Category Archives: Class Pages

Why Does Discrimination Against Ethnic Groups Occur in Japan?

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In this class, we learn about the existence of many ethnic groups in Japan. However, they all have common point that they have been discriminated against or experienced bad treatment in Japanese society. I want to look the reasons of the discriminations mainly and consider if it is possible to accept them easily in Japanese society.

I want to classify the reason of discrimination in two categories; psychological perspective and sociological perspective. First of all, psychological perspective is to discover the factor of discrimination in inside of human beings. I think we all have a feeling of wanting to have a higher status than other people. For example, maybe I want to gain more money than other people or I want to get higher score in exam than other people. Also, I think we tend to want to have people who are weaker than us. For example, even though you could not get higher score than your friend, if there are other friends who got lower score than you, then you do not need to suffer a lot from a feeling of inferiority. Also, we may feel proud of ourselves by bulling the weak people. Another aspect of psychological perspective is that it may be difficult for people to accept different way of thinking or sense of values. There is a risk of leading to the thought of “antiforeignism” that people cannot accept the new way of thinking and cling to the traditional thoughts. Therefore, even though ethnic groups increase more in Japan, they may show the reluctance toward them.

Now, I want to see the sociological perspective. Japan is said to be as a “collective society” which means to attach high value to the collectiveness and accommodativeness of people. It is important for us to work or act together so that it can rally the society efficiently. However, because of this characteristic of Japanese people, I think we tend to exclude the eye-grabber things or people. Japan is also a country which is a more ethnically homogeneous nation compared with other nations. When I lived in Paris, I saw many ethnic groups every day and it was a normal sight. However, it is very rare thing in Japan to see that many ethnic groups though they are increasing day by day. Therefore, because of the characteristic and situation in Japan, it may be difficult for them to accept minorities’ way of thinking or sense of values easily and in bad way, it leads to discrimination.

By the advance of globalization, ethnic groups may increase more in Japan and it might be normal to see them. However, I think it takes time to accept them in Japan because our way of thinking may be different fundamentally. Also, if they increase more, there might be the problems of employment, criminals, communication, or many other problems. Therefore, I think discrimination against them cannot be solved easily and there are still many tasks to implement a multicultural state in Japan.

by Mao Shukunobe

US Military Bases in Okinawa

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In yesterday’s “Japanese Society” class, we learned and had a discussion about Okinawan identity and the topic of the discussion turned to the American military bases. And the discussion reminded me the experience I had when I visited Okinawa and talked with the people there last summer. So I would like to write about the experience.

I took a three-day trip to South Okinawa by myself and learned about the military base issue. Before the trip, I had thought that the people in Okinawa had been annoyed by the bases and American soldiers and had expected to see demonstrations against the bases at various places. But I was wrong. Although there are a lot of military bases and American soldiers in Okinawa, when I asked them how they felt about it, their responses were quit different from what I thought it would be: although they said that it had better be removed, they do not seem to belief that it would really come true. Except those who have participated in campaigns against the bases, ordinary Okinawan, such as housewives, salaried workers, farmers, bus drivers and students, they did not demand the removal of the bases.

To be sure, when something happens like the rape of a girl by an American soldier in 1995, they become furious and demand that the bases should be removed. However, in their daily life, they don’t really care about that. They talked with me about the bases jokingly.

I think it’s because they have no choice but to accept the bases. In the video we watched in the class, a lady said that Okinawan can’t live without bases, because they depend on bases for their livelihood. For example, Okinawan government can get grants from the Japanese government and the residents can get jobs. Under such a condition, if they protest against the bases, they have to give up their jobs as well. For the Japanese governments and the people in other prefectures the relationship between America and Japan is a very complicated matter, I think.

