Kenji Tokawa
Yonsei. Born in Ontario.
Poet turned lawyer.
To the question – How do you identify? (e.g. Canadian, Japanese Canadian, Japanese, other?) – I’ve answered: Nikkei. Japanese-Canadian. Mixed-race.
When asked – Can you share a little about why you identify the way that you do? – I’ve answered:
Nikkei for the non-western gaze of the global Japanese diaspora. Japanese-Canadian for the recognizability, both among family and western society more generally, but also to highlight a specific experience of Canada. Mixed-race because one side is not Japanese.