User talk:J Readings/gaijin

Michio Kitahara, Susan Hanley, and Samuel Jared Taylor

On the editor's talk page, Expatlecturer suggested that I visit the library in order to read two specific journal articles by Michio Kitahara and Susan Hanley in order to understand, apparently, why the editor believes that “[gaijin] is considered to be a racial slur by many to whom the word is applied.” Those are indeed reliable third-party sources per WP:RS and would certainly merit a read. Sure enough, I was able to track down the second one, but not the first (I did one better by finding Kitahara’s book on the subject and not just her article.) And in fairness to Expatlecturer, both author’s do briefly use the word gaijin, but ironically neither demonstrate or support what the editor thinks they're saying.

First, Kitahara is a Japanese psychiatrist or psychologist (it’s unclear) whose book, Children of the Sun: the Japanese and the Outside World, apparently expands upon her original essay. She’s not a linguist, a lexicographer, or a Japanese literature scholar but she does claim that she speaks for all Japanese as a Psychiatrist. She only mentions the word gaijin a few times in the entire book: once in the main text, and twice in the glossary. Kitahara writes (my emphasis in bold):

“The two methods used to deal with the problem of racial difference are reflected in the language spoken in contemporary Japan. There are many common expressions which suggest the desirability of Caucasian features.

“I should add that when these expressions are used among the Japanese, even when there are no explicit implications in racial terms, Caucasian standards are meant in most cases. For example, gaijin literally means a “person from outside,” namely a foreigner, and that means “Caucasian.” To describe a Japanese in this manner is a compliment to him or her. To be “similar to a foreigner” (gaijin-no youna) means to be similar to a westerner, and this too, is a compliment. When such expressions are used to describe facial features, the implication is that the face is similar to a western face, and this is also a compliment.”

Susan Hanley’s is a review essay of 5 books, one being the personal memoir and reflections of author, businessman and long-time Japan resident Samuel Jared Taylor. Since Hanley is clearly reviewing Jared Taylor, and she makes no judgment of the word gaijin, it makes sense to go directly to the source. On the word gaijin, Jared Taylor writes on page 37 (my emphasis in bold):

“Language often offers insights into how the Japanese view the world. In Japanese there are at least ten different words that mean ‘foreigner,’ and all of them are pejorative…the least offensive and most commonly used is the familiar ‘gaijin,’ which means ‘outsider.’ Non-Japanese accept the word as a more or less neutral expression.”

William Wetherall

A single-purpose anon IP user wanted to know if Wikipedia can cite the following sentence from the 1983 Encyclopedia of Japan. [1]. The only minor concern I have with this quote is the issue of weasel words like “many” popping up to implicitly endorse some kind of faulty logic on the main page, so I asked if the user knew who the author was. His reply wasn’t too helpful, [2]so I looked up the source myself.

The article is entitled “foreigners in Japan” by William Wetherall (Volume 2, 1st ed., 1983, p. 314). It doesn’t cite any sources for the article and limits itself to a quick sentence or two on the word itself. The only thing that I could find that Wetherall apparently published related to the subject is a report on foreigners in Japan for a partisan think tank entitled “Minority Rights Group" (Report No. 3, new 1983 edition) That source gives Wetherall’s bio. It reads: “William Wetherall is a graduate student in Asian Studies at the University of California Berkeley. His Japanese research covered popular culture, modern literature, contemporary cinema, and minority discrimination.”

I asked what non-involved editors and admins thought. So far, no one seems to have a problem with citing Wetherall’s comment in the Usage section. I don’t either, by the way. In fact, I think it would make a nice balance to the other authors who commented on the word, thus maintaining NPOV. If anyone objects to including Wetherall’s statement, please feel free to make yourself heard before we start re-adding citations. Otherwise, I think we can safely assume that this reputable comment can be added to the list of other authors we can include in that section (probably even putting it at the top of the list). In terms of style, I think that would flow well, actually. J Readings 23:36, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Edwin O. Reischauer and Endymion Wilkinson

I just got back from vacation about an hour ago (lots of jet lag). I stumbled across two quotes on the word gaijin while on vacation. Thought I would jot them down and add them to the list of reliable citations for the talk page. When I'm awake, I'll start adding these cross-referenced citations to the main page assuming there are no objections.

"All Occidentals in Japan were assumed to be Americans, unless there was clear proof to the contrary, and children quite simply called all of them Americans, rather than 'gaijin,' or 'foreigners,' the usual postwar term for Westerners.” --Edwin O. Reischauer, Japan: the Story of a Nation, (Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 1981), pg. 255.

