Today, Japanese Canadians are marrying outside of their ethnic community at an unprecedented rate, resulting in the creation of a newly identifiable group of "Japanese Canadians" borne from these interracial unions. Members of this emergent group are increasingly being referred to both by social scientists and self-referentially as "Hapa". This term, originally a Hawaiian term, is now a common and empowering tool of self-identification for people of mixed ethnic heritage. Recent sociological research argues that, while the notion of a shared "Hapa" identity exists, it is less rooted in individual members' physical appearance or cultural identification and more rooted in their experiences, parental upbringing, and the locality/environment in which they grew up. (Contains 12 tables.)