Japanese Immigrant Women Research Articles

Belonging beyond Borders: Japanese Brazilian Stories of Diasporic Return without a “Homecoming”

While some diasporic subjects may believe that they hold an “eternal” connection with their homeland, Arai Chisato and Tsuchida Machie question this presumption through their stories of postwar Japanese immigrant women in Brazil who return to Japan in the 1970s and find that it no longer feels like “home.” In this article, I bring Arai’s short story “Homecoming” (1974) and Tsuchida’s autobiographical memoir “I Cannot Sing the National Anthem” (2007) into conversation to critique the discursive processes that construct dominant national and diasporic identities through the exclusion of raced, classed, gendered, and sexualized “others.” I particularly consider how the notions of “home” and “family” used as models for community formation facilitate this exclusion, and I reconsider ways of belonging beyond national and diasporic borders.

"She Has the Japanese Style": Parenting by Japanese Immigrant Women in Korea from the Perspective of Their Children.

This study looks into the parenting beliefs and behavior of female Japanese immigrants, who have stayed in Korea for more than 20 years, and attempts to explore factors for their distinct parenting style compared to their Korean counterparts. In Korea and Japan, a mother’s parenting is seen as crucial, while paternal responsibility is considered minimal. There are few studies that look into parenting patterns of Japanese immigrant women in Korea, especially from the perspective of their children. The study is based on in-depth interviews and participant observation in 2014 with 21 young Japanese-Korean adults recruited through snowball sampling. In raising children, the priorities of mothers were not academic but instead focused on children’s autonomy, wholesome personality, religiosity, various life experiences, maintaining health, and non-intervention. The mothers’ own cultural background and strong Japanese identity, limited interaction with Korean mothers or exclusive interaction with Japanese mothers, the role of the father figure as only a breadwinner, and mothers’ strong devotion to church activities tend to influence their parenting. An exploration of the mechanisms behind the differences in their styles of parenting is important before judging their parenting to be improper or maladjusted. Understanding parenting styles of families from diverse backgrounds helps to understand what society will look like in the near future.

Qualitative Research Trend Analysis on Japanese Marriage Immigrant Women

This study aims to analyze the trends of qualitative research on Japanese marriage immigrant women, understand their experiences, and explore the fields to be considered in multicultural counseling. For this purpose, 26 qualitative research on Japanese marriage immigrant women were selected for analysis. As a result of the study, qualitative research targeting Japanese marriage immigrant women has been published since 2008. Academic fields were mainly researched in academic or educational areas relating to Japan. Qualitative research methods used in the literature to be analyzed consisted of six case studies and five phenomenologies. The subject of life culture was the most covered, with 15 research topics. Suggestions for these research results are as follows. First, research on Japanese marriage immigrant women needs to be expanded to encompass a broader range of subjects and targets. Second, it is necessary to develop and research a counseling program in the various fields. This study is expected to be meaningful in that it provides implications for future research directions and multicultural counseling on multiculturalism in Korean society.

"한국에 거주하는 일본인 결혼이주여성의 마이크로어그레션 경험에 관한 연구"

한국사회의 가시적이고 명백한 차별을 다룬 연구는 다수 이루어졌으나 일상속에서 일어나는 비가시적이고 미묘한 차별인 마이크로어그레션(microaggressions)에 관한 연구는 매우 드물다. 본 연구의 목적은 한국에 거주하는 일본출신 결혼 이주여성들이 경험하는 마이크로 어그레션을 탐구함으로써 일상속에서 일어나는 다문화가정에 대한 미묘한 차별의 현황을 파악하고 이해하는 데에 있다. 혼합연구 방법을 취하여, 먼저 소규모 심층 면담을 통해 일본인 결혼이주여성이라는 특정 집단이 경험하는 마이크로어그레션의 대표적인 사례 3가지 (“한국 사람이 다 되었네”, “한국과 일본이 축구 경기를 하면 어느 나라를 응원할 거예요?”, “독도는 어느 나라 땅이라고 생각합니까?”)를 추출하였다. 이를 기반으로 일본출신 결혼이 주여성 106명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시한 결과, 각 마이크로어그레션 사례에 대해 느끼는 감정은 각각 상이함을 알 수 있었다. 이는 응답자의 한국 거주기간, 발화자와의 친밀도 및 관계성, 국가정체성 인식이라는 세 가지 요소에 의해 영향을 받는 것으로 나타났다. 이 사례들은 마이크로인밸리데이션과 마이크로인설트로 규정할 수 있으며, 이러한 상황에서 응답자들은 상처를 받거나 곤혹스러움을 느끼고, 본심을 숨겨야 하는 딜레마 상황을 겪는 것으로 나타났다.

