The Japanese Claim to Homogeneity as a Myth that Ignores the Existence of Marginalized Minorities - Essay Example

The Japanese Claim to Homogeneity is a Myth that Ignores the Existence of Marginalized Minorities The Japanese society has been holding onto the belief that their society is homogenous for quite some time now. A homogenous society is one that has almost 99% of the people belonging to the same culture, speaking the same language and of the same ethnicity. The society has held to the belief that it is highly homogenous despite the revelations from current population studies that it is slowly turning heterogeneous. Currently, research has revealed that there are non-Japanese people living and working in Japan. Over time, the society has lived in ignorance of the minority groups and regarding itself as homogenous. However, the reality of the matter is that Japan is no longer homogenous and the society has to drop the homogeneity myth and recognize the presence of minority groups. For a long time, Japan did not experience the increasing influx of international immigration despite the fact that it marked an increased rate of industrialization. During this period, the Japanese population belonged to the same culture and religion (Lie, 2004:27). There was a great range of uniformity in society. Society held similar values and this explains why the nation prides in the homogeneity because it enjoyed a level of national unity. However, the world is becoming a global village and all societies are turning highly heterogeneous. Japan is no exceptional. The problem with Japan is the fact that it has not come into full acceptance of the changing national status. They still pride in homogeneity that is evidently a myth that does take into accord the minority groups in Japan. The minority groups belong to different races and cultures. The Japanese society tries its best to maintain the homogeneity that it has enjoyed over time. In the recent past, it has been trying to assimilate the minority groups to its culture and beliefs. Once these people learn the Japanese lifestyle, they transform to become Japanese. However, this practice no longer applies to the current realities of people from diverse cultures that are living and working in Japan today. Japan no longer exists in seclusion, away from the influence of other cultures. Different authors have written on the homogeneity issue in Japan. These authors have sought to highlight the current state of the Japanese society. Some authors have delved deep into the issue and exposed the implications of the homogeneity myth. Other writings still paint the picture of an existing homogeneous society. Some analysts have described this myth as depicting the imagined community but not the reality. It is crucial, to analyze the views of different authors on the issue and address the situation as it is and establish whether Japan is truly turning heterogeneous. Homogeneous societies are very rare in the world and the term is often used to describe the Japanese, Chinese and some African societies. An analysis of the Japanese identity is critical in understanding the homogeneity issue. Understanding of the Nihonjiron beliefs contributes greatly in unraveling the homogeneity myth. Nihonjoron has several assumptions that define the Japanese identity. One of the assumptions claims that people speaking the Japanese language and practicing the culture have a Japanese descent genetically. Therefore, this implies that the identity depends on genetics. The Nihonjoron has many cultural stipulations regarding the Japanese people. After the Second World War, the Japanese society was in a state of confusion. The colonial government had destroyed their previous identity. The war had immense effects on the Japanese society. The worst effects resulted from the atomic bombing that devastated the people and wounded the nation. The people were searching for an identity after all that had happened. There was an increased level of national cohesion in a bid to rebuild Japan. The people needed to define their national identity and culture. There were limited options of defined cultural set ups and the people adopted nihonjoron as the new culture. This unique culture and the rapid economic expansion occupied Japan and it remained secluded from the rest of the world and establishing the homogeneous state. In 2009, Weiner wrote a book exploring and describing fully the minority groups in Japan. Weiner elaborates how the Japanese people considered race and nation as inseparable aspects (Weiner, 2009:2). After the world wars, Japan sought to restore a connection to its past. The events surrounding the wars had brought down the linkages between the people and their past. After the war, Japan intended to establish itself as a state. Weiner describes how the homogeneity ideology came into place at that time forming the imagined Japanese community. The homogeneity ideology defined the life and purpose of the Japanese people after its inception. The Japanese society regards the family unit highly because of its responsibility in ensuring continuity. The future of the homogeneous community depended on the