The Japanese who arrived in Paraguay from 1936 to 1941, that is, during the period before the Second World War, practically only those who came as young people and children in La Colmena remain.
However, the influence exerted by these first immigrants on their descendants was and continues to be significant and, that this missing link of the Japanese soul of the post-Meiji era is still in force, it remains between the Japanese and Nisei of La Colmena, characterized by their discipline, their way of leading in the intercultural society, maintaining as much as possible the structure and characteristics of their ancestors. In this way, the integration between the multiethnic inhabitants was not total. The Nikkei have their exclusive headquarters and carry out their numerous cultural and social activities without involving local residents, except in the case of commemorating events of a certain magnitude, they issue invitations to local and departmental authorities.
As for the Japanese who came after the Second World War (1955-1970) they brought all their innovative cultures, perhaps traumatic due to the situation that Japan experienced; They also created Japanese colonies, some of them as a projection of their native Japan.
The Japanese cultural heritage has remained firmly rooted in the souls of Japanese descendants, as is the case in Paraguay, where the patrilineal influence still runs deep, especially among those young people who live in the Japanese colonies established in the different regions of the country and in In most cases, Nikkei prefer to be Japanese, speaking and behaving as such.
The organizational structure, planned and executed by the Japanese and their respective state colonizing companies of the Japanese government, has been maintained over the years. In almost all homes the Japanese system is developed in terms of food, hygiene, education, courtesy, within the home Japanese is spoken and they have access to books and magazines subscribed from Japan, the internet, TV - NHK from Tokyo with its broadcast for 24 hours. Which greatly facilitates communication with Japan and being up to date with all the news. Outside of that area, relating to friends and in educational institutions, Spanish is used. I remember a case of a young Sansei who said yes, because the meetings of young Nikkei people, who were mostly Sansei, are not held in the Japanese language, because he feels Japanese and his father tells him that he should prioritize the use of the language and Japanese customs. , even though he was born in Paraguay, insists that a Nikkei should remain a Japanese.
In this regard, a frank discussion had been opened with the audience in which the vast majority, especially those who lived in the capital and large cities, understood their position but preferred to manage the meetings of adolescents and young people in Spanish so it was more easy and understandable for colloquial and formal use and it is also the official language of the country and young people feel more Paraguayan than Japanese, therefore they interact more in the local environment. However, the Nikkei youth of the colonies prefer to speak and broadcast in Japanese. Even when he goes on a sporting fraternity trip to international tournaments in other countries, the Nikkei Paraguayans from the colonies are the only ones who speak to each other in Japanese within a certain shyness and enryo that characterizes them.
The mastery of the Japanese language is such that, in short story contests, the Nisei and Sansei of the colonies manage the language without any difficulty and are winners of contests promoted by the Japan Foundation in its annual “Benron Taikai” oratory competition. ” with excellent ratings. These achieve a level very close to students in Japan. However, such a phenomenon does not occur when the speech contest is held in Spanish.
Due to these circumstances, the weight of the influence of the Issei and their organizational structure can be verified as established by the Japanese Associations of all the country that, together with the Agricultural Cooperatives with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, manage with very efficient all aspects of life in the colonies. Meanwhile, in the capital several Nisei prefer not to get involved in the nihonjin -only associations because they want to impose their discipline and the closed way of leading and developing the management of the organizations.
That is the generational difference and peculiar characteristic between the Issei and the Nisei-Sansei. The former see those born in Paraguay as beings ( chuto hampa ) neither one nor the other, whose behavior, even when they have completed higher education, remains Nisei and is incomplete. And he considers it a disadvantage because he does not reach the level of the Issei. And they say: Nisei no zidaii ni nattara dame desu ne (the organization collapses when it arrives in Nisei times).
The Nisei of urban areas who are entering the stage of professional leadership and business management, prefer to lead in a more flexible and integral way with Paraguayan society even though in their essence they maintain the seal of their ancestry. What is suggested is that the Nisei to achieve achievements between both societies is to get involved demonstrating their quality and ability with a good dose of self-esteem and autonomy in what they do. Knowing how to balance between the two societies that inevitably belong, and handling oneself with a certain diplomacy. Know how to detect strengths and weaknesses like Nisei and promote equal opportunities for all.
It is recommended that public entities and private Japanese companies that intend to hire the Nikkei can assume equality of working conditions and professional appraisals when hiring the Nisei and verify their advantage as beings with various cultures and languages. same in the multicultural development of new times.
An example worthy of mention is the young Engineer Frank Yasuhiko Tonooka, a Paraguayan sansei from La Colmena who has lived in Tokyo, Japan for 18 years, hired by a Japanese multinational company, which recognizes his values and is considered an excellent sansei professional by the advantage of having several worlds under his belt and that he can easily perform in various fields with ease, efficiency and thoroughness, with knowledge of the terrain that is often difficult for an Issei professional.
We will be reaching the final stretch very soon and we will continue with the question: is it an advantage or not to be Nikkei in the Americas?
© 2007 Emi Kasamatsu
