I think most Japanese use the word not in a negative sense but rather as a way to say foreigner. it is mostly just because it is easier then saying gaikoujin. They are lazy and like to make things as short as possible.
Now don’t get me wrong I am not defending the fact that it is a negative word, I am just say that I think this is the main reason it is used so freely. I also don’t think it is always meant to be negative even though it can be some times
In my experience they only times I have ever heard a Japanese person get offended by another Japanese person using the word is if they were first told by a foreigner that the word is offensive.
And to respond to an earlier post I am offended sometimes by being called a foreigner. I cant imagine back in my county calling every one who had immigrated to their faces “foreigner.” At least gaijin is offensive in a different language.
