Volume XII, Number 1 • Winter 2000

Japanese American Values

The Bi-Cultural Values of Japanese Americans
by Ruth Okimoto, PhD

Japanese American Moral Values and
Behavioral Norms
by Kenji Murase

The Persistence of Values:
A Survey of Four Generations of Japanese Americans
by Yoshito Kawahara, PhD

Actions Speak Louder: Passing Values Across the
Language Barrier
by Shizue Seigel

Amae: Indulgence and Nurturing in Japanese
American Families
by Amy Iwasaki Mass, DSW

Corporate Culture in the Global Economy
by Shizue Seigel, based on an article by J. K. Yamamoto

Old Man River; Strength & Diversity 10th
Anniversary Celebration; Okinawan Dance

Diamonds in the Rough Opens in Tokyo

Community Park Partners; Letter to Editor New
Members & Donations

Save Angel Island; Programs

Many Nikkei have wondered whether our heritage will endure into the next century. Some fear that our identity as Nikkei will disappear as succeeding generations live, marry and work outside of the close-knit Nikkei communities of the past. Patterns of exploitation and forced assimilation have impacted countless immigrant groups in the United States, and numerous European Americans feel they have completely lost their ethnic and cultural history by the third or fourth generation. Ironically, we Nikkei may consider ourselves fortunate that our racial characteristics and the events of WWII have prevented us from blending entirely into the bland innocuity many people call “American.” Because we could not escape the way we look, and because our families suffered the collective trauma of incarceration during World War II, most Nikkei have been faced with the unavoidable question of what it means to be “American” and what it means to have Japanese roots.

Besides the undeniable impact of the sociopolitical aspects of our heritage, there is a deeper dimension, more firmly rooted in our sense of who we are, what we believe in, and how we move through life. Our values inform our lives so seamlessly that many of us are not even consciously aware of them. As we move farther away in time from the shared experience of ghettoized communities and concentration camps, we need to take the time to reflect on the values that have enabled us to survive and even thrive despite wrenching experiences in America.

The articles in this issue are somewhat more academic than our usual offerings. They address some basic aspects of how our Nikkei heritage has been expressed and transmitted. Even so, they barely scratch the surface of a complex and fascinating area of study. Ruth Okimoto discusses significant differences between Japanese and American values and how they affect the way we communicate. Kenji Murase contributes a glossary of Japanese terms for core values and desirable and undesiable character traits. Professor Yoshito Kawahara explores whether Nikkei values are measurably different from European American values and whether these differences have been transmitted across generations. Amy Iwasaki Mass discusses the evolving role of amae, a core concept of Japanese relationships, in three generations of Nikkei. I write about the way Nikkei parents have taught their children values in nonverbal ways.

Our Nikkei heritage encompasses much more than facts and dates. Only by truly understanding the roots of our values can we discern how best to pass the best of them on – not only to our children and our children’s children – but into the ethical fabric of mainstream American life.

Shizue Seigel
Managing Editor