upbringing of the children with the cultural values instilled in them (Rosenberg, 1994: 22). The reality of establishing a pure state was evident both in formal and informal systems. The education system had a responsibility of instilling the values of the unifying cultural practices. This served to give children highlights of the existing social uniformity and cohesion. Most of the people describe the homogeneous nature and nihonjoron discourse on three different platforms. The first platform describes the nature of the Japanese individual (Sugimoto, 2010: 3). According to the discourse, the individual is dependent on their superiors with a low level of ego. To some level, the Japanese people lack autonomy and independence. The Japanese people derive satisfaction from the submission and service to their superiors. This aspect makes the Japanese people unique from other people and represents the way in which the people view themselves. If the Japanese people are working in a group, they portray loyalty to the group and give the group interests a priority. Sugimoto explains the second platform of understanding the Japanese society. This is at the interpersonal level. The Japanese people have group orientations. In the Japanese society, there is existence of good relationships between the superiors and inferiors. Both parties work hard to maintain such relationships. In addition, people on the same level in society have good relationships with each other. In Japan, there are both vertical and horizontal loyalties. The Japanese are a contrast to the westerners who form only horizontal orientations (Sugimoto, 2010: 3). The national cohesion of Japan results from the third platform. The Japanese work towards achieving harmony and integration in society. Due to this integration, the Japanese society has maintained a stability that makes them pride over its homogeneity. Political leaders can easily exert their power of influence on the people. The groups can easily conform to national goals and the people have the will to focus on tasks that serve to make national objectives a reality. These platforms contribute to the consensus and cohesion of the Japanese people to promote homogeneity. Although more than 90% of the population conforms to this ideology, there are minority groups that are slowly converting the society to a heterogeneous nature. Most of the Japanese authors undermine the effect of the minority groups and the variation they cause in the society. The following is an analysis and description of the minority groups present in Japan. Minority Groups in Japan Current studies have sampled the minority groups in japan that have transformed the state from its homogenous state. There are many minority groups of different origins. Some of them are indigenous people while others are foreigners into the land. The Ainu are indigenous people who resulted from the territorial expansion of Japan. These people originally occupied the Hokkaido, Kurile, and Sakhalin (Weiner, 2009:21). These people have a different culture, language, and beliefs from the commonly held culture of the other Japanese people. These people have experienced compulsion to transform and conform to the Japanese way of life. This assimilation has caused the loss of their culture and eventually livelihood. The people face discrimination especially women. These people live in fear of discrimination and some of them cannot trace their roots of origin. The Ainu have access to minimal of the quality life and education in Japan. In the current setting, the media portrays the Ainu culture much more. In addition, the younger generation is doing its best to rebuild the lost Ainu image and culture. The Ainu are Japanese people but of a different lineage and physical appearance. The Okinawa forms a second group of minorities (Weiner, 2009:188). Despite the hard times they have been through, they receive recognition as Japanese people. The people have a different culture that they have managed to preserve over time. Today, their culture is unique and distinct from the mainstream culture. Their music is different from the mainstream music of the Japanese people. The Okinawa occupies the region next to China and has influences from the Chinese culture. They are subject to discrimination by mainstreamers (Sugimoto, 2010:197). Their distinct culture easily identifies them. Today the Okinawa constitutes of about 1.3 million people. In addition, to a different culture, they are physically darker than the other Japanese are and this easily identifies them. They occupy the Rhukyu islands. The Burakumin people form the other additional exceptions to the homogeneity in Japan. These people are Japanese by origin. However, for different reasons, they receive discrimination. Usually, these people are societal misfits (Sugimoto, 2010:197). Some of them do not conform to the Buddhist beliefs. Some of the buraku proved less competent in usual artwork and occupation. Others entered this group because of their defeat in feudal wars. Generally, the mainstream society considers them less Japanese. They face discrimination that bars them from accessing quality education, employment