Two multiracial athletes, two high-profile roles: Rising NBA star Rui Hachimura carried the Japanese flag at the Olympics' opening ceremony. It has rekindled a debate on racial identity that points toward a particular and thorny question: What does it mean to be Japanese? "Those slandering Naomi-san also hurt me and others of mixed-race roots,” Isomoto said in a recent interview in Japanese from her home in Yokohama. Growing up with African roots, Isomoto was repeatedly reminded that she looked different. Oh participated in the Olympic torch relay last month at the Games' opening ceremony.
