Message
A Study of Japanese Immigrants
Member of the Kochi Prefectural Assembly
Secretary General, Kochi Prefectural Assembly Members' Association for Friendship and Goodwill toward South America
Katsuyuki Shimomura
What kind of image do you have when you hear the word “Japanese immigrants”?
Some people imagine a hard and miserable life in an uncivilized land as an immigrant, while others imagine a very successful farm manager operating a huge agricultural machine that is almost unheard of in Japan.
I had no knowledge of Japanese immigrants and had little interest in them until I actually met some of them in South America and other countries where they had emigrated.
However, about five years ago, my interest was heightened when I learned that a visitor to my home happened to be an immigrant to Paraguay, who used to live in my neighborhood, and that many people from my hometown had emigrated overseas, believing in the Japanese national policy of the time.
Many of those who emigrated did not tell me the details of their immediate situation.
My own guess is that those who have succeeded in their destination countries are only a handful of the total number of immigrants, and that many of them have moved from one place to another amidst a series of indescribable hardships, and that some have returned home as if they were trying to escape. This may be the reason why they are not able to speak out.
Under such circumstances, in 2016, I attended the “Paraguayan Emigration 80th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony” as a member of the Kochi Prefectural Assembly.
The ceremony was attended by His Imperial Highness Princess Mako of Japan. The Paraguayan delegation included the President of Paraguay, the Presidents of the Houses of Congress, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and many other ministers.
The Paraguayan side was represented by the President of Paraguay, the presidents of the upper and lower houses of Congress, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and many other cabinet members.
The words of the Paraguayan President during the ceremony remain firmly in my mind.
The community that the Japanese have built is a model for Paraguayans, and the affection and respect for the Japanese people is the feeling of Paraguayans from one generation to the next. Paraguay is, and will continue to be, the country closest to Japan in the world.
When I think of the tireless efforts of our predecessors who made the President of Paraguay say such a thing, my heart was truly moved to tears.
I was moved to tears.
Since it was a special opportunity, I visited not only Paraguay but also Argentina and Brazil, where the immigrants were living.
I was also surprised at one of the places I visited, which I have rarely felt in Japan today: “Respect your superiors and treat them with heartfelt respect and affection.
The ancient Japanese family ethics of “respecting superiors and treating them with heartfelt respect,” which is rarely felt in Japan today, is highly valued in all countries, and this spirit is still being passed down from generation to generation by the people of Japanese descent.
It was an eye-opening moment for me, living in Kochi Prefecture, Japan.
At the same time, it was a moment that made me realize the splendor of Japanese culture and family ethics from the place of immigration, I would like to make efforts to pass on my identity as a Japanese person to the next generation without being ashamed, without forgetting my gratitude to those who have immigrated to Japan.
*Photo Description: JICA Japanese American trainees pay a courtesy visit to the Kochi Prefectural Assembly Members Association for South American Friendship and Goodwill (8/6/2019)
Please give my best regards to the people of Kochi.
OASIS Learning Advisor, Autonomous Learning Support Center, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kochi University
Tomoko Sugio
Please give my best regards to the people of Kochi.”
These words are the message I received from a Kochi immigrant when I visited Paraguay as a member of the JICA JOCV Program in 2016, and they have remained with me as a challenge in my life.
On October 13, 2016, after two full days of travel from Kochi Ryoma Airport, the first thing that jumped into my ears when I arrived in Amambay, Paraguay was the fluent Tosa dialect (Hata dialect). The people who greeted us were Paraguayan Nikkei, especially those who emigrated from Kochi Prefecture after the war. Guided by them, we visited the Amambay Japanese House and the Japanese Language School, where we learned about the background of the immigrants and their current lifestyle, which most impressed us. The Yosakoi Naruko dance performed by the children of the Japanese language school, the dishes served on plates lined up at the welcome party, and the sake cups drunk together, made my heart warm as I imagined with what feelings they had inherited the culture and language of their home prefecture.
Mr. Ikutoshi Yamawaki, an old man who is well over 80 years old, laughs more boldly and walks more briskly than anyone else. He is from Kuroshio-cho, Hata-gun (former Ogata) and has strong leadership skills.
He is a man of strong leadership.
I came all the way from Japan to the other side of the world. It would be meaningless if I did the same things as people in Paraguay. We have to contribute to the development of Paraguayan society as Japanese in order to repay Paraguay for accepting us despite all the difficulties we faced when we first moved here.
Here in Paraguay, we are responsible for our own safety, especially if something happens to us. You have to use your head and live by your own rules. For example, stealing is wrong. But instead of spending time debating the right or wrong and criticizing others, it is important to think about how you can live in such a reality. There is no other country as peaceful and safe as Japan.
There is no other country as peaceful and safe as Japan.
I felt that these words contained a hint for the future of Japan and Kochi Prefecture, which is becoming increasingly diverse.
I also got the impression from the migrants I met, including Mr. Yamawaki, that they are all determined, resilient, and cheerful. I wondered how these people, who I had heard had a painful past, were able to live the way they do now.
In the books I read about the history of emigration after returning to Japan, I found many harrowing accounts of food shortages in unfamiliar lands and hardships caused by infectious diseases.
Today, soybean cultivation brought by migrants has helped Paraguay become the world's fourth largest soybean exporter, and many migrants are successful large-scale farmers. Behind their success, however, “there must have been their extraordinary efforts. After all the hardships they have gone through, they have been able to achieve this.
I have come to understand that their bottomless cheerfulness and deep kindness must be the result of their unmanageable hardships.
They live out their chosen path (even if sometimes unwillingly) with pride and conviction. How to laugh off the little things and do things in a funny way.”
I still try to remember their smiling faces whenever I am troubled.
Please give my best wishes to everyone in Kochi.
I sincerely hope that this letter will convey to you another Kochi on the other side of the world and the people who live there.
Photo Description: At the Japanese Hall, Amambay, Paraguay (2016/10)