Japanese Immigrants In Sarawak Before World War Two: Assimilation Through Inter-Ethnic Marriages

The arrival of Japanese immigrants, especially karayuki-san, traders, and farmers in Sarawak between the 1880s and1940s, has rarely been given sufficient attention by scholars. For the most part, not only did the Japanese immigrants successfully integrate into the economic eco-system, but they also assimilated with the locals through inter-marriages. Archival records, primarily obtained from the Sarawak State Archives, suggests that families of inter-ethnic marriages went through a life of hardship, especially when Japanese spouses or relatives were imprisoned in the internment camps soon after World War Two ended. For the most part, the research mainly focuses on Seiji Kuno or otherwise known as Mohamed Towpik Kuno, who married a local Malay woman and embraced Islam. The life of Kuno depicts the extent to which a Japanese immigrant became absorbed into the dominant culture of the mainstream Sarawak society. Kuno’s general attitude towards the local society, his service to the community in various capacities, his attitude towards political matters and finally, his religious inclination showcased the extent to which assimilation had taken place voluntarily. Apart from Kuno, the research also examines other personalities’ lives, like Sunao Miyaji, who was married to Lamah Binti Bakar, and Maria Osaichi and Oasa, who were Japanese immigrants married to Chinese Sarawakians. It is against this background that this research argues that marriages between Japanese immigrants and locals in Sarawak before World War Two was indeed a cause for further assimilation into the host culture between spouses, family members and the broader community. At the same time, the research posits that cemeteries involving Japanese immigrants should be promoted as tourist destinations as they reflect Sarawak’s rich multicultural heritage and history of assimilation with foreigners.

Imigran dan Warga Keturunan Jepang di Amerika Serikat: Sentimen-Sentimen Terhadapnya Dulu dan Kini

Abstrak Sejarah mencatat sentimen rasial yang tertuang dalam produk undang-undang Amerika Serikat seperti Chinese Exclusion Act 1882, pada masanya turut menyasar para imigran dan warga keturunan Jepang. Beragam tindakan kekerasan verbal maupun fisik dan diskriminasi dialami imigran Asia, dalam konteks ini Cina dan Jepang, ketika itu. Lebih lanjut, merebaknya Covid-19 dalam kurun dua tahun ini kembali memunculkan masalah sosial serupa bagi komunitas imigran dan warga keturunan Asia, termasuk Jepang. Isu berhembus memojokan para pendatang dan warga keturunan Asia sebagai tertuduh pembawa virus Covid-19. Dengan demikian, aksi-aksi rasis, diskriminatif, dan xenophobic terrekam pada dua konteks waktu yang berbeda. Dengan mengumpulkan data-data melalui metode studi pustaka dan kemudian mengolahnya, diketahui terdapat perbedaan dan kesamaan fenomena di tengah sentimen-sentimen yang menarget imigran maupun warga keturunan Jepang di Amerika. Perbedaan yang dimaksud merujuk pada aspek pemicu. Pada masa-masa awal kedatangannya, sentimen terhadap imigran Jepang di Amerika Serikat dipicu oleh masalah kesempatan kerja dan kecurigaan bernuansa politik. Sementara itu, pada kurun waktu pandemi Covid-19 sentimen anti-Asian dipicu oleh isu penyebaran virus Covid-19. Di sisi lain, terdapat kesamaan dalam munculnya sentimen-setimen anti-Asian dulu dan kini yaitu tersebarnya informasi palsu dan provokatif, merebaknya prasangka dan diskriminasi rasial, adanya peran tokoh publik dalam menyebarkan kebencian, dan adanya kebijakan hukum yang diambil oleh otoritas untuk merespon isu terkait. Kata Kunci: Amerika Serikat, Jepang, Imigran, Xenophobia, Covid-19 AbstractChinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which was one of the US Federal Laws restricting immigration, was meant to target Chinese immigrants at that time. Being among the Asian communities in the US, the Japanese immigrants were unsurprisingly affected. Racial discrimination and hatred began to arise as the implementation of the law was going on. Various acts of verbal and physical violence suffered by the Asian (Chinese and Japanese) immigrants at that time. Further, the outbreak of Covid-19 in the past two years has raised similar social problems for the immigrant communities and people of Asian descent including Japanese. The issue of cornering the immigrants and the residents of this descent as being accused of carrying the Covid-19 virus arises. Various acts of hatred begin to target the immigrants and citizens of Asian descent. Applying the library research method and processing the relevant data, there found differences and similarities amidst the sentiments targeting the immigrants and citizens of Japanese descent in America. The difference refers to the triggering aspect. In the early days of their arrival, the anti-Japanese immigrant sentiment in the United States was more motivated by the problems of job opportunity and political suspicions. Meanwhile, during the Covid-19 pandemic, anti-Asian sentiment was triggered by the issue of the spread of the Covid-19 virus. On the other hand, there are similarities to the emergence of anti-Asian sentiments today including the spread of false and provocative information, the spread of racial prejudice and discrimination, the role of public figures in spreading hatred, and the existence of legal policies taken by authorities to respond to the related issues. Keywords: the United States, Japanese, Immigrants, Xenophobia, Covid-19

