[Complexicate]

The Bloomberg article exacerbates the bigotry many Japanese have against their own fellow citizens. In the caption of the first picture: "She’s not all Japanese, but she was Miss Universe Japan 2015."

Yes, she is "all" Japanese. She grew up in Japan, with her Japanese mother, attending Japanese schools. This is the subtle bigotry toward people who are "half" (as they're called in Japan) rather than "dual". Many Japanese will always consider them "less Japanese" or outsiders.

She had dual citizenship because of her father. When asked which citizenship she would she would choose, she said, 「もちろん、日本を選ぶわ。自分では、私はとことん日本人だと思っている。そう、１００％日本人よ。肌の色の違いは、その人となりとは全く関係ないはず」

"Of course I will choose Japan. I think of myself as thoroughly Japanese. 100% Japanese. It should have nothing to do with heredity, with a different skin color."

https://www.sankei.com/premium/news/150429/prm1504290022-n3....

[hh3k0]

> Yes, she is "all" Japanese. She grew up in Japan, with her Japanese mother, attending Japanese schools. This is the subtle bigotry toward people who are "half" (as they're called in Japan) rather than "dual". Many Japanese will always consider them "less Japanese" or outsiders.

Just because she qualifies as Japanese from your point of view doesn't mean that the Japanese have to view it like you. White savior complex much? I've spoken with Japanese friends about hafus and their point of view was that people do not materialize out of thin air, but rather are the genetic conglomerate of their ancestors (which is hard to argue against) and thus links in a chain -- which would make her less Japanese. And that seems fine to me, as long as she is not discriminated against for being viewed less Japanese.

[Tor3]

> but rather are the genetic conglomerate of their ancestors (which is hard to argue against) and thus links in a chain

But that's exactly it. It's not like that. Or shouldn't be. That's not what makes a person a part of a group (town, city, region, country, etc). It's a constraining, and wrong way of looking at things. It's something to grow out of. Heck, in my hometown we consider someone as 'from' this town (to translate the term we use, approximately) even if they're not born here, maybe they even moved here in their twenties, and maybe from another continent, maybe looking totally different; if they just 'fit in' and find their comfortable place here. If they bring on something new (combining culture/music from their background with something existing), even better. They are 100% part of what's us. Except for those of the never non-existent, but still tiny minority of the "you're not one of us" group. Those telling young girls (as did an old woman the other day, not in this town but out in the countryside) "you can't wear that traditional costume, you're not one of us" (the girl's grandfather was adopted from some place, or some such).

[nabla9]

Perceiving someone as 'not one of us' without discrimination is very rare, especially in Japan.

Basically all Japanese citizens perceived as 'others' face heavy discrimination. Korean minority, burakumin, Ainu, etc.

[magpi3]

If mixed ethnicity makes you less Japanese than of course you will be discriminated against. At the very least families who want their descendants to be "more" Japanese will resist allowing their children to marry those who are "less" Japanese. That is discrimination. Even the term "less Japanese" sounds like a perjorative in a country so deeply founded on a specific cultural identity.

We live in a global world now. Countries that fundamentally tie their culture to ethnicities will someday be a thing of the past. It is just question of how long it will take some countries to accept it. And for the mistakes that the U.S. has made, one thing it has gotten right (for the most part) is its acknowledgement that diversity is a strength and being American has nothing to do with your bloodline.

Of course there are racists in the U.S. who would say otherwise, but I think they are short-sighted fools. One of the U.S.'s biggest competitive advantages in a global economy is its (relative) freedom from the historical baggage that weighs down other countries whose national identity is tied to a specific ethnicity or rigid cultural identity.

[slothtrop]

Congrats, you just described racism. "All Japanese" in this instance refers to the nation and by extension parent culture, not ethnicity.

[distantaidenn]

That's exactly the problem though. She is being veiwed as less Japanese and subsequently discriminated against.

[village-idiot]

This is the conflict that arises when the name for the group applies to a nationality and a distinctly identifiable racial group as well. Some will use “Japanese” to talk about those that are legally and culturally from Japan, and others will use the word to reference those that are genetically from Japan.

