WHAT IS

1
WHAT IS A JAPANESE?Perspectives of a
Naturalized Japanese (and his students) By
ARUDOU DebitoAssociate Professor, Hokkaido
Information UniversityInternational Christian
University, Wednesday, April 25, 2007

• Download this Powerpoint Presentation at
• www.debito.org/ICU042507.ppt

2
Alright, Ill ask you, right nowWhat 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.

3
????Are these people Japanese or not?
Wada Akiko Entertainer
Miyazawa Rie Actress
Umemiya Anna Model, Tarento
Oh Sadaharu Baseball hero
Alberto Fujimori Fmr. Peru Prez
Kinugasa Sachio Baseball hero
4
????Are these people Japanese or not? (2)
Konishiki Tarento
Akebono Pro Fighter
Ramos Rui Soccer Hero
Amy Daughter
Anna Daughter
Arudou Debito Yours Truly
5
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.

6
Students answers (in no order of preference or
importance)

• A person who has lived in Japan
• ????????????
• A person who considers him/herself "Japanese"
• ?????????????
• A person who has Japanese citizenship
• ?????????
• A person who has assimilated into Japan
• ???????????
• A person born in Japan
• ????????
• A person who has spent the majority of his/her
  life in Japan
• ??????????????

7
Students answers (2) (in no order of preference
or importance)

• A person who likes Japan
• ???????
• A person who has Japanese blood
• ???????????
• A person who knows a lot about Japan
• ??????????
• A person using Japanese in everyday conversation
• ????????????
• A person with Japanese parents/grandparents
• ?????????????
• A person who is proud of Japan
• ????????????

8
Survey Results (1)
9
Survey Results (2)
10
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).

11
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.

12
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.

13
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 Japans emerging
  multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual
  society.

14
Conclusions (3)

• But in Arudou Debitos view, A Japanese is
  someone who has Japanese citizenship. Nothing
  else.
• If you dont make the qualification for
  Japaneseness a matter of earnable citizenship,
  any other conditions are too grey and arbitrary
  for clear judgment

15
Conclusions (4)

• If you dont 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.

16
Downloads

• See my website at
• www.debito.org
• Download this Powerpoint Presentation at
• www.debito.org/ICU042507.ppt

--Thank you for listening to my presentation!