Access to professions : the experience of Japanese immigrants in Canada

This paper investigates employment experiences faced by 8 Japanese immigrant professionals in the Greater Toronto Area, including 3 Japanese-educated professionals, 3 both Japanese and Canadian-educated professionals, and 2 exclusively Canadian-educated professionals. This study attempts to examine whether Japanese credentials are recognized in licensing and hiring processes, and whether Canadian education improves the employment experience among Japanese immigrant professionals. In the case of the Japanese immigrant professionals in this study, barriers to licensing they experienced differ from profession to profession. Despite licenses, participants also experienced barriers to employment in their professions even if they were Canadian-educated, Japanese professionals. Except in one case, it appears that obtaining Canadian degrees in their professions facilitated practicing their professions in the mainstream labour market. Most of the participants were also benefited by some form of Canadian education in addition to their professional knowledge.

Access to professions : the experience of Japanese immigrants in Canada

This paper investigates employment experiences faced by 8 Japanese immigrant professionals in the Greater Toronto Area, including 3 Japanese-educated professionals, 3 both Japanese and Canadian-educated professionals, and 2 exclusively Canadian-educated professionals. This study attempts to examine whether Japanese credentials are recognized in licensing and hiring processes, and whether Canadian education improves the employment experience among Japanese immigrant professionals. In the case of the Japanese immigrant professionals in this study, barriers to licensing they experienced differ from profession to profession. Despite licenses, participants also experienced barriers to employment in their professions even if they were Canadian-educated, Japanese professionals. Except in one case, it appears that obtaining Canadian degrees in their professions facilitated practicing their professions in the mainstream labour market. Most of the participants were also benefited by some form of Canadian education in addition to their professional knowledge.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 infection among Japanese immigrants and their descendants living in Southeast Brazil: A call for preventive and control responses

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has worldwide distribution and is considered endemic in southwestern Japan. HTLV-1 infection has been associated with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) besides other diseases. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence, risk factors and molecular characterization of HTLV-1, among the world’s largest population of Japanese immigrants and their descendants outside of Japan, in São Paulo, Southeast Brazil, as well as to analyze the phylogenetic relationship among isolates of HTLV-1. From July to December 2017, 2,139 individuals from five Japanese associations were interviewed and submitted to blood collection. All serum samples were first tested for the presence of anti-HTLV-1/2 antibodies by ELISA and then peripheral blood from individuals with positive serological results were analyzed for the presence of HTLV-1 5’LTR proviral DNA. Partial sequencing of the 5’LTR region of HTLV-1 proviral DNA was performed by Sanger. The prevalence of HTLV-1 infection was 5.1% (CI 95%: 4.2–6.0). In the multiple logistic regression model, HTLV-1 infection was associated with age ≥ 45 years, female sex, being first and second-generation Japanese immigrants, and having sexual partners with history of blood transfusion. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that all HTLV-1 were classified as Cosmopolitan (1a) subtype. Of them, 47.8% were classified as Transcontinental (A) subgroup and 52.2% as belonging to the Japanese (B) subgroup. Although most HTLV-1-infected patients were asymptomatic (97.3%), blurred vision was associated with HTLV-1 infection. The high prevalence of HTLV-1 infection found in this studied population and especially the intra- and interfamily HTLV-1 transmission presents an urgent call for preventive and control responses of this infection in Brazil.

