UCLA

In the late 1980s as part of the globalization trend, new waves of Japanese groups came to settle in the United States. These New Japanese migrants were substantially different from pre-World War II immigrants in terms of their education, economic background, and acceptance in American society. In Japanese, the members of the first generation of these New Japanese living in the United States are called shin-issei, the new first generation.

In order to understand the characteristics and identity of New Japanese migrants, my research focus will be on defining them as a group, how they live in the United States, and the educational strategies they have for their American born 2nd generation children. While exploring New Japanese as a group, previous studies on Old and New Japanese from a historical perspective will guide an understanding of their unique educational strategies and their outcomes, and shed light on the differences that exist due to the modern circumstances of the New Japanese migrants.

In particular, this study will focus on the Japanese community in Los Angeles. Given that there are many different types of Japanese ethnics living in the metropolitan area, diversity in the composition of newer Japanese communities in Los Angeles results in varied educational strategies. I focus on how different types of New Japanese parents utilize different economic and cultural resources to aid in the education of their children. One of the primary methods shin-issei parents use to educate their children is to enroll them in a weekend Japanese supplementary school. The need and reliance of forms of supplementary education stem from shin-issei views on the importance of Japanese and American cultural norms as viewed through a transnational perspective. By examining new Japanese educational strategies and their outcomes, this study will provide a deeper understanding of contemporary New Japanese in the United States as a whole, and how in their case, education is influenced by globalization and transnationalism.