Report of LiDi (Living Within Diversity) Special Interest Group Activities 2016
LiDi Retreat in Hiroshima 2016
LiDi members visited Hiroshima to learn about diversity issues that exist in Hiroshima. With its tragic stories of victims of the first atomic bomb attack, people often think only of the death and destruction. Members of LiDi visited the World Friendship Center where they received a guided tour of the Peace Park and listened to a hibakusha survivor talk about his experiences past and present. During the guided tour, members heard stories of survivors and their families. They also saw visitors from many countries as well as local visitors praying for the souls of those who lost their lives. LiDi members were impressed by the way Hiroshima has used the tragic event to reach out to people all over the world to send a message of the necessity of working together towards peace. The guide was also able to show and give background information about the monument to Korean victims, which had been moved from its original location outside the park to its current place inside the park. Not only did members hear about the negative message of atomic weapons, but also how they have come to be viewed very differently from the issues of nuclear power plants in Japan. The guide and hibakusha described an effective public relations campaign at the Hiroshima Peace Park before plans to build nuclear power plants were adopted in efforts to sway Japanese public opinion towards nuclear power.
During the retreat, LiDi members were also fortunate to be able to hear Steve Leeper, a member on the Board of Directors for the World Friendship Center, talk about his current project in a town outside Hiroshima City. The project is building a peace village where people can live peacefully and work towards an entirely self-sustainable lifestyle in an environmentally friendly community. Living Within Diversity members were fortunate to see various types of diversity and the efforts of many to create more inclusive communities.
LiDi e-book and printed book soon to be published
Last year, SIETAR Japan’s Living Within Diversity (LiDi) SiG put out a call for chapter proposals for a book that could be used to introduce diversity topics focusing on Japan. There was a very positive response, and 15 chapters were accepted. The e-book is now almost complete and is titled Readings on Diversity Issues: From hate speech to identity and privilege in Japan. The strictly peer-reviewed publication will be published in June 2016 and includes the following chapters. It is hoped that many SIETAR Japan members will be able to use it to help create more awareness of diversity issues in Japan.
Title: Readings on Diversity Issues: From hate speech to identity and privilege in Japan
Section One: Multicultural Relations in Japan 7
Chapter 1 Accommodating Cultural And Ethnic Diversity: Two Models 8
by Julia K. Harper
Chapter 2 For Empowering Women (FEW): Women Supporting Women in Japan 17
by Kristie Collins
Chapter 3 Japan’s Immigrant Laborer Policies 25
by Cecilia Ikeguchi
Chapter 4 Tsukuba’s International Community: Globalization in Action 31
by Hana Suzuki, Kristie Collins, and Herb Fondevilla
Chapter 5 Exploring Diversity in Japan 42
by Stephen Shrader
Chapter 6 Diversity Within Individuals: Multiculturalism Inside You 49
by Erina Ogawa
Chapter 7 Hafu, Double, or Just Japanese: Identity Issues for Multiracial Japanese 56
by Elizabeth Dow
Chapter 8 Discrimination against Descendants of Former Outcasts in Japan 63
by Teresa Koide
Section Two: Thinking Critically about Multicultural Issues in Japan 70
Chapter 9 Teaching about Privilege in Japan 71
by Makiko Deguchi
Chapter 10 Globalization and Learning English as a Foreign Language 78
by Elizabeth Yoshikawa
Chapter 11 An Examination of Diversity in Japanese Universities 86
by Lisa Rogers
Chapter 12 Microaggressions in the Japanese Context 95
by Makiko Deguchi
Chapter 13 What Is the Essence of the Comfort Women Issues? 101
by Soo im Lee
Chapter 14 Xenophobic Influences In Relation to Hate Speech 109
by Michiko Tomioka and Soo im Lee
Chapter 15 Becoming Aware of Your Own Cultural Lens 118
by Teresa Koide