Interviews

1. Decided to leave Japan to Argentina (Spanish)

2. Tango makes him to stay in Argentina (Spanish)

3. Leaving to Argentina (Spanish)

4. His first jobs in Argentina (Spanish)

5. Learning Spanish (Spanish)

6. Journalism as Vocation (Spanish)

7. Marriage to a non-Japanese (Spanish)

8. No more close family in Japan (Spanish)

9. Conflicting relations between Argentina and Japan (Spanish)

10. To feel uncomfortable in Japan (Spanish)

11. Argentina is my home (Spanish)

12. Generational Gap (Spanish)

13. Need generational change in Japanese community (Spanish)

14. No discrimination in Argentina (Spanish)

15. Nikkei identity (Spanish)

Takagi,Kazuomi

(1925-2014) La Plata Hochi, Journalist

No discrimination in Argentina (Spanish)

(Spanish) I believe not. I came here, at least, and did not feel it. If there is discrimination, some Argentine said “We call them Japanese, the children of Japanese, but they did not come, alone, they did not come.” They say, “they [the Japanese] are a delight.” At other times they say, “What a group!” Some Japanese become mad: “I have a name, why do they say Japanese?” No? For me, perhaps they called me “Hey, you, Japanese.” I say “What’s happening tano?” “What’s up gallego?” Therefore, they show [me] respect. I don’t feel anything [negative], everyone respects me.

Argentina discrimination interpersonal relations racism

Date: February 23, 2007

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Interviewer: Takeshi Nishimura, Ricardo Hokama

Contributed by: Centro Nikkei Argentino

Interviewee Bio

Takagi Kazuomi was born in Japan on March 27, 1925, in the Mie province. He arrived in Argentina as a tourist and never returned to Japan. By chance he started out in journalism, a profession that provided employment for more than fifty years on radio and in the graphic arts. Today, at eighty-one years old, he continues to fervently work as a journalist for the newspaper of the Japanese collectivity, La Plata Hochi (Japanese Section), including acting stints in various forms of publicity. He passed away on November 10, 2014 at age 89. (January 2021)