Ethnic identity scale and social mobility: the case of Nisei in Toronto*

La nature et la durée de la survie de l'identité culturelle du groupe ethnique des Canadiens d'origine japonaise dépendent de deux facteurs principaux: la répartition géographique de la population, puis la mobilité qu'elle a eu à subir dans les décades suivant la guerre. Ce rapport analyse les éléments de l'identité culturelle nippo-canadienne au sein de la seconde génération, dans Toronto, au moyen d'une échelle d'identité. II apporte, de plus, une preuve empirique de l'hypothése généralement admise que l'identité culturelle d'un groupe est affaiblie par la mobilité sociale. L'analyse statistique de nos données confirme cette hypothèse: il existe une corrélation négative significative entre l'importance de l'identité culturelle et l'indice de mobilité des individus. The geographic dispersal of the Japanese population and the subsequent mobility experienced by Japanese Canadians in the postwar decades are considered as critical factors in explaining the nature and the extent of the group's ethnic identity maintenance. The present report explores the components of Japanese-Canadian identity as revealed by the second-generation Japanese in Metropolitan Toronto through the work of identity-scale construction. It further provides empirical evidence supporting the commonly conceived hypothesis that ethnic group identity is weakened with social mobility. The statistical analysis of our data supports the hypothesis: there is a significant correlation between the strength of ethnic identity and the rate of mobility experienced by individuals.     

Community Radio and the Tōhoku Earthquake

This article illustrates issues that community radio stations in the stricken area of Northern Japan have faced, and discusses the necessity of social collaboration for supporting these radio stations. As of 1 December 2011, the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications had granted permission to operate special emergency‐broadcast FM stations, providing earthquake‐related information, to residents of 27 communities in the Tōhoku and North Kanto regions. Ten such community stations have used existing FM radio frequencies in their community for emergency broadcasting while 15 local governments set up newly established community‐based radio stations by themselves, relying on: conventional community radio stations nationwide; national and international non‐profit organizations; and voluntarily organized civic groups. Despite playing such an important role, community radio stations themselves have struggled to survive, not because of damage caused by the disaster, but as a result of the current social system based upon economic stability. Many of these stations have faced financial problems, such as losing advertising revenue and funding needed for equipment damaged by the disaster. It has become more difficult, particularly for the stations newly set up, to produce a variety of programs when the operation becomes prolonged. As the community radio plays a vital role as a lifeline to provide disaster‐related information to residents, we need to establish a supportive system in society that allows community radio to function as intended.