I found it’s only an image constructed by the historical education in Japan and the mass media. I’m not meaning that bases should be accepted, but we shouldn’t forget that there is a great gap between what the people in Okinawa think about the base issue and what other Japanese people think about it.

by Yukari Deguchi

English Education by ALTs

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In Japan, English education was first introduced at the nation’s primary school level in 2002 as a means to promote global understanding. Now, the language is compulsory for fifth- and sixth- graders under the revised teaching guidelines that were implemented in April this year. Under these guidelines, the goal of English education at primary school is defined as helping children “become familiar” with the language, mainly through listening and speaking. Therefore, no official textbook subject to the screening system has been produced, and teachers do not grade but just evaluate their students. In line with this goal, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has encouraged primary schools to take advantage of ALTs in the classroom. According to a survey conducted in 2008 by the ministry, 67% of English classes at primary schools were taught by ALTs. In principle it is the responsibility of local governments to secure ALTs. However, it is difficult for them to assign one ALT to every school because of the financial burden of hiring such assignments. Faced with this situation, the ministry has changed its stance over the use of ALTs. It now encourages homeroom teachers to conduct English classes, and merely says it is “certainly effective” to include native speakers in the classroom, but that they “should play a supporting role” for homeroom teachers. At the same time, the ministry has distributed to primary schools CDs and other audio materials featuring authentic English pronunciation so that primary school teachers can teach English lessons even when no native-speaking assistants are available.

On the other hand, the financial trouble has caused another serious problem of bad labor condition of ALTs. There are three ways for ALTs to work here; direct employment by local education committee, JET program which is promoted by the government, and hiring by temporary agencies. Among those, last one is worst for ALTs. Dispatched ALTs can be fired without any particular reasons, and their salaries are lower than other foreign workers. Sometimes they suffer from illegal contract between temporary and local education committee. It is said that not a small number of ALTs go back because of this bad situation though they love Japan.

In my opinion, Japanese government and local government should do their utmost to assign ALTs to as many classes as possible. I think it is exactly important for small children to communicate with people from other countries. If children can make themselves understood in English to people from abroad, such actually experiences can help them develop an interest in the language. Moreover, we should arrange the condition of not only securing but also accepting ALTs in Japanese society. One of my friend, who is a 22-year-old man from England, wants to become ALT and is about to do from next year. His dream will come true. I’d like more and more people like him to come to Japan to teach us the joy of learning the language and culture.

By Chisato Morito

Hierarchy in Social Minority Groups Vol. 2: Why Do People Separate Themselves?

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My last blog post, Hierarchy in Social Minority Groups Vol. 1: The Structure of Separation in Lima and Tokyo, proved that minority groups tend to create hierarchic structure in their community and differentiate people. By showing the examples of Japanese-Peruvian immigrants and Chinese immigrants, this blog post explains the reason why people make hierarchy and separate themselves.

First of all, many Japanese-Peruvians established their community, and there was discrimination against peasants, Okinawans and the poor in the associations. However, they were also inferior to upper-class immigrants and Japanese embassy or mainland Japan. For example, in Peru, “upper-class, high-ranked Japanese Peruvians, such as the owners of major corporations and former President Fujimori, tend to stay away from community activities” (473).

In addition, the Japanese embassy in Peru and mainland Japan were also in superior position to the Nikkei community. Takenaka argues, “Japanese-Peruvians have always kept a subordinate position to Japan since the beginning. The hierarchical relationship reflects the nature of financial assistance that Japan has extended to community associations…” (477). Therefore, the whole picture of hierarchy is divided into three major groups: upper-class immigrants and Japanese embassy on the top, middle-class immigrants, association members, in the middle, and the poor at the bottom.

Next, Chinese immigrants in social dance party labeled themselves by education and region. However, they were also discriminated against by upper-class immigrants. One Northeasterner did not socialize with other Northeasterners in the dance party because he thought “Reberu (level) are different” (663). In the dance party, they were superior to the Fujian people and others, but even the Northeasterners were discriminated by high-class immigrants.

