Japanese versus outsiders
The following was said in NBR's Japan forum:
It is true that Japanese themselves are fond of discussing those matters as a sort of self-evaluation, cheering up or criticizing themselves. However, those who are not Japanese should understand that Japanese are not doing those things as a propaganda, rather they are doing those things for themselves as soul-searching, reflection or self-analysis. Therefore, there is no need for outsiders to debate about those theories and statements.
The full comment is here. The poster of the comment was Minoru Mochizuki. I have sent the following response to the list:
I think there are at least two problems with such "soul searching."
First, while one really has to look at each theory individually, often nihonjinron cuts off other avenues of discussion. If there's a problem, why *must* the answer be, "because we are Japanese." More often than not, there are other causes that need to be looked at (one example, shared habits). Deciding from the beginning that it must be something related to *being* "Japanese" turns potentially useful discussion into something resembling astrology. For example, these days when I am confronted by a nihonjinron theory the first thing I think to myself is this: "how is this theory in some way more substantial than the description of a Zodiac sign." Note, some star signs possess more "abstract thinking" than others. This is an easy claim to make because no one quite knows exactly what it entails.
Second, it creates the misapprehension that two Japanese are *de facto* the same because they are Japanese, and that a Japanese person and an "outsider" (to use Mr. Mochizuki's terminology) are *de facto* different. This is nearly always *not* the case, once superficial differences are accounted for. Now, I would seriously like to ask how Mr. Mochizuki determines who and who is not Japanese? For example Yoshio Sugimoto cites seven possible criteria one might appeal to in his book An Introduction to Japanese Society.
- Nationality (citizenship)
- Genetics
- Language competence
- Place of birth
- Current residence
- Level of cultural literacy
- Subjective identity
What exactly is the criteria for determining if someone is Japanese or not?
Might I cite myself as a sort of case study. I've lived in Japan 13 years. I speak Japanese. I conduct my daily life in Japanese. I eat Japanese food, and follow many Japanese customs. I have a permanent visa such that I can live in Japan the rest of my life, if I desire. My wife and children have Japanese citizenship. Am I Japanese? If not, why not? I would say no, because I don't possess Japanese citizenship. Or how about my eldest son? His mother is Japanese. He *has* Japanese citizenship. He speaks Japanese as his native tongue. He goes to a Japanese school. He eats mostly Japanese food. He studies Japanese history. He watches Japanese TV shows. He follows Japanese customs. He's lived his *entire* life in Japan. When he's with his mother, people at least sometimes presume him to be Japanese. Etc. Is he Japanese? Note many would say no. I've been told in very clear terms by some people that he is *not* Japanese. Many would say my son is a *haafu*. This is from the English word half, and while many claim it means half-Japanese and is kakkoii (cool), it sounds suspiciously like half-blood to me. Anyway, no matter how wonderful a haafu is suppose to be, it can't be fun to be arbitrarily excluded.
See:
日本社会における混血
When Mr. Mochizuki refers to outsiders, is he referring to me and my son?
