Eric Takabayashi wrote:

> 
> But you are conveniently still getting away from the issue of Japanese racism and
> exclusion (or how people may not consider ethnic or cultural minorities like
> hypen-Americans or Muslims as American either). Debito is choosing to act in a non
> traditional or confrontational way, but he remains a Japanese citizen, and Japanese
> citizen only, yet people would deny him the rights of a Japanese because of how he
> looks or where he was born. 

Well, maybe rights of a Japanese only come to those who "look" and "act" Japanese?
I know that in the USA, your ethnic background doesn't matter one whit when
determining citizenship... it's all geographical "where were you born".  For native-
born Americans, anyway.

It seems Japan doesn't have such a concept of being "native-born" Japanese... unless
your parents are racially Japanese (whatever that means).

You think that Japanese culture should be changed to imitate the American model?
I know that the world over people will tend to congregate in groups and exclude
the outsiders, but I think you are more concerned with state-sponsored or sanctioned
discrimination like in Japan, right?

> The more common examples of naturalized Japanese such as
> ethnic Asians (who may have lived here since they were born and ONLY culturally
> Japanese) or people who have deliberately assimilated themselves such as Rui Ramos,
> Musashimaru, Akebono or KONISHIKI, should be respected and not considered "gaijin".
> 


So you *are* agreeing with most Japanese that if you look and talk like a native,
you're not a gaigin but Japanese?  And all those people who dont't look, act and
speak like Japanese shouldn't be respected, either?

-Jim