In this paper, I demonstrate how long-term multigenerational minorities
and Japanese residents engage in the current socio-political discourse
of “multicultural coexistence” society (tabunkakyōsei shakai),
which had not previously been integral to the vocabulary of national
rhetoric in Japan until the 2000s. I argue that the lack of clear
definition and goals of multicultural coexistence by the current
Japanese government generates obstacles in the attempt to build a
multicultural society. While local municipalities’ programs, such as
multilingual services and lifestyle support, are certainly needed,
long-term foreign residents with linguistic and cultural competence are
suspicious of the concept of multicultural coexistence due to their own
embodied marginalized positions. Taking a local municipality’s
intercultural event as a point of reference, this paper explores how
long-term minority residents perceive their positions at the crossroads
of seemingly paradoxical forces of multicultural trends and an ongoing
national identity founded upon ethnic homogeneity.