Which way to go?

We have just returned from a short trip to Japan to participate in the Intercultural Forum in Nagoya about building a prosperous local multicultural community. With increasing number of foreigners entering and settling in Japan, concerned individuals and groups met to exchange and share experiences, questions, suggestions, and views about promoting and enhancing multicultural co-existence, about maintaining respect and openness despite diversity of cultures and races.

The very informative and productive event was held August 23-24 at the Nagoya International Center  in Nagoya City. The organizers were the Toyota Foundation and the NIC, with support from the Cabinet Office , Government of Japan, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, the Aichi Prefecture, and the City of Nagoya. We would like to thank Prof. Junichi Akashi of Tsukuba University for the invitation for this forum and Toyota Foundation for their travel support.

Veering away from an expected serious first day session, the event opened with the participation of two popular foreign artists, a Rakugo performer from Sri Lanka and an Iranian TV actress.

Wikipedia broadly defines Rakugo as a traditional Japanese verbal entertainment where a lone storyteller sits throughout the performance on stage, called K?za, and using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical story.

Ph.d in Economics and rakugo artist Nishanta from Sri Lanka made the audience burst into laughter the whole time he was trying to make his points about being a foreigner in Japan. His performance was followed by a panel discussion joined in by actress Sahel Rosa, a child refugee from Iran, who successfully hurdled the challenges of being a refugee and of being a foreigner in Japan. Together, these two performers shared their experiences with the Japanese audience, expertly guided through by Mr. Taro Tamura, Representative Director of the Institute for Human Diversity.

This first-day laughter-filled session from 2-4:45 in the afternoon served as a very effective ice-breaker for what would have been a very delicate and sensitive issue about how foreigners encounter challenges working and settling down in Japan. The isolationist attitude is still very strong among a significant number of Japanese who expect most foreigners to return home to their country, rather than settle permanently in Japan. A growing number of Japanese, on the other hand, are serious about building open, happy communities in Japan for all, for Japanese and foreigners alike.

The second day had serious sessions: a lecture by Prof. Keizo Yamawaki of Meiji University and separate panel presentations about the situation of foreigners in Japan, at work, in education, in the community, within families, and as reflected in policy and practice. 

As you all probably know by now, Japan is an aging society with dwindling labor force and population. Whether Japan will open up to accepting more foreigners and allowing them to settle temporarily or permanently in Japan is still a matter being studied, debated, proposed or opposed at the moment.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the elderly situation in Japan, and the declining birth and marriage rates will definitely push Japan to seriously consider opening up to foreigners. The issue is not just accepting foreigners on a temporary basis. Already, more and more migrants in Japan are settling down, as permanent residents of Japan.

To close or to open up to more foreigners? This is a continuing inevitable question Japan needs to resolve soon.

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