Japanese Americans who emigrated to the United States after the 1880s concealed that they were Japanese while they endured difficult circumstances such as internment camps, poverty, and discrimination. They compelled their children to speak English and tried to assimilate into American society. As a result, they have established a social status as “successful minorities.” Conversely, the inheritance of Japanese language and culture is not common, and it is said that they exhibit an Americanized behavioral style. Furthermore, the number of exogamies with Asians is expanding, and they are increasingly considered as Asian American.
Under such circumstances, some 4th generation Japanese-Americans have become interested in exploring their roots and studying Japanese language and culture at university. In this paper, interview surveys were conducted with six 4th-generation Japanese-Americans in order to clarify the meaning of their roots-searching. The results indicate that their identification as Japanese-Americans becomes ambiguous because they are free from discrimination and indulge in wide-ranging exchanges. From this, their consciousness as individuals wanting to explore their roots through Japanese language and culture is revealed. Within this background, the society aims to restore diverse voices by promoting multicultural education. Such education emphasizes individuals and recognizes and respects identities that are formed historically, socially, or in relation to each other and gives young people a positive feeling when speaking a language besides English and expressing their roots.