opportunities and determines their marriage partners. Discrimination becomes a reality because of the presence of the open family register. The family register provides information on the family descents. The mainstream society uses the register to recognize the buraku. The elaborate family system has prevented the burakumin from accessing equal opportunities and has remained a minority group. The buraku people receive harsh treatment from the police. They occupy 6000 districts usually described as ghettos. The buraku form a population of about 2 million people (Weiner, 2009:59). Koreans living in Japan form the other group that observes a different culture from the mainstream culture in Japan. During the world war two, Japan took control of the peninsula and this put it in a good position to force Koreans into Japan to provide Japanese companies with free labor. They replaced the Japanese citizens working in these companies. After the world war, there were about half a million remnants of the Koreans left in Japan. From times prior to the war, Japan oppressed Koreans. Situations in the world war worsened the situation. The same system of oppression persisted to the remnant of Koreans living in Japan after the war. The Japanese government denied them the opportunity to live freely in Japan. They received different forms of mistreatment and oppression that included being overworked and meager pay (Weiner, 2009:162). The Koreans have persisted to live in Japan until now. The current Korean population consists of second generation of the original Koreans moving into Japan. The Koreans have had a bad experience in Japan. Oppression has compelled them to abandon certain aspects of their distinct culture and adopt the Japanese culture. The Koreans have remained with only their religious practices that define them as different people living in Japan. In addition, the Koreans have established a different school system that conforms to the Japanese education standards but addresses the needs of the Korean students. The school system starts from the basic level to higher education. International organizations addressing the concerns of minority groups have been urging the Japanese government to recognize the certificates of students learning in these schools and present them with equal employment opportunities. The status of Koreans living in japan is improving with time. The people currently receive representation in academic and professional quorums. Qualified students can access white-collar jobs and earn as much as their Japanese counterparts. Koreans no longer hide their identity but rather have come to accept the Japanese experience. In addition to the above-described foreigners, there are foreign workers residing and working in Japan. Most of them are Taiwan citizens who go to Japan seeking better opportunities and a civilized lifestyle. Others are Chinese residents who work in Japan. These foreigners living and working in Japan have different lifestyles from that of the Japanese mainstream society. Other foreigners came from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Iran. The foreign workers suffer oppression just like other minority groups. They only have access to low-income jobs that the Japanese citizens cannot do. In addition, these foreigners suffer discrimination. In some places, there is a segregation system in hotels, restaurants and other facilities. Due to the homogeneous state of the nation, foreigners face criminal accusations and the people do not trust them. The other minority group results from the return of citizens who had previously moved to Brazil and South America in the early 20th century. Different authors have written to elaborate on the experiences of such Japanese citizens in Brazil and back home in Japan. Prior to the world war, some Japanese citizens moved to Brazil in search of better opportunities. Others moved because of the world wars in search of security because of the instability of Japan during the war period. Lesser describes the experience of the people in Brazil and the circumstances under which these people seek to return to Japan. The Japanese experience in Brazil is unique (Roth, 2002:19). Although they were a minority group in the foreign country, they easily integrated into the Brazilian society but as Japanese people. They maintained some aspects of their culture but borrowed other aspects from the Brazilian culture as well as from other immigrants. These Japanese citizens are slowly moving back home. On getting back to Japan, they realize that life has changed greatly and they bear the name Nikkeijin. Having stayed in Brazil for a long time, they have a different culture distinct from the mainstream culture (Lesser, 2003:12). These returnees do not fit into the Japanese society anymore. They have borrowed white aspects from Brazil or other countries and cannot easily conform to the cultural practices back home. In its search for identity, Japan settled for its definition as a homogeneous society of people belonging to a unique culture, language, and race (Dale, 2011:2). Japan has believed that it is mono-ethnic for a long time. The nation