Silently Screaming in the Dark: Gender-Based Dynamics of Distress in Japanese Migrants

Prior literature has shown the female Japanese population experiences higher susceptibility to mental health disorders. The causal influences of help-seeking for distressed women were investigated through analysis of 24 interviews of Japanese immigrant women in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. The Clinical Ethnographic Narrative Interview (CENI) was utilized as the interviewing technique, investigating Japanese culture as a determinant of personal wellness. This study was a grounded theory examination of the interactions among gender, social context, cultural displacement, and a causal model for Japanese women’s distress experiences. The resulting theoretical model revealed the familial and social dynamics traditional to Japanese culture developed feelings of poor self-worth common amongst study participants. This negative perception of self was exacerbated by gendered challenges of expatriation and intense pressures within this region’s Japanese migrant community. These findings show the need for increased contact with at-risk populations to understand their causal models and help-seeking behaviors and expectations.

“Untold Stories of Issei Women: Collective Images and Individual Experiences in Japanese American Oral History”

Abstract This article examines the relationship between the Japanese American redress movement and the oral interviews of two Japanese immigrant women, known as Issei women. Focusing on the shared images of Issei women in the Japanese American community and the perspectives and self-representations of the interviewees in the oral interviews, it explores how cultural consensus produced stereotypical, collective images of Issei women as submissive, persevering, and quiet persons. As the redress movement progressed in the 1960s to the 1980s, the Japanese American community conducted oral history projects to preserve memories and legacies of their wartime experiences. There are dissimilarities between the original audio recordings and the published transcripts regarding the perspectives of Issei women. This article shows how the community’s desire to preserve idealized images of Issei men and women reduced the accuracy and nuances in the women’s self-representations and the complexities of family relations. Also, contrary to the collective images, Issei women demonstrated how they were independent, assertive, and open individuals expressing their perspectives, complicated emotions, and importance in the family.

일본 결혼이주여성들의 배우자 가족갈등에 관한 현상학적 연구

본 연구는 일본 결혼이주여성들이 배우자 가족들과 겪는 갈등을 현상학적 접근으로 살펴보는데 그 목적이 있다. 일본 결혼이주여성이 배우자 가족과 가족 문화 차이를 느꼈다는 체험의 결과가 아니라 그런 체험들이 어떤 사회적 맥락에서 상황에서 이루어졌는지를 파악하여 그 체험들의 본질에 직접적으로 다가서기 위해 현상학적 연구 방법으로 연구를 진행하였다. 이를 위해 수도권 지역에서 배우자 가족과 갈등을 빚고 있는 일본출신 결혼이주여성들 10명을 대상으로 23회의 인터뷰를 진행하였고 Colaizzi의 분석방법으로 다음과 같은 연구결과를 얻었다.BR 첫째, 선을 넘는 사람들은 시댁 식구들이 참여자들이 정한 유형, 무형의 선을 넘어 참여자의 사적인 영역으로 침범해 오는 데서 나타나는 갈등이다. 둘째, 눈치를 보지 않는 사람들은 시댁 식구들이 지나친 조언과 간섭으로 가족 전체의 질서를 깨트리거나 참여자가 정한 질서를 흔드는 경우이다. 셋째, 기가 너무 센 사람들은 시댁 식구들의 어투, 말소리의 크기 등 말의 형식적인 부분뿐만 아니라 직설적인 표현방법으로 인해 받는 스트레스와 야기되는 갈등이다. 넷째, 뭐든 지나치게 하는 사람들은 시댁에서의 명절이나 제사 때의 절차나 방법이 지나치게 어렵고 복잡한 데서 나오는 갈등과 모자간의 지나친 밀접함에 대한 갈등이다. 다섯째, 그때그때 다른 사람들은 정해진 매뉴얼대로 하고자 하는 참여자의 성향과 임기응변에 강한 한국 문화가 부딪히며 발생하는 갈등이다. 여섯째, 너희 나라가 한 일을 아느냐고 묻는 사람들은 한일관계의 불편한 역사적 사실과 현재까지도 이어지고 있는 양국 간의 첨예한 문제들로 인해 결혼이주여성들이 겪는 갈등이다.

