(Spanish) Well, it’s a term that means we are somehow tied to Japan. Because Nikkei applies to all descendents of the Japanese. It doesn’t matter if you were born in the United States, or born in Paraguay, if you were born in Europe, in Africa, because in some way we’re still linked to the Japanese. Now, is that a good thing or a bad thing – that’s the big question at the moment, about being tied to or part of Japan in this way. On the one hand, I think it’s a good thing because, if we aren’t mixed with any other race or ethnicity, then we still have a Japanese face, so when most people look at you, they think you must be Japanese or from a Japanese family. But then that’s something that brings us together. Because of that there are Pan-American Nikkei Association; there are Nikkei centers, Nikkei groups all around the world that we can identify with. I think that’s the important thing.
Date: October 7, 2005
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Ann Kaneko
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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