Government statistics suggest multiculturalism is on the rise, but social organizations for mixed-race Japanese say 'hafus' still face challenges
By Tracy Slater 1 December, 2010
Japan, which closed its borders from 1639 to 1854 and later colonized its neighbors, has an uneasy history with foreigners, national identity, and multiculturalism.
Yet government statistics and grassroots organizations say multiculturalism in the famously insular country is now on the rise.
Teamwork at the Mixed Roots Expression Workshop at Takatori Community Centre in Kaiun-cho, Nagata-ku.
Japan: The new melting pot?
Japan's national government recently announced it is turning to travelers in a foreigner-friendly mission to boost diversity -- at least in tourist spots -- by paying them to provide feedback on how to increase accessibility for non-Japanese speakers.
David Askew, associate professor of law at Kyoto?fs Ritsumeikan University, identifies more profound changes.
In 1965, a mere 1 in 250 of all marriages in Japan were international, he notes. By 2004, the number had climbed to 1 in 15 across the nation and 1 in 10 in Tokyo.
According to Tokyo's Metropolitan Government, by 2005, foreign residents in the city numbered 248,363, up from 159,073 in 1990.
Read more: Will there ever be a rainbow Japan? | CNNGo.com