Multiracial Identity in Japan: Views from Within and Outside of Japan

This thesis presents a history of foreigners in Japan and an analysis of how the government and the media treat multiracial individuals in Japan today. I use the history to show how Japan got to where it is today and the legislature and media for the question of where will it may go from here. I mainly focus on the history of interracial marriage in both America and Japan as well as the bureaucratic steps the government took to prevent it. This section also touches on Japan’s history with other races, status of multiracial individuals, and public opinion leading up to the present. With a present day analysis as well, I show the current mindset towards multiracial identity from multiracial people and Japanese society. I also highlight how Japan approaches the issue of identity in modern society. I use biographies of the Miss Japan winners and Naomi Osaka to allow people to relate to the issue as well as showcase the different experiences people have had. To highlight the public views, I pull from comments made by viewers as well as the public reactions to the celebrities ’success reported by the celebrity. The goal of this thesis is to analyze how Japan deals with multiracial culture and identity as well explore how multiracial people growing up in Japan see themselves in Japanese society, how they are seen by society, and how the term hafu influences their identity.