“Kikokushijo” (returnees) are children of Japanese nationals who have spent a period of at least a year abroad. They are known as “kaigai-shijo” while they reside abroad due to their parents’ work and as “kikoku-shijo” upon their return to Japan. They are referred to as “returnees” or sojourning children. In English, the word “kikoku” means “to return home” while “shijo” refers to “child”, so a literal translation would be “returning child.” The purpose of this study is to: a) examine the emotional factors that affect kikokushijo when they transfer between schools with different cultural settings during their developmental years, and b) discover how various experiences abroad influence the identities of kikokushijo.
To compare the commonalities and differences among kikokushijo, this study utilizes two types of data. First, data from a questionnaire completed by 40 current kikokushijo is examined. Next, excerpts from the presenter’s childhood diary are reviewed. Finally, the presenter will introduce ways to help returnees overcome the difficulties they encounter by utilizing Hayashi’s (2011) Six Lenses Mental Model.
Bio: Born in Tokyo, Kaori Ono lived in New York for five years as a child and entered public school upon reentry to Japan. She is a graduate of both the School of International Politics, Economics, and Communication at Aoyama Gakuin University and the Graduate School of Language Communication at Matsuyama University.
