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- SYMPOSIUM REPORT
- By: Terri Nii
- The UMJ Volume 3.5 (Editorial)
- By: Terri Nii
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We would like to thank once again the panelists and participants in the UMJ Symposium exploring the Juminhyo issue held on October 18th . The three distinguished speakers shared their research and experiences with the audience in an informal interactive atmosphere at the very successful first event. The program began with a presentation by Mr. Tony Laszlo, who is a journalist in Japan. Tony discussed the qualifications of "resident" and the rights due all residents of Japan. He cited cases in which the omission of the non-Japanese spouse on the juminhyo has caused awkwardness or difficulty. Besides these common occurrences, he noted that there has also been active misuse of the juminhyo document in schemes to deny that marriage had taken places between a Japanese national and his or her non-Japanese spouse. Ms. Gunilla Okabe, who regularly speaks on cultural exchange and understanding, was the second speaker at the Symposium. Alternating between English and Japanese, Gunilla, who has lived in Japan since 1979, described the feelings of a long-term resident, emphasizing that non-Japanese residents don't want the special treatment given to guests but rather want to be acknowledged as regular citizens in the society. She compared the role that foreigners have in her native country of Sweden with that of Japan. In Sweden, for example, three years' of consecutive residence enables a person to both vote and submit his or her name for candidature in local elections. The final speaker was Mr. Bummei Sato, author of several books about the "Koseki" in Japan. Mr. Sato, who worked for three years in the koseki (Family Registry) Department of the Shinjuku ward office, became dissatisfied with the way that the koseki discriminates against people and has since devoted his time to researching and writing about the history and the social consequences of the koseki system. Mr. Sato introduced the history of the koseki from the Nara period and explained how it changed roles after World War II, when the juminhyo was developed. He explained how the two documents are administered separately, the koseki by the Home Affairs Ministry and the juminhyo by local cities and towns. When Mr. Sato worked in the Koseki Department he realized that the koseki system, rather than being of benefit to citizens, could actually do damage in that private family matters could at times be known by other people. An opportunity to explore the objectives and roles of the koseki and juminhyo, the symposium served as an inspiring launch to the 3rd year of UMJ's activities.
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