[6] Under the idea of nihonjinron, which stressed the alleged uniqueness of Japanese society, kikokushijo began to be characterised in the 1970s as problem children who needed assistance in readjusting to Japanese society; they were thought to be too Westernised and individualistic.
[5] Much of the image of kikokushijo as "educational orphans" in need of "rescue" came from the parents of such children.
During the 1980s, however, kikokushijo came to be seen as a new elite rather than as problems; their language and cultural skills gained respect as valuable tools for the internationalisation of Japan.
[7] As of 1997, over 300 universities offered relaxed admissions criteria for kikokushijo, a system which had been attacked as preferential treatment and reverse discrimination.
[8] They are often misperceived as fluent speakers of English, though many in fact resided in non-Anglophone countries.