Both Japanese-Peruvians immigrants and Chinese immigrants were subordinated, and therefore, these community members discriminated against people and made hierarchy within the community. In general, all human beings always want to stay in advantageous status. But when they find someone in superior positions, they make hierarchy within their community and discriminate lower-class people for many reasons, such as lack of education, region and socioeconomic status. By creating hierarchic structure, people can stay on the top of social pyramid. This is the reason of hierarchy and separation of social minority groups.

Works Cited

Farrer, G.L. (2004). The Chinese Social Dance Party in Tokyo: Identity and Status in an Immigrant Leisure Subculture. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 33 (6), 651-674.

Takenaka, A. (2003). The Mechanism of Ethnic Retention: Later-Generation Japanese Immigrants in Lima, Peru. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 29 (3), 467-483.

by Masayuki Tanaka

Hierarchy in Social Minority Groups Vol. 1: The Structure of Separation in Lima and Tokyo

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In many social minority groups, the group members are not necessarily equal, and there is social hierarchy within the communities. By analyzing the previous readings, “the Mechanism of Ethnic Retention: Later-Generation Japanese Immigrants in Lima, Peru” and “the Chinese Social Dance Party in Tokyo: Identity and Status in an Immigrant Leisure Subculture,” this post proves that minority groups tend to create hierarchic structure in their society and differentiate people.

First of all, Japanese-Peruvian immigrants in Lima formed hierarchy based on socioeconomic standards, and they were mainly divided in three ways: peasants or intellectuals, Okinawans or non-Okinawans, and rich or poor.

1, In the Japanese-Peruvian communities, there was a border between peasants and so-called intellectuals such as embassy officials, businesspeople, and emigration company personnel. Ayumi Takenaka claims, “the poorer immigrants continued to be treated by Japanese bureaucrats and businessmen as ‘second-class citizens’” (471). Therefore, the poor peasants were subordinate to the intellectuals.

2, These Japanese-Peruvian immigrants were also separated between Okinawans and non-Okinawans. “Okinawan immigrants tended to have a lower level of education, occupy lower-rung economic positions in Lima, and speak a distinct dialect of their own” while many of non-Okinawans were members of intellectual classes (471). Hence, the Okinawans were discriminated and excluded from the community by the rest of Japanese immigrants.

3, The immigrants established a community called Japanese-Peruvian Association (APJ), which allowed all Japanese to join. However, there was also hierarchy and exclusion. Although economically privileged immigrants always occupied leadership and important positions of the community, the other poorer immigrants were excluded from the association because they could not afford to pay high membership and activity fees.

Next, Chinese immigrants in Tokyo had similar hierarchic structure in their dance party as Japanese-Peruvian community. They were separated by region, and the level of education.

1, As Japanese-Peruvians were divided into Okinawans and non-Okinawans, the Chinese immigrants were mainly separated into two groups: Northeasterners and Fujian people. Gracia Liu Farrer joined the dance party herself and explains, “Regional grouping was the strongest among the less educated and socially stigmatized who could find no more advantageous status distinctions” (663). Since Fujian is notorious for illegal immigrations and human trafficking, the people from Fujian are discriminated by the rest of Chinese immigrants.

2, Also, the immigrants made groups by their levels of education. Farrer contends that better-educated people were more privileged by higher status while less-educated immigrants were not in their dance party.

In these ways, both Japanese-Peruvians in Lima and Chinese immigrants in Tokyo composed hierarchy to separate immigrants. As the result, the excluded people were subordinate to the others in better and higher positions. Each member was not equal at all, and in particular, hierarchy and separation based on socioeconomic reasons are obvious within the communities.

Works Cited

Farrer, G.L. (2004). The Chinese Social Dance Party in Tokyo: Identity and Status in an Immigrant Leisure Subculture. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 33 (6), 651-674.

