In other words, I think anyone keeping their distance from words than end in -phile simply because a few unsavory euphemisms also end in that suffix is limiting their own use of the English language. Most uses of the suffix are completely unrelated to criminal sexual proclivities or unsavory business.

Yamatophile?

and there’s nothing wrong with being a henna gaijin, either….

“Someone who does not bear a chip on his/her own shoulder and opts to look at the positive experiences/aspects about Japan rather than obsessing about the negatives. This really irks and riles up the Japan haters who hate to see a person enjoying or saying anything positive about Japan.”

In Japanese there is the term “nihon-biiki” (日本贔屓：beware the unusual kanji; it’s usually written in hiragana). The “biiki” part of that is the word “hiiki,” which means “favoritism” or “patronage.”

“Nihon-biiki” is what “Japanophiles” get called in Japanese. As far as I can tell, it has the same problems as the English term, being a positive term to one person, and a negative term to another.

“America-phile” becomes “Amerika-biiki,” “Anglo-phile” becomes “Igirisu-biiki,” and so on.

Here’s the Japanese definition:
(1)気に入った人に特に目をかけ世話をすること。気に入ったものを特にかわいがること。
(2)目をかけて世話してくれる人。パトロン。後援者。

There’s an interesting idiom in Japanese: “Hiiki no hikitaoshi.” This means something like “being so overly-favorable toward someone that you cause the person more harm than good.” No good deed goes unpunished, eh?

In Japanese: 「贔屓の引き倒し」
ひいきし過ぎて、かえってその人の迷惑になること。

The problem, as we have seen in the posts here, is that such terms mean different things to different people.

Ampotan states above that he has a “strong preference for Japan, many of its customs, and a lot of its people. I’d rather live here than in the US….” In what I imagine is still a simplified version of his feelings, he has already managed to express far more depth than could ever be expressed by the single word “Japanophile.”

And just to put a personal spin on it, I find that Japanese people tend to express emotions in this kind of labelling, over-simplified way. At least in public.

The word “hazukashii,” for example, is vastly overused in Japan. Any time anyone ever feels even vaguely uncomfortable, it becomes “hazukashii.” So, in effect, “hazukashii” means something like “almost any feeling that is not good, especially if felt in the presence of others.” I know I’m overgeneralizing a bit, but I think students and speakers of Japanese (even Japanese speakers of Japanese) will see what I mean. I hope so, anyway.

This sort of thing happens in English, I’m sure (can’t think of an example at the moment…), and other languages, but it happens a lot in Japanese. And it presents the same problems as labels such as “Japanophile”: it really isn’t what I’m feeling, but saying it seems to satisfy people’s expectations.

So, calling someone a “Japanophile” is really just making yourself feel as though your expectations have been satisfied: “Ah, so-and-so is a Japanophile; I got HIS number!”

Am I way off-base here? What does everyone think?

Keep trying and you’ll eventually hit on an expression that actually means something.

In another note, the discussion about Anglophile sent me to the dictionary, at last. I should have gone there first.

Webster’s says: “a person who strongly admires or is devoted to England, its people, customs, influence, etc.”

I admit this makes me back off a bit from my perceptions of Japanophile or Anglophile as neutral expressions.

I have a strong preference for Japan, many of its customs, and a lot of its people. I’d much rather live here than in the US, my native country.

However, I’m not so sure I would I say that I “strongly admire and am devoted to Japan” in its entirety, without reservations, as this definition seems to suggest.

I’m going to have to think about this some more.

I think you are absolutely correct.

I am a Japanophile and proud of it. In fact, I like Orientals in general!

Uh, no.

I have also noticed that many of these people who are “Japanophile-haters” are themselves “Chinaphiles” or “Koreaphiles”. They can’t just leave it at criticizing Japan…they have to go one step further and express hatred and disdain at any foreigner who praises Japan.

Case and point, usually the Japan-haters are actually just a few in number but use multiple identies on various boards and forums on the internet to give the false appearance of increased numbers. Usually, they will go into their usual tirade of about how Japan needs to compensate the rest of Asia because someone’s great great grandfather was killed in WWII, etc. Then, another poster will come in and write about some excellent sushi that they ate or will say how beautiful the sakura blossoms in Kyoto are. This will make the Japan-hater FUMING angry since to them, it is unthinkable that any positive comments about Japan will be allowed. This will then spark a tirade of how sakura blossoms in their favorite nations (usually, N.Korea or China) are much more beautiful or about how Kyoto is a terrible city…or that sushi is really a Korean or Chinese invention but that only the sushi in Japan is bad, etc.

Very quite humorous to watch from a third person perspective. In fact, observing the actions of these “Korea/China-phile” Japan-haters is quite like Jane Goodall observing the behavior of chimpanzees in the wild.