News to Me: Brooklyn native elected to Inuyama, Aichi Pref. City Council in 2003April 2nd, 2006 by Adamu |
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It seems I am a bit late to the ball, but as a follow up to my bit on the expanding role of foreigners in Japan in my “Japan apologists” post, I’d like to introduce you to the first American elected official in Japan, Anthony Bianchi, who was voted into the city council of Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture in April 2003. The best way for you to learn about him is to listen to this 2003 NPR interview (Requires Windows Media Player). The native Brooklynite came to Japan as an English teacher in 1989, married a Japanese woman and became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 2002 after 3 years of paperwork. It’s great to hear him explain in his thick Brooklyn accent how he managed to get more votes (3,000) than any native-born Japanese candidate in the election.
He explains that the keys to his huge success were: a) His years of teaching produced a large contingent of people of voting age who knew him from being his student; and b) Dissenting voters appreciated his promises to bring a more open style of politics to the city. In Inuyama, a suburb of Nagoya with a population of 73,000, he was able to ride his close relations with the citizens and a populist platform (given all the more relevance by his status as an experienced outsider) to victory in a low-turnout election.
Bianchi speaks in an earnest, convincing manner and uses American-style aggressive political tactics to push populist causes. His first initiative was easy: he demanded that the mayor carry out a plan to broadcast city council proceedings on the Internet, something that many other cities had done already but that Inuyama had been dragging its feet on. But it made for great press when he demanded the change in his first question after being elected. Thankfully, he did it, so now the world can watch him spout off about fascinating topics like government procurement and public comment systems here (requires Internet Explorer).
Bianchi’s story is a fascinating example of how a Western foreigner can successfully assimilate in Japan. He campaigned on a platform of “Protect traditions together and make the future bright for the sake of Inuyama,” and his homepage exclaims, “Progress over precedent, common sense over ordinances!” He also looks to be very involved in the Japanese vision of “internationalization” meaning lots of cultural exchanges and eikaiwa classes.
Bianchi’s political style stands in stark juxtaposition with that of a better-known Western-born activist in Japan, Debito Arudo (Pictured below). Debito, also a naturalized Japanese citizen who was born and raised in the US (California), is much more confrontational, divisive, and preoccupied with identity politics. While Debito demands to be accepted as a “Japanese person” as part of his multiculturalist vision for Japan, Bianchi seems to relish his status as an American who made a life for himself in small-town Japan. He even uses his “New York-ness” to make himself more accessible (See picture on right). Bianchi is also much less of an “activist,” even to the point of not wanting to be called a politician as that would distract from his goals as a servant for the town of Inuyama. That’s certainly an understandable desire as “politician” is an much crueler epithet than “gaijin,” but it reflects his decidedly provincial aspirations.
When Debito tried to help his wife’s ultimately successful bid for a city council seat in their hometown of South Sapporo City by holding a debate of the candidates, he ended up feeling rather miffed when the local authorities forbid it citing a conflict of interest (properly, IMO). I’m not sure if Bianchi ran into similar frustrations, but I suspect his long experience in his city’s public school system as head of the native English teacher program gave him a better idea of what would be tolerated in the city.
It’s a little unfair to compare two men with vastly different careers and aims, but reading about Bianchi was a refreshing reminder that there are other models for expat social activism out there.
(I learned of Bianchi’s existence from a recent NYT article in which he invites a reporter to visit Meiji Mura, an intriguing but kind of sad example of Japanese-style historical preservation)
April 2nd, 2006 at 8:43 pm
Nice find! Never heard of him—I wonder what he sounds like in Japanese? The NPR interview didn’t give us much clue…
April 2nd, 2006 at 9:04 pm
Same basic problem faced by visibly different minorities in every society. Do you get ahead by trying to blend in with the majority, or by using your obvious difference to your advantage? Debito’s in a constant state of identity crisis… I imagine Bianchi doesn’t have much of a problem in that regard, given that his identity seems to be totally Brooklyn.
April 2nd, 2006 at 9:09 pm
I’d like to introduce you to the first American elected official in Japan
Ahem, he’s Japanese. A former American, perhaps, but in the present tense, Japanese.