Takenaka, A. (2003). The Mechanism of Ethnic Retention: Later-Generation Japanese Immigrants in Lima, Peru. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 29 (3), 467-483.

by Masayuki Tanaka

Japanglish

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I often see the words now, was, will and done at the end of Japanese sentences on Twitter nowadays. I have never saw anything like this when Twitter first became popular, but in a past year or so, a lot of my friends started using these 4 English words (although written in Japanese) used grammatically incorrectly.Likewise, a lot of Japanese people use “Japanglish” in their daily lives, thinking that they are using English words or phrases. In fact, many of these words derive from English, but are transformed so that it is easier for the Japanese people to pronounce, or memorize. For example, the phrase “order made” or オーダーメイド is Japanglish. In English, we would say “made-to-order” or “custom-made.” Other examples include “skin-ship” (スキンシップ) or “Consento” （コンセント）. In English, we would say “personal contact” and “outlet” consecutively.

If you think about it, there are a lot of words that sound English, but are actually used only in Japan, and it seems as if this trend of using English is spreading even more recently due to globalization. More and more of these Japanglish are becoming popular, and new ones are continuously formed. For instance, the word “glocalization.” This is a new Japanglish word, often used to describe globalization and the current world system. As can be seen from the word, it is a mixture of “globalization” and “localization,” used in many ways to describe the relationship between global and local issues.

Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are “glocal” in the sense that it connects both globally and locally, and has a huge influence in our social behaviours. What the individuals “tweet” or “post” could have a major impact on our society, such as the demonstrations in Egypt, which the individuals posted on Facebook to gather supporters and to explain what is going on in Egypt.

And if you think about it further, the words now, was, will and done on Twitter by the Japanese people are also examples of glocalization. Young Japanese people take the English words (global) and use it in their Japanese sentences to “tweet” (local).

Works cited:

Unknown. “Wasei Eigo Towa.” Kimyouna Wasei Eigo no Sekaie Yousoko, n.d. Web.  23 Dec. 2011. <http://www.eieigo.com/index.php?FrontPage&gt;

by Nami Tatewaki

Dual Citizenship in Japan

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BASIC MEANING

Dual citizenship occurs when one person acquires nationality from more than one country. This can happen when a child is born of parents of mixed nationality or of parents who are living in country other than that of their citizenship.

CURRENT SITUATION

Nowadays, a child born in Japan of mixed parents would be eligible for both Japanese citizenship and the citizenship of their foreign parents. However, Japan takes a stricter view of individuals holding more than one nationality, since the situations and laws can easily become a bit complex. Therefore, when young people become adult, about 22, they have to choose their citizenship.

Unlike many countries that tolerate but not officially endorse dual citizenship, Japan chooses to take restrictions on dual nationality. Thus, when a Japanese national holding a foreign nationality turns 20, they will be required to choose on sole citizenship within 2 years.

THE GOVERNMENTAL MEASRURES ABOUT HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR NATIONALITY

For Japanese citizens holding a foreign nationality, there are two methods of declaring a single nationality. One is abandoning the foreign nationality, the other one is swearing to Japanese nationality. When the time comes to choose one nationality, people are usually supposed to think carefully and make the right decision.

MY OWN OPINION

In my own opinion, the actively cracking down on dual nationality in Japan may be a wise choice, even though the practice to require one to make a decision seems a little cruel. But what I am thinking of is that it’s better for one to choose which country one belongs to. In this way, it will be more clearly who is responsible for you, but you don’t have to cut the tie with the other country. It’s just like choosing your belief. To our motherland, we should become a faithful, loyal and devoted national.

By Yan Yinyan

I Hate Facebook

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I must make a personal confession. I hate Facebook. I did not like it from the beginning and my mood for it did not get better until now. But still I am using it. Each day. Just like the 800 million people who are registered in this best working “social” network. But somehow I have the feeling that I am not the only one out of these more then 11 percent of the world population, who is living under these double standards.

Social network, what is the meaning of this? The probably best way to describe it, is that it is a network of relationships between people, including their interaction. If this “network” is meant in a virtual or real world remains to be seen. Focusing on the virtual social network there is a high danger of a degeneration of the old model of community.