“Turning to Japanese attitudes towards ‘foreigners’ as opposed to foreign countries, it is worth recalling that the word ‘foreigner’ (gaijin) still carries the connotation ‘white man’ (hakujin) and usually excludes Chinese and South East Asians as well as Africans and black Americans.” --Endymion Wilkinson, Japan versus Europe: a History of Misunderstanding, (Penguin Books: London, 1980), pg. 126.

Wilkinson joins Kitahara in stating that gaijin equals Caucasian in the post-war period. Reischauer implicitly agrees, assuming "Westerner" equals "Caucasian". Best, J Readings 12:02, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Thomas Dillon

A new single-purpose account deleted the publicly verifiable Thomas Dillon quote in the Japan Times because he apparently didn't like Dillon's comments on the word gaijin. Rather than start an edit war with the new user, I'm placing the citation on the talk page until such time as it's necessary to reinsert it. J Readings 12:17, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

I was born a gaijin. I grew up a gaijin. I came to Japan a gaijin. It's always been as natural as gazing out a window and appreciating the landscape yet not being one with it. I fit in Japan because I matched the role. I was a gaijin from the get go. I suspect a lot of us were. More than this, I suspect there are many Japanese who feel like gaijin too, viewing themselves as enduring extras in their long-playing epics of life. But none of this is necessarily negative——as all "true" gaijin will understand.

Paul Meredith Stuart

I just wanted to put another quote on the talk page from a published author commenting on the word gaijin:

Not all foreigners are gaijin to Japanese and quite a few natives of Japan are gaijin. There is a logic to this mess, but it is hardly logical. It is true that 'American' (Amerikajin) is a synonym for gaijin for many Japanese. At one time, at least when the U.S. auto industry was undisputed leader of world autodom, the term connoted awe and respect. But certainly not to most Europeans or citizens of American states north (Canada) and south (from Mexico to the Falklands) of the United States. Most, including a few sensitive U.S. citizens, can only resent being so stereotyped. From the Vietnam War era to the present day, 'Americans' still come off as the ugly American: boorish, uncultured, money-flashing/-grubbing, monolingual impertinents; potential drug-fiends, CIA agents or both. (Never mind that they are generous, friendly, honest, helpful and so individualistic as to defy all stereotyping.) Japanese, however, do not apply the word gaijin to all foreigners. In fact, it doesn't even apply to all 'Americans.' Asians, for example, are Indojin (Indians), Chugokujin (Chinese), Chosenjin (Koreans -- disregarding political realities of north and south which prevent the use of the term in broadcasting) and so on for most non-Europeans of color. None of these terms carry connotations of respect, although nearly all are the historical and cultural superiors of Japan in the same way Europe is to the U.S...In short, to the majority of Japanese, gaijin simply means hakujin (white men, whites, Caucasians, in that order) and seldom applies to people of color. The misapplication of amerikajin simply guarantees insult to a good many whites as well.

My comment: Paul Meredith Stuart seems to be joining Kitahara, Wilkinson, and Reischauer in stating that gaijin means Caucasian or -- to be more exact -- "American" in most of the post-war period. Moreover, Stuart meets Kitahara half way in agreement by implying that the term is definitely not derogatory, but goes one step further by discussing the ways in which it could be "offensive" (which is different from being derogatory). When it was applied to those foreigners working in the American auto industry, "the term connoted awe and respect." But because gaijin was a synonym for 'American', the term could be considered offensive (Stuart thinks) by inadvertently excluding non-Americans. J Readings 14:49, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

Stuart’s take sounds pretty reasonable to me, as does your take on it. I think the offensive–derogatory distinction is particularly pertinent because it clears the intent test and places responsibility for any taking of offense where it belongs. But how much of an analytical work is Stuart’s? Does it pass muster as a reliable source? As always, best regards, Jim_Lockhart 15:08, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

Short answer: I don't know. What's certain is that Stuart is not an academic. My inclination is to divide all of these publicly verifiable comments by publication type -- academic, author/journalist and activist -- as we did with other Wikipedia pages, so the reader knows in advance what he or she is getting. It would certainly prevent the reader from being misled into believing that any one published comment is representative of the entire field of knowledge. J Readings 06:55, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

Rambelli Fabio - わたしは「外人」ですか

Nobody's mentioned http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110004041388/ this article yet written (in Japanese) by http://www.sapporo-u.ac.jp/bunka/rambelli.htm this guy, correct? Although not without a fair number of つっこみどころ, such as "ポリティカル・ウンコンシアス" and "すごい変なアクセント", not to mention being somewhat lacking in depth and more so a description of one man's experiences (the author's), it is nonetheless relatively academic and may be reasonable as a source for the article (especially since there seems to be somewhat of a lack of sources actually written in Japanese). Just thought I'd throw it out there. Additionally, http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110000226452/ this article also popped up on google scholar and looked potentially interesting, but it looks like I'll have to see if I can get an interlibrary loan in order to access it myself. If someone has more immediate access than I do, it may be worth looking up. 131.252.231.155 21:26, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

