A person born in Asia of an American father and an Asian mother has been called Amerasian, a term coined by Pearl S. Buck. Amerasian children have been subjected to various kinds of prejudice and discrimination in Okinawa. Their mothers fought against this and finally established an Amerasian school in Okinawa in 1998. The goal of the school is to educate Amerasian children so that they can live in peace and cooperation in at least two different cultures and languages.
A wider application of such education is needed in Japan, since Japan is moving toward a global and multiethnic society. The Amerasian school in Okinawa has great possibility of becoming a light not only for Okinawa but also for the rest of Japan.
hiroshi noro