Everyone Is Affected by Politics

I recently started to understand what Japanese immigrants in the United States might have felt during the Pacific War.

The tension between China and Japan seems to be getting worse. Even though most people still believe the chance of an actual war is close to zero, the relationship will almost certainly enter a low point in the coming years, and it will inevitably affect ordinary people.

A thought keeps coming to my mind: Really? Does it have to be now? Right at the moment when I’m job-hunting and trying to change my student visa into a work visa?

Almost every company asks me the same question in interviews: “Why did you come to Japan?”

For someone already over thirty who chose to leave behind years of experience in China and start again in another country, this is indeed something recruiters care about. Obviously, at my age, I didn’t come to Japan just to “experience a different lifestyle.” I truly hope to live here long-term.

When I’m asked this question, I usually answer: as an IT engineer, I want to work in a free environment where I can use AI products and the same tools that people around the world are using. But in China, just dealing with internet restrictions already consumes huge amounts of time and energy. I want to focus on building valuable products, not on configuring proxy servers. I don’t want to struggle with opening a foreign bank account just to pay for OpenAI, or hunt for an overseas phone number. These things are not difficult for me, but they drain too much mental energy.

That is genuinely how I feel. But I also have another reason—one I usually can’t say in interviews, because it might sound “negative” and hurt my chances.

That reason is: I’m tired of endless political campaigns, tired of rising nationalism, and tired of having my fate and interests controlled by a regime I cannot influence. I just want to live in a quiet place, and have a peaceful life.

However, even after coming to Japan, I still can’t completely escape the shadow China has cast on me.

Although most people stay polite in personal interactions and judge others by their character rather than their nationality, in the current international climate and Japanese public discourse, a foreigner—especially a Chinese person—often cannot avoid being associated with their home country’s government.

Just like when I meet a Russian person: I don’t hold prejudice, but I can’t help being reminded that their country is waging an invasion. No matter how much I suppress that thought, it inevitably affects my impression.

But what can I do? Am I supposed to carry a sign everywhere saying, “I do not support what the Chinese government is doing”? Being “Chinese” is something I cannot change. I dislike the current regime, but I am still proud of our history and civilization. And even if I told everyone about my political stance, would people who already hold prejudice suddenly treat me differently? Probably not.

More realistically, I have no way back. China’s economy keeps getting worse, and companies are becoming increasingly strict about applicants’ résumés. The year I spent studying Japanese in Japan would be seen as a “gap” by Chinese companies, and I probably wouldn’t even pass the initial screening.

I can’t return to China, and my only option is to continue job-hunting in Japan. Ordinary people are always swept along by the political winds of great powers, but other than pushing forward with determination, there is nothing else we can do.

I just hope my job search goes well.