The problems of background on international marriage of Japanese-Asian couples in Japanese countryside

Itakura Toshinori

Abstract

With increase of international marriage in Japan international marriages between Japanese men who live in farming districts and Asian women are also increasing, but this type of marriages are different from common one. This type of marriages caused by lack of young women in farming districts is based on very short marriage meeting mediated traders and it causes many troubles. The reason of lack of young women is old customs mainly. To increase women have foreign culture is rewarding things to farming districts, but it is important to solve troubles and to save human rights of women and it is also important to reconsider old customs and so on to come young women into farming districts.

By the internationalization the chance of international marriage is increasing. The unwillingness of international marriage is abating. It is not rare that foreign women want to marry Japanese men for his richness. It is expanded to Japanese farming village society (Sato. et al., 1989). People tend to guess that international marriages are a fruit of a deep love beyond countries, but the peculiar international marriages done with classic marriage meeting exists in Japanese countryside. This paper treats international marriages between Japanese men who live in countryside and Asian women and appears the characteristics, problems and background of this type of marriages.

The characters of this type of marriages

The international marriages done in Japanese farming districts have many characteristics. First, marital traders mediate the marriages. Of course the mediation is a business. Second, the marriages are arranged marriages. Third, when the marriage is agreed, a husband gives wife’s parents’ home 200 to 300 thousand yen. Fourth, the brides are limited to Asian women. Fifth, women’s motivations of these marriages are the richness of Japanese. Sixth, the combination of the marriage is that the wife has to live with husbands’ parents after the marriage (Sato et al., 1989). These are different from common international marriages and there are many problems. Especially, former two characteristics are considered as a serious problem. I introduce about traders and marriage meeting.

The problems of traders and marriage meeting

Mediation of traders is the most characteristic thing, but a lot of troubles are reported. Traders do a setting of marriage meeting, procedures of marriage, arrangements of transportation, interpretation and so on by 2000 to 3000 thousand yen. It is a strange story, but the rates of success in international marriage are 99 percent if people pay money and participate in the arranged marriage tour. The meeting is only three or four hours and they have to decide a partner each other then and there. There is no legal regulation on marital traders in Japan. Here is an example of cheating of marital traders. It is the marriage meeting of Japanese man and Korean women. She said, “I want to go to university in Tokyo when I marry.” He answered, “My town is in a district of mountains, do you agree?” But the interpreter translated his answer into Korean, “Everything is OK. There is no problem.” Besides it there are many cases of cheating such as brides have the hidden children, traders usurp money for the parents of brides, men or translators do not tell snowing so much in a district of man. But many troubles do not come to light because traders make customers written the written oath not to criticize the problems or customers do not criticize as a shame (Nigata-Nipposya-Gakugeibu NNG, 1989). To find brides come from Asia the words came up called “brides of catalogs” and “mail-ordered brides”, 　once these were commercialized in Germany and Australia. Brides have been a part of commodities of catalogs. The number of “mail-ordered brides” is increasing (Ishii, 1992). It is not good to get wives by this way as looking many troubles and problem. This way must be changed in an aspect of human rights.

The circumstances of this type international marriages

The international marriages in farming villages were widely known by mass media as the last measure for lack of brides in districts of depopulation and this type of marriages spread immediately. This trial started from 1985. The most famous cases are Asahi town and Okura village in Yamagata prefecture. The two local governments called in brides from the Philippines taking the initiative by administration in 1985 and 1986 (Sato et al., 1989). Tohoku area especially Yamagata is the advanced and being great in number place. There are three waves of international marriage in Yamagata. The first is Philippine women from 1985 to 1990. It is made by administrations mainly. The second is Korean women from 1990 to 1992. It is made by traders. Korean women were not popular in Japan because it was said that Korean women were subject to violent change of mood. The third is Chinese women from 1994. They came from big cities like Beijing. However the estimation came up Chinese women insist themselves and hate countryside so after that Vietnamese were more popular. The reason of choosing Vietnamese is that Vietnamese women are pure and suit Yamagata, which is the problem before consciousness of problem (Kuwayama, 1995). According to the latest investigation by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor, the ranking of international marriages between Japanese men and foreign women is Chinese, Philippine, Korean, Thai, Brazil in order from the top. (The yearly transition of the number of marriage watching by nationality of couple, 2002) This data showed the number of Japanese-Asian couples still has increased and the sphere of marriage has expanded to Thai.

The reasons of happening this type international marriages

The reasons related to Japan

Why they who cannot speak foreign languages and are not interested in foreign countries seek their wives to Asian countries? Because there very a few young women in their district. Some call this situation “famine of brides” (Sato et al., 1989, p.�A). It is the only one reason of this type of international marriage. For example, in Asahi town in Yamagata there are 216 bachelors being in thirties, but there are only 45 spinsters being in thirties in 1986. The extreme lack of brides, unbalanced ratio of men and women exists in farming districts (Higurashi, 1989). Japanese men who live in countryside cannot expect Japanese partner. The successors in farming districts become old. International marriage is a shot in the arm for this circumstance (Sato et al., 1989). Mr. Sato (1989) stated in this book “If a large number of foreigners enter rural town or village, people have to make up their mind to influence regional culture and lifestyle up to that point seriously. The situation the lack brides in Japan may be very serious because they receive even foreign women with running a risk” (p.3).

There are many reasons of becoming this circumstance. The main reason is the system called ie. In farming villages resting old Japanese custom brides are treated as a labor like goods. Earlier brides of farmer is a work force for saving home and a machine for producing a successor so freedom as a person is suppressed and they are subordinated in chains of mothers-in-law and home (NNG, 1989). Here is a Japanese proverb describing this aspect of brides, “Never let brides to eat eggplants harvested in fall,” it means eggplants harvested in fall are delicious so it is too good for brides to eat them. Therefore mothers in farmer family do not want their daughters to marry farmers. Mothers and daughters know that brides of farmer are very severe. It is impossible for young women who have been taught insisting themselves and living by personality to apply to ancient rules in villages (NNG, 1989).

