WHAT IS “A JAPANESE”?Perspectives of a Naturalized Japanese (and his students)

By ARUDOU DebitoAssociate Professor, Hokkaido Information University

International Christian University, Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Download this Powerpoint Presentation at

www.debito.org/ICU042507.ppt

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.

Conclusions

Having Japanese language ability is the qualifier to “entitlement” for “Japaneseness”. If you want to be considered a Japanese, you had better speak out and claim it.

Conclusions (2)

“Japaneseness” and “language ability” may in fact not be a racially-based social construct, as more non-native speakers and multiethnic natives continue to appear.

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

Conclusions (3)

But in Arudou Debito’s view, “A Japanese” is someone who has Japanese citizenship. Nothing else.

If you don’t make the qualification for “Japaneseness” a matter of earnable citizenship, any other conditions are too grey and arbitrary for clear judgment

Conclusions (4)If you don’t make “Japaneseness” a

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

Ascribing something as important to identity as nationality to something granted only by birth will result in a lot of hurt international children with Japanese passports.

Downloads

See my website at

www.debito.orgDownload this Powerpoint Presentation at

www.debito.org/ICU042507.ppt

--Thank you for listening to my presentation!