Read Online The Toyotomi Blades by Dale Furutani - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Dale Furutani
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the more you learn, the easier it seems. Everyone gets English training in the Japanese school system, although English teachers are usually terrible. We learn to read and write it very well, but spoken language skills are incredibly poor. Many of our English teachers just don’t know how to speak it properly.”
“Japanese is a hard language. I’ve thought of trying to learn it, but it seems too difficult.”
“Japanese is hard, but its main problem is that it has little utility outside of Japan. English, Spanish, or French are used in many countries, so they’re much more useful than Japanese. Actually, English is incredibly hard to learn well because you have a huge vocabulary and similar words are pronounced differently. Also, you have sounds in English that we seldom use in Japanese. Spanish is popular here because its sounds are closer to Japanese and a lot easier for us to pronounce.”
“Then you’d get along in L.A. Spanish is the second language.”
“Since we’re working on a piece about the murder of a Japanese in L.A., I’m not sure I’m anxious to visit it. L.A. has a terrible reputation for safety here in Japan.”
“Well, with subway gassings and other violence Tokyo is losing its reputation for safety, too.”
Junko sighed. “Yes, I guess you’re right. Maybe there aren’t any places for safety left in this world.”
“There are, but they’re not to be found in big cities. Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“When you were talking about Japanese learning English you said ‘we,’ but you made a point of telling me you were Korean when we met. Do you consider yourself Japanese?”
“That’s hard to know. Sometimes it seems like Japanese society makes a point of emphasizing I’m Korean. Koreans are often discriminated against, and it’s hard to find a good job because Koreans are often relegated to hard and dirty work. I’m an exception, but I’ve had to work twice as hard as any Japanese to make the same progress. Koreans have the reputation of being connected with Japanese organized crime and caught up in gambling, prostitution, and extortion, and some employers just won’t hire us.”
“Are Koreans involved in crime?”
Junko turned red. “Koreans are involved in greater numbers than our share of the population. Part of that is because many legitimate avenues for advancement are closed to us. But a lot of Japanese are involved in crime and Koreans seem to be treated more harshly when they’re caught.”
“That’s exactly the view of some minorities in the States. Why don’t you try to take political action or something to change things? Shake things up a bit?”
“Because in Japan, harmony is valued above all. We have radical groups on the right and on the left, but generally speaking most people are very conservative and don’t want to shake things up, as you put it. There’s also a practical reason. Japanese politics requires huge amounts of money.”
“It does in the U.S., too. But instead of seeking harmony we’re becoming increasingly factionalized. That doesn’t make it pleasant for Asians or other minority groups who can’t get a block vote together.”
“But in the U.S., your government has still made periodic efforts to correct some inequities. In Japan, the government won’t even acknowledge problems. Japan occupied Korea as a colonial power for about thirty-five years after World War I. That’s why my grandfather was brought here as a virtual slave laborer. In Korea, the Korean language was forbidden and the population was oppressed. Korean women were forced to become comfort women, which is a Japanese euphemism for prostitutes. The Japanese government has just acknowledged that practice, but they’ve never compensated the women. They said a private fund, not the government, should do that. They spent $600 million to promote the fund and collected only about half that much in donations. It was a complete farce. The history I was
“Japanese is a hard language. I’ve thought of trying to learn it, but it seems too difficult.”
“Japanese is hard, but its main problem is that it has little utility outside of Japan. English, Spanish, or French are used in many countries, so they’re much more useful than Japanese. Actually, English is incredibly hard to learn well because you have a huge vocabulary and similar words are pronounced differently. Also, you have sounds in English that we seldom use in Japanese. Spanish is popular here because its sounds are closer to Japanese and a lot easier for us to pronounce.”
“Then you’d get along in L.A. Spanish is the second language.”
“Since we’re working on a piece about the murder of a Japanese in L.A., I’m not sure I’m anxious to visit it. L.A. has a terrible reputation for safety here in Japan.”
“Well, with subway gassings and other violence Tokyo is losing its reputation for safety, too.”
Junko sighed. “Yes, I guess you’re right. Maybe there aren’t any places for safety left in this world.”
“There are, but they’re not to be found in big cities. Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“When you were talking about Japanese learning English you said ‘we,’ but you made a point of telling me you were Korean when we met. Do you consider yourself Japanese?”
“That’s hard to know. Sometimes it seems like Japanese society makes a point of emphasizing I’m Korean. Koreans are often discriminated against, and it’s hard to find a good job because Koreans are often relegated to hard and dirty work. I’m an exception, but I’ve had to work twice as hard as any Japanese to make the same progress. Koreans have the reputation of being connected with Japanese organized crime and caught up in gambling, prostitution, and extortion, and some employers just won’t hire us.”
“Are Koreans involved in crime?”
Junko turned red. “Koreans are involved in greater numbers than our share of the population. Part of that is because many legitimate avenues for advancement are closed to us. But a lot of Japanese are involved in crime and Koreans seem to be treated more harshly when they’re caught.”
“That’s exactly the view of some minorities in the States. Why don’t you try to take political action or something to change things? Shake things up a bit?”
“Because in Japan, harmony is valued above all. We have radical groups on the right and on the left, but generally speaking most people are very conservative and don’t want to shake things up, as you put it. There’s also a practical reason. Japanese politics requires huge amounts of money.”
“It does in the U.S., too. But instead of seeking harmony we’re becoming increasingly factionalized. That doesn’t make it pleasant for Asians or other minority groups who can’t get a block vote together.”
“But in the U.S., your government has still made periodic efforts to correct some inequities. In Japan, the government won’t even acknowledge problems. Japan occupied Korea as a colonial power for about thirty-five years after World War I. That’s why my grandfather was brought here as a virtual slave laborer. In Korea, the Korean language was forbidden and the population was oppressed. Korean women were forced to become comfort women, which is a Japanese euphemism for prostitutes. The Japanese government has just acknowledged that practice, but they’ve never compensated the women. They said a private fund, not the government, should do that. They spent $600 million to promote the fund and collected only about half that much in donations. It was a complete farce. The history I was
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