東広島市におけるムスリム移民と学校給食の在り方に関する考察 : 移民の統合という視点から

This case study examines how to include Muslim immigrants, who often have religious dietary restrictions, in Japanese school lunch programs. To investigate this, the study adopts Takahashi’s (2019) three migrant integration categories: assimilation, multiculturalism, and civic integration. The concept of migrant integration recognizes that adaptation into the destination country is an important process requiring the education sector’s cooperation to promote social cohesion among diverse communities.
School lunch programs in Japan have been institutionalized by Shokuiku Basic Act and School Lunch Program Act. Although Japan aims to be a multicultural society, these Acts have not been designed for immigrants, especially Muslims. Consequently, Muslim immigrant children often bring lunchboxes from home while their classmates eat school meals. The literature on school meals and religion indicates that eating different foods in the classroom may cause social divisions between children. This practice also exacerbates the tension between the practice of Islam as a minority religion and Japanese culture, which values harmony and uniformity.
This study uses interview data from two public primary school teachers, three members of the school meal supply center, and eight Muslim households in the city of Higashihiroshima. The results reveal that the school lunch period accommodates basic multiculturalism. Muslim students may bring lunchboxes and eat in the same space as their classmates. While this practice respects their beliefs and appears an ideal response to the challenges of multiculturalism, it has the potential of distinguishing between Muslim children and their classmates and falling short of the aims of the Japanese school lunch program. This study suggests that it is essential to consider how to include Muslim immigrant children in school lunch policies to further social cohesion and provide them with an opportunity to understand the Japanese school lunch program’s value. Multiculturalism, to be genuine, must be considered a two-way process involving the host society and immigrants.