff. The large-size refuses and noises by Japanese-Brazilians who don’t know Japanese rules are problems in the apartment complex. However, they don’t mean any harms, the compromise is necessity each other.

However there are a lot of the third or fourth-generation Japanese-Brazilians, their living is still in unstable condition. Now, we are demanded to live with foreign people who have different theirs sense of values. For this reason, Japanese-Brazilians hope that the systems are established for them, for example, the system that give the equal opportunity of education for Japanese-Brazilian children or the system of employment that Japanese-Brazilians can work as not temporary worker but regular worker. I think Japan should respond to them.

by Ayako Takagi

Many immigration countries set a borderline between natives and immigrants. I mean that many residents live separtely according to the region. For example, in the U.S.A,  there are residential segregation of black. In Los Angels, whites live along the beach where it is comfortable to live and blacks live aroud the center city such as Lennox regarded as dangerous place. The number of hispanics is higher than that of whites, and blacks. They spread and live. In Canada, there are Indian streets and Italian streets and so on. Why did they set the borderlines like this? Because of convinience? Because of others?

Personally, I believe it is better to live as individuals. Of cource, family is together. In case, the host countries accept them favorably and there are many immigrants. I need this idea to realize multi-cultural society. I think the ability of communication increases and people can understand each other.

I think to live as group create the wall. Someone could think that this area is dangerous, and I do not want to go or someone might say here is better than over there. It might show little interest in others. They might have ideas living as groups, not countries.

However, this idea have a lot of difficulties. It is natural that same race gather as same place and the standards of their lives are different dependent on races. Actually, the rate of hard jobs of whites is low, but Hispanic or Black don’t, so it genarates. It is regarded as a problem of differences of income. Further more, they have different culture and religion. It creates hate crime or discrimination. In Europe, there was some troubles that natives attacked immigrants or mosque. On the other hand, there are examples that get along with immigrants.

I know it is very difficuclt, but I wish the society would be better living together with  less difference.

What do you think?

by Rie Murata

In Japan, the definition of “Undocumented People” is not always unified, and it varies with the law. One definition is provided “people don’t have nationality of Japan” by immigration control law and refugee recognition law. The other definition is “people don’t have nationality of Japan except those who have permission of a landing in transit, permission of crew member landing, permission of temporary landing and permission of landing at port of call”. In this way, the definition of Japan may be give loose impression comparatively. According to this definition, the child who hasn’t done “alien registration” can go to public school.

In the case of Japan, record of a social position act is recorder by the family register system and a resident card. A foreigner is recorded by the alien registration system. After the common Japanese takes out a marriage registration form and a birth certificate on the assumption that family register system, it has an image which has parents’ entrance to a child’s public school. People hold the image often “alien registration system” like this. As a result, misunderstanding “an illegal immigrant child hasn’t gone to school” is produced. For example, the girl who parents are illegal alien was forced to leave school in Tokyo. She was born and to live in Japan. She speaks Japanese only. However, she was dismissed from school because her parents are illegal alien by trial. And they were commanded to deport. When the children who ask for “special permission for residence” are introduced, the question “why the child goes to the public school that parents haven’t done alien registration” comes out. So, the government of Japan should inform nation and immigrant people “a just right of undocumented people in Japan” properly.

However, “Illegal immigrant reduction by half campaign” is performed from 2003 in order to send a child to a public school a condition. The illegal immigrant performs alien registration. But the cases that the staff of the city reports this act are occurring frequently. On the other hands, the illegal immigrant tries to avoid the alien registration which was being performed in the idea of “making alien registration a child’s education for health insurance”. It’s the latest tendency that it’s difficult for an illegal immigrant child to receive education as the result. How do you think about that illegal immigrant child should education in Japan or not?

by Saki Uetsuji

At present, there are a lot of halves who are TV stars in Japan. Besides, almost all of these stars are half westerners and half Japanese. For example, ベッキー, 土屋アンナ, ウエンツ瑛士 and so on. However, in Japan, the rate and number of half who are half westerners and half Japanese are small. Then, why are there many half westerners and half Japanese talents are popular among Japanese? Perhaps, it is because many Japanese think that the looks which are derived from European are beautiful. Well, why Japanese think so? There are two reasons why Japanese are fascinated by their looks. One is that because Japan has developed to catch up with the western countries and America in the Meiji era and after the WWⅡ. Second, it is because human beings tend to attracted by the thing which they have not.

