일본 다문화공생 이념의 논리와 상생으로의 전환

Abstract

This paper set its main focus on the idea of coexistence in Japanese multicultural society and its writer tried to contemplate on the logics of co-existence or co-living (means “Living Together”) from the critical view point. The concept of coexistence means that people who are different from each other in nations, languages, or, cultures, all live together in the same living space. From such a point, it can be estimated as a major turning point in the Japanese immigration policy that the policy defined foreigners not as objects of public support, but as subjects of living together in its idea of multicultural co-existence. However, after consideration of the background and its characteristics of the multicultural society in Japan, I found a lot of problems implied in the logic of co-existence of the Japanese government. Co-existence can not be achieved by just simply accepting strangers (“the Others”) as local inhabitants and how the relationship are being formed between people living together are very important. It can be said that there is nothing like equal-level relationships in the logics of multicultural co-existence in Japan . To solve this problem, the majority party of the society should give away its “Subject” position in the relationship with “the Others” and actively participate to destroy its self identity. As the cases of multicultural coexistence in Japan were introduced in Korea, the interest are getting higher. Korean society, itself also facing many problems surrounding rapid change to multicultural society. need to dispute on the concept of multicultural coexistence sufficiently. It is because the relationship between the Subject and the Other, and, between majority and minority, become very much important viewpoint.　If our society is satisfied to keep peaceful status with strangers, accepting the Others in the level of tolerating and giving mercy, we are still very far from establishing real “Living Together”, co-living society.