Deborah Gewertz and Frederick Errington

Hopefully, I spelled their names correctly. These two academics also commented on the word gaijin in an edited Duke University Press publication in 1993. Indeed, they join Reischauer, Kitahara, Stuart, and Wilkinson in stating that "in popular usage the meaning [of gaijin] has been narrowed to refer more specifically to Caucasian foreigners.". FWIW, J Readings (talk) 17:02, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

I do not oppose to describe using this book published in 1993, however, the comment: "in popular usage the meaning [of gaijin] has been narrowed to refer more specifically to Caucasian foreigners." seems inappropriate. My pov is that Caucasians and Africans are apparently non-traditional Japanese and easily designated as gaijin, but it is basically the matter of the distinguishability. For example, suketto gaijin in Nippon Professional Baseball is used regardless to the nationality and not preferably used for Caucasians.

By the way, why the reference section does not show the published year?--Jjok (talk) 04:12, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

You`re right, yeah, thanks for catching that. I think it was because the template didn't have a date function, so at the time, I didn't bother playing with it. I added the date. Hopefully, this works.

I think I understand what you`re saying about the baseball reference, but this is why attributing the comments by reliably sourced publications in the Usage Section will help sort out the mess. Do you have one we can use?　J Readings (talk) 10:35, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

No. Their description just does not match with the actual usage I believe and seem too occidentalistic. At least, African and Indo-Europeans will be equally designated as gaijin based on their appearance. I am rather interested in how they concluded such way. Are there any statistical analysis or comparative studies in the book?

• Deborah B. Gewertz[3]
• Frederick K Errington[4]

I have no wonder that they both are Caucasians and the description had been made based on their own experiences. If there are any analytical description beyond their own experiences, it is pretty noteworthy.--Jjok (talk) 19:36, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

Google book p.633, ref. 25 p. 633 is actually a part of an article entitled "Bwana Micky": Constructing Cultural Consumption at Tokyo Disneyland by Mary Yoko Brannen[5] (p. 617-634) (she also seems enough gaijin). The referred description seems appearing between p. 627-629 that is unfortunately not part of the preview.--Jjok (talk) 19:59, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

I found the PDF file while the reference # is 23 in this paper published in 1992. The description seems particularly referring the usage in the context of the Cinderella Castle in Tokyo Disneyland. I understand that gaijin can be narrowed to refer more specifically to Caucasians there.--Jjok (talk) 20:28, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

Interesting. Thanks for the links. Well, in response, reading through the other cited authors on this talk page, Gewertz and Errington are not the only ones to link the word gaijin with the word Caucasian or Westerner. Edwin O. Reischauer, Paul Meredith Stuart, Michio Kitahara, Endymion Wilkinson, and (indirectly) Jackson Huddleston, Jr. all make the same connection. In fact, come to think of it, I also recall reading the gaijin = hakujin connection in Japanese dictionary glosses, too, but please don't ask me to cite which dictionaries. I'd have to go back and look through them all. FWIW, there is a list of dictionary glosses that you can read through in the talk page archives that I made here, if that would be more helpful. The other thing I'd like to mention is that if we simply attribute different definitions to RELIABLE SOURCES (as we're supposed to do), it sort of becomes a get-out-of-jail-free card. We're not saying that any one definition is correct. I agree with you 100% that it would be great to have a specific authoritative and objective study devoted solely to the word, and Hoary mentioned that once before, but I haven't been able to find one yet and not for lack of trying. The alternative is just to present the mosaic, while keeping in mind the policy importance of undue weight. J Readings (talk) 02:34, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your nice and interesting research. I understand the first one (②　外国人。特に、欧米人をいう場合が多い。) since it was published in 1943 during the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere era and Asians were recognized as fellows of Japanese while the third Daijirin published in 1989 edited by ja:松村明 (1916-2001) still has the same definition. I remembered that I minded the definition because of the description in Ethnic issues in Japan#Other groups and they are easily recognized because of their significance as well as Africans.

"Western" foreigners in Japan, particularly those from Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, are often called Gaikokujin or Gaijin.

Anyway, the definition of Shimeikai is always interesting and closest. Gaijin has exactly the same meaning as foreigner and stronger sense of outsider than gaikokujin that gives some foreigners trying to adapt Japanese culture offensive feeling since the discrimination is done mainly based on the cultural differences rather than the nationality.--Jjok (talk) 05:44, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Jackson N. Huddleston, Jr.

