Photo/Illutration Chinatown in Yokohama. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A boy came into the classroom after noisily running up the stairs and said, “Ni hao (hello), Hu laoshi (teacher).”

He was at a cram school called “Terakoya” in Chinatown in Yokohama. About 15 children in the neighborhood, mostly elementary school students, do their homework at the learning center after school.

“Hello. Sit there,” the teacher, Junwa Hu, gently responded.

Hu, 79, is a Chinese resident who was born in Yokohama during World War II. She served as a teacher at a local Chinese school for many years. As she loves teaching children, she opened the cram school after retirement.

Hu is also known as an amateur researcher of the history of Chinese residents in Japan, and she has gathered reams of valuable historical materials.

“Many researchers come to visit such an old woman,” she said in amusement.

Her father is Chinese and hails from Guangdong province and her mother is a Japanese national from Niigata Prefecture. They were disowned by their parents, who opposed their marriage.

It was an era when Chinese in Japan faced blatant discrimination in employment and business. Things have improved from those days, Hu said.

A total of 2.96 million foreigners live in Japan today. Chinese constitute the largest group, accounting for a quarter of the total. Conflict between Japanese and Chinese is still rife.

Recently, a Chinese-affiliated company’s purchase of about half of an uninhabited isle in Okinawa Prefecture created a stir.

I was stunned by the insensitive behavior of a Chinese woman who in late January posted a clip of her visit to the island on a Chinese video-sharing website, talking happily about her family's purchase, unaware of its sensitive implications.

Many Japanese must have felt anxiety and displeasure. How can Japanese and Chinese live harmoniously together?

“We have spent 150 years building relations based on mutual trust with Japanese. I hope more people can be aware of this fact,” said Hu.

There is a lot to learn from Chinese in Japan about how this prickly relationship can be calmly and cautiously approached. Both Chinese and Japanese can benefit from their wisdom.

The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 19

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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