Critical incidents in the experiences of Japanese returnees

Abstract

In this study, I explore the experiences of five Japanese returnees (kikokushijo). The participants recorded taped monologues or wrote narratives reflecting on their time spent living abroad and of returning to Japan. These retrospective life stories revealed four prominent themes of conflict: group orientation; bullying and victimisation; identity issues; and modes of classroom interaction. A detailed discussion of these themes includes various implications for how changes in the Japanese education system can assist in the integration of returnees at both the high school and university level.

Keywords:

• returnees
• identity
• Japan
• culture

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Malcolm MacDonald for his advice on various drafts of this paper, and also Chizuyo Kojima for the Japanese translation of the abstract.