From: mtachiba@rkna50.riken.go.jp (Masahiko Tachibana)
Subject: Re: Real Name Declaration (Was: How to survive in Japan)
Organization: Institute of Physical & Chemical Research (RIKEN) Saitama,Japan
Distribution: fj
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 03:54:33 GMT

In article <CLAUDE.92Sep10104436@tokyo.trc.mew.mei.co.jp> claude@trc.mew.mei.co.jp (Claude Huss) writes:
>
>I liked very much the news broadcasted yesterday night (NHK) about 
>a Korean-Japanese high-school girl who decided to make $BK\L>@k8@(B
>(Real name). It's very sad to know that Korean-Japanese and
>Taiwanese-Japanese have to hide their identities, their language,
>their culture to don't be bothered by the other japanese. I admire
>how that girl is going against all these things.

  Yes, I think it is one of the darkest aspect of Japan.  
  But even if they won't hide their real name, they have many disadvantages
to live in Japan though most of them are 3rd or 4th generation, which it
might be told in yesterday's TV.  For instance, they have to pay taxes
and have no rights for vote.  They are sometimes refused to enter into
big enterprises just because they are non-Japanese in the sense of the 
blood, which is the main reason that percentage of koreans in baseball 
players or entertainers are relatively high.  Some credit card company 
won't accept them as a user.  They have to face difficulties in borrowing 
money from the banks.  
  This is what I heard from a Zainiti $B:_F|(B "staying in Japan (since the 
parents' generation)" korean.

  Time to time I hear the news of $BK\L>@k8@(B on TV.  The fact this has news
value shows what has been unchanged in Japan from the time she invaded
Korea, China, and other Asian regions before WWII.

  Some narrow minded Japanese say 'If they want to have rights in Japan,
they might as well naturalize, or they better get away from here'.
This is also the attitude of the Government toward them.  But once you
wish to naturalize, change of name into Japanese way are STRONGLY 
RECOMMENDED.  If you won't, the offer will be possibly rejected.
So many Koreans refuse to naturalize because they won't lose their
identities.  
  The problem is not only for the name.  The korean who told me the
story said "The examination for the naturalization requires hundreds
of documents, which gives almost all your privacy to the government. 
It is nearly a harrasement". 

>I think it's time (how Mr. Rikitake said in his post) to break
>the illusion that Japan can be "homogenous" and "monolithic"
>forever. Much more than $B9q:]2=(B, Japan needs $B2ACM4Q$NJ#?t2=!JJQ$J(B
>$BF|K\8l$HJ,$+$C$F$$$k$1$l$I$b!#!#>P!K(B. 

  They say $B2ACM4Q$NB?MM2=(B, nearly the same as you write.  I would rather
say what is actually needed is $B?M$N?H$K$J$C$F9M$($k$3$H(B, to think as if 
it were for me, very simple principle we have been taught in the childhood,
though it has not been realised as far as $B:_F|(B issues is concerned.
  How do you think of it you have some duty (to pay tax) and no service
instead (no right to vote) in the country where you're born?

  $B=q$$$F$k$&$A$KJ"$,$?$C$F$-$^$7$?!#F|K\$N<+8JCf?4E*<e$$$b$N$$$8$aJJ$r(B
$B2?$H$+@5$5$J$1$l$P!"$H;W$$$^$9!#(B

>ciao,
>--
>+----------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
>| Claude Huss          | Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. Tokyo Research Labs.|
>| Networking Engineer  | Mita 5-13-2, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108, JAPAN            |
>|                      | Phone: +81-3-3452-4941 Fax: +81-3-3451-0793         |
>+----------------------+-----------------------------------------------------+
>|           Disclaimer: "Opinions are mine, not from my employer"            |
>+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
>There is something fascinating about science.  One gets such wholesale
>returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.
>		-- Mark Twain

--
$B5L(B  $B2mI'(B (Tachibana Masahiko)			mtachiba@rkna50.riken.go.jp
$BM}2=3X8&5f=jM-5!6bB02=3X8&5f<<(B			Tel. 048-462-1111 ext.3513
Inst.Phys.Chem.Res.,Lab.Organometal.Chem. 	Fax  048-462-4665