Racialisation of Haafus: How Do Non-white Visible Minorities Experience Discrimination in Japan?

This study aimed to explore the experiences of discrimination and identity among half-Japanese (Haafu) individuals from non-White and non-East Asian backgrounds. Despite increasing global rates of multiracial individuals, current identity formation models do not capture the experiences of those outside of western cultures, where homogeneity is valued over diversity. Within literature on identity and discrimination in Japan, multiracial and multiethnic individuals are often considered as one homogenous group. This informed my research questions of: “how do non-White visible minority Haafus in Japan experience discrimination?” and “how do non-White visible minority Haafus make sense of their identity after experiencing discrimination?”.

To explore these research questions and add to knowledge in relevant literature, six non-White Haafus took part in semi structured interviews. Participants’ non-Japanese halves were African American, Dominican/Ghanaian, Indian, Indian-British, and Mexican backgrounds. All participants had lived in Japan before the age of 18 for a period of one year, and experienced discrimination in Japan. At the time of the interview, participants were aged 24 to 33, and were no longer residing in Japan. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse data and resulted in four Group Experiential Themes (GETs): 1) “Japaneseness is decided by others”; 2) “Racialisation in Japan”; 3) “Understanding and navigating discrimination”; 4) “Navigating my identity”. Each GET included three to four sub-themes.

Most participants reflected on their difficulties growing up or spending time in Japan, due to the ‘othering’ behaviours that exist in Japan. One of the key findings from the study related to how non-White backgrounds are viewed in Japan, due to the prevalence of racialisation. Participants reflected on the predictive behaviours they were ascribed, due to their skin colour, phenotype, and cultural or religious backgrounds. In addition, participants also discussed the difficulties they faced in identifying discrimination, due to the normality and hegemony of racialised discourse in Japan. Participants also discussed the importance of support, but highlighted barriers in accessing support in Japan. Participants reflected on their racial journey from childhood to adulthood, and some felt more confident as adults to embrace their racial backgrounds.

As a result of these findings, I have made recommendations for clinical practice, and the consideration of context, culture, background, and societal attitudes when working with individuals of multiracial backgrounds. Furthermore, I make suggestions for future research to consider the commonality of my participants’ experiences across different environments and how sex differences may also play a role in racialisation. I present my focus on my research paradigm, utilising a phenomenological epistemology and critical realist ontology and acknowledge its implications across the study.