Japan is undergoing a demographic and cultural shift as the number of foreign residents increases, intensifying debates over tabunka kyōsei (multicultural coexistence). Yet Japan’s multicultural reality is better described as multicultural complexity, encompassing policies, attitudes, and institutional practices that reveal both opportunities and challenges in integrating diversity. In contrast, Hawaiʻi represents a longstanding case of multicultural hybridity, shaped by immigration and hybrid practices such as Pidgin, foodways, and festivals. As Bhabha (1994) theorizes, hybridity constitutes a “third space” where new cultural forms and identities are negotiated and reconfigured. In Hawaiʻi, hybridity has become normalized in daily life, yet, as Okamura (2008) cautions, inequalities persist beneath its multicultural image. Despite this, few studies have directly compared Hawaiʻi’s hybridity with Japan’s complexity to consider implications for multicultural education. This study frames the move from hybridity to complexity as an analytical lens rather than a developmental trajectory, foregrounding the research question: Can Japan learn from Hawaiʻi in shaping its multicultural future? This presentation forms the first stage of a two-year project. Its objective is to synthesize scholarship across three domains: (1) theoretical perspectives on hybridity and complexity; (2) sociological and educational studies of Hawaiʻi’s hybridity; and (3) policy and discourse analyses of Japan’s complexity. Methodologically, this stage uses a systematic literature review and comparative thematic analysis to identify connections and gaps across these domains. This synthesis will guide the next stage of qualitative fieldwork and inform the development of higher education curricula in Japan that foster intercultural competence and readiness for diversity.

Authors:
Mitsuko Takei, Hiroshima Shudo University, Japan
Kenta Babasaki, Hiroshima Shudo University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Mitsuko Takei is a professor in the Faculty of Global and Community Studies at Hiroshima Shudo University, Japan. She holds an M.S. in Linguistics from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in Information Science from Hiroshima City University. Her research focuses on international education and the intercultural interaction of L1/L2 speakers of Japanese.

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