How did you get involved with JASC, and how do you feel about your experience as a JASC delegate?

I participated in a JASC trip to Japan when I was at Yale.  I have always been interested in civil rights so focused on the issues concerning the Ainu and Korean immigrants in Japan. It was my first trip overseas. I was born in Seattle and had been to Canada, but not to a non-English speaking country.  My parents are both of Japanese descent - but I am third or fourth generation depending on how you count so I'm pretty far removed from the culture.  I had taken Japanese language courses in college but my parents did not speak Japanese at home.

I think my experience was different than the other Americans in my group. Because I was of Japanese ancestry, more was expected of me. Since my Japanese wasn't fluent, that made it difficult sometimes. At the time, the Japanese were not that used to Japanese Americans so they expected me to know the language and the etiquette as if I was born there. On the other hand, I understood enough of the culture (more than I expected to) from growing up so I think the Japanese delegates were more comfortable telling me things that they wouldn't tell white Americans. In fact, sometimes I became a human bridge between the two groups because I understood the cultures of both the Japanese and the American students.

The trip helped me to understand more fully the difference between the cultures and to refine my values. We got into debates about the place of women, for example. I told people I intended to be an attorney which was fairly inconceivable there. The Japanese women in fact faced the reality that an advanced degree actually hurt them in the work place since it was common to be fired once you were married or had children. No matter what degree they acquired, they would still have to start out serving tea if they worked at a bank or corporation. The issue discussed was were Americans imposing a Western view on an older Eastern culture or are there some human rights/aspects that should be universal despite the culture.

In what way has participation in JASC has affected the course of your life and career?

My participation has very much affected the course of my life and career. On the trip, we went to Hiroshima and were there for the anniversary of the atomic bomb. The museum there had truly chilling exhibits that communicated what people are capable of doing to each other. It has stuck with me particularly since it was America who dropped the bomb. It speaks to the fact that horrible things can be done by people who are not necessarily evil. My parents and their families were interned by their own country, the U.S., during WWII. I do human and civil rights work now. I've been actively working to address the U.S. response to 9/11. I think it is important to hold governments accountable and to know that even good people cannot necessarily be trusted to make the right moral choices in times of conflict.

Do you have any advice or anecdotes you'd like to share with future JASCers?