In analyses of translational transactions and with a focus on the ethnic, cultural, and national identities of modern Japan, the author explores the cultural politics inherent in translation. The author contends that differences and distinctions between ethnic or national languages (or cultures) are only defined once translation has already rendered them commensurate. His essays thus address translation as a means of figuring (or configuring) difference. Topics include post-WWII writings on the emperor system, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s dictée, and Watsuji Tetsuro’s anthropology.