Ethnography on the Adaptation Processes of Japanese Marriage Immigrant Women to Community in Rural Areas

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe cultural meanings for married Japanese immigrant women in rural Korean communities. Methods: The informants were 10 women in rural areas. Data were collected from August 2017 to June 2018 through in-depth interviews and participant observations and analyzed using text analysis and taxonomic methods developed by Spradley. Results: The meanings of adaptation were classified into five cultural domains: Practicing the doctrine, accepting the difference, redemption, true home, and confronting reality. The subthemes according to meanings of adaptation were comprised of international marriage with a sense of calling, bearing with sense of duty, and making a living substantively. The subthemes in this study reflect the process of adaptation. The cultural themes in the process of adaptation were overcoming differences and conflicts between Korea and Japan to achieve true family. Conclusion: The adaptation processes of married Japanese immigrant women included making their living reality known and recognizing the times when exchanges between Koreans and Japanese cannot exist within a hostile composition.

벨리나 하수 휴스턴의 극에서 혼종적 여성공간의 저항성

This essay examines the ways in which Japanese immigrant women are socially produced for “geographical” exclusion in racial, cultural, gender disparity and try to appropriate their hybridity as a strategy for a potential of freedom in Velina Hasu Houston’s plays, Asa Ga Gimashita (Morning Has Broken), Tea, and Kokoro (True Heart). During post-World War II, they are situated within an in-between space of hybridity in which there is a conflict between Japan’s pre-war patriarchal culture and the post-war democratic culture or American and Japanese culture in general. Ruled out through the politics of the “social tattooing” system, they are unable to break free from control by the dominant culture. However, Houston’s plays also place special emphasis on challenging the dominant discourse, in which the women are excluded on the basis of the physical and imaginary division of space. This essay argues that Japanese immigrant women recreate their own histories within Japanese and American history in order to pave the way for their discourse of female space. In this respect, Houston’s plays serve to produce the resistant potential of hybridity on the stage as a strategy for a new community by transforming a space of exclusion into a space of freedom.

“I Don’t Want to be a Burden”: Japanese Immigrant Acculturation and Their Attitudes Toward Non-Family-Based Elder Care

Elder care remains primarily in the family sphere in Japan while elderly Japanese immigrants in the U.S. are actively planning to utilize formal care services. Although social structural conditions may explain these differences, they do not fully explain “how” Japanese immigrants have developed norms of independent living as it relates to the utilization of formal care services. This study examines how Japanese immigrant women’s value acculturation leads to their cultural preference for non-family-based care using qualitative analyses of data gathered through participant observations and 31 in-depth interviews. Findings suggest that Japanese immigrant women tend to accept the U.S. norms of the independent parent–child relationship and see their children as “other” individuals rather than “inseparable” family members who are obligated to fulfill their filial duty. This value acculturation appears to manifest in their preference for independent living, friend-based support, and utilization of formal care services. Showing no expectation of the family care also serves as an important strategic means to ensure their middle-aged children’s freedom from filial care duty.

A Study of Multiculturalism in the Unification Church as Reported in the Press : Based on analysis of media from the last 10 years regarding Japanese immigrant women

The Unification Church, which has been performing marriage blessing ceremonies that have transcended religious, racial and national barriers since the 1960's, has produced many international couples. This study seeks to shed new light on Korean multiculturalism from the perspective of Japanese women who, after receiving a Unification marriage blessing, have been living in Korea for over 20 years. Japanese women who married into the Unification Church live as citizens who follow the Church's ideal vision of multiculturalism. This ideal has been reported positively by the media. The news reports done on these women, and the positive they image portrayed, show that the Unification Church's vision of multiculturalism, transcending national and religious barriers to live as world citizens through true love, is coming to fruition. Multiculturalism in Korean society has gone beyond the stage of abstract theory, and is now in a concrete and substantial stage that needs to be developed through research. Through the research gathered here, it is shown that at first, Japanese immigrant women worked hard to adapt to Korean society; but that as time went on, they worked hard to actively participate in and positively contribute to Korean society. This sort of multiculturalism goes beyond assimilation or tolerance; it shows that multiculturalism in Korea requires mutual communication with Korean society and immigrants in order to create peace.

