Comments by "Gordon Graham" (@gordonbgraham) on "What's it like being a “Foreigner” Raised in Japan?" video.

  1. Are you sure they're the same people. Perhaps you're making a racist generalization?
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  2. One needs to be registered in the national family register 戸籍, to be considered Japanese legally...or to naturalize by renouncing the citizenship one currently holds
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  3.  @vaskylark  That opens the door to an anchor baby industry which is what happened in Canada. People visiting Canada to have a baby and jump the immigration line. Japan is an archipelago roughly the size of California with 4 times the population. Considering the fact that 50% of current jobs will have been made obsolete by AI and mass automation within the next 25 years it’s prudent for the Japanese government to be strict on immigration. Japan puts a high value on social harmony. As a result, it lacks the cultural discord that is prevalent in Europe and North America. Controlled immigration has a lot to do with maintaining social harmony and the preservation of culture.
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  4.  @oorsimmwam2717  I agree, especially with the squealing bit. I’ve never heard a Japanese person above the age of 12 squeal, but I’ve heard numerous adults in North America do so. The Internet is full of squealing people from the West.
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  5. Unless he holds a Japanese passport or is registered in the family registrar 戸籍, he is a foreigner
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  6.  @vaskylark  I'm not clear why he doesn't feel a part of the country he lives in. I'm not Japanese, but have lived in Japan for 30 years. I'm a foreigner, but am no "outsider" to my friends, family, co-workers, neighbours etc. My wife is Japanese. She doesn't treat me as an outsider, nor do the kids I coach nor do the kids I teach nor do my neighbours, friends and pretty much anyone who isn't a stranger. Yes, his productivity benefits Japan, as does his spending etc. He also benefits from Japan in return. He is a permanent resident and is eligible to naturalise, as am I. In the end, it's his choice whether or not he wants to be Japanese. Japan does not allow dual citizenship, so it seems like it's a matter of his preferring to retain his British citizenship rather than Japan rejecting him.
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  7. Perhaps young Japanese will get sick of being schooled by foreigners regarding how xenophobic they are and how they should change this and that because they're "backwards". While there are quite a few young people who are interested in foreign culture such as hip hop, I get the feeling (I have 5 kids all born and raised in Japan), they enjoy the music, fashion etc. but prefer the status quo when it comes to safety and convenience, and by convenience I mean the convenience of everybody being on the same page in social situations.
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  8. Unless he holds a Japanese passport or is registered in the national family register 戸籍, he's a foreigner
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