Japanese in Argentina Essay Example

The Japanese in Argentina live in regions around the Pablo Nouges City within the capital of Buenos Aires which is adjacent to a temple in La Plata Partido. Most of them are Buddhist, Catholics, and Shintoism. A smaller section also subscribes to the Evangelical denomination. They mainly speak Japanese and Spanish. Today, many of the Japanese have mixed with the Europeans, something which has led to their assimilation hence proving them as a marginalised group or community. The Japanese began their expedition of coming to Argentina around an early twentieth century and specifically from Kagoshima and Okinawa. Earlier to the occurrence of World War II, they worked mainly in businesses and factories. At the time of the War, Argentina was one of the few nations who maintained a neutral position, something which showed the existence of little trouble for the Japanese populace (Ramos, n.p). As the War continued, other restrictions emerged with most of them being targeted towards the Japanese nationals. There were bans on their newspapers and unscheduled meetings. Towards the 21st century, more Japanese gained interest in coming to live and establishing a settlement in Argentina due to opportunities in the field of agriculture. Today, the Buenos Aires host Japanese language schools and association.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Even though the Japanese have tried to establish a settlement in many regions in Argentina, they still appear marginalised or rather underrepresented. The first reason for their underrepresentation is based on religion. The major religion dominating Argentina is Christianity with the latest statistics showing that 66 per cent of the population is from the Roman Catholics. The history of the Catholic domination can be traced to the influence brought about by the Spanish before the immigration of other nationals like the Japanese. 10 per cent of the population are evangelicals (the percentage includes the Japanese, other Argentinians, and the unspecified nationals), 21 per cent are unspecified while the remaining 3 per cent subscribes to other denominations (Carini, 17). Based on the percentages provided herein, it is explicit that the Japanese may not be given priorities on matters religion because of their less population. The majority may control most of the religious activities within the country, something which is likely to bring inequality. They may also not receive equal treatment like the Roman Catholics who form the vast majority. The underrepresentation is extended to the government with most of the leadership positions being held by the Argentinians. They are, therefore, left to battle with the majority for space. Some of them have even acquired Argentinian Citizenship even though they first came as immigrants.

Regarding politics, they have equally been underrepresented considering the difficulties they experience whenever one of them wants to ascent to a political post. They are thus left with the option of being represented by Argentinians, people who may not be a preview of their problems and may not competently address their challenges and needs (Ko, n.p). It is also notable that the political system of Argentina is grounded on the standards of representative democracy and guided by the guidelines of the federal system. It is from the system that the Argentinian governing body is partitioned into the central and the state branches. The dominant political party is the Justicialist Party and the Radical Civic Union. There are other smaller parties which most Japanese subscribe to political-wise, but their influence is restricted in their respective localities.

It is worthwhile to note that even as the Japanese live in Argentina, they both pride their culture and the high level of education standards. The Japanese values are strongly grounded in nearly all aspects of life and will always affect the manner in which their families live, work and engage in activities of social interactions. They view family ties as a key issue and even while in Argentina, they maintain their links back at home. It is very easy for one to differentiate them from the Argentinians based on the manner in which they do things, they rarely hold hands while walking along the streets. The equally do not kiss openly, and you may never find them hugging each other unless when they are in the house or other private places.

In most cases, the parents and children below the age of ten will always find themselves sleeping together on the family futon, something which has differentiated them with most of the Argentinians (Ko, 2538). The distinct Japanese culture to some extent makes them unique and lovable. Over the years, some of them have tried adopting other Argentinians culture and beliefs as a way of blending into society. Their staying together has led to intermarriages, an issue which makes their culture more admirable, and their language also becoming more advanced. They can speak fluently Spanish, Italian, German, English, French and even other indigenous dialects like the Guarani, Quechua to mention but a few.

Conclusion

The Japanese in Argentina exist as a minority group based on different dimensions. The dimensions include their underrepresentation in government, political systems and even matters religion to mention but a few. Their culture is somewhat distinct from that of the Argentinians, something which has also proved them to be unique. Despite the fact they live in Argentina, they still hold their beliefs and traditions dearly as noted herein.

Works Cited

Carini, Caton Eduardo. "Southern dharma: outlines of Buddhism in Argentina." International Journal of Latin American Religions (2018): 1-19.

Ko, Chisu Teresa. "Argentina te include": Asians in Argentina's Multicultural Novels." Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literature. Vol. 69. No. 1. Routledge, 2015.

Ko, Chisu Teresa. "From whiteness to diversity: Crossing the racial threshold in bicentennial Argentina." Ethnic and Racial Studies 37.14 (2014): 2529-2546.

Ramos, Maria Priscila. "The impact of trade liberalisation of environmental products on welfare, trade, and the environment in Argentina." UNCTAD Virtual Institute Project for Trade and Poverty, Tech. Rep (2014).