Do Koreans or Chinese in Japan usually speak fluent Japanese? If so, is it usually easily distinguishable as non-native? And if not, are there are any prevailing ideas as to why such long-term residents do not have a better handle on the language?

In one particular English publication about Japanese slang (either 2007 or 2008), the author jokingly asserted that if one were "Black or Chinese" they may as well "run from the police."

In the U.S. at least, there are individuals who "pass" or pretend to be of a certain racial or ethnic background while in reality knowing that they are not. With regards to this question, this is not referring to 通称名, but the complete and actual impersonation, 偽者っと言うかも.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passing_%28sociology%29

Although the number of non-Japanese residents in Japan is comparatively low, is it common to meet Korean or Chinese residents in day-to-day life? For example in school? Have you ever believed someone was Japanese but then later discovered they had been lying?

An additional somewhat related question: How do those yakuza groups who have large numbers of Korean members justify this practice with regards to their traditional alliance with 右翼団体? Do they simply ignore this dissonance? Or have they put forth a complex conceptual defense of this practice?

TheTrueBlue Wrote:Do Koreans or Chinese in Japan usually speak fluent Japanese? If so, is it usually easily distinguishable as non-native? And if not, are there are any prevailing ideas as to why such long-term residents do not have a better handle on the language?

(1) Yes. (2) Often. (3) For the same reason long-term residents in other countries are distinguishable from natives.

Native Japanese can easily tell when someone else is speaking Japanese as a second language. Though it might take a minute or two to notice if the foreigner is Korean.

And I've never met a Chinese person who really mastered Japanese pronunciation. Too many left over tones in their speech.

Found a truly bizzare blog that attacks this issue head on...

http://yukojapan.blog.com/

Here is one of their pics -



Wow! Koreans secretly taking over their media and politics! Manipulating things from behind the shadows, sure sounds familiar. Oy!

well i think it depends. some korean people talk with really thick obvious korean accents... that's what i noticed from watching japanese tv. but there are some that speak korean and japanese both really well.

TheTrueBlue Wrote:Found a truly bizzare blog that attacks this issue head on...

http://yukojapan.blog.com/

The English on that blog was so bad it was painful...