When the Meiji Restoration was occurred in Japan, Japanese positively accepted a lot of western cultures, for example, Japanese made the dance hall for social contact, called Rokumeikan in Tokyo. In addition, after the WWⅡ, Japan had been affected by some western countries and America and remarkably developed to catch up with them. Japan has the national traits that accepting and adopting other cultures gradually as its own culture. By these historical points, Japanese might have a latent idea that the looks of western and America is ideal. Second, in terms of the psychology, human beings have the admiration for the looks which they have not. That means Japanese could tend to be fascinated by the higher nose, colorful eyes, blond hair and so on. Human beings are likely to feel that the feature they do not have is “good things”.

Finally, it is necessary that to insist that there are a lot of effects on us by the media when we see halves on TV. Media mainly pick up the topics or people that are popular and beautiful among the audience. But in this world, there are a lot of things we should see and grasp directly by going abroad on their foot. That helps us to make reasonable idea that there is no difference among halves. Also, simply, the world of show business is absolutely severe; only few people can steadily get the fans. However, it is the most important thing that every halves have the equal rights to get along with their life than any other reason. It is clear that we should prepare the equally working system for all people including halves by changing our points of view for halves.

by Sayaka Kurata

There are many foreigners in Japan now. It is to say that a lot of foreign children are living in Japanese society. They have same necessity of learning with Japanese children. Some go to international school, but there are some problems when they go and study in the school.

First is the cost of the school. International school fees are almost more than two million yen in one year. This is because that Japanese government does not accept them as an authorized school and help their working expenditure. For this reason, the schools should run their business and pay much salary of teachers themselves. Therefore, they demand higher money than other normal schools in Japan. This would weigh upon household economy.

Second is their language. Many international schools make class in English. Most of the students speak English as their mother language. However, Japanese children or others who live in countries where mother language is not English are going same school today. They need to pass an English examination when they want to go international school, but it is very difficult to pass. Add to this, after they entered at school, there are many issues. They would not get used to their difference, for example, cannot communicate with others, understand what teachers say or confuse during a lot of cultural differences.

These two problems is a part of issues. I think that it is very sad occurrence. They are children same as us, but why there are those problems for their education. The government tried to make free of charge of the school but it could not do. I think if they make some rules for help the school, it would be useful for those schools. However, changing the low about compulsory education and accept the school as an authorized school as one way to help them is next to impossible. This is because that the government needs long term to do it. Conducting a campaign to collect signatures is also difficult because someone does not like this campaign and sometime the government does not accept these signatures.

On the other hand, we can help the children to get used differences directly. We would see foreigners in our society. We could talk with them about our culture, customs or any differences during each other then. We could play with them at park. Recently, there are some opportunities to listen their lifestyle so we could hear them. Many ways we can do for help their education.

What do you think about this situation and what can you do for children who go an international school. This is a big issue now, not just an affair of other people. Please think about it and make your answer for solve it.

Reference: http://www.inter-preschool.com/policy/intl-school.html

by Koichiro Otani

Spain accepts a large number of “legal” immigrants who are from other countries. This number is the largest one in the EU countries. In 2008, she accepted about 499,000 immigrants. Mainly, Spain accepts immigrants from three regions; Middle and South America, such as Ecuador or Columbia, Africa, such as Morocco, and Eastern Europe, for example, Romania. Of course, there are many “illegal” immigrants. She accepts about 354,000 illegal immigrants per year. Among them, illegal immigrants from Africa are often picked up and are criticized by Spanish media in terms of religion and social issues. However, there is a man who changed the policy on it. He is Jose Luis Zapatero, the current prime minister.

After Zapatero became the prime minister of Spain, in 2004, he started to change the way of treating illegal immigrants. In 2005, he decided the new policy on illegal immigrants. These are that Ⅰ. If someone who is an illegal immigrant stays in Spain more than 3 years and he or she has a job, Ⅱ. If he or she marries or cohabits with Spanish, Ⅲ. If he or she is a relative of legal immigrants, he or she can become legal immigrants. Why he changed the policy is that in Spain, declining birth rate has become a problem same as Japan. That caused the shortage of working people and possibility of collapsing of pension system; therefore, the government changed the policy on illegal immigrants to develop their economy and have them pay reserves of pension. By this policy, many of them could get a job and social security.

However, after the business became dull, many labours, of course including immigrants, lost their job. To create much employment for Spanish, the government notified to go back to their own to immigrants. The government had to change the policy again, besides direction for cracking down on them. Yet they do not want to go back their countries because though they go back there, there is little possibility of getting a job again. And now, Spanish economy gradually goes down, so it must become a strong problem to immigrants. In addition, the Prime Minister Zapatero, who promoted these changes about legal and illegal immigrants, does not run as a candidate for the next Premier Election. Therefore, there is a possibility that the policy would return to strict one for them.

by Naho Tamada