Historical Dictionary of United States-Japan ... - Bakumatsu Films

INDUSTRY FORUM FOR SECURITY COOPERATION • 113
bravely in both Europe and Asia—even though some of their relatives
were imprisoned in American internment camps as possible “enemy
aliens” by the United States government.
After the animosity of World War II subsided, by the 1960s, Japanese
Americans were hailed as a “model minority” because they were
viewed as a law-abiding, industrious, and studious ethnic group contributing
to the diversity of American life while maintaining elements
of traditional Japanese culture. A few prominent Japanese Americans
are George Takei, actor; Ann Curry, TV news reporter; George
Ariyoshi, Governor of Hawaii; Daniel Inouye, Senator from Hawaii;
Robert Matsui, Congressman from California; Ellison Onizuka, astronaut;
Ronald Takaki, UC Berkeley professor and author; Kristi Yamaguchi,
Olympic gold medal winner in figure skating; and Gen.
Eric Shinseki, U.S. Army Chief of Staff. Although many Japanese
Americans reject the designation of “model minority,” they have
been remarkably successful in their personal and professional lives,
and have persevered in the midst of discrimination faced by themselves
and their immigrant ancestors in the United States.
As of 2003, just under 50,000 Americans were living in Japan (not
including American military personnel). Many Americans living in
Japan are businesspersons, students, or teachers. Although some are
permanent residents, especially if they have Japanese spouses, very
few are naturalized Japanese citizens because Japanese government
immigration rules make it extremely difficult for foreigners to obtain
Japanese citizenship. The cost of living in Japan, plus lack of Japanese
language ability also tends to keep the number of Americans living
in Japan at relatively low numbers. Nevertheless, since the early
1980s, there has been a slow growth in the number of Americans living
in Japan. See also JAPAN EXCHANGE AND TEACHING PRO-
GRAM; YATOI.
INDUSTRY FORUM FOR SECURITY COOPERATION (IFSEC).
With the agreement between the Japanese and U.S. governments, the
Industry Forum for Security Cooperation was established in January
1997 as a forum of dialogue between Japanese and U.S. defense industries
to promote effective Japan–U.S. defense cooperation toward
realization of peace and stability in post–Cold War Asia. The IFSEC
has two primary purposes: Promotion of dialogue between Japanese