When your name just doesn’t fit: Processes of marginalization surrounding the written representation of non-Japanese names

One form of linguistic marginalization is the (mis)representation of names originating from different language systems, which can, in some cases, lead to the denial of access to certain goods and services. On online forums in Japan it is common to see complaints from non-Japanese residents regarding being unable to apply for services, due to problems relating to the written representation of their names, often caused by advances in computerization. These include 1) being unable to register names online that include ‘non-standard’ characters, such as small ‘っ’or ‘ー’, 2) being unable to input a particular name in hiragana only, 3) having multiple representations of their names in katakana at different institutions, 4) different institutions using different word orders and spacing conventions, particularly concerning middle names and 4) different institutions using different scripts (katakana, hiragana or Roman letters) for the representation of non-Japanese names. Particularly from a social justice perspective, it is important to investigate how residents with non-Japanese names navigate these instances of marginalization and attempt to overcome them, and how institutions respond to complaints and enquiries about such issues.

This study applies the framework of Language Management Theory (Jernudd & Neustupný 1987, Fairbrother, Nekvapil & Sloboda 2018) to examine how residents with non-Japanese names manage their experiences of marginalization relating to their names, particularly in their dealings with financial institutions. The data used in this study comes from the comments of residents with non-Japanese names on online forums, regarding their experiences of problems relating to their names. I first provide a classification of the types of name-related problems that they report and then give examples of the adjustment strategies suggested by other participants in the online forums and examples of institutional responses. I argue that although many of the name-related problems faced by residents with non-Japanese names are the result of faulty technology, these problems have a strong impact on immigrants’ feelings of social belonging. Additionally, the lack of institutional action to rectify the underlying computer issues leads to the continued marginalization and re-marginalization of people with certain non-Japanese names.

Fairbrother, L., Nekvapil, J., & Sloboda, M. (2018). The language management approach: A focus on methodology. Berlin: Peter Lang.

Jernudd, B. H., & Neustupný, J. V. (1987). Language planning: For whom? In L. Laforge (Ed.), Proceedings of the international colloquium on language planning (pp. 69-84).  Quebec: Les Presses de L’Université Laval.

Paper presented at the 16^th International Pragmatics Conference, Hong Kong, June 9-14, 2019.