The author wrote a book entitled Gaijin Kaisha: Running a Foreign Business in Japan. The following is what the author has to say about the nature of the word gaijin:

Gaijin is the appellation the Japanese give to all foreigners, or aliens, with an emphasis on the alien concept. Thus, gaijin kaisha means an alien company on Japanese soil. More specifically, it represents a Western company in Japan, since to date few companies from Asia, South America, the Middle East, or Africa have established more than token corporate representation there. The term gaijin kaisha in this book refers to a Western corporation in Japan that is either a wholly owned subsidiary, a branch, or a joint venture with proactive foreign management. A foreign/Japanese join venture without proactive foreign management is in reality a Japanese company. The term also does not refer to a corporation of convenience, such as a one-man office for tax purposes.

Pamela Z and "Yafonne" (sic)

RomaC wants to cite an Arts & Entertainment story entitled “Pam Plumbs the Foreigner” written by someone called “Yafonne” (no surname; no bio) in the article’s lead in order to support the sentence, “The word is often the subject of debate as to its appropriateness, particularly in its shortened form which is considered by some to be derogatory.”

I have several problems with this sentence. The major concerns involve:

• Placing the assertion in the lead section, given the developing body of the text. (WP:LEAD)
• Undue weight given to this source in the lead versus all of the other reliable sources that contradict it, both within the article and currently on the talk page. (WP:UNDUE)
• The reliability of a small Arts & Entertainment story written by an unknown concerning a play written by someone who lived in Japan for six months as an appropriate source to claim that the word is considered by some to be derogatory. At best, it only reflects Pamela Z’s opinion (WP:RS) and even then…
• Pamela Z never claims in the article that the word is derogatory.

My impression is that the Pamela Z play can be included briefly in the Usage section along with other movies and plays that discuss the word in passing (thanks for finding it), but certainly not in the lead and certainly not as representative of something beyond its own scope. J Readings (talk) 23:51, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

Mayumi Itoh

Here is an academic article published in the peer-reviewed Journal of World Affairs, Orbis, by Professor Mayumi Itoh (University of Nevada, Politics Department). Itoh writes (my emphasis in bold):

The Japanese call all non-Japanese gaijin, which literally means 'people from outside.' While the term itself has no derogatory meaning, it emphasizes the exclusiveness of Japanese attitude and has therefore picked up pejorative connotations that many Westerners resent. The Japanese treat foreign visitors politely, but always as outsiders.

Itoh cites Edwin Reischauer’s The Japanese Today, pp. 395-400. Prof. Itoh’s comments also echo those of Paul Meredith Stuart et al.: it might be offensive to some, Itoh argues, but the word is certainly not derogatory. J Readings (talk) 08:37, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

Dictionary definitions: Japanese-Japanese

がいじん【外人】『名』①．家族、親戚、仲間などのささいの外にいる人。無関係の人。他人。②　外国人。特に、欧米人をいう場合が多い。 --Gaijin. In S. Kobayashi (ed.), Nihon kokugo daijiten (日本国語大辞典), (p. 258, 1st ed., vol. 1). (1943). Tokyo: Shogakukan.

【外人】①　仲間以外の人。門人外の人。②　ほかの人。よその人。他人。 --Gaijin. Daikanwa jiten (大漢和辞典), (p. 330, 2nd ed., 3rd pr., vol. 3). (1986). Tokyo: Taishukan shoten.

がいじん【外人】①　外国の人。外国人。特に、欧米人をいうことが多い。⇔邦人。「外人客」②　そのことに関係のない人。第三者。「外人もなき所に兵具をととのへ／平家一」 --Gaijin. In A. Matsumura (ed.), Daijirin (大辞林), (p. 397, 9th ed., vol. 1). (1989). Tokyo: Sanseido.

がいじん【外人】外国人。異人。Foreigner --Gaijin. In T. Umesao et. al. (eds.), Nihongo Daijiten (日本語大辞典:講談社カラ版), (p. 163, 1st ed., 8th pr., vol. 1). (1990). Tokyo: Kodansha.

Gaijin. (外人) n. 外国の人 a foreigner --Gaijin. In Shini Seigi (ed.), Kokugo Sogo Shinjiten (国語総合新辞典), (p. 197, 2nd ed., vol. 1). (1992). Tokyo:

がいじん。【外人】[無関係な、よそ者、の意]　外国人。[同化を拒まれている異国人、という意味で使われることが多いので、濫用すべきでない。例、「変な外人」、「外人教師」。 --Gaijin. In T. Yamada (ed.), Shimeikai kokugo jiten (新明解国語辞典), (p. 213, 5th ed., vol. 1). (1997). Tokyo: Sanseido.

