I am a 46-year-old Caucasian male. I have lived in Japan for 17 years with an attitude toward assimilation that would not be looked upon favorably in my native Australia. I would feel worse about this were it not for an undeniable fact: Compared to the average Westerner in Japan, the moderate level of assimilation I have achieved is a standout performance.

Westerners in Japan do not tend to assimilate to anywhere near the degree that foreigners do in the West. I would suggest there are two predominant reasons why. The first is that because of the culture of social obligation, the joys of mainstream Japanese life are felt to be less than totally enviable. The second is that the negative forms of discrimination that exist for the noncitizen population are more than compensated for by an impressive array of positives.

Positive discrimination? Yes, in Japan, it most certainly does exist.