American and Japanese thinking about adoption

In this summer, I went to Minnesota for home stay program. My host sister is an adopted child from Korea. And I learned about adoption at class in America. Then I was surprised at American people are affirmative to adoption and adoption are extremely intimate in America. This paper compares American people’s ideas for adoption and Japanese’s.

Although adoption, there are many kind of adoption system such as adopted husband which is adopted into his wife's family, stepchild, adopted child who is related by birth, and adopted child who have other parents. This paper compares adopted child who have biologically parents.

 In Japan, adoption is something that people don’t talk about it. They treat it like it was shameful. Some parents don’t tell their children that they were adopted. There are many problems when parents should tell their children that they were adopted in Japan.

The breakdown of adoption system in Japan was as follows. Adopted husband have the majority. It’s about 67%. And second, stepchild is 25%. Thirdly, adopted child who is related by birth is 7%. The least is adopted child who have other parents. It’s just 1%. There are many reasons for the background of not taking root.  First, many Japanese people don’t know about the adoption system in detail. In other words, it’s a lack of knowledge for adoption system. From a questionnaire survey, there are Japanese people of 21% said that don’t know about the system in detail. Second, Japanese administration is negative posture on adoption system such as public relations are not frequent and the number of public organization social workers are predominantly smaller than European and America. Thirdly, as mentioned before, there are discrimination’s senses even today. From the questionnaire survey, you can see there are many Japanese people care about what other people think. Finally, it’s low that substitute of true child and adopted child. For example, utilization rate of in‐vitro fertilization or infertility treatment is higher than America, and success rate is low besides. And in most cases, people who couldn’t have child abandon without thinking about adoption. From these, some people think those adoptions do not become acclimatized to Japan because of Japan has tradition of regard blood relation as important.

Incidentally today, Japanese adoption numbers gradually decrease. In recent years, around 1000-1500 adoption is carried out every year. And in Japan, 90% of adoptive parents don’t have children, or suffer from infertility treatment. On the other hand, the number of children who were born for in‐vitro fertilization is rising. Therefore people who can’t have child by themselves will depend on in‐vitro fertilization instead of adoption even the number of Japanese adoption is decrease.

I investigated about adoption for sending questionnaire to our host families for knowing about American’s thinking about adoption. 9 people answered it.

Everyone agrees to adoption. From this result, there is clearly the difference between Japanese people’s thinking and American’s. There are many reasons why agree to adoption. For example, it’s great alternative for families that cannot have children on their own, it’s a great way for families to connect with children and become their forever family, and wonderful way to create families and to provide loving homes for children. A person agrees to it, so give to a charity that helps families get enough money to pay for adoption.

And in regards to a question what do they think about adoption in America, there are several opinion. Many children need homes, Adoption in America can be very positive for the families who adopt and for the child who is adopted, It’s a big business and there is a lot of money involved, so it must be closely regulated by the government.

And everyone knows someone that has been adopted. In Japan, it’s rare. Some people have friends who have been adopted and relations who have been adopted.

In regards to a question what they think if adoption is sad or happy, also there are several opinions. It depends on how well the child and parents are matched, It is happy for the families who are able to adopt children into their family and happy for the child who has a family that wants them to be a part of their family, It is happy that it gives children loving homes and creates families, It is happy if the children can find a happy home to belong to. These are part of opinion for adoption is happy. On the other hand, there are opinions for adoption is sad. Some aspects are sad-difficultly attaching to someone who isn’t your biological family, waiting for a family, and loneliness; It must be very difficult for mother to give up her child for adoption; It is sad that not all children can stay with the parents that gave birth to them. Therefore people of about 30% have opinion for adoption is sad. However many people think that adoption is happy, and also the people who have opinion that adoption is sad have opinion that it is happy.

There is a person who has adopted child in 9 people. However she has stepchild. And my host family has an adopted child. He and his wife started the adoption process when they were 42 years old in 2003, and their adopted child arrived when they were 43 years old in 2005, the child is now almost 8-year-old girl and they are 51 years old. They got married when they were 39 years old. Then his wife has a son from her first marriage. They had always wanted to have at least two children and he wanted to be a Daddy to a little baby. However they were unable to have biological children. Her biological mother was a 19-year-old college student in Korea and the child’s biological father left her to join the Korean Army. Therefore their baby became adopted child. They have taught her that her biological mother loved her so much that she decided to let Mommy and Daddy raise her and she would have a happier life. They love her very much, and they don’t think of her as their “Adopted Daughter”, so they don’t have a problem about adoption. And there is a camp for Korean in this summer. They caused her to take part in the Korean Camp for do not forget Korean cultures every summer. Many Korean American or adopted children from Korea took part in the camp, and they learned Korean language, Korean songs, dances, Tae Kwon Do and so on. And the last day, their parents come to a place like gymnasium, and see their children show various things like songs, Tae Kwon Do and so on. After that, they eat Korean food. It is good things for Korean adopted children.

In America, by virtue of the diffusion of the opinion that is “environment than heredity” and good quality milk powder, married couple who can not have children started to accept an adopted child from 1920. In 1980, adoption was diversified because of adoption system is increase from rise of liberalism and multiculturalism, and also conservative mode broke. Therefore today, the family conception in America is diversified. (1183)