About 98 percent of people with some foreign heritage in Japan have experienced microaggressions such as praise for their Japanese language ability, a nationwide survey by a group of researchers has shown.
The results released recently come as Japan's foreign population continues to rise and it transitions into a more multicultural society. In 2022, one in 50 children born in the country had one parent who is not a Japanese citizen, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Microaggressions are typically unintentional or casual hurtful words or actions made to members of marginalized groups, such as ethnic minorities and women.
About 60 percent of respondents reporting microaggressions said they have been asked questions that seemed to question their Japanese identity, such as where they are from. Some 30 percent reported being looked down on for their roots, and 15 percent said they had been questioned by police in the street.
In all, 448 people provided eligible responses to the survey held online from March to April, with nearly 90 percent of respondents aged 18 to 39. The survey was aimed at adults who have spent at least a total of a year living in Japan.
The survey was conducted by a committee made up of Lawrence Yoshitaka Shimoji, a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and Viveka Ichikawa, a psychotherapist and University of Toronto PhD candidate.
In addition to the reports of microaggressions, some 68 percent said they had experienced bullying and discrimination due to their identity.
The report includes experience testimonies from respondents. One person of Japanese and Sierra Leonean heritage said a company terminated an employment contract with the person, saying the individual did not look Japanese in a first face-to-face meeting. Another in her 20s with British heritage said her elementary school teacher told her she would grow up to have large breasts because she is "half."
"Japan already has people living in it with multiple ethnic and racial backgrounds. Misunderstanding of them perpetuates exclusion, and this is a serious situation," Shimoji said.