[world32]

So do you think it's OK for me as a white Englishman to consider a black person born in England to not truly be English?

What about for a German to consider Jews to be less German? Is that ok too? Its just their "culture" right?

Edit: I suggest you watch this exchange between a black Englishman Gary Young and the white supremacist Richard Spencer. It's nasty stuff right? Him telling the guy "you're not a real Englishman". Yet you have japanese friends who say exactly the same thing about non ethnically Japanese people and you think that's fine? How do you square that circle?

https://youtu.be/puJ-arJgkZU

[zlakb]

If you said the same thing of a European country your comment would be flagged already.

[anthuman]

If you claim that she is all japanese, then aren't you denying her african-american roots?

She is half japanese because half of her family and genetic history is from japan. The other half is from her african american father. Isn't it more bigoted to deny that half of her comes from her african american father?

Also, there is a difference between ethnicity and nationality. She may be a full japanese national, but she is not a full ethnic japanese.

Just like charlize theron could be a south african national, but you wouldn't call her a black woman.

I agree with her that being a japanese national should have nothing to do with heredity or skin color, but heredity and skin color most definitely has something to do with the japanese ethnicity.

To claim otherwise is to claim there is no suching thing as a japanese ethnicity and it destroys any sense of human diversity that we all pretend to love while trying to actively destroy human diversity.

[havill]

> heredity and skin color most definitely has something to do with the japanese ethnicity.

Only to racists. Just as being Jewish is an ethnicity (as well as a religion), you don't have to be white or have Jewish parents to be of Jewish ethnicity.

More and more Japanese Nationals with mixed race are born all the time, and raised completely in Japan and only speak Japanese, yet would "pass as white."

And when they're famous and appear in the media, they are considered by most of the Japanese audience to be ethnically Japanese.

On the other hand, there are quite a few Japanese-Americans whose parents are both racially "100%" Japanese, yet because they speak awful or nonexistent Japanese and or "act American" or "have American values", are not considered to be ethnically Japanese.

[atom-morgan]

> If you claim that she is all japanese, then aren't you denying her african-american roots?

I don't think so. I'm American, "all" American. I was born here and have lived almost my entire 29 years of life here. But I am also half-Korean.

I think it depends on whether OP meant Japanese as a citizen or Japanese as their sole ethnic background.

[Grustaf]

No it’s not bigotry to say that someone that is half-japanese is ‘not all Japanese”. Bigotry is if you treat her worse because of it.

Citizenship may be “dual” but biological race isn’t, it has to add up to 100%. Clearly that is what they are referring to here.

Not all countries are America, there are plenty of places with a pretty well defined ethnicity, like Japan.

[lm28469]

I don't think "bigotry" means what you think it means. It applies to opinions, as in being intolerant to people who have different opinions than yours, not origins/ethnicity/&c.

[coldtea]

>Yes, she is "all" Japanese. She grew up in Japan, with her Japanese mother, attending Japanese schools. This is the subtle bigotry toward people who are "half" (as they're called in Japan) rather than "dual". Many Japanese will always consider them "less Japanese" or outsiders.

That's her culture and nationality (and even the culture part could be dual). They refer to her ethnicity and ancestry.

[55555]

The word Japanese can refer to both nationality and ethnicity, no?

[sridca]

> Many Japanese will always consider them "less Japanese" or outsiders.

Isn't this true of other nations?

[Tor3]

> Isn't this true of other nations?

Not as a general rule, no. What makes the distinction for me is the dialect they speak and their way of speaking. Then I'll have them firmly identified as 'from that town', or 'that particular part of the country' and there's no way for me to think of them differently. Where their parents came from has no part of it for me or for most people. It's just not possible for my mind to think of somebody who speaks like a native (as they will, when they were born here or moved here as a child) as being any kind of "outsider". In my experience small children never make any distinction either, anywhere in the world. That comes later, and they learn it from their parents. That's when the problems start.

[mter]

Japan is extra special in this regard. My brother who is japanese, married a japanese national, speaks japanese and lives in japan is not "Japanese". That's what the article is referring to.