Japan-raised Chinese children navigate complex cultural terrain
Bilateral relations between China and Japan have cratered in the aftermath of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments about Taiwan.
Outside of the media furor and diplomatic hand-wringing, however, daily life continues for the more than 800,000 Chinese people who call Japan home — including many children and teenagers who have grown up here.
“Politics and daily life in Japan are very separate,” says Zhang Yinan, 36, a native of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, who spent her childhood in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. Zhang asked that her name be changed to protect her privacy. “Neighbors, teachers or students don’t act differently because of a spat between the two governments.”
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