Foreigners' group to address life issues
Summoned by the Ibaraki Prefectural government to address the character of daily life issues faced by foreigners living in Ibaraki prefecture, 10 foreigners from 6 countries met five times over a period of 7 months to identify daily life issues facing foreigners in Ibaraki and to compile a list of recommendations for addressing these issues.
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Who participated in this group? A number of participants came to Ibaraki as a result of having married a Japanese national. Nearly half had studied in Japan as high school or college students. Members of the group included individuals with a range of employment experiences, including the "dirty, dangerous, and difficult" jobs. Some members had children and, thus, could address the difficulties faced by foreign-born parents educating their children in local schools.
Representatives of both the Ibaraki International Association and the International Affairs Division of the Ibaraki Prefectural Government convened the group due to a sense of obligation within the public sector to address problems that foreigners experience in their daily lives. These representatives listened to the comments from the assembled group and occasionally commented on ongoing efforts to address the concerns that were raised. Some of these representatives had worked for years to address life issues among Ibaraki's foreign population.
Representatives from the prefecture were impressed by the high level of Japanese language proficiency among group members and their nuanced sensitivity to the range of daily life challenges faced by foreigners. That many members of the foreign population now possess language skills well above the bare minimum necessary for survival attests to the growing sophistication of the foreign population and their commitment to living in Ibaraki. The language proficiency of these foreigners greatly facilitated the work of the group and reveals the extent to which a common language significantly advances cross-cultural discussions of substance.
What recommendations did the group come up with? The group repeated the need of all foreigners to gain access to information pertaining to their daily lives. All public spaces frequented by foreigners ought to provide a range of information and be staffed by informed personnel who are trained and motivated to deal with people from other cultures.
The group stressed the need to provide Japanese language classes throughout the prefecture during times when foreigners were able to attend. Free childcare also should be provided for adults attending these classes.
Schools need to be sensitive to the situation and concerns of foreign-born parents who may know little about the Japanese educational system and be unable to read informational materials distributed by schools.
Local-level community interaction can lay the groundwork for amicable neighborhood relations, and foreigners seek to contribute in their communities. Greater sensitivity among members of the local community to the background and cultures of the foreigners living nearby would ease relations among all concerned. Where there is a reservoir of understanding and good will, mundane concerns such as the proper way to put out the garbage can be handled in a stress-free manner.
Becoming part of Japanese society includes various administrative hurdles, such as becoming part of the social insurance system, obtaining medical insurance, etc. Both the process and requisite background information need to be supplied and explained to foreign registrants. A particularly stressful hurdle is faced by ill foreign patients who struggle to communicate with Japanese health care professionals. While foreigners have an ongoing obligation to improve their ability to communicate in the Japanese language, institutions and organizations that routinely deal with foreigners also have an obligation to provide satisfactory services such as medical care, legal consultations, and mental health counseling, to those with rudimentary Japanese language skills.
Disasters may reveal many things about individuals and communities, including the underlying nature of relations between foreigners and members of the local community. In order to prepare for an eventual public emergency, members of the foreign community need to be included in emergency drills and provided with information that allow them to act in concert with members of the local community.
An inclusive concept of community seeks to remove barriers of all sorts so that an increasingly diverse range of people are able to claim a place at the public table, including those who are physically handicapped. National, prefectural, and local branches of government need to continue efforts to ensure that all people are able to enjoy the many benefits of Japanese society.
