Third Culture Kids (Japanese Definition)
今までに分かっていること：
日本では｢サードカルチャーキッズ」（第３文化の子供）という言葉はまだあまり一般化されていません。外国で育った日本人の子供で日本に帰国した子供は一般的には「帰国子女」と呼ばれています。これは即ち、単に「外国から帰ってきた子供」を意味する用語であり、「サードカルチャーキッズ」という用語に含まれているニュアンスがありません。
日本国においての帰国子女の認識は米国よりも高く、既に1966年ぐらいには帰国子女に向けて学校教育をどうにかしなければならないという政府関係の文献が見られます。
しかしながら、帰国子女に対する世間の認識は必ずしも好ましいものではなく、1970年代にはマスコミや両親にまで、救助しなければならない「教育孤児」というふうにいわれたこともあります。また、日本人らしくなるために教育しなおさなければならない異分子として見られてきました。
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In Japan, the use of the term “third culture kids” to refer to children returned from living overseas is not universally accepted; they are typically referred to both in Japanese and in English as kikokushijo, literally “returnee children”, a term which has different implications. Public awareness of kikokushijo is much more widespread in Japan than awareness of TCKs in the United States, and government reports as early as 1966 recognised the need for the school system to adapt to them. However, views of kikokushijo have not always been positive; in the 1970s, especially, they were characterised in media reports and even by their own parents as “educational orphans” in need of “rescue” to reduce their foreignness and successfully reintegrate them into Japanese society.
(Credit: Miyon and Ayako. Thanks guys!)
Brice
Hello, I'm Brice, the founder of TCKID.com. I'm a French, Vietnamese and Ethiopian TCK and I live in Vancouver, Canada. A while back I discovered I was a third culture kid and wanted to help TCKs find a sense of belonging. You can too. Get involved and start making a difference. || Donate. || Volunteer ||Related Posts
6 Comments to “Third Culture Kids (Japanese Definition)”
September 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Thanks for this Brice. I was trying to explain the concept to my supervisor, and best friend, when we were talking about my ‘going home’ (her words). I’m grabbing a copy of this to show her.
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October 29th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Pardon my French, but they’re full of S***. Again, this is not about TCKs, it’s about the education system. Why doesn’t anyone hear me?
Japan is notorious for finding the outsider, and making them commit seppuku/hara-kiri/harakiri.
What makes you think they would even TRY to understand TCKs?
And don’t even get me started on how the government uses school to keep people unemployed.
I find everyone my age “going to college”, but for WHAT!!?? A job!!?? Noooo… can’t get a job. Hell, the US is actually firing the bread-winners of native families because they are none!!!!!
So? So…. that kid that just spent their entire life getting an “education”, gets what? Years of dept and a piece of paper that says they’re more employable than the other millions of people who just did the same thing!!!?
Absurd.
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November 27th, 2008 at 7:45 am
I must say, that’s a pretty terrible view to present of Japan. It also seems pretty uninformed. I felt much more an outsider in the USA, and knew a lot more people who felt like outsiders there than I did in Japan. It depends on your experience I suppose, but definitely it’s inaccurate to say that Japan is notorious for finding the outsider and making them commit suicide. It’s just not true.
Anyway… 日本にずっと住んでた日本人が帰国子女に会うと動物園にいる動物を見てる様な顔で見るよね。やっぱりどうやって考えればいいのかも分からないんだと思う。でもそういうリアクションってどこでも同じなんじゃないのかな？アメリカでも、韓国でも、自分と同じだと思ってた人が全く違うと思うとみんなビビっちゃうでしょ。
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November 27th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I can see where both Os and besu-chan’s points come from. It is true that Japan is known in other countries for “ijime” or bullying, which is said to be the cause of suicide among teenagers. But then the view of Japan may vary, like besu-chan who has attended schools in Japan may have different views from those who have attended other schools in Japan.
I do have to agree with Os on that there are problems with the education system in Japan. Young mothers educate their children from very young age in order to place them into elite schools (ex. starting from kindergarten) that require entrance exams. There was a headline many years ago of a mother who killed the son of the neighbor because he got into the elite school while her own son did not. This may be an extreme case so we cannot argue and say that this is a general issue in Japan. But this incident sprung many concerns among the Japanese population to reconsider the education system.
Also, the path to enter college in Japan (likewise in China and Korea) requires intensive studies and although Japan and Korea are known internationally for high scores on math and science, the satisfaction rate of their work (in science field, for instance) is relatively low in comparison to other countries with high scores. This clearly shows that the education system needs to be reevaluated.
besu-chan, like you wrote above I think it is not solely the problem of repatriation in Japan. You mentioned Korea and the U.S. and I do think that people react to the repatriated TCKs in a way that is not accepting because they act differently (challenging the views that the TCKs would be just like them).
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December 1st, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Toyota Motor has established a school in Toyota City just for repatriating children of employees returning from overseas stints. Considering Nanzan Kokusai Junior/Senior High School is run by two very conservative entities (Toyota and Nanzan), I can’t imagine it leaves much room for anything but fast-tracking the kids back into the 受験地獄 (examination hell) culture.
http://www.nanzan-kokusai.ed.jp/
At the nearby Nagoya International School where I attended in the ’60s and ’70s a certain percentage of Japanese students were enrolled by their well-to-do parents because they couldn’t hack it in the domestic school system. Attending an American college preparatory international school was a way to save face. Few seemed to realize until later how much more difficult colleges in the US are to graduate from than Japanese institutions.
Are there any studies out there comparing repatriation programs like Nanzan Kokusai with more progressive, TCK-friendly schools like Nishimachi International School, especially how the kids coming out turn out? That could be quite informative in determining how to reform domestic Japanese education.
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December 2nd, 2008 at 2:56 am
“Few seemed to realize until later how much more difficult colleges in the US are to graduate from than Japanese institutions.”
This isn’t a problem of any education system but an issue that people who try to ‘buy’ degrees have. No pity there from me.
As it is in Japan - unless you’re ‘fast tracked’ into examination hell you are going to go through hell trying to even get into a respectable company - so they can’t just change the schooling, unless the hiring process changes first.
Putting more emphasis on interviews and presentation skill instead of ‘academic examinations’ would be a step forward.
Everyone uses computers these days. Is there really a need for ‘hand written’ company examinations which don’t give a practical indication of how competent a person will be in the office?
That said I know my rantings won’t change a thing.
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