On Sat, 25 Jan 1997, Brendan O'Donnell wrote:

	No, hatred and blind faith in the supremacy of their own group
can be found everywhere in the world.  The reason you can spot so many
examples in North America is because the U.S. is a nation with extreme
ethnic diversity.  In Japan for instance, Korean imigrants are still
considered Korean even if their families have lived in Japan for three
generations.  However no one talks about it because the're not a lot of
Koreans in Japan.  Which means that they don't threaten the other groups
with their existance. or anything.  I'm not trying to justify anything
the Christian Missionaries did, but I am saying that Modern society is
unique in it's condemnation of them. 

I do have to admit that this is true.  People from other countries are
considered from other countries, including myself.  I am half-Japanese,
and therefore have to strive a little bit.  I am fully accepted as
Japanese by both society and the government, but I myself feel that I do
not deserve that recognition as I have not really contributed much to earn
it.  It is a strange combination of some prejudice and some honour which
causes this situation.

It goes back to just before WW II, where the US was forcing imigration
upon the Japanese islands which were having a hard enough time supporting
the number of people it already had.  The situation escallated when the US
threatened to cut off Japan to imports from around the world unless they
conceeded land, tittles, deeds, money, and other articles to that country.
This was what gave the Zaibatsu such power that they were able to
encourage a war time footing.  Add to that the troubles with China that
occured because of idiots who decided to behead an ambasador to show that
they would not listen to words and you have a ripe situation for battle,
especially with the mind set of honour above all.  Remember, Samurai were,
and are, still in existance.

Imigration was then relegated only to Asian countries, and that worked
well, but initially, all of the imigrants wanted to retain a notification
of their original nationality, and it was agreed.  Honour was at stake in
this case as the imigrants had come from countries that had invited them
in to cleanse themselves of such people as the French.  This holdover
continued after the war.

During the period of reformation that the US was doing, Imigration was
stratified by insisting all imigrants be held to denote their countries of
origin.  This was considered a necessary security measure by the US in
order to 'stem the tide of communism', under the idea of a domino effect
where Japan was the bulwark of capitalism in the east.  Since the US had
imposed their laws, there was nothing to be done.

Today, full intergration is possible, but hardly ever applied for.  Many
people have become Japanese despite their original country of origin, and
this will continue to happen.  It happens whenever one feels that they
have contributed well to society, and it is also given to those that the
government and society consider to have contributed as well.

It is Asian honour that prevents it from happening more often.

	In the beginings of Christianity women had a significant role. 
Mass was created because the men who led the faith felt threatened by
the fact that they had to share responsibility in preapring the
celebration of the last supper with the women. 

I did not know that.

Hitomi

Ichinohei Hitomi
Hitomi@terminal.autobahn.mb.ca
http://204.112.189.3/~hitomi
"The beginings of wisdom is the ability to always ask questions."