The "Nikkei Citizen" and Japanese Language Education: With a Focus on the Prewar and Wartime Periods on the West Coast of the United States

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00696
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02090:Japanese language education-related
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Morimoto Toyotomi 早稲田大学, 人間科学学術院, 教授 (30230155)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 言語維持・言語継承 / 在米日本人・日系人 / 戦前期の日本語学校 / 戦中期の日本語・日本文化継承

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purposes of this study involved investigations of (1) the use of Japanese language textbooks published and authorized in Japan among Japanese language schools in the prewar period and (2) textbooks and teaching materials used, Japanese language education, and differences among ten different concentration camps in the US during the war period. Due to the spread of COVID-19, I could not conduct the investigation in the US for two years and thus postponed the period of inquiry for two years. Thanks to the postponement of the investigation period, I was able to: (1) have access to the primary source at Kinmon Gakuen in San Francisco, one of the representative Japanese language schools in the US, thereby found that several textbooks and teaching materials, including those authored and edited at the school, were used at the school; and (2) acquired some copies of the textbooks used at "Kokumin Gakko" at the Tule Lake Segregation Camp.

Free Research Field

移民研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

戦前期の日本語学校で使用された教科書や日系コミュニティでの役割については、日本語教育史研究会において「戦前期カリフォルニア州の日本語学校が日系コミュニティに果たした役割ーサンフランシスコ・金門学園を中心に」との題目で発表し成果報告した。北米の代表的な日本語学校である金門学園について1次史料を活用し、当該分野における研究の発展に貢献できた。戦中期における強制収容所内での日本語使用状況については、今後さらなる調査が必要であるが、ツールレイク隔離収容所内の「国民学校」で使用されていた教科書の一部や関連資料の入手、収容所内で国民学校教育を経験した人物への聞き取りができた点で学術的意義があった。