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Koji's Column
A Japanese American Writer’s Perspective on Writing
Koji Steven Sakai
Is it okay for a person who is non-Japanese American to write about the Japanese American (JA) experience? My immediate reaction is no. I’m sick of other people writing my history and stories. I’m sick of having my culture hijacked, even by those who have the best of intentions.

Koji's Column
Marrying Japanese
Koji Steven Sakai
My mother has given me a preference list on which races I should/could marry. First on that illustrious list is Japanese. Since my mother is Japanese, she wants to make sure she has someone to speak to when she’s old and forgets English. Next is Caucasian, because according to her …

Koji's Column
Sticks and Stones
Koji Steven Sakai
For the last year I have been working on a feature length screenplay that deals with Asian American identity. During my research I went online to look for all the racial slurs people use to express their hatred of Asian/Asian Americans. The sheer number of them took me by surprise. …

Koji's Column
What am I?
Koji Steven Sakai
I did Kendo (Japanese sword fighting) for almost 15 years. I ate rice almost every meal growing up. I understand Japanese. I root for Japanese baseball players. I work at a Japanese American institution. Should I then be considered Japanese? What does that really mean?

Koji's Column
Citizen First
Koji Steven Sakai
Anyone who wasn’t actively helping the Jews and other displaced people in Nazi Germany were as culpable for the crimes against humanity as any of the SS soldiers we all like to vilify. The citizens of a country have the moral obligation to ensure that their government does not break …

Koji's Column
Samurais, Ninjas - Oh My!
Koji Steven Sakai
A good friend of mine who works for a Japanese American historical organization recently received the following e-mail and wanted me to write back to them.

Koji's Column
To my unborn child: Tojo Sakai
Koji Steven Sakai
I am going to name my future unborn child Tojo Sakai. My first generation mom thinks it’s not only stupid but a bad idea. Of course, this is the same parent who told me that I shouldn’t try to grow a mullet. Obviously, she’s an unreliable advice giver and possibly …