Do we not abandon our more intense strong ties with childhood friends in favour of superficial weak ties with acquaintances? True is that our connections are more widespread and by this high quantitative and ideal for a aggregation of social capital.

Positive effects are the most visible in the sector of communication which is much more simplified with the help of digital social networks. Virtual social networks can sustain friendship or communication over distance, but it also can launch and support whole revolutions such as the “Arab-Spring”.

Nevertheless, if overused, it can support the before mentioned degeneration of true communication and viable face to face relationship, what will lead to isolation and then one day, we will find ourself lonely under billions of people. From this perspective, perhaps this fear from isolation and loneliness is the driving force of the worlds love-hate relationship with Facebook. For my part, I hope that a “chat” will never ever replace a good old chat in a café with a friend who I do not just now from a picture in the internet.

By Robert Hoegerle

Dumping of Toxic Waste

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While many Japanese citizens do not like the idea of using nuclear power to generate electricity, the Japanese government has been supporting nuclear power ever since the post war period. The government, when proposing a site for a new nuclear reactor, launches many soft-power initiatives such as media campaigns or fairs with information about nuclear power (many of these fairs display products from areas with nuclear reactors in an effort to show off the vitality of those communities. Incidentally, the government has started showing off products from the area around the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactor in an effort to demonstrate that the food is once again edible.) Often times, local groups will complain about the addition of a new nuclear reactor or facility in their town, but they are seldom successful in convincing the government to move the project to a new location.

One of the major complaints of residents of a town where a new nuclear facility has been proposed is that the nuclear facility will have a negative effect on their town and the surrounding area. It is well known that production of electricity through nuclear power causes the creation of radioactive waste. This type of waste is harmful to all living things and poses a large problem in regards to how to dispose of it – since neither landfills nor dumping is a responsible option. No community wants to have this new problem to deal with, much less see their landscape marred by the waste. Now, Japan has chosen to dispose of its radioactive waste by dumping it into the ocean, a method that is obviously crude and harmful to the aquatic environment.

This problem was obviously exacerbated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi meltdown. This led to a new problem in using nuclear energy, where uncontained nuclear waste had to be constantly cooled to prevent further damage to the plant and surrounding area. TEPCO decided to use water to cool the waste, but this required a large amount of water. The process developed was to have water that had already been used run off into containment and to remove the radiation from it so that it could be used again. While this method does show signs of attempting to minimize damage on the environment, the fact of the matter was that every day required more new water to be used as the old water was being cleansed.

by Anonymous

Problems Come Along with Overseas Domestic Labor

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When I was young, both of my parents have to work until late night every day. If there wasn’t a maid who looked after me, my parents wouldn’t have been being succeed in their career. She was my friend ,my guardian , she spent time with me and take care of my daily life, also the house work. However, one day she told me that she has to go back to her home country to prepare for the wedding ceremony. Since then, I realized that she also has family and friends in the corner of the world. I don’t know where Philippines was, I also don’t know she also has another life somewhere outside this country.

After that, every time I saw a maid working on the street with one child, I will think who can they talk with if they are feeling homesick? Since one family need a maid is mainly because normally parents are busy and they have a child that don’t have time to take care of. Parents are normally don’t paid much attention on how she feel but just the work she had done for that day.

They are normally being low paid, one of the main reasons is the living index of their home country is lower, as getting the low paid salary in the country they are working for is being high paid compare with their own country. Being a minority group working in a country, do they have the right to enjoy the welfare provide by the country they worked for? Some of them might have worked long enough to become citizen in the country; do they have the same right as the normal citizen?

Most of the domestic labors are women, they worked for others family, doing housework that is not belong to their own family. More often they have to take care child, if they are married and have child they couldn’t even being able to take care of their own child. They are one of the minority group that we should pay more attention on to.

by Chi Lun Cheng