がいじん。【外人】①　外国人、特に、欧米人をいう。②　仲間以外の人。他人。「外人もなき所に兵具をととのへ」〈平家・一〉【外人部隊】外国人の志願者で編制した傭兵（ようへい）部隊。 --Gaijin. In A. Matsumura (ed.), Daijisen (大辞泉), (p. 437, 1st ed., vol. 1). (1998). Tokyo: Shogakukan.

がいじん【外人】①　仲間以外の人。疎遠の人。連理秘抄「外人など上手多からむ座にては」②　敵視すべきな人。平家一「外人もなき所に兵具をととのへ」③　外国人。異人。⇔邦人。 --Gaijin. In I. Shimura (ed.), Kojien (広辞苑), (p. 438, 5th ed., vol. 1). (1998). Tokyo: Iwanami shoten.

がいじん【外人】外国人。⇔邦人。 --Gaijin. In M. Nishio et. al. (eds.), Kokugo jiten (国語辞典) , (p. 173, 6th ed., vol. 1). (2000). Tokyo: Iwanami.

【外人】①　外国人。異人。対：邦人。「外人教師」②　局外者。他人。「源平両家の童形たちのおのおのござ候ふに、かやうの外人は然るべからず候」 --Gaijin. In M. Yamaguchi et. al. (eds.), Shinkango jiten (新漢語辞典), (p. 282, 2nd ed., vol. 1). (2000). Tokyo: Iwanami shoten.

Dictionary definitions: English-Japanese and Japanese-English

Foreigner. n. 1. 外国人、外人、異人（alien）. 2. 外国の産物、外国製品、外来物、舶来品。３．外国船。 --Foreigner. In J. Stein (ed.), Shogakukan’s Random House English-Japanese Dictionary, (p. 989, 1st ed., vol. 1). (1979). Tokyo: Shogakukan.

Gaijin. (外人) n. a foreigner; an alien. --Gaijin. In Koh Masuda (ed.), Kenkyusha’s New Japanese-English Dictionary, (p. 306, 4th ed., 11th impression). (1985). Tokyo: Kenkyushu Ltd.

Gaijin. (外人)　n. foreigner, alien. Variant: gaikokujin. --Gaijin. In The Japanese Foundation (ed.), Basic Japanese-English Dictionary, (p. 141, 1st. ed., vol. 1). (1986). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Foreigner. n. ①　外国人、外人、異人（alien）. ②　外国の物産、外国製品、舶来品。③　【話】よそ者（outsider）. --Foreigner. In T. Konishi et. al. (eds.), Shogakukan’s Progressive English-Japanese Dictionary, (p. 733, 2nd ed., vol. 1). (1987). Tokyo: Shogakukan.

Foreigner. Gaikoku’jin外国人; gaijin外人 --Foreigner. In N. Brannen (ed.), the Practical English-Japanese Dictionary, (p. 123, 1st ed., vol. 1). (1991). New York: Weatherhall.

Foreigner. n. 外国人 gaikokujin. --Foreigner. In R. Gorin and Y. Okubo (eds.), Collins Shubun English-Japanese Dictionary (p. 197, 1st ed., vol. 1). (1993). Seattle: Harper Collins Publishers & Shubun International Co., Ltd.

Gaijin. (外人) n. foreigner. Abbreviation of gaikokujin. --Gaijin. In Shigeru Takebayashi (ed.), The Kenkyusha Romanized Japanese-English Learner’s Pocket Dictionary (p. 73, 1st ed., vol. 1). (1993). Tokyo: Kenkyusha Ltd.

Gaijin, n. 外人 foreigner. --Gaijin. In Seigo Nakao (ed.), Random House Japanese-English/English-Japanese Dictionary (p. 64, 1st ed., vol. 1). (1995). New York: Random House.

Foreigner. n. 外国人; 外人 --Foreigner. In Timothy Vance (ed.), Kodansha’s Furigana Japanese Dictionary (Japanese-English/English-Japanese), (p. 227, 1st ed., vol. 1). (1999). Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd.

がいじん。【外人】a foreigner. [⇒がいこくじん] --Gaijin. In T. Watanabe (ed.), Kenkyusha’s New Japanese-English Dictionary, (p. 473, 5th ed., vol. 1). (2003). Tokyo: Kenkyusha. —Preceding unsigned comment added by J Readings (talk • contribs) 02:52, 27 January 2008 (UTC)