The overall purpose of this study is to explore the problems and which are encountered and experienced by Japanese immigrants in the United States. The majority of issues encountered by the Japanese immigrants in the United States originate from the cultural disparity between Japanese and American citizens.
According to Patterson, Japanese people, similar to other immigrant groups, arrive to the United States in order to attain specific objectives and fulfil certain aspirations. Nonetheless, the writer also claims that Japanese experience very unique problems in the United States as compared to other immigrant groups. The majority of these problems are enrooted in the WWII. For example, the practice shows that Japanese aliens, as well as Japanese Americans, were prone to experience imprisonment and captivity in the United States for no reason, with the exception of the fact that they were of the Japanese origin.
It seems strange and unfair that the law enforcement policies in the United States were adopted to keep Japanese immigrants captive as long as it can be established that they were not sympathizers of the Japanese enemies. The early historic experience in the United States made Japanese immigrants more adapted for racial hostility, legal prosecution, discrimination, and unfair treatment. Following Patterson’s arguments, it is possible to infer that in the modern United States Japanese Americans constitute a stable and predictable ethnic community. They have intact functioning social mechanisms and institutions such as the religion, family, and cultural components.
After the Second World War the Japanese community in the United States was forced to adjust to legal and social restrictions imposed on them. However, they managed to assimilate with the American society in order to gain economic progress as opposed to many other minority groups. Researchers still cannot fully understand how Japanese Americans managed to adjust to the harsh circumstances and historical challenges.
One possible reason is the capability of this ethnic group to maintain traditional Japanese values. The next reason originates from the well-developed and protected links of strong family and group cohesion brought about by the first generation of immigrants.
On the other hand, some researchers are inclined to think that Japanese Americans succeeded in adjusting to the American culture because of their intrinsic capability to synthesize components of their traditional culture and American lifestyles into a workable solution. Hence, they retained their ethnic uniqueness and heritage. At the same time, they adjusted to new lifestyles without betraying their cultural values or upsetting their social balance.
Also, it is imprudent to forget the fact that the Japanese immigrants usually arrived to the United States with only a blanket on their backs. Therefore, the development of their community started from the very beginning. They did not have much money. Nor did they speak English. At first they were not familiar with the American culture and customs.
Nevertheless, Japanese Americans began their professional development from scratch, when it was essential for them to learn how operates the American merit system. Some of them started opening their own restaurant businesses. Other representatives of the Japanese American community catered to a variety of laborers who resided not far from the city centers. The scholars acknowledge that the progress in adjustment was achieved and reinforced due to a particular reason. Many Americans became aware of the benefits of visiting the Japanese-owned restaurants or hiring Japanese American laborers, because they provided cheap and convenient services.
The Japanese Americans can be viewed as a very unified and coherent ethnic group. As a matter of fact, their unity and cohesion enables them to attract, accumulate, and increase resources and money with ease and effectiveness. In this respect, the accumulated wealth and other resources facilitate their adaptation and development in the American society.
Education is another factor which helps Japanese Americans to adjust to the American culture. Moreover, education allows to diminish the negative effects of cultural differences. There is no secret that education is highly appreciated among the Japanese people. In fact, illiteracy rate in Japan constitutes zero. Thus, Japanese immigrants’ predisposition to education helps to secure highly paid and successful jobs in the future.
It is possible to differentiate between two aspects of education as the determinants of the prosperity of Japanese Americans. The first aspect is that Japanese parents carry responsibility for the education of their children. As a matter of fact, parents carry the burden of responsibility for providing their children with contemporary education as the prerequisite for the bright future. According to Patterson, parents work hard and spend hours at nights assisting their children with homework assignments.
On the other hand, Japanese children and youth take strenuous effort in overcoming cross-cultural barriers, which allows them to enjoy success in this respect. As the practice shows, young Japanese people strive to be successful during high school. They exercise perseverance in order to a pass multiple vigorous tests and examinations with an aim of securing places in the postsecondary schools. In addition to the parental incitement, Japanese students are taught to work hard at the educational establishments. One major problem that young Japanese immigrants may encounter in the United States is that college graduation in this country is not carried out automatically. Another problem is that Japanese have to work in groups when studying in the United States. Despite the fact that this nation is used to working with other students, it is renowned for giving no credence to group solutions.
The reason why Japanese students tend to mistrust group solutions is enrooted in the specificities of parental education. Japanese children are taught to obey their teachers, promote a passive, conforming, and unquestioning attitude to the educational processes. However, at the same time they are encouraged by the parents to compete and grow. Hence, it follows that individual minds are more precious for Japanese than group decisions.
As a result, the cultural gap between Japanese and Americans should be considered the first and foremost impediment on the road towards the immigrants’ adaptation and integration in the United States. Moreover, it is also essential to recognize the difference between the first generation of Japanese Americans and the present-day Japanese immigrants. While comparing the two generations, it needs to be highlighted that their worldviews are very discrepant. The first immigrants from Japan left their homeland and relatives in order to cross the ocean and gain a living in an alien land. Therefore, they were usually deprived of the first necessities and did not speak English fluently. On the other hand, the present-day generation of Japanese immigrants is more accustomed to the peculiarities of the American culture. Also, they can speak English fairly well, considering the fact that the US has been making significant influence on Japan since the end of the Second World War.
However, when comparing the two generations of Japanese immigrants in America, it is possible to reach a conclusion that the present-day generation is more rebellious and less obedient compared to the first one. Also, there are religious discrepancies between the representatives of two generations. The present-day Japanese Americans are more adjusted to the American lifestyle and more interested in adopting a middle-class American way of life than their ancestors. Their lack of profound understanding of the Japanese traditions makes them more flexible and successful in integrating into the American society. Hence, it is possible to agree with Patterson that the majority of Japanese residing in the United States are well-educated officials, academics, students, businessmen, and technical experts. On the contrary, members of first generation were often laborers and restaurant owners.
However, it would be a mistake to think that the present-day Japanese immigrants lost their ethnical identity. The traditional forms of ethical behavior are still kept by many Japanese immigrants.
There are many cases of suicide among the Japanese immigrants. There are substantial differences between the American and Japanese cultures. However, Japanese immigrants still demonstrate maturity and intrinsic capability to accommodate to the challenges and complexities of the foreign culture. This is done by viewing all social processes in the United States through the prism of ethical norms and individual goals.
Albeit Americans are considered more goal-oriented, the Japanese immigrants rely on a well-developed system of traditions and philosophy. As a result, Japanese achieve their goals through the system of rules, norms, and important restrictions, while interaction remains important as a result. By contrast, Americans are more disposed to immediate action, efficiency, and productivity.
About the author: Jessica Sanders is a bachelor in English philology and sociology at California University. Jessica is currently working as one of the best writers at schould parents pay for college essay She also studies feminine psychology.