By the way, at first glance the overlapping NY symbol of the New York Yankees (behind him) looks like a giant wall kanji.
April 2nd, 2006 at 9:48 pm
By that standard, he should be “American-Japanese”, as people with Japanese heritage living in America are “Japanese-American”.
April 2nd, 2006 at 9:58 pm
> as people with Japanese heritage living in America are “Japanese-American”
Almost. A Japanese-American has US citizenship.
April 2nd, 2006 at 10:01 pm
I say just call him Brooklyn-Japanese. I think it’s pretty clear which flag he’s flying, and it’s not the national one.
April 3rd, 2006 at 12:54 am
[...] Adamu posts about Tony Bianchi, the Bensonhurst-born former English teacher who was elected to the city council of Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. In particular, you want to listen to his 2003 interview with NPR (linked to Adamu’s post), where, among other things, he explains–in Brooklynese–how his native accent helped him learn Japanese. Adamu also contrasts Bianchi’s style of “expat activism” with that of a better-known foreign-born Japanese activist: Bianchi’s political style stands in stark juxtaposition with that of a better-known Western-born activist in Japan, Debito Arudo (Pictured below). Debito, also a naturalized Japanese citizen who was born and raised in the US (California), is much more confrontational, divisive, and preoccupied with identity politics. While Debito demands to be accepted as a “Japanese person” as part of his multiculturalist vision for Japan, Bianchi seems to relish his status as an American who made a life for himself in small-town Japan. He even uses his “New York-ness” to make himself more accessible (See picture on right). Bianchi is also much less of an “activist,” even to the point of not wanting to be called a politician as that would distract from his goals as a servant for the town of Inuyama. That’s certainly an understandable desire as “politician” is an much crueler epithet than “gaijin,” but it reflects his decidedly provincial aspirations. [...]
April 3rd, 2006 at 4:17 am
Taro on the FG Forum found this:
He almost broke campaign protocol by posing for his poster wearing a Yankees shirt, standing in a batting stance. He added: “My slogan would have been: `Vote for me, or I’ll hit you with the bat!’ ”
April 3rd, 2006 at 6:53 am
If you want to hear him in Japanese, go to the city council video site (requires IE):
http://inuyama.gijiroku.com/
April 3rd, 2006 at 7:49 am
>Almost. A Japanese-American has US citizenship.
My mistake. I meant US citizens with Japanese heritage.
April 4th, 2006 at 3:12 am
That is the greatest campaign slogan ever!
April 4th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
Aye Yo How ya doin’?
A friend of mine told me about this post by Adamu. I read it with great interest. I appreciate that Adamu took the time to check up on my situation and not just offer off the cuff analysis. He even took the time to listen to my some of my speeches at the council session – apparently without falling asleep. I enjoyed the comments also – I always welcome comments and opinions. There are a few things that I would like to respond to or comment on – maybe one day if I can find the time. By then I hope to find a way to type my entire comment in a Brooklyn accent. Until then, youz guys – take it easy.
April 5th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Wow, what an honor! I feel like I met a celebrity or something.
Hope you’ll find time soon to respond!
May 18th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
[...] Hey, if it makes him Oh feel any better, the whole New Yawker-schtick seemed to work for one Japanese city councilman. [...]
May 31st, 2006 at 12:22 am
[...] Success in national politics is the most surprising development, but it is by no means isolated. Adamu noted a few months ago that a Brooklyn native was elected to the the city council of Inuyama in Aichi Prefecture. The founder and CEO of Softbank (the Yahoo of Japan) is a naturalized Zainichi who kept his Korean last name. The current CEOs of Nissan and Sony are foreigners. And “non-Japanese” have made inroads into almost every sector of public life as entertainers, civil rights activists, lawyers, and even Sumo champions. The foreign population reached a record high of 2 million in 2005, and the declining birth rate means this number will continue to climb. [...]
December 10th, 2006 at 2:53 am
[...] [Want to find out more about Anthony Bianchi? Check out this informative post about Bianchi at Mutant Frog or his official website (in Japanese). ] Help Japanprobe Grow by sharing this post:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]