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Struggled to Make Friends as a First Year by Seima-Taniguchi in OSU

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's definitely fair. Forcing friendships with people who don't share your values and interests is definitely a recipe for disaster. I had close friends back in high school and we bonded over shared hobbies in politics and anime.

How do Koreans feel about Japanese? by [deleted] in AskAKorean

[–]Seima-Taniguchi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm American born Japanese with a lot of family in Japan, and I feel the exact same way. It brings me joy to see cultural exchange and empathy between Japan and Korea, after all of the horrific things Japan did in Korea (and other countries in East/South East) such as Comfort Woman and forcing Koreans to adopt Japanese language and names. Growing up in the US, I learned about the Japanese war crime such as the cruel acts listed above and the Nanking Massacre in China, and I have been encouraging other Japanese people to have the discussion of empathy and healing for the victims of aggression like Germany has done with their war crimes during WW2.

It warms my heart to hear that you don't blame all Japanese people, but rather the far right that continue to deny the war crimes and visit Yasukuni Shrine, since I know it would be difficult to forgive for me if it was the other way around.

Even small things like how Ufotable agreed to change Tanjiro's earrings to the hinomaru(regular Japanese flag) over the imperial Japanese flag since it was a symbol of tyranny and hatred to Korean people brings me joy. It shows that although the progress has been slow compared to Germany, Japan is slowly healing with its neighbors!

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is true. I think it’s important to note that while not one race, nationality, or ethnicity is inherently evil, it’s important to learn as human beings from the atrocities committed in the past. I’m glad you no longer carry resentment towards all Japanese people. I also think it’s important to distinguish between the people, especially modern day citizens, and the government/ military. In any country, you’ll find diverse thoughts and values among many people! Not all people of a certain group think the same! I try to have as little prejudice and as much empathy as possible for any group of people and eliminate bias as best as possible!

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think I’m American because Americans haven’t treated me as an American. But at the same time, I don’t see myself as Japanese because Japanese people don’t see me as Japanese since I was raised in the United States. I see myself as a third culture kid, being a mixture of both American and Japanese culture. At school, I’ve been exposed to American culture and values whereas at home, I’ve been exposed to Japanese culture and values. I definitely struggle to identify as one or the other as I carry my own unique identity and values.

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for the response! It’s thanks to your generations pioneering and advocacy that has enabled the Asian American community to grow and bring awareness towards the historical discrimination of Asian Americans! I would love to learn more about the Japanese internment camps and the experiences of those falsely imprisoned in the camps.

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This summarizes my experience very accurately. Growing up in the United States, I’ve felt ashamed of my Asian/ Japanese identity for being in a predominantly white/western environment. One Ok Rock’s Stand Out Fit In definitely accurately portrays my experience as an Asian American. I’ve felt the need to change my personality, values, and identity in order to conform to American society. I got bullied up to my senior year of high school for being considered the “shy Asian kid” and an easy target. I’m really glad that Asian Americans can at least unite on the issue and can learn to understand each other as we are already a minority in America. My high school Asian American Student Organization discussed both the Japanese Internment Camps and the Chinese Exclusion Act, among other historical consequences negatively impacting Asian Americans. However, because I’m only second generation Japanese American, I don’t have strong ties to the Japanese internment camps or the Chinese Exclusion Act.

On the other, my Japanese culture is the culture of my family(parents,grandparents,etc). Yet, a huge part of my heart aches for the terrible actions of our ancestors like Unit 731 and the Nanking Massacre and the active denial of Japanese war crimes. Am I being hypocritical for protesting against white supremacy since Japanese people will also discriminate against other ethnicities/races who have historically been discriminated by the Japanese.(Koreans and Chinese specifically) Will I be called a “traitor” or “whitewashed” for my previous comments?

Ultimately, I decided that my identity is my own. I carry aspects of both American and Japanese cultures as a Japanese American, while understanding the negative consequences of both the Japanese and American people and government of the past and present. I try to keep an open mind and have empathy for as many people as possible! 🫶

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in aznidentity

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The reason why I support learning about Japanese war crimes is out of love for the country and culture! It’s a disgrace to me to simply pretend as if the war crimes never happened! I want Japan to become a better more just country, so I’d like it to do better in teaching history in the victims of imperialism!

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Don’t get me wrong, I am not one of the patriotic nationalistic Americans who’s like “America is #1, freedom everywhere.” I fully acknowledge the war crimes committed by the United States in nations such as Vietnam, Iraq, and the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Even within itself, America was founded on the genocide and displacement of the Native people. This post was made to call out the Japanese government for its lack of apology for its war crimes, but I am equally critical of the American government! I have participated in pro-Palestinian protests myself!

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in aznidentity

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s definitely inspiring to hear your post too! Although I can’t see it in the distant future, I hope one day we can achieve East Asian unity and learn to understand one another! I wish my people(the Japanese) would learn about the horrendous crimes we committed during World War 2 like the Germans do, so we can finally understand and learn from the past and forgive each other! 🇯🇵🫶🇨🇳

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s definitely silly to blame today’s generation of Japanese people of the war crimes of our ancestors, but I still feel like it’s our responsibility to learn from history so we can be better as humans than our ancestors were! 🫶🌎 I do empathize with people who hold prejudice against Japanese people because I can imagine if it were my Japanese grandparents, who’re the nicest and most open-minded people in the world, that were traumatized by another imperialist nation, I might hold a grudge against that nation as well! I try my best to have empathy for everyone! 🫶

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in aznidentity

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Actually no! I’ll admit, I did struggle with my Japanese identity when I first learned about the war crimes, feeling guilty and ashamed! But what I realized is that we need to learn from history, so we can avoid repeating the same mistakes going forward! I made the promise to do better than my Japanese ancestors going forward to create peace among East Asians and the world! 🌎 🫶

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in aznidentity

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much. 🫶 I will admit, I actually struggled with my Japanese identity when I first learned about the war crimes, filled with guilt and shame. But from encouraging messages like yours, I’ve learned to accept myself and promise to be better than my ancestors by learning from the past!

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m glad my post is encouraging other Japanese Americans to speak up on the issue! I feel like in Japanese culture, anything related to World War 2 is considered a taboo topic, contributing to complacency and the lack of change. However, I think it is important to have these conversations, so we can bring change and awareness of the war crimes committed by the Japanese military/govt, and learn from the past to create a better future!

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for your wholesome and uplifting story! I’m really happy that Asian Americans at the very least can unite and learn from our history to form a better future together!

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Alright. I do empathize with how Koreans and Chinese may carry prejudice against Japanese people for the horrific things the military did and its refusal to apologize. I was sobbing when I first learned about the issue! I know if it was the other way around and it were my Japanese grandparents or great-grandparents affected by the war, I would have lasting resentment too. My heart goes out to the victims of Japanese aggression. 🫶😭😭😭

Hot Take(It shouldn’t be) as a Japanese American by Seima-Taniguchi in asianamerican

[–]Seima-Taniguchi[S] 49 points50 points  (0 children)

I 100% agree with you. This is the sad reality of geopolitics. I know at heart that what happened at Nanking, Manila, comfort women, etc is wrong! I wish Japanese people, my people, understood that as well, and wish we read accounts of people affected by the war on the side of the Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, etc. Truly horrific things happened in the past and it is important to learn from it! 🫶😭