Hafu
Encyclopedia
The word is used in Japanese
to refer to somebody who is biracial, i.e. ethnically half Japanese
. The label emerged in the 1970s in Japan and is now the most commonly used label and preferred term of self-definition. The word hafu comes from the English word "half" indicating half foreign-ness.
, Can Can and Vivi
as models and seen on TV screens as often as newsreaders or celebrities. To name a few, these include people like celebrity tarento
Becky (British/Japanese), newscaster Christel Takigawa
(French/Japanese), and models Kaela Kimura
(British/Japanese) and Anna Umemiya
(American/Japanese). The appearance of hafu in the media has provided the basis for a vivid image of hafu.
One of the earliest terms referring to half Japanese was ainoko, meaning a child born of a relationship between two difference races. This label however inferred social problems such as poverty, impurity and discrimination due to the negative treatment of hafu back then in the 1940s. The word was then gradually replaced from the late 1950s by the label konketsuji (混血児) which literally means a child of mixed blood.
However, soon this too became a taboo term due to its derogatory connotations such as illegitimacy and discrimination. What were central to these labels were the emphasis on 'blood impurity' and the obvious separation of the half-Japanese from the majority of Japanese. Some English-speaking parents of children of mixed ethnicity use the word "double." Amerasian
is another term for children of mixed ancestry, especially those born to US military fathers and Japanese mothers.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
to refer to somebody who is biracial, i.e. ethnically half Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
. The label emerged in the 1970s in Japan and is now the most commonly used label and preferred term of self-definition. The word hafu comes from the English word "half" indicating half foreign-ness.
Social context
Fashionable images of the half-Japanese people have become prominent especially with the increased appearance of hafu in the Japanese media. Hafu now fill the pages of fashion magazines such as Non-noNon-no
is a Japanese fashion magazine published by Shueisha. Like CanCam, non-no has a comparatively longer history than other Japanese fashion magazines e.g. Cawaii!, Olive and so forth. The magazine is targeted at teens and young women in their early 20s....
, Can Can and Vivi
Vivi (magazine)
is a Japanese fashion magazine published by K L. ViVi is one of Asia's top fashion magazines, and is published in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand...
as models and seen on TV screens as often as newsreaders or celebrities. To name a few, these include people like celebrity tarento
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
Becky (British/Japanese), newscaster Christel Takigawa
Christel Takigawa
, commonly known as is a Japanese TV announcer and TV News presenter. In TV presentation, her name is usually abbreviated as Christel Takigawa.- Biography :...
(French/Japanese), and models Kaela Kimura
Kaela Kimura
, born , is a Japanese pop rock singer, songwriter, model, and TV presenter.- Career :Born in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan to a British father and Japanese mother, Kaela started working as a model in 2002 for the Japanese magazine Seventeen...
(British/Japanese) and Anna Umemiya
Anna Umemiya
is a Japanese television personality and model. Born in Tokyo, she is the daughter of a Japanese father and an American mother, herself a former model...
(American/Japanese). The appearance of hafu in the media has provided the basis for a vivid image of hafu.
One of the earliest terms referring to half Japanese was ainoko, meaning a child born of a relationship between two difference races. This label however inferred social problems such as poverty, impurity and discrimination due to the negative treatment of hafu back then in the 1940s. The word was then gradually replaced from the late 1950s by the label konketsuji (混血児) which literally means a child of mixed blood.
However, soon this too became a taboo term due to its derogatory connotations such as illegitimacy and discrimination. What were central to these labels were the emphasis on 'blood impurity' and the obvious separation of the half-Japanese from the majority of Japanese. Some English-speaking parents of children of mixed ethnicity use the word "double." Amerasian
Amerasian
In its original meaning, an Amerasian is a person born in Asia, to a U.S. military father and an Asian mother. The term has sometimes been used to describe a person in the United States of mixed Asian and non-Asian ancestry, regardless of the circumstances....
is another term for children of mixed ancestry, especially those born to US military fathers and Japanese mothers.
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- MiChi (singer)
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- AnzaAnzaAnza may refer to:Anza ,area in agadir city , in Morocco* Anza, California, a town in Riverside County* Anza, Imperial County, California* Anzá, Antioquia, a town in Colombia* Anza , a river in Piedmont, Italy...
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- SoulJa (rapper)SoulJa (rapper)is a Japanese hip-hop musician and songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with singer Thelma Aoyama, "Koko ni Iru yo" and "Soba ni Iru ne" - the latter of which was the former Guinness World Records holder for the best selling digital single of all-time in Japan .- Biography :SoulJa's...
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External links
- Hafu Film
- Hafu/ Half Japanese Exhibition - By artist Natalie Maya Willer and researcher Marcia Yumi Lise
- Halvsie
- Hapa Japan