Navigating boundaries of Japaneseness: identity options and constraints for ‘invisible’ multiethnic individuals in Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines how multiethnic individuals in Japan navigate both racial and ethno-national boundaries between Japanese and non-Japanese, and how these boundaries shape or constrain their identity option as Japanese. While previous research primarily focused on the (in)visibility of mixedness (race) as constraints, this study emphasises the role of ethnicity and nation in shaping their identity choices and constraints. Through interviews with 17 individuals born to Japanese and non-Japanese Asian parents, the study reveals that ethno-national boundaries often limit their self-identification as Japanese, even though their non-Japanese backgrounds are not visibly apparent. It challenges the dominant narrative surrounding ‘hāfu’, which emphasises a desire to be fully seen as Japanese, by revealing that some multiethnic individuals in Japan do not aspire to be perceived as entirely Japanese. Despite the contrasting nature of these two identifications, they both stem from the same issue ― the narrow conceptualisation of Japaneseness.