映画『ハーフ』予告編 Hafu: the mixed-race experience in Japan [Official Trailer] See also the website for Hafu - the film.
Being Half Japanese in Japan An interview with three 'hafu' young people about their experinces and the attitudes of other people to them. Asian Boss, 19 Feb 2020.
Doubles: Japan and America's intercultural children This is clip from a film about the lives of the intercultural children of Japanese and Americans from inside America as well as inside Japan. Global Film Network.
Japan’s Hafu: Why does being mixed race feel so foreign? An discussion with three 'hafu' people about their experiences and attitudes to identity and difference in Japan. Aljazeera, 29 Sep 2020.
Japan's hafu stars are celebrated. But some mixed-race people say they feel like foreigners in their own country This article looks various issues relating to hafu or bicultural people in Japan including different names for them. It includes the stories of several people of mixed ethnicity living in Japan. CNN, 23 Sep 2020.
FEATURE: Mixed-race Okinawans begin to find voice amid tensions over U.S. bases This article tells the stories of several people born in Okinawa who have one Japanese and one American parent, and reports on the AmerAsian School in Ginowan, Okinawa created specially for such mixed race children. Kyodo News, 2022. More on AmerAsian people in the section on AmerAsians below.
Coming to grips with a multicultural Japan This article looks at the bullying and discrimination that children of mixed ethnicity or 'hafu' face in and explains the story of Lawrence Shimotaka Shimoji who started the website, Hafu Talk. NHK World, 14 June 2019
「日本人」とは何か？「ハーフ」たちの目に映る日本社会と人種差別の実際 – 4 long stories about being “Hafu” in Japan. 『ニッポン複雑紀行』27 Jun 2018.
Learning from the Experience of Mixed-Race Japanese In this article, Shimoji Lawrence Yoshitaka explains the story of his own mother who was born in Okinawa to a Japanese mother and an American father and also presents the experiences of discrimination and prejudice of 'hafu' living in Japan today . nippon.com, 2018. Japanese version here: 「ハーフ」「日本人」を考える（下）：日常生活の証言から見えてくること
Boy honors dad's roots with cornrow hairstyle, gets segregated at graduation in Japan This article explains the experience of a high school student whose dad is African American and mother Japanese who wore his hair in cornrows for his graduation ceremony to celebrate the African-American part of identity and was not allowed to join the ceremony with other students. It also explains recent criticism of school rules on appearance in Japan. Mainichi Shimbun, 2023.
Book is behind bullying of mixed-race children A letter by a Canadian of African descent about discrimination faced by his children who have a Japanese mother. Japan Times / Live Journal, April 10, 2012.
What’s in a Name? Mixed Race and Identity in Japan The number of Japanese citizens with mixed roots is rising. This article focuses on the wide variety of names for people in this group and the social background surrounding them since World War II. nippon.com, 2018. Japanese version here: 「ハーフ」「日本人」を考える（上）：結局、何と呼べばいいの？
Half-Japanese portrait collection on identity finally released This article reports on Japanese-Belgian photographer Tetsuro Miyazaki's ongoing project "Hafu2Hafu," which documents the portraits and thoughts on identity of Japanese mixed-race individuals, and challenges stereotypes about being hafu. Kyodo News, 2019.
Naomi Osaka
Articles in the media about Naomi Osaka collected on the Mixed race Studies website.
Naomi Osaka reflects on challenges of being black and Japanese Naomi Osaka has spoken about her experiences of being black and Japanese. The two-time grand slam champion was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father. The family moved to the US when she was a child, but she says she noticed she stood out when she was in Japan, the country she competes for. Guardian, 215 Aug 2020.
Naomi Osaka And The Expectations Put Upon Biracial Japanese This article also includes a lot of videos about the experiences of hafu or bi-racial people in Japan. Kotaku, 29 Jan 2019.
Renho
Renho elected leader of main opposition Democratic Party The Democratic Party made history Thursday, electing Renho as the first female leader of the main opposition force. Renho is also a radical choice in Japan for the fact that she is of partly non-Japanese origin, with a Taiwanese father and Japanese mother. Japan Times, 15 Sep 2016.
Japan's opposition chooses female, half-Taiwanese leader Renho When Renho was elected the first female leader for Japan's main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday, she also broke another glass ceiling. She is the first person of mixed descent to hold the position. BBC News, 15 Sep 2016.
