Highlights
- Australia votes on the Voice referendum on 14 October.
- Some Indigenous Australians with Japanese heritage explain how their experiences inform their plan for a 'Yes' vote.
- A referendum ‘shouldn’t be done in haste’, says a ‘No’ supporter from the Japanese Australian community.
The views expressed in this article are solely of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of SBS.
Dr Yuriko Yamanouchi first came to Australia from Japan in the early 2000s to research Indigenous Australians living in cities.
“The image of Australian Indigenous people the Japanese tended to have, at that time, was something you saw on a postcard, something exotic. I didn’t feel right about that,” the cultural anthropologist said.
Dr Yuriko Yamanouchi, Associate Professor at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, at a Broome horse race in 2014. Credit: Yuriko Yamanouchi
During her time conducting research in southwest Sydney from 2002-2008, Dr Yamanouchi said she was often told by the Indigenous people she met that they hadn’t had much contact with Japanese people.
“There were Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese people in the area but not many Japanese at that time,” she recalled.
“Later, I heard that in northern Australia, there were more interactions between Indigenous people and the Japanese.”
This led Dr Yamanouchi to pursue her research in Broome in Western Australia, the gateway town to the Kimberley with a proud multicultural history.
Revisiting Broome in August, she said she had caught up with many local Indigenous Australians with Japanese heritage.
“The Voice referendum was a hot topic. Some told me that they were worried as some Indigenous people still don’t understand what the Voice is about,” she said.
Multicultural Broome
Broome was officially established in 1883, amid the heights of the pearl shell industry which attracted workers from both Australia and overseas.
Floating lantern matsuri, one of the major events of Shinju Matsuri, Broome, on 28 August 2021. Credit: Dylan Alcock
In 1970, Broome launched the annual Shinju Matsuri (‘Festival of the Pearl’ in Japanese), which honours festivals in Japan and China, as well as Malaysia’s Independence Day.
One person who is proud of the town’s diversity is Maxine Chi, a Bard Aboriginal woman who has Japanese, Chinese and Scottish heritage.
Maxine Chi, a Bard Aboriginal woman who has Japanese, Chinese and Scottish heritage. Credit: Maxine Chi
“Under legislation, there are organisations set up to be representatives of Aboriginal people across Australia … But the government can abolish those organisations, through amending the legislation or abolishing the legislation,” she said.
We need a permanent Voice … That’s the bottom line. I think people are reading more into it than they need to.Maxine Chi
According to a national Essential poll conducted between 27 September and 1 October, “No” leads “Yes” 49 per cent to 43 per cent.
Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, and Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price campaigned for “No” this week in Perth. Ms Price said that setting up the Voice would create a racial distinction in Australia which would be divisive.
Enemy aliens
As Australia and Japan fought against each other in World War II, Ms Chi said having Japanese heritage made things difficult for many, including her family.
In 1942, Japanese fighter planes mounted air raids on Darwin and Broome, marking the first time that mainland Australia had come under attack.
Ms Chi’s father, who is an Australian-born citizen with Japanese and Chinese background, and other people of Japanese descent in Broome were placed in a police compound and then sent to internment camps in the eastern states.
They were considered “enemy aliens”, regardless of their citizenship or place of birth, she said.
“(My father) returned to Broome. Basically (he) got booed at the Broome wharf, told to go back to Japan, which he never had visited actually … He was basically criminalised through that process. He got his life back together. But he (has trauma) from that,” Ms Chi said.
Ms Chi was born after her father returned from internment and grew up listening to his stories.
“As a child, you hear these things as a story … but it becomes real as you get older,” she said.
“I just knew that we (were) a multi-racial family. I grew up respecting all (of the) different nationalities in Broome.”
Maxine Chi (centre) with two friends in Broome, WA. Credit: Maxine Chi
The Matsumotos in Broome
Philip Matsumoto is a lifelong Broome local and a traditional elder of the Walman Yawuru Clan. He has been a councillor for the Shire of Broome for nearly 30 years.
Philip Matsumoto, Councillor, Dampier Ward, Shire of Broome, WA. Credit: Shire of Broome
In 2019, Mr Matsumoto visited Japan for the first time, after discovering an old letter written by Kakio's younger brother addressed to his father Kakio.
“That was really emotional. We hadn’t met them, we hadn’t even spoken to them. We thought, well, they may not want to talk to us. But they welcomed us with open arms and treated us like their family. I am planning to go sometime again in 2024,” Mr Matsumoto said.
Mr Matsumoto said that when his father was interned, his family was allowed to accompany him. They were interned in a camp in Tatura, Victoria. Later, Mr Matsumoto's father was separated from his family and sent to a camp in NSW as a prisoner of war.
“My father was interrogated. My mother was interrogated, and she became very ill, mentally ill,” he said.
The children, including Mr Matsumoto, were sent to a Christian Mission in the Tiwi Islands, along with members of the Stolen Generations.
I feel very uncomfortable when people are talking about that (what the Japanese army did during the war) … The Australian view is to put everybody in the same basket … That’s how I feel, even today.Philip Matsumoto
“(Some) people don’t understand what Japanese people are about, also what the community in Broome is all about, because, in Broome, it’s really a multicultural community.”
Philip Matsumoto's mother, Mary Ellenor (Lena) Corpus. Credit: Tomoko Irlean Matsumoto
“Because of the things we’ve been going through, not just my family but Aboriginal people, Torres Strait Islander people … all the different policies and laws … I think the Voice is something that might overcome that,” he said.
