Is Naomi Osaka half Japanese?
Follow Us
Naomi Osaka and her mother Tamaki
Naomi Osaka, born to Leonard Francois from Haiti and Tamaki Osaka from Japan, is today a known face the World over. One of the best tennis players in the World, Naomi at only twenty-three has taken the tennis world by storm with her performances on the court.
But, has it ever occurred to you why she uses her maternal family name? Well, Naomi and her sister Mari were both born in Osaka, Japan and there you get a little bit of leeway if you have a Japanese surname. It’s easier to get legal work done, easier to rent apartments etc. So they chose to keep that surname.
Meet Naomi Osaka’s mother Tamaki Osaka
Tamaki Osaka was born in the coastal town of Nemuro in Japan. But for high school she moved to Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo. It was in Sapporo that she met and began dating Naomi’s future dad Leonard. Japan back then was a very conservative society and relationships with foreigners were looked down upon. But that didn’t stop Tamaki from being at Leonard’s side.
The news though was not welcome for Tamaki’s parents, who were unhappy with her dating a black man. The parents and the daughter continued to have an estranged relationship till about ten years after their marriage and was one of the reasons why Naomi’s parents left Japan for New York. Naomi, the current US Open Champion, has said that her mother was the one who basically worked and ran the family. Her father was busy taking care of her and her sister Mari, looking after their tennis etc.
Naomi Osaka comes to the defense of the Asian Community
Osaka has often stated that she feels equally connected to both cultures that she carries within her. Her father’s culture, and her mom’s too. During the rise of Covid cases around the world, a lot of hate was spewed towards oriental looking people. People were openly coming out and trying to hurt Asian people with their words and sometimes even physically. It was then that Naomi Osaka took a stand.
The reigning Australian open champion wrote on twitter, “The amount of hate, racism, and blame for COVID towards the Asian community is disgusting. The fact that this topic is not very widely covered makes me concerned. I only found videos and information because I was scrolling through my IG feed and by some algorithm it appeared.”
She even elaborated on the subject and schooled the crass class of people who engage in these kinds of vile activity.
Also Read: Who is Victoria Azarenka’s ex Husband?
Stay Updated!
Auri Ghosh
(652 Articles Published)