The picture bride phenomenon: A reflection on photography from a cultural perspective in Yoshiko Uchida’s Picture Bride

Literature and photography have always encouraged critics to explore interactions between text and image. Within the scope of culture, they also show significant potential in terms of their scholarly application, since the photograph becomes a practical tool for studying literary works within the cultural matrix. The paper aims to use this means of visualisation in order to examine the picture bride phenomenon illustrated in Yoshiko Uchida’s novel Picture Bride (1987), which reveals that behind the veil of apparently prosperous and lifelong marriages, there is a harsh matchmaking system which—solely on the basis of personal networking and Japanese marriage intermediaries—allows for shipping prospective wives from Japan to Japanese immigrants who settled in the United States a few decades earlier. Thus, the photograph constitutes a tool of analysis, which doubles as a tangible means of representation and a factual visualisation of metacognitive imagery.

Japanese Immigrants’ Pantry

This article explores the role of cookbooks in supporting the creation of new eating habits and identities during the Japanese immigration to Brazil. When Japanese immigrants first arrived in Brazil in 1908, the local food represented a major barrier to their acclimation in the new country. Unknown ingredients and disgust for popular seasonings like pork fat and garlic prevented Japanese immigrants from preparing familiar meals and caused drastic changes to their diets. After nearly three decades improvising meals, Japanese immigrants started to better incorporate Brazilian ingredients into their eating habits when an alliance between the Brazilian and the American governments in 1937, and Japan’s defeat in World War II pressured them to adopt Brazil as their new home country. As Japanese immigrants internalized a new mindset focused on making Brazil their permanent home, cookbooks written by immigrants not only taught them how to use Brazilian ingredients, but also reflected immigrants’ improvements in building a higher-quality lifestyle. This article analyzes cookbooks written by Japanese immigrants in tandem with private diaries and recipes to examine the complex process of creating new eating habits as well as new Brazilian Nikkei identities.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 infection among Japanese immigrants and their descendants living in Southeast Brazil: a call for preventive and control responses

Introduction: Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has worldwide distribution and is considered endemic in southwestern Japan. HTLV-1 infection has been associated with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) besides other diseases. Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and molecular characterization of HTLV-1, among the world´s largest population of Japanese immigrants and their descendants outside Japan, in São Paulo, Southeast Brazil, as well as to analyze the phylogenetic relationship among isolates of HTLV-1. Methods: From July to December 2017, 2,139 individuals from five Japanese associations were interviewed and submitted to blood collection. All serum samples were first tested for the presence of anti-HTLV-1/2 antibodies by ELISA and then peripheral blood from individuals with positive serological results were analyzed for the presence of HTLV-1 5ʹLTR proviral DNA. Partial sequencing of the 5ʹLTR region of HTLV-1 proviral DNA was performed by Sanger. Results: The prevalence of HTLV-1 infection was 5.1% (95% CI 4.2-6.0). In the multiple logistic regression model, HTLV-1 infection was associated with age 45 years, female sex, first- and second-generation Japanese immigrants, and having sexual partners with a history of blood transfusion. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that all HTLV-1 were classified as Cosmopolitan (1a) subtype. Of them, 47.8% were classified as Transcontinental (A) subgroup and 52.2% as belonging to the Japanese (B) subgroup. Although most HTLV-1-infected patients were asymptomatic (97.3%), the blurred vision was associated with HTLV-1 infection. Conclusion: The high prevalence of HTLV-1 infection found in this study population and especially the intrafamily and interfamily HTLV-1 transmission presents an urgent need for preventive and control responses of this infection in Brazil.

Naniwa-bushi in Hawai‘i: The Rise and Fall of a Japanese Narrative Art in Diaspora

Abstract浪花節は19世紀末から20世紀半ばに大衆的な人気を誇った日本の音楽的な語りのジャンルである。日本人労働移民によってハワイにもたらされ、後には日本の浪曲師がハワイ巡業を行うようになり、ハワイの日系社会でも人気を確立した。本論はハワイにおける浪花節の盛衰をたどり、移植された音楽ジャンルが日本と日系ディアスポラの文化的架け橋として機能し、いかにハワイ日系人のアイデンティティの支えとなっていたか、また国境を超えた人々と文化の往来を促していたかを明らかにする。また戦争という不可抗力によって、いかに音楽文化の運命が翻弄されうるかを描き出す。Naniwa-bushi is a genre of Japanese musical storytelling which enjoyed its greatest popularity from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Brought to Hawai‘i by Japanese immigrants and later by itinerant Japanese performers, it soon found popularity in the diaspora community. This paper traces the rise and fall of naniwa-bushi in Hawai‘i and demonstrates how a transplanted musical genre functioned as a cultural bridge between Japan and its diaspora, helping immigrants sustain their identity and motivating trans-border flows of performers and culture. It also highlights the powerful impact of war that changed the destiny of a musical culture.