“If the ‘Yes’ vote comes in, I think it would be a good celebration. But there will be a lot of work (to establish the Voice) … it’s not easy at the moment because other people in Australia are saying ‘No, don’t vote for it as there is not enough information’.”
Mr Matsumoto said he was proud that his family’s involvement in the town of Broome had brought some positive recognition for the Japanese.
Matsuo’s General Store was sold and transformed into an award-winning brewery and restaurant, and beer made by Matso’s Broome Brewery can be found in stores across Australia.
“I don’t own the brewery but that’s my name,” he said.
Matsuo's Broome Brewery now and then. Credit: Matso's Broome Brewery
'Shouldn't be done in haste'
Koichi Suzuki* (not his real name) is a Japanese immigrant who came to Australia 20 years ago. He has a social science background academically and earned his PhD at a university in Canberra, in Indigenous studies.
Mr Suzuki says he thinks that it's too soon to be holding the Voice referendum as many people still don't understand what they are voting on.
He says he believes people who support "Yes" could have done better in explaining what the Voice is all about earlier.
"The Uluru Statement from the Heart was announced in 2017, six years ago. They had time to explain. I support recognising Indigenous people in the Constitution, but currently it's all mixed up. The referendum was announced suddenly while many people have virtually no clue what the Voice is," Mr Suzuki said.
It's a referendum. It shouldn't be done in haste.Koichi Suzuki*
"My wife also supports 'No'. She has Aboriginal colleagues at work and saw how much support they can get (because they are Aboriginal). I understand having the Voice would benefit some people, but some people are given too much preferential treatment," he said.
"I sometimes think that having an Indigenous advisory body to the parliament, the Voice, is not a bad idea. But then, (if it's a good idea), why doesn't everyone know about it?"
Mr Suzuki agreed to speak under a false name, saying that, in the current environment, it is hard for "No" supporters to openly talk about their thoughts without worrying about being strongly opposed.
"If you want to make a change, it is important to earn public understanding. We need to talk, rather than accuse each other (of current issues and what has happened in the past)," he said.
Hardship still exists
In Sydney, Dr Mariko Smith is working at the Australian Museum as Manager, First Nations Collections & Engagement in the Australian Museum’s First Nations Division.
Dr Mariko Smith, Manager, First Nations Collections & Engagement in the Australian Museum’s First Nations Division Credit: Australian Museum
“Some people assume because of my Japanese and Aboriginal heritage that I’m from northwestern Australia … but my parents met in a coffee shop in Kyushu (Japan) when my father was travelling around Japan,” Dr Smith said.
Born in Sydney, she said she was very proud of both her Japanese and Indigenous heritage.
She said that being a second-generation Australian with one parent born abroad gave her an insight into what modern multicultural Australia was like.
“I have gained the perspectives of what it means to belong to this land through many generations of First Nations peoples, as well as knowing what life is like for a migrant,” she said.
She said she had also experienced a lot of discrimination.
Dr Mariko Smith, Australian Museum. Credit: Anna Kucera
What happened between Australia and Japan during WWII still cast a shadow, she said.
“My mother still doesn’t feel comfortable going out of the house on Anzac Day, (and) I felt anxious at times about having a Japanese name (Mariko),” Dr Smith said.
‘Unlearn the stereotypes’
Regarding the upcoming referendum, Dr Smith said she hoped that people considered what the vote would mean for all Australians, saying it was about acknowledgement, respect and honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander custodianship and care of the land.
“We all come from different backgrounds and places, but what we can agree on is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were here first, they are the First Peoples and First Nations,” she said.
“This doesn’t mean the rest of Australians are second-class citizens.
Many non-Indigenous people in Australia, including those from migrant backgrounds, may not think they have met or known any or enough Indigenous people. They may be basing their views upon negative stereotypes. They may not see me as an Indigenous person.Dr Mariko Smith
“So, it is important to consider diversity and inclusion of many different Indigenous perspectives and experiences, not just a one-size-fits-all stereotype.”
Between cultures
When Yasunori Hayashi, a Japanese scholar, came to Australia to learn to play the didgeridoo, he was told to learn the Yolngu language to truly understand the tradition.
Mr Hayashi has been studying the language for 20 years, and started teaching it at Charles Darwin University 10 years ago.
Yasunori Hayashi is a lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges (Yolngu Studies) at Charles Darwin University. Mr Hayashi is also co-director of the First Nations Sovereignty & Diplomacy Centre at the university. The image was taken in April 2017. Credit: Yasunori Hayashi
“In general, academic institutions are based on a conventional Western research system … such as philosophy, linguistics, folklore and cultural anthropology,” Mr Hayashi explained.
“How can we apply knowledge and practice by Aboriginal people to this system? How can we teach this to students and researchers? Then we started our efforts to (educate them about) Aboriginal languages and Aboriginal knowledge.
“It’s a place where two cultural traditions, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, which is Western culture in Australia, (sometimes) clash with each other. So people like myself, an outsider from Japan, try to mitigate the conflicts and help them find possibilities by ‘massaging’ the tensions.”
Mr Hayashi is not an Australian citizen but says he has been closely observing the situation around the Voice referendum in Darwin.
According to Mr Hayashi, some of his Indigenous colleagues said they found value in the fact that the referendum was happening, regardless of the result.
“If the result is ‘No’, they said they could accept it because it shows the current (thinking of a majority of Australians),” he said.
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