A quarter century has passed since Japanese workers from South America came to Japan. If we include those who have been here since before the 1990 revision of the Immigration Control Act, it has been 30 years already. During that time, many have come and gone due to the economic situation in Japan and the world, as well as the economic recovery of South American countries, and some have returned in recent years after having once left Japan. In any case, according to immigration statistics, there are 170,000 Brazilians, 47,000 Peruvians, and several thousand Argentinians, Bolivians, and Paraguayans living in Japan. There is no sign of any further increase at present, and most of them have been living in Japan for a considerable number of years, have started families, and their children are receiving public education in Japan.
Even though their children were born in Japan, they retained their parents' nationality, so even though they are almost all Japanese, they are Brazilian or Peruvian. They can also be considered second-generation Brazilians and Peruvians living in Japan. Although they are also called children with foreign roots, many of them themselves often consider themselves to be "Japanese."
To hear these young people's stories, Professor Toshio Yanagida of Keio University and Professor Taeko Akagi of Mejiro University hold regular panel discussions under the PJECA Research Group entitled "Peruvians in Japan: Working in Japanese Society." Each time, they invite a second-generation resident Peruvian to talk about his or her education and work experiences, and hold opinion exchanges and mini-workshops with general participants.
I have attended several of these events and have also listened to the stories of university students and students I have personally known, and each person's background and family environment is different, with some being born and raised 100% in Japan, others coming to Japan at a young age but suddenly returning to their home countries when they reached junior high school due to their parents' circumstances, and having to start their education in Spanish from scratch in their home countries. There are also those who are enrolled in a Japanese university but take a leave of absence to study abroad at their own expense for one to two years in order to improve their Spanish or Portuguese skills in their home countries.
The young people who appear in these events have often completed a certain level of education in one of the countries, despite many hardships, and are now working in Japan. They have different educational backgrounds, such as high school, vocational school, and university graduates, but what they have in common is that they are hard workers, and even after repeated failures and setbacks, they got back up, and are now grateful for those trials and the support of their families. Some experienced bullying and loneliness in junior high school, but still managed to break through and move forward by achieving good results in an English speech contest, while others returned to Japan and went on to university after becoming aware of their identity and role in Peru. Every young person has doubts, and there are countless frustrating and unreasonable experiences. However, it can be seen that the presence of family and friends who watched over them, and especially their junior high and high school teachers, is always important. In many cases, a word or appropriate advice from a teacher helped them to see their different cultures and family backgrounds in a positive light, and they were able to assert their strengths in any situation, even after they became working adults. As a result, they began to see the weaknesses and strengths of both societies in a tolerant and calm manner, and to think about how they could best utilize their abilities. Of course, it takes quite some time to get the hang of this.
Japan as a country and society is still somewhat closed off to things that are different, but that is the same in the home country (foreign country). However, in the future, it is highly likely that people with these elements, education, language skills, and thinking abilities will be needed in every field. Not only in major trading companies and foreign-affiliated companies, but also in general stores, commercial facilities, and local governments, if the number of foreign tourists doubles from the current level, there will naturally be a need for foreign children educated in Japan, and there will be a labor shortage. People who understand Japan and can manage foreign languages, foreign stances, customs, and ways of thinking will be needed in every field.
Many second-generation Koreans who temporarily return to Peru or Brazil learn about their parents' roots and lifestyles in the course of their daily lives, but the biggest thing they discover is that the systems in Peru and Brazil do not function as well as they do in Japan, that education, medical care, and transportation infrastructure are underdeveloped, and that every day is a small struggle. They learn that discrimination and prejudice exist even in different forms and expressions, that jealousy caused by economic and social disparities is not an easy thing, and that relationships with relatives and acquaintances require more consideration than they would have in Japan. Mistaking the cheerfulness and friendliness of South America can be a big price to pay, and depending on the situation and interests, trust and friendship that have been built up until now can often be betrayed.
Basically, all of these countries have a good impression of Japanese people and are pro-Japanese. However, not everyone knows much about Japan, and not everyone fully understands the history of Japanese migration or the achievements of Japanese people. When the migrant worker boom in Japan occurred in the 1990s, some local non-Japanese people tried to come to Japan even by falsifying documents, and at the time Japanese people were considered lucky because they could go to Japan with preferential visas. In the 1980s and early 1990s, all South American countries were in economic decline, and were threatened by inflation, high prices, high unemployment, political instability, and even terrorism (Peru), so those who were able to escape to other countries were lucky. However, there was also a lot of jealousy, and there was a time when remittances from Japan had to be used very inconspicuously.
Second-generation Japanese-South Americans in Japan have overcome many difficulties and will continue to face challenges at every stage in the future. They must face misunderstanding, prejudice, ignorance, and discrimination, but the strength of having more than one cultural system, language skills, flexible thinking, and tolerance are also elements that this society needs most. It is not that Japan does not lack such characteristics, but when different cultures and global conditions are involved, there is a tendency to become inward-looking and not look outward (although it is true that in recent years, there has not been much need for this). Until now, they have been able to make a living solely within Japanese society, but in the future, no matter how rural their location, they will be unable to unconsciously ignore interactions with the outside world and its influences.
Especially in the last 10 years or so, I have had contact with young Peruvians and Brazilians living in Japan, and I have consulted them about bullying, power harassment, sexual harassment, family troubles, dropping out, joy, graduation and finding a job, whether they are students or working adults. I was a professor at Kanagawa University until February of this year, and now I teach at Shizuoka Prefectural University, so I am fortunate to be able to meet them in such settings, and although I sense their worries and anxieties, all I can do is provide them with motivation and information, and I simply hope that they will take on new challenges in everything they do.
As a second-generation immigrant and a person born and raised in Argentina, I feel that trials are a kind of test, but also a great opportunity to make myself stronger, and that overcoming each one leads to increased respect and trust. I hope that second-generation Japanese-South Americans living in Japan will continue to take on challenges, no matter what field or occupation they are in.
© 2017 Alberto J. Matsumoto
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