Acculturation and Sleep among a Multiethnic Sample of Women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

Mexican immigrants to the United States report longer sleep duration and fewer sleep complaints than their US-born counterparts. To investigate whether this effect extends to other immigrant groups, we examined whether the prevalence of self-reported sleep complaints is higher among US-born Hispanic/Latina, Chinese, and Japanese immigrant women compared to their first-generation immigrant ethnic counterparts as well as to US-born whites. We examined whether these associations persisted after adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics and whether acculturation mediated the effects. Cross-sectional observational study. Multisite study in Oakland, CA; Los Angeles, CA; and Newark, NJ. Hispanic/Latina (n = 196), Chinese (n = 228), Japanese (n = 271) and non-Hispanic white (n = 485) women (mean age = 46 y, range 42-52 y) participating in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN); 410 or 59.0% of the nonwhites were first-generation immigrants. None. Questionnaires were used to assess sleep complaints, race/ethnicity, immigrant status, language acculturation (use of English language), and sociodemographic and health variables. Approximately 25% of first-generation immigrant women reported sleep complaints compared to 37% of those who were US-born nonwhites and 42% of US-born whites. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression analyses showed that US-born nonwhites had higher odds of reporting any sleep complaints (odds ratio = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5-3.0), compared to first-generation immigrants. Women with higher levels of language acculturation had greater odds of reporting any sleep complaint compared to those with less language acculturation. Adjustment for language acculturation mediated 40.4% (95% CI 28.5-69.8) of the association between immigrant status and any sleep complaint. When results were stratified by race/ethnicity, significant mediation effects of acculturation were only found for Hispanic/Latina and Japanese women, but not for Chinese women. US-born Hispanic/Latina, Chinese, and Japanese immigrants were more likely to report sleep complaints than their first-generation ethnic counterparts, a finding largely explained by language acculturation and unmeasured factors associated with language acculturation.

Listening to the Voices of "Other" Women in Japanese North America: Japanese Prostitutes and Barmaids in the American West, 1887-1920

JAPANESE IMMIGRANT WOMEN’S lives have been discussed primarily within the narrative of migration and settlement. Their conventional portrayal was that of mothers who supported their husbands on farms and in shops faithfully, caring for their children along with their daily chores, with some working outside the home, participating in a variety of social activities, and contributing to the welfare of the family and the development of the ethnic community. As Yuji Ichioka and other historians have shown, however, the transition from the migration to the settlement period was, in fact, fraught with conflicts between the immigrant elites and certain groups of women who deviated from community norms. Prostitutes constituted a significant part of the Japanese population in the early stage of migration, undermining Japanese consuls’ efforts to maintain Japan’s reputation as a “civilized” country. As Japanese brides increased in the 1910s, a considerable number of them came to dislike the husbands typically chosen by their parents and ran away with other men. Concerned about the deteriorating image of the Japanese in American society, Japanese leaders attempted to force these “deviant” women to conform to the idealized image of Issei women as “good wives and wise mothers” (ryōsai kenbo). The strength of these studies lies in the authors’ ability to illuminate the internal dynamics of the early Japanese immigrant community and the reform agendas that immigrant leaders had. We learn from these studies how Japanese leaders dealt with structural pressures imposed by the dominant society, how they struggled to earn the respect of white Americans, and why certain women’s behavior did not fit into the self-portrait that immigrant leaders painted for themselves and fellow countrymen. They do not tell us much, however, about deviant immigrant women themselves. Prostitutes, in particular, have been described as victims of male exploitation who had little control over their lives, and even Yuji Ichioka, who had sought to

Wrapping and Unwrapping Emotions: Clinical Practice with East Asian Immigrant Elders

Using the cultural norm of the way gifts are wrapped, unwrapped, and exchanged as a metaphor for interpersonal connections, this paper presents the way therapists can establish therapeutic relationships with East Asian clients who do not express emotions openly. We first discuss the ways in which emotions are conceptualized, experienced, and expressed in East Asian cultures. We then present vignettes of our work with older Chinese and Japanese immigrant women to illustrate the importance of therapist authenticity and co-construction of the therapeutic relationship. Using the framework of relational/cultural theory, which posits that healing takes place in the context of mutually empathic growth-fostering relationships, we illustrate the importance of establishing mutuality between therapist and client as a form of cultural empathy.

Relational experiences of partnered Japanese immigrant women with affect disorders

This paper reports the findings of a study that explored characteristics of relationships of Japanese immigrant women partnered both intraculturally and interculturally, and analysed the role of Japanese culture in these relationships. Immigration can cause shifts in interpersonal structures with partners. When there are large discrepancies in gender roles and communication styles between the original and host cultures, the psychological impact on both partners may be significant. However, currently no empirical data are available to support this assumption. Ten cases selected from the 68 medical records of Japanese-speaking women seen at a mental health clinic from September 2001 to September 2004 were analysed. All of the 10 women met DSM IV-TR criteria of major depressive disorder and were taking antidepressants. Half of the 10 women were in intimate intercultural partnered relationships and the remainder of the matched cases were in intracultural relationships at the time of treatment. The two cohorts were matched in age (36.2 and 43.2 years), length of stay in the United States of America (12 and 16.2 years), and length of treatment (1.2 and 1 years). The length of time of the sample in individual psychodynamic psychotherapy ranged from 20 to 317 hours, depending on the intensity of therapy. Inductive data analysis revealed two themes: (1) Lack of awareness of differences in culturally bound communication by Japanese women in intercultural partnerships; (2) Lack of individuality in Japanese women in intracultural partnerships. Neither group appeared to consider relational aspects of partnership, or to make efforts to improve direct communication with their partners. The influence of Japanese culture on gender role and communication styles functions contrary to the mainstream Western culture of the United States of America. In the future, interpersonal elements of cultural differences between host and original cultures in immigration should be considered in research related to immigrants' mental health. This approach should lead to effective interventions to facilitate mental health among immigrants, and regardless of purposes of immigration or length of stay in a psychosocially foreign environment.

