Between Europe and Asia; Cross-National Marriges in JAPAN (RUSSIAN CASE)

The paper focuses on modern Russian diaspora in Japan and based on research conducted in 2012 in Kyoto (Japan). Although Russians in Japan have more then 100 years-history, in fact the Russian-speaking Diaspora has been formed just last decade. There were only 322 Russian (Soviet) citizens in 1985, but in 2004 the Russian community in Japan has counted more then 7 000 members. If we take in account that Russian-speaking community can include the CIS' citizens, it is understandable how many Russian-speaking foreigners in Japan now - about 10 000. All population of the Russian community in Japan could be divided into two groups: labor migrants and members of cross-national marriages. I pay attention to the second, larger group of the Russian community in Japan, because it is still studied a little. It is a marginal community, still not Diaspora in due its small and dispersed numbers. Having many problems of identification, they want to keep their transnational identity, influence on cultural environment of host country and to be a root between it and homeland, between two cultures - Europeen and Asian. 
This study (interview with Russian women married Japanese men) shows us an impact on Japan of many new ethnical communities and how Japan is becoming the society of multi-cultural coexistence. So, under influence of the small Russian community, Japan will take a new identity as a multicultural state, but not homogenous one. To prevent depopulation, Japan has to accept 17 million immigrants between 1995 and 2050, immigrants and their descendents would total from 18 up 30 percent of the total population of the country by 2050. There are two main state’s coalesce policies – assimilation (melting pot) and multiculturalism (the salad bowl). In case of Russians, they don’t want to assimilate and prefer the multiculturalism (diasporic) model.