Just asking...

I just want to ask something.. Is it possible to be a mangaka if you're not even Japanese? I'm asking this because I planned to be a mangaka someday but suddenly... I just remembered mangakas are japanese so I was thinking if it's possible for me to be a mangaka even though I'm not Japanese.. I thought of a solution and I actually came up with one.. I thought that maybe if I have a Japanese friend who can understand English, she/he can translate my work into Japanese.

I already started writing stories when I was in 3rd Grade.. My story isn't a storybook. It's actually has drawings but it's not a comic. It's like a manga but the drawing is like a cartoon. Then later on, after being addicted to manga and anime.. I soon practiced how to draw manga style.. My friend actually was the one who taught me... It was a success.. But I still find hard to draw the folds of the clothes and also the backgrounds... And then I decided to be a mangaka when I grow up.. I already know how hard it is to be a mangaka but this is my passion... I can't give up to do something that I always wanted to do... That's why the question popped in my head..

"Is it really possible to be a mangaka if you're not Japanese?"

 I hope you give your answers and also some suggestions on ways on how to be a mangaka if you're not Japanese...