Interview with Mr. S

"I have two children, and my older one has already started working. Since my kids came to Japan when they were around seven years old, they grew up mostly immersed in Japanese culture. At home, we spoke both Chinese and Japanese, but now that my older child is working, I’m not sure if they will ever return to China to build a career. Still, I personally believe the future will lie in the relationship between China and the United States, and I see how quickly China is developing.

From what I’ve observed, most Chinese families in Japan don’t place as much emphasis on passing down Chinese culture or language. Instead, what really matters to them is whether their children can get into a good university. As a result, by the time the second or third generation grows up, they often don’t know much about Chinese traditions, and their ability to speak Chinese usually becomes weaker. Of course, it varies from family to family, but this is the general trend I’ve noticed.

Education in Japan is divided between public and private schools. Public schools usually provide only a basic education, so if parents want something more advanced for their children, they often send them to after-school programs or “cram schools.” Private schools, on the other hand, focus heavily on elite education, often designed to prepare students for admission into prestigious universities. Some Japanese students eventually study abroad—most often in the United States—and there are also Chinese families who send their children back to China."