| Chinese in Japan |
|---|
| Total population |
|
560,741 (as of 2006) |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and other major cities |
| Language(s) |
| Chinese, Japanese |
| Religion(s) |
| Buddhism, Christianity |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Han Chinese |
Chinese people in Japan, also referred to as Kakyō (華僑, literally Chinese sojourners) or Zainichi chūgokujin (在日中国人, literally Chinese people resident in Japan) in Japanese and as Rìběn huáqiáo (日本華僑) in Chinese, have a history going back for centuries or even millennia.
Contents |
Population and distribution
Most Chinese residents in Japan live in major urban areas, such as Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka, each of which has a recognised Chinatown as well as schools which use Chinese as the medium of instruction. One 1995 study estimated the Chinese population in Japan to be 150,000, among whom 50,000 to 100,000 spoke Chinese[1]; five years later, Japanese governmental statistics showed 335,575 Chinese residents.[2]
History
Pre-modern era
A Chinese legend of uncertain provenance states that Xu Fu, a Qin Dynasty court sorcerer, was sent by Qin Shi Huang to Penglai Mountain (possibly Japan's Mount Fuji) in 219 BC to retrieve an elixir of life. Unwilling to return without the elixir, the myth asserts that Xu instead chose to settle in Japan.[3] However, Japan's first verifiable Chinese visitor was the Buddhist missionary Hui Sheng, whose 499 AD visit to an island east of China known as Fusang, typically identified with modern-day Japan, was described in the 7th-century Liang Shu. Chinese people are also known to have settled in Okinawa during the Sanzan period; the people of the village of Kumemura, for example, are alleged to all be descended from Chinese immigrants.[4]
Modern era
It was estimated that in 1906, more than six thousand Chinese students lived in Japan; many of them resided in Tokyo's Kanda district.[5]
Post-WWII
Post-World War II Chinese immigrants to Japan, typically referred to as shin-kakyō, have come to Japan from both Taiwan and mainland China.
Groups
Foreign students
Many famous Chinese intellectuals have studied in Japan, among then Sun Yat-sen and Lu Xun.
Workers
Long-term residents and their descendants
Others
Many Japanese war orphans left behind in China after World War II have migrated to Japan with the assistance of the Japanese government, bringing along their Chinese spouses and children.
Culture
Cuisine
Chinese restaurants in Japan serve a fairly distinct style of Chinese cuisine. Though formerly Chinese cuisine would have been primarily available in Chinatowns such as those in port cities of Kobe, Nagasaki, or Yokohama, Japanese-style Chinese cuisine is now commonly available all over Japan. As Japanese restaurants are often specialized to offer only one sort of dish, cuisine is focused primarily on dishes found within three distinct types of restaurants: ramen restaurants, dim sum houses, and standard Chinese-style restaurants.
Issues
Ethnic relations
Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara has publicly used derogatory language such as sangokujin to refer to Chinese in Japan, and implied that they might engage in rioting and looting in the aftermath of a disaster.[6]
Perception
There is a public perception in Japan that many Chinese immigrants come to Japan to engage in criminal activities. Many Chinese workers enter Japan under false pretenses on cultural visas. As Japanese immigration law does not provide mechanisms for the entry of unskilled workers, and admission under a student visa requires the approval of a recognised university, prospective workers instead apply to study in language schools, which are more lightly regulated. Business owners with a need for low-cost labour have been known to open language schools as fronts for the importation of Chinese workers.[7]
Prominent Chinese in Japan
- Agnes Chan, pop singer, professor, and writer
- Chen Kenichi, longest-serving participant on Japanese cooking show Iron Chef
- Go Seigen, professional Go player
- Mo Bangfu, author
- Sadaharu Oh, baseball player
See also
- Chinatown
- Chinatowns in Asia
- Yokohama Chinatown
- Kobe Chinatown
- Nagasaki Chinatown
- Demographics of Japan
- Kumemura
- Ainu people
- Ryukyuans
- Yamato people
References
- ^ Maher, John C. (1995). "The Kakyo: Chinese in Japan". Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development v16 (n1-2): p125-138. