Consul General Jun Niimi hosted a reception for participants of the Hapa Japan 2013 Festival and conference on April 5th 2013 at his official residence in Los Angeles. Hapa Japan 2013 was a five-day event “celebrating mixed-race and mixed-roots Japanese people and culture,” presented by the Hapa Japan Database Project and the USC Center for Japanese Religions and Culture.
Consul General Niimi greeted the participants and recognized the growing role that half-Japanese, or Hapa, have in Japanese society. He acknowledged the many different experiences and challenges faced by the growing number of hapa in Japan, and pointed out the importance of them entering into the consciousness of all Japanese people. He also highlighted their potential for helping Japan with both domestic and international relationships. Professor Duncan Williams, Co-Director of the USC Center for Japanese Religions and Culture, and Hapa Japan Conference Convener, thanked the Consul General for his support and emphasized to the audience how hapas represented an important part of the future of Japanese society.
The welcome speeches were followed by a dance and spoken word performance by Chicago-based hapa artists. The half-indoor and half-outdoor reception included fusion Japanese-American cuisine and desserts, and provided an opportunity for the many hapa artists and scholars to interact.
The Hapa Japan festival, which continued from April second to sixth, included film screenings, musical performances, a museum exhibition opening, a book fair and literary pane, and a two-day scholarly conference on hapa and identity in Japan.
The event was also sponsored by the Japan Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation John E Sawyer Seminars at USC. |
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