Between two worlds: challenges of being mixed-race in Japan

The latest statistics from Japan's health ministry show that one in 49 babies born in Japan today are born into families with one non-Japanese parent, giving way to a growing demographic of mixed-race nationals in Japan, known colloquially as "Hafu."

"Hafu," the Japanese popular phonetic expression for the English word "Half," describes those of mixed-racial, Japanese heritage, and, more precisely, those who are half Japanese and half non-Japanese.

The phrase has been widely coined by popular media here, as those of mixed-race backgrounds born or living in Japan have made their way into the celebrity limelight and as the general socio- demographic ethnicity of Japan undergoes a shift away from its former homogeneity, and towards multiculturalism.

Mixed-race models are commonly seen on Japanese television shows, including on variety shows, dramas and as newscasters. Moreover, glossy magazines such as Vivi, Nylon, Non-no and Can Can, devoured by Japan's younger fashionistas, often feature celebrity "hafu" models, such as Jessica Michibata who is of Japanese and Argentinean descent.

All-girl pop sensation AKB48 member Sayaka Akimoto, who is half Japanese and half Filipino, garners a great deal of favorable attention here, while in the world of sports, Indo-Japanese soccer star Arata Izumi from Yamaguchi Prefecture, who currently plays for Pune F.C. in the I-League and represents his national team there, is still revered by fans of his here from his stint with Mitsubishi Mizushima F.C. in the Japan Football League.

It stands to reason that being mixed-race in an ethnically homogenous country presents a variety of challenges, both positive and negative. Growing up perfectly bilingual, for example, stands an individual in good stead when looking for a job inside or outside Japan, yet the various stigmas attached to not being " truly" Japanese can lead to feelings of isolation and cultural disconnection.

"What we see on TV and in magazines regarding mixed-raced celebrities is great in terms of a seeming mainstream acceptance to this emerging demographic, by a notably homogenous society, but this doesn't exactly paint a perfect picture of the challenges faced by mixed-race people in Japan," Keiko Gono, a sociologist and parent of a mixed-race teenager, told Xinhua.

"Raising a bicultural child here can be extremely challenging for both the child and the parents. Ultimately, interracial parents want their child to grow up internationally minded, but conservative Japanese ideology can, in some instances, pressure children to conform to the norms and values of Japanese society, which means it can sometimes be difficult for mixed-race children to 'fit in' here," Gono explained.

Gono went on to explain how her 17-year-old son who has lived here all his life found it difficult to relate to his American father in his formative years, as he went to a Japanese nursery school and to begin with, his preferred language was Japanese and he was reluctant to speak English, as all his friends spoke Japanese and considered English to be an "out group" rather than an "in group" culture.

She said no child wants to feel alienated from their friends and teachers and be regarded as "different" as this leads to feelings of detachment, estrangement and in some cases a self- rejection of the "half" that is in the minority.

"To overcome this problem, we sent our son to an international junior and high school and he will likely go to university in the United States next year," Gono said.

"The public school system here has its pros and cons, but my husband and I felt that it would be in our family's best interests to remove him from the state system and go private," she said, adding that her son and father became closer once his international schooling began in Tokyo.

For the families well-networked socially and professionally in multicultural circles and can afford the advantages Japan's international schools can provide, raising a bicultural child is a relatively smooth process.

But for others, it can be a truly testing lifestyle, both for parents and their mixed-race children.

"I've lived in Japan all my life. My father is from Nigeria and my mother is Japanese," Edwin Tanabe, a software designer for a U. S. firm in Tokyo, told Xinhua. He took his mother's family name in elementary school as nobody could pronounce his name properly.

"It was tough at school because I was the only 'gaijin' ( foreigner) in the school, yet I couldn't speak English and had no knowledge of the world, as I was born and raised in Japan, just like my peers," he said.

"I was definitely treated differently back then, and on reflection it was kind of racist. Just because I looked foreign, people expected me to act and speak differently, or to not understand Japanese language, culture or history, but the fact of the matter was completely opposite -- I was as much Japanese as they were," Tanabe said.

Things for Tanabe got a little easier in high school as he found friendship through playing for his school's soccer club and some of his teachers had a more "international perspective," as he put it. But he said and maintains that he's always been forced to live between two worlds, despite being entirely Japanese in every aspect, aside from his physical appearance.