The relationship between intimate partner violence and PTSD: an application of Cox regression with time-varying covariates.

This study uses Cox regression with time-varying covariates to examine the relationship between intimate partner violence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a random sample of Japanese American women and immigrant women from Japan (N = 211). Because applications of survival analysis in trauma research are scarce, this paper presents the utility of this analytical approach by contrasting it with other common methods of analysis (chi-square tests and Cox regression with covariates that do not change over time).

Posttraumatic stress symptoms and victimization among Japanese American women.

This study of Japanese American women and immigrant women from Japan investigated the relationship between posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and the perceived abusiveness of partners' emotional and physical violence, with a community-based randon sample. Women who experienced injuries and/or fear for their lives, in addition to partners' emotional and physical violence, had significantly higher PTS symptom counts than those with no lifetime experience of partners' violence. Victimization by nonintimates also increased PTS symptom counts. Satisfaction with social support significantly mitigated the negative effect of childhood abuse for reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms. Language: en

Posttraumatic stress symptoms and victimization among Japanese American women.

This study of Japanese American women and immigrant women from Japan investigated the relationship between posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and the perceived abusiveness of partners' emotional and physical violence, with a community-based randon sample. Women who experienced injuries and/or fear for their lives, in addition to partners' emotional and physical violence, had significantly higher PTS symptom counts than those with no lifetime experience of partners' violence. Victimization by nonintimates also increased PTS symptom counts. Satisfaction with social support significantly mitigated the negative effect of childhood abuse for reexperiencing and avoidance symptoms.

MAKABE, Tomoko, PICTURE BRIDES: Japanese Women in Canada

MAKABE, Tomoko, PICTURE BRIDES: Japanese Women in Canada. North York, Ontario: Multicultural History Society of Ontario, 1995, 180 pp., $24.95 softcover This is an English translation of a book first written in Japanese by a young Japanese woman, Tomoko Makabe. Her research into the life histories of five elderly issei (first generation) immigrant through interviews is a sentimental journey. She sees herself as someone who has followed in their footsteps by immigrating to Canada as a student, becoming one of the shinissei, or new first generation immigrants. Occasionally Japanese stereotypes of Japan persist in some of the general commentary, such as the proclaimed projection of Japanese homogeneity as an essentialized Japanese trait even among those in Canada. The wealth of this book is in the oral narratives of five Japanese immigrant women's lives. As women (born in the Meiji era, 1868-1911) they prove that Meiji did not always conform to the good wife, wise mother ideal. Despite Japanese notions that are totally devoted to the home, these are working women. They worked because they wanted to, and also out of necessity. In this small sample, there are two who divorce. Of those who stay married, one leaves her three children in Japan to free her for work. In another case the couple hide the wife's paid work from the husband's family. Clearly these were who did not necessarily stay tied to marriages, nor to total involvement in the domestic sphere, or with their children. Despite images that Japanese culture has always expected excessive maternal involvement, these examples reveal an alternate reality, encapsulated in the Japanese proverb, ova ga naku to mo, ko wa sodatsu (even though the parent is not there, the child grows up). These life histories reveal much about Japanese customs of the time, the persistence of these in issei communities in Canada, and shifts toward a sense of Japanese Canadian identity. Many picture brides were married in Japan to absent husbands through the Japanese practice of proxy marriage. The phenomenon ofAmerican village among immigrants is presented. This refers to communities initially seen as extensions of communities or regions in Japan. As the women's lives progress there is a gradual lessening of the constraints upon them as individuals expected in Japan. The talk of personal traits they believe result from their early socialization in Japan. …

The Impact of Social Support on Acculturative Stress among Japanese Immigrant Women in Canada

The Impact of Social Support on Acculturative Stress among Japanese Immigrant Women in Canada