The second reason is the changes of the situation of agriculture and mind of women. Many people went to the area of Tokyo during a high-growth period because agriculture did not need so many people on account of mechanization and it could not earn much money. The tertiary industries are suitable for women so many women leave farming districts. It changes women’s mind on a marriage. They can live by themselves so women who want to marry decrease (Higurashi, 1989). The mental states of a marriage of women are showed in these words “3 K employment” and “the men who have 3 heights.” “3 K” means kitsui hard, kitanai dirty and kiken dangerous. “3 heights” means high salary, high academic background and tall stature. Women guess if they marry 3 K men, they will have to help them in such place and if they do not, they need not to do it and can spend good life. The reason of choosing strictly by women is improvement of academic background of women (Ishii, 1992). Mr. Mori who works about international marriage in Okura village office pointed out that women know they can live like human beings in Okura village than living in Tokyo, but the tendency of despising farming districts have been settled historically. Farming districts are thought as only supplying area of labor and foods (Higurashi, 1989).

The third reason is that some men are not entirely satisfactory for women. Some Japanese men hope only kindness to the wives, but women hope many things to the husbands. The difference of consciousness makes them changed marital direction, men go toward Asian women and women go toward Western men (Ishii, 1989). Some men live in farming districts are not attractive and childlike. If women marry these men, they will have to become their mother. That is, the cause is men themselves. One reason of it is their reliable mothers. In Tohoku area many farming fathers go to big cities for earning money with leaving their wives and children in winter. Children rely on their mother and it makes children an Oedipus complex. They demand opinions of mother whenever they have to decide. The clients of marital traders are mothers mainly. Mothers worry and want to find a partner for their children when they old (Kuwayama, 1995).

Anyway young Asian women are just substitutes for Japanese women. Japanese want similar women to Japanese so they hunt Asian women who have similar shape, culture, religion and so on. Japanese do not merry Malaysian or Indonesian in spite of the geographic nearness because most of them are Muslim. Japanese force wives Japanese culture. It is not rare that Japanese name to brides of Japanese style (NNG, 1989). Nigata-Nipposya-Gakugeibu (1989) quoted Ushiki Toshiko came from Korea, ‘I cried when I hear later that I came to Japan for a measure of lack of brides’ (p.24).

The reasons related to Asian countries

It is said that an economic gap is the main reason. In addition, safety Japan also attracts Asian women strongly. When Asian women are proposed, they usually agree it (Higurashi, 1989). Higurashi quoted one of wife came from the Philippines said the reason of marring Japanese man, ‘Because I thought I will be happy by marring Japanese man than Philippine man’ (p.124). She was not a poor woman. She could marry Philippine man, but she wanted happier life. There is an economic gap in Japan, but people can earn money by working hard. In the Philippines people do not that because the wealth is concentrated on a few special persons (Higurashi, 1989).

The case of Korean has a different cause. It is common to marry by arranged marriage in Korea. Most Korean women who marry Japanese men were excellent office worker. They work hard in the office for a long time. But Korean people think women should marry under 27. Aged women who are over 30 can hardly marry Korean men in their culture. Such women are not comfortable in Korea so they want to go to Japan (Kuwayama, 1995). Asian women came to Japan by their mind like this.

The way to solve the problems

To increase women have foreign culture is rewarding things to farming districts, but it is very important to solve troubles and to save human rights of Asian women. New trial started in Asahi town with self-examination, which invite Asian women to the village as trainee of agriculture and let them work and stay during a month. That season is very busy for harvesting apples (Higurashi, 1989).

It must be good way to know each other. They will understand differences of customs, language, way of thinking, etc. They will decide to marry with deep consideration.

It is also important to reconsider and change old customs or mind in farming districts. The origin of the problem exists there so if the customs or minds are not changed, the problem will never solve forever.

Conclusion

Japanese-Asian marriages are increasing in farming district and that have characteristics and problems with special background. The obvious characteristics are mediation by marital traders and classic marriage meeting and these cause many troubles. Japanese men in farming districts cannot marry Japanese women because of old customs, changes of agricultural circumstance and women’s mind and men themselves. With reasons of Asian countries the number of international marriages between Japanese men and Asian women are still increasing. To solve problems on the marriages some trials are started in Japan.

Through international marriage Japanese people live in farming districts were urged to stare their culture and reconsider it. Farming districts have inadequate means of intercultural exchange so it is good thing to enter foreign wives. The condition of international marriages in the districts is not good now, but these international marriages will be regarded as positive if people living in the districts change customs, mind, and the way of choosing a partner.

References

Higurashi, T., (1989). 「むら」と「おれ」の国際結婚学 [A Study of International Marriage of “village” and “me”]. Tokyo: Jyoho-kikaku-syuppan.

Ishii, T., (1992). 国際結婚　[International Marriage]. Tokyo: The Simul Press.

Kuwayama, N., (1995). 国際結婚とストレス　[International Marriage and Stress]. Tokyo: Akashi-syoten.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and Labor. (2002). 夫妻の国籍別に見た婚姻件数の年次推移 [The yearly transition of the number of marriage watching by nationality of couple]. Available: http://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/saikin/hw/jinkou/suii01/marr2.html

Niigata-nipposya-gakugeibu, (1989). ムラの国際結婚　[International Marriages of Villages]. Akita: Mumeisya-syuppan.

Sato, T. et al., (1989). 農村と国際結婚　[Farming Villages and International Marriage]. Tokyo: Nihon-hyoronsya.