Lecture 4 - The Concept of the Person

Question 1

How many main minority groups are there in Japan and what are they?

Answer 1

Four: Ainu, Okinawans, Zainichi Kankokujin, Burakumin

Question 2

Which of the minority groups in Japan is the only one to be recognised by the Japanese government and why?

Answer 2

Ainu. Occurred when Japan chaired UN congress on rights of indigenous people and was under pressure to recognise their rights.

Question 3

Why do the Ainu receive government support?

Answer 3

Because they live in relatively impoverished communities - not because they are Ainu.

Question 4

Roughly how many Ainu are there?

Answer 4

About 30,000.

Question 5

What is significant about Okinawa in WWII?

Answer 5

The only place that fighting took place in Japan was in Okinawa.

Question 6

How were Okinawans perceived during WWII?

Answer 6

Considered second-class citizens and used as a buffer between Japan and US, roughly 1/3 died.

Question 7

What percentage of Okinawa today is US military bases?

Answer 7

20%.

Question 8

Why do Okinawans believe they are still discriminated against?

Answer 8

Lower employment rates, main political debates about military bases.

Question 9

Roughly how many Okinawans are there?

Answer 9

1,000,000.

Question 10

When did the main influx of Zainichi Kankokujin happen?

Answer 10

When Japan annexed Korea in 1895 and colonised it in 1910.

Question 11

Why did Japanese-Koreans become highly politicised (three points)?

Answer 11

1. Koreans settled in Japan and after WWII, US thought Koreans were part of Japanese army and on loser’s side, even though Koreans were colonised by Japan and Japan had lost the war so Koreans thought they were on victor’s side. Many decided to stay in Japan but they had to give up all Korean background and culture.
2. Split between those who supported North Korea and those who supported the South.
3. Split between those who chose to take Japanese citizenship and those who didn’t.

Question 12

Roughly how many zainichi kankokujin are there?

Answer 12

A little under a million.

Question 13

Where do the origins of discrimination against the burakumin come from?

Answer 13

Buddhism.

Question 14

Burakumin are a leftover of _____. Their ancestors are _____.

Answer 14

The feudal class system. Their ancestors are eta and hinin.

Question 15

What are the two theories explaining the origin of burakumin?

Answer 15

Functionalist theory: hinin were involved in occupations which broke Buddhist and Shinto taboos in that they involved dead animals and humans, e.g. undertakers, butchers, etc. Became polluted or contaminated, and so rest of society had to exclude them to protect themselves.

Marxist theory: only way you can retain integrity of a class system is if the lowest class has someone to look down on - eta and hinin were outside class system altogether.

Question 16

What is the Japanese state’s view on the problem of burakumin discrimination?

Answer 16

The Japanese state argues that by not raising consciousness about this problem, it will disappear over time as these people will assimilate into society. Opposite of Europe where consciousness is raised and people are made aware so people can treat them well.

Question 17

Roughly how many burakumin are there?

Answer 17

Hard to pinpoint the population as the government does not consider them a minority group but burakumin liberation movement reckons around 2,000,000.

Question 18

Roughly what proportion of the Japanese population is in the minority and how does this relate to the UK?

Answer 18

Roughly 3.3% of Japan’s population are the four minority groups and Japan still thinks of itself as ethnically homogeneous, UK thinks of itself as multicultural despite having a similar number - 5.5%.

Question 19

What is the problem with the idea of ‘we Japanese’?

Answer 19

It makes immigration very difficult.

Question 20

We can think of Japanese society as _________.

Answer 20

The ‘ultimate Durkheimian society’.

Question 21

What is ‘survival of the fitting most’?

Answer 21

Idea that species who survived was not the one who was strongest etc. but one that worked together with other species.

Question 22

What is nemawashi?

Answer 22

Japanese process of laying foundations for a proposed change or project by talking to people and reaching a consensus first before making decision. Decision takes long time to be made but once it is made, implementation is very quick.