Volume 52 January-December 2004 55 Introduction Japan is commonly seen and portrayed as an ethnically homogenous society. The myth of mono-ethnicity and racial homogeneity has permeated the Japanese world-view, or the way the Japanese see themselves vis-à-vis the world at large. Even noted scholars, both Japanese and non-Japanese, seem to hold a common perception of Japan’s unique characteristic of ethnic homogeneity (Lie 2001:1). However, the presence of other groups of people in Japanese society challenges the long-held notion of Japanese society as ethnically pure. Foreign workers, Korean and Chinese residents, the Ainus of Hokkaido, the Okinawans and the burakumin (village/hamlet people) are all part of modern Japanese society. The presence of these kinds of peoples contradicts the claim that Japan is mono- ethnic. Aside from the aforementioned groups, it should also be noted that there are a significant number of Japanese as well as their descendants—products of Japanese and mixed marriages—living overseas. These overseas Japanese are those who migrated to other countries to seek greener pastures and lead new lives. Many of them have settled in their host countries, adopting them as their The Nisei: The Second Generation Okinawan-Filipinos in Metro Manila JOHANNA O. ZULUETA Abstract How do second generation Okinawan-Filipinos or Nisei, who are offspring of intermarriages between an Okinawan and a Filipino, construct their ethnic identity? Based on interviews with eight Niseis residing in Metro Manila, the Nisei is found to have constructed his/her own identity by the use of the word ‘Nisei’. While Nisei generally means second generation in Japanese, these Okinawan-Filipinos use the word Nisei to identify themselves apart from other Japanese-Filipino offspring (those whose Japanese parent comes from the Japanese mainland). Being offspring of an Okinawan mother and a Filipino father, Niseis assert the fact that they are of Okinawan heritage, and that Okinawans constitute a distinct ethnic group in the Japanese nation- state. While asserting their distinctiveness as Okinawan-Filipinos, their identities are shaped by social conditions, including that of time and place. Practicality has also become a reason for these Niseis to assert their ‘Okinawanness’, especially with regards to employment opportunities in Japan.