The Washington Post interviewed four Japanese people who have African parents. Many biracial children growing up in Japan are known as “hafu,” meaning “half.” The four interviewees spoke of their experiences of racial discrimination in Japan and some tough times that caused their identity crisis.
After I finished reading the WP article, that reminded me my hafu friend, Alan whose father is African American.
I’d like to share my personal experience about him.
When I was in junior high school, I had a good friend called Alan. Although we went to different schools, we met once a week at an after school English club. Near the English club, there was a church 10 minutes by walk. It’s dark after the club. We played 1 on 1 Basketball at the church which provided us light and a Basketball ring. We both loved sports so naturally became a friend. He taught me about Kobe Bryant and how big he is to Alan who’s always wearing number 8 uniform. His sharp fadeaway shot defeated me many times.
One day, Alan told me that he was having a rough time at school and that his parents were planning on taking him to an international school far from our local. Alan was undeniably black and for that reason, his classmates made fun of him and in some cases, bullied him, he said. Soon after, Alan left the town and we lost touch. The English teacher at the club told me that he moved near an American Naval station so he could attend the American school occasionally.
Is he still suffering from racial discrimination? Yes, I believe so.
In 2018, a popular TV show attracted international attention when comedian, Masatoshi Hamada, painted his face to impersonate Eddie Murphy’s character from Beverly Hills Cop. The premise of the show is that the contestants must not laugh at any point, otherwise they receive a smack on the behind as punishment. This famous program has become a New Year’s Eve tradition to many Japanese families. There is a strange enjoyment in watching a group of comedians attempt to remain straight faced in the face of the most ridiculous and shocking things. All the contestants laughed at Hamada’s ‘blackface’ stunt, as I’m sure many Japanese viewers watching from home did. What is the reason for dressing up like Axel Foley? Masatoshi didn’t make the point as a comedian.
A Nigerian American comedian, Ike Nwala became famous in Japan by impersonating the announcement at Tokyo Disney Sea on a sketch show on TV. He told VICE about his view on racism in Japan.
“I don’t think Japanese people are racist. I think they just don’t know.”
Ike said his appearance on the TV show is important for the future of the country.
“I think me being on the children’s show every day is huge. The children now who are going to be growing up to be adults, they already have the image of different people, you know.”
But, does the appearance of black people on TV help us bring inclusive society? Although Ike’s appearance on media sends a positive message, one gets the feeling that it might be just ticking the diversity box. He is right about Japanese people, we are oblivious to minorities.