Are kindergarteners racist? Do they discriminate between children with different skin colors?
"Children are too innocent," one Japanese mother told me in a survey of parents' views. Her conclusion: "They do not hold racial prejudices."
As innocent as children may be, extensive research conducted in the United States and Europe has shown that children as young as three have the capacity to discriminate against others based on race. However, little research on this topic has been conducted in Japan, a more culturally homogeneous society than most in the West.
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