Yu Darvish
Japan's Not So Pure Anymore: Country's biggest star is mixed-race Japan’s image of itself as a racially homogenous nation has been set back by a mixed-race schoolboy of Japanese and Iranian parentage, who has become the country’s biggest star. Yu Darvish, 18, dominated the news....when he was signed by the Nippon Ham professional baseball team. Intermix.
Miss Japan won by half Indian Priyanka Yoshikawa A half-Indian woman has been crowned Miss World Japan, the second year in a row a biracial person has won a beauty pageant in the country. BBC News, 8 Sep 2016.
Japanese-Indian crowned Miss Japan, drawing mixed reaction Social media lit up Tuesday with the news of a half-Indian woman being crowned a beauty queen in Tokyo, with many congratulating her and marveling at how far Japan has come in embracing racial diversity. Japan Times, 5 Sep 2016.
Ariana Miyamoto
Multiracial Miss Universe Japan hopes to change homeland’s thinking on identity Ariana Miyamoto hadn’t planned to enter a Japanese beauty contest because she figured her multiracial origins meant she couldn’t win. Then a close multiracial friend committed suicide. Japan Times, 3 Apr 2015.
The beauty contest winner making Japan look at itself An article looking at the issues raised by Arianna Miyamoto's victory as the first multiracial Miss Universe Japan. BBC News, 4 Jun 2015.
Being Black in Japan: Biracial Japanese talk about discrimination and identity Four people with mixed Japanese and black roots talk about their experiences of growing up and living in Japan. The four people are: Raimu Kaminashi, 23, IT professional and model; Ayaka Brandy, 24, artist; Jun Soejima, 36, actor and television personality; and Aisha Harumi Tochigi, 24, Miss Universe Japan 2020. Washington Post, 24 Dec 2020.
Biracial Beauty Queen Challenges Japan’s Self-Image This article looks at discrimination against black people and people of black and Japanese mixed background, following the victory of Ariana Miyamoto, a women of African-American and Japanese mixed descent, in the Miss Japan contest in 2015. New York Times, 29 May 2015.
FEATURE: Mixed-race Okinawans begin to find voice amid tensions over U.S. bases This article tells the stories of several people born in Okinawa who have one Japanese and one American parent, and reports on the AmerAsian School in Ginowan, Okinawa created specially for such mixed race children. Kyodo News, 2022.
Identities divided (Pt. 1): Amerasians recall discrimination, pain growing up in Okinawa Stories of people with one Japanese and one American parent growing up in Okinawa. Mainichi Shimbun, 2022.
Identities divided (Pt. 2): Okinawan Amerasians fight racism, embrace their Black roots More stories of Okinawan with mixed roots, focusing on those with an African-American parent. Mainichi Shimbun, 2022.
Identities divided (Pt. 3): Amerasian school in Okinawa encourages kids to embrace roots The story of this school created to support children with mixed Japanese and American roots in Okinawa and of some of the children who attend it. Mainichi Shimbun, 2022.
A Hard Life for Amerasian Children New York Times, 23 July 2000.
AmerAsian School marks 15th anniversary Okinawa’s only school offering an English and Japanese education for AmerAsian children is celebrating its 15th year of service to the community this year. Japan Update, 17 Nov 2013.
Center For Japanese-Filipino families "CJFF is an ecumenical service center in Japan which provide support to the members of Japanese-Filipino families. It does so through community formation, family life enhancement and counseling, education and training on legal rights, exposition of creative skills and arts, development of data base, information dissemination for advocacy, and developing network and linkages for the advancement of rights and welfare of Japanese-Filipino families."
Citizen’s Network for Japanese Filipino Children We are a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Tokyo. We support Japanese-Filipino Children (JFC) who are born to Filipino mothers and Japanese fathers.
OM conducts project for Japanese Filipino children The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced that it is undertaking a two-year project to improve multi-agency cooperation and raise awareness on issues faced by an estimated 200,000 Japanese Filipino children (JFC) in Japan and in the Philippines. abs-cbn NEWS, 03/26/2009.
Most Jap-Fils prefer dad's 'love' over citizenship Most Japanese-Filipino children (JFC) would rather meet their fathers in person and be recognized as their children than be granted Japanese citizenship. This article also gives some background on Filipino women who went to work in Japan, mainly in the 'entertainment industry' and on the identity crisis faced by Japanese-Filipino children. GMANews.TV, 08/21/2008.