Tag - hafu

 
 

HAFU

Since moving to Tokyo from New York City in 2014, Hiraku Morilla has been promoting Keith Haring’s legacy in his professional life and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 6, 2025
Hiraku Morilla: ‘Pride means respect for those who walked so we could run’
The New York-raised director of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection reflects on his queer, multiracial identity and LGBTQ+ rights in Japan.
On the surface, "Wildcat Dome" tells a personal story of damaged children — now adults — bound together by tragedy. Underneath, there’s a constant undercurrent of political consequence, invisible and pervasive like radioactive particles.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 26, 2025
‘Wildcat Dome’ challenges Japan's historical narratives
Prolific writer Yuko Tsushima explores themes of militarization, colonialism and occupation through the identities of mixed-race orphans in postwar Japan.
Megumi Koiwai (left) found refuge in writing and storytelling that allowed her to reconcile with her heritage and upbringing.
COMMUNITY / Voices
Mar 24, 2025
A community of stories: Making space for reflection and dialogue in Tokyo and beyond
Through conversations with an international writing workshop, a writer of mixed heritage finds steadier footing and a sense of self.
The victory of Ukraine-born Karolina Shiino (center) in the Miss Japan contest held last month has sparked a debate on what makes someone truly Japanese.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 1, 2024
A Ukraine-born beauty queen and what it means to be Japanese
Shiino's Miss Japan victory has ignited a debate on the definition of "Japaneseness," and raises questions on what it truly means to be Japanese.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 10, 2020
Sibling duo Lastlings finds its musical muse in Japan
The half-Japanese, half-Australian siblings, who experienced relentless teasing while growing up in Australia, took refuge in music and created their own blend of electro-pop.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jul 13, 2019
Aika Miyake: Film editor makes the cut in both Japan and U.S
There aren't many female filmmakers in Japan, making even fewer female film editors. Aika Miyake is an exception.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 21, 2014
Adopting a child from Japan: one U.S. couple's story
Chicago residents Mari, a Japanese national, and Jonathon, an American, considered adopting from the U.S. or South Korea, but cultural and citizenship concerns sealed their decision to adopt from Japan. The new addition is one of only a handful of children adopted from Japan into the U.S. each year.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2013
'Hafu'
Around one in 49 babies born in Japan today are of mixed heritage. That's a surprising figure considering that the country was closed off to foreigners for close to three centuries, way back when.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Aug 19, 2013
‘Halfies’ and hapa the norm elsewhere
Hapa haole celebrated in Hawaii
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Aug 12, 2013
The perennial 'half, bi or double?' debate rolls on
Confounding 'half' stereotypes
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 29, 2013
There is more to my son than the fact he's a 'half'
For foreign residents, having a child in Japan can be a daunting prospect. Going to the hospital and trying to figure out what the doctor is saying in complex Japanese medical terms is just one of myriad trials.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan