14 year old wins US Figure skating title

[canman]

[floatr][/floatr]Now why are you wondering am I typing about some pint sized figure skater winning the US Figure skating championship. Well she just happens to be of Japanese ancestry, her name is Mirai Nagusa. And of course the Japanese TV shows will be all over this. She is one of us, we are world champions. etc. Just wait and see. Her Wikipedia page says she has dual citizenship, with the US and Japan, and she was being courted to skate for Japan. Interesting. Her parents were born and raised in Japan, she is a first generation American.

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/figureskating/news/story?id=3216559

[AssKissinger]

The irony is that she'll always be treated as an American in America and will never be treated as a nama-nihonjin in Japan.

Does anyone know if she speaks Japanese?

[Charles]

The irony is that she'll always be treated as an American in America and will never be treated as a nama-nihonjin in Japan.

Does anyone know if she speaks Japanese?

Oh, you know how this will play out. They'll claim she is truly Japanese, and she proved the Japanese can compete and win even in the US.

[American Oyaji]

Oh, you know how this will play out. They'll claim she is truly Japanese, and she proved the Japanese can compete and win even in the US.

Yeah, but she was raised in the U.S. of A.

I mean, even if her mom cooked washoku, she still had to have eaten a lot of American food, thus her muscle growth is going to be different.

A different mentality as well since she wasn't living in conformist Japan.

[Jack]

I saw her skating and it was fabulous. She didn't realize that she had won until a few seconds later when she saw her score. The good thing was she spoke very well when she was interviewed by NBC. She said she came to skate but did not expect to win so she was very pleased with the result. Very mature young lady.

Well, I certainly hope that Japan woudld be proud of her.

Jacques Villeneuve, the son of Quebec car racer Gilles Villeneuve, grew up and lived in Monaco and speak French even like a French, not Quebecois and yet in Montreal he is treated as the local boy.

[Jack]

Oh, there was a couple in competition and the girl's name is Rena Inoue. After their routine, the bloke proposed on the ice. It was kind of cute but he went overboard by hugging and kissing the obviously embarrassed J-girl. But it was a nice moment though.

[alicia454]

Her Wikipedia page says she has dual citizenship, with the US and Japan, and she was being courted to skate for Japan. Interesting. Her parents were born and raised in Japan, she is a first generation American.

Keep in mind that she will be forced to give up either her American or Japanese citizenship when she reaches 22. No one including in the Zainichi are allowed to hold dual citizenship with Japan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign-born_Japanese
By Japanese laws, adult persons generally cannot hold both foreign citizenship and Japanese citizenship (dual nationality):

• those who have acquired dual nationality before age 20 must choose a single nationality before reaching age 22.
• those who have acquired dual nationality after age 20 must choose a single nationality in 2 years.

[maraboutslim]

That might be the official rule, but since neither country can determine what the other country does, many people still have dual citizenship. In other words, Japan can tell people that if they want to be Japanese, they have to give up their US citizenship. But they can't "enforce" this and make the usa not grant citizenship to these people. And vice versa.

[halfnip]

Without getting in to too many details for fear that someone in immigration lurks these boards, it's really pretty simple. In Japan you say you "choose" Japan and in the US, it really doesn't matter (unless you're looking to work for the feds or a job that requires security clearance). In Japan, all you're required to do is sign some paper and that's it. They CANNOT make you give up your US citizenship as it has absolutely nothing to do with them.

On the other side, it can be a pain in the arse if you do not play it right though..

[AssKissinger]

Oh, there was a couple in competition and the girl's name is Rena Inoue. After their routine, the bloke proposed on the ice. It was kind of cute but he went overboard by hugging and kissing the obviously embarrassed J-girl. But it was a nice moment though.

I was watching that with my wife. She said if I did that she would have said 'fuck you' and shot me the bird in front of everyone.

[blackcat]

You can have dual citizenship if you are a criminal like Alberto Fujimori.

If you were born in Japan, spoke only Japanese and had never been overseas but were of Korean ancestry three generations ago, you would be called a "Korean" end of story.....in Japan!

Of course this girl born overseas will be "japanese" because of her "blood"!! sigh.

[Jack]

You can have dual citizenship if you are a criminal like Alberto Fujimori.

If you were born in Japan, spoke only Japanese and had never been overseas but were of Korean ancestry three generations ago, you would be called a "Korean" end of story.....in Japan!

Of course this girl born overseas will be "japanese" because of her "blood"!! sigh.

Give it up guys. There are dozens of countries in the world that do not allow dual citizenship. There are many countries that do not have a system to make people naturalised citizens. Sheesh. And yes, no matter how many generation American she is she would still be Japanese because she looks like one and has a name to match. It boggles the mind how the victory of a 14 year old becomes such a Japan bashing thread by fucking racist white folks.