ignores the fact that it has turned multi-ethnic. For a long time, it was impossible to determine how many non-Japanese people lived in Japan. Official census did not recognize the minority groups. The homogeneity myth does not appreciate the fact that Japan is home to the minority groups described. The reality of the matter is that the modern Japan is multi-ethnic and has lost its homogeneity (Lei, 2004:83). Japan has attracted migrants because of its fast growing economy. These migrants come to Japan seeking employment opportunities. The economic success of any country attracts people from different regions and this makes regions the country multi-ethnic. Japan’s heterogeneity has also resulted from its expansion schemes prior to the war. This expansion of its territory saw the inclusion of the Ainu group from the kurile, and Hokkaido regions. It is time for Japan to accept and recognize diversity (Weiner, 2004:42). The government should include the interests of minority groups in policymaking. This will include the minority groups as part of the Japanese community and replace the previous mythical homogeneity and exclusion. The government should readjust its views towards multi-ethnicity (Cavarlho, 2002: 157). Japan should view multi-ethnicity in the same way that other nations have recognized the presence of minority groups and have been working towards an inclusive strategy. Minority groups in Japan deserve representation in all government institution. Mc Veigh argues that homogeneity is not a term that fits the description of any country and not even Japan in this era (Mc Veigh, 2004:219). According to him, diversity in Japan is too evident. He criticizes the stratification of the Japanese society into mainstream and minority groups. Japan may not have experienced much of immigration and the post war search for identity brought about the homogeneity definition. For some people belonging to the minority group in Japan, it is not easy to decide if they are Japanese or not. The identity Japan adopted has defined what is has become in recent times. However, just as it was necessary to look for an identity, it is equally important to broaden the definition of the Japanese society as times change. Change should start from the Japanese education system. It is from this level that children learn their identity. Government policies should accommodate and address the growing diversity. Accepting diversity does not have to compromise national unity. On the contrary, multi-ethnic societies can achieve cohesion. The international community has raised concern over the discrimination of minority groups in Japan. This should make the society realize that it is time to redefine the modern Japan and drop the homogeneity myth. Recent moves in internalization and globalization have been probing Japan to change its views on immigration. Although it is making efforts to achieve this, Japan does not seem decided. Its indecisiveness is evident because it still holds homogeneity with esteem especially because achieving cohesion and unity is much easier. Despite the potential benefits of heterogeneity, Japan still seems reluctant. For some reasons, this is the case because the homogeneity ideology has made it possible for them to pursue national goals and realize the economic success that they currently pride in. The homogeneity myth has attracted a lot of attention from authors who seek to describe the ideology and reality that has defined Japan since the post war period. However, the myth has always overlooked the presence of minority groups in Japan. A close analysis of the situation as it is reveals presence of minority groups and probes the government to rise above the misguided myth and accept the multi-ethnicity that has been changing the definition of japans into a heterogeneous nation. It is time for Japan to address the concerns of minority groups in policies and work towards ending the discrimination of minority groups. The ‘other’ as many authors refer to the minority groups deserves a fair chance and representation. They deserve an inclusive identity. Japanese identity and ideologies need redefinition. Bibliography Carvalho, D., 2002. Migrants and Identity in Japan and Brazil: The Nikkeijin. New York: Routledge. Dale, N. P., 2011. The Myth of Japanese Uniqueness. New York:Taylor & Francis. Leser, J., 2003. Searching for Home Abroad: Japanese-Brazilians and Transnationalism. Durham: Duke University Press. Lie, J., 2004. Multiethnic Japan. Oxford: Harvard University Press. McVeigh, J. B., 2004. Nationalisms of Japan: Managing and Mystifying Identity. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. Rosenberger, N. R., 1994. Japanese Sense of Self. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Roth, J. H., 2002. Brokered Homeland: Japanese Brazilian Migrants in Japan. New York: Cornell University Press. Sugimoto, Y., 2010. An Introduction to Japanese Society. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Weiner, M., 2004. Race, Ethnicity and Migration in Modern Japan, Volume 1. New York: Routledge. Weiner, M., 2009. Japan's Minorities: The Illusion of Homogeneity. New York: Taylor & Francis. Read More