[alicia454]

It boggles the mind how the victory of a 14 year old becomes such a Japan bashing thread by fucking racist white folks.

NO, WE ARE NOT BASHING HER OR BEING RACIST!!! If we were racist against Japanese, then we would not have moved here in the first place.

Instead we are envying her, that no matter how much we assimilate in Japanese and how good our Japanese is, we will never be entitled in Japan to obtain even 1% of the human rights, which that girl and her parents are able to enjoy in both Japan and the US!

Personally although I am not racist against Japanese people in general, I am very hurt and bitter about Japan and those Japanese that discriminated directly and indirectly against me. But that is too be expected, in the same way that a women in Saudi Arabia would be hurt and bitter against the country and the men that discriminate against her.

Lets face facts, Japan has its own form of apartheid against foreigners, plain and simple, just as Saudi Arabia has an apartheid against women. So I think it is best to let as many people know that facts, especially for those non-Japanese who are thinking of coming to Japan so they don't make the same mistake I did.

After all, as an engineer I could be making decent money in the Middle East, but as a women I would not consider it, since I know I will be victimized there. I wish I knew beforehand about the situation in Japan.

[GomiGirl]

I read this thread again and I can't see the Japan bashing that Jack claims. Talking about the dual citizenship is not bashing.

[American Oyaji]

Jack. No bashing going on. Just truth.

Truth that despite being raised in the States, Japan will claim this chlid as their own.

You know that child that was born to that one celeb couple by surrogacy? If that child shows any promise or fame, watch Japan Inc. backtrack and claim it too.

[FG Lurker]

I am very hurt and bitter about Japan

Really? I hadn't noticed.

[Jack]

Jack. No bashing going on. Just truth.

Truth that despite being raised in the States, Japan will claim this chlid as their own.

You know that child that was born to that one celeb couple by surrogacy? If that child shows any promise or fame, watch Japan Inc. backtrack and claim it too.

Fair enough, but it's the same with any other people. This is just normal and somehow turning it to a "only-in-Japan blah blah blah" negative thing is what annoys me.

[American Oyaji]

Fair enough, but it's the same with any other people. This is just normal and somehow turning it to a "only-in-Japan blah blah blah" negative thing is what annoys me.

Dude, no other nation on Earth bangs its chest about it homogeny like Japan.

No other people has such a dichotomy about nationality as Japan.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Dude, no other nation on Earth bangs its chest about it homogeny like Japan.

No other people has such a dichotomy about nationality as Japan.

Don't forget South Korea.

[Greji]

Fair enough, but it's the same with any other people. This is just normal and somehow turning it to a "only-in-Japan blah blah blah" negative thing is what annoys me.

There's an area on your browser menu that can fix that! It usually begins with "Quit", or "Close".....

As far as your insinuations, Japan does allow and recognize duo-citizenship.

[Mulboyne]

Oh, there was a couple in competition and the girl's name is Rena Inoue. After their routine, the bloke proposed on the ice...

More here

[Behan]

Didn't Debito say on his web page, too, that the US wasn't real keen on you trying to give up your citizenship?

I think they want us to keep paying taxes to Uncle Sam no matter where we live or what nationality we consider ourselves.

[Takechanpoo]

I personally think this white guy have lolita complex.

[Greji]

Didn't Debito say on his web page, too, that the US wasn't real keen on you trying to give up your citizenship?

I think they want us to keep paying taxes to Uncle Sam no matter where we live or what nationality we consider ourselves.

There are few nations that encourage their citizens to give up their citizenship. Most, in the case of the US, will attempt to discourage this. That is the main reason that the duo-citizenship question is only raised in extreme instances. To do so, might force the citizen into denouncing.

[xenomorph42]

Dude, no other nation on Earth bangs its chest about it homogeny like Japan.

No other people has such a dichotomy about nationality as Japan.

By far Koreans are more socially homogenized than Japanese. They live by the motto: "One Nation, one blood, one race."

[Greji]

I personally think this white guy have lolita complex.

Ahh Take, you're just mad because she selected the large johnson and rejected the smaller J-model.

But, having said that, she does look doable!

[Mulboyne]

He was thinking of proposing here.

[American Oyaji]

By far Koreans are more socially homogenized than Japanese. They live by the motto: "One Nation, one blood, one race."

Perhaps, but the truth is that there has been a lot of mixing with the Chinese over the years. Japan is indeed an island nation.

[AssKissinger]

I think the Japanese got a bit of Ruskie Bear in 'em.

[Jack]

By far Koreans are more socially homogenized than Japanese. They live by the motto: "One Nation, one blood, one race."

Try most East European countries, the Greeks and if I knew other nations well I could probably find others.

Did the Japanese feel the same way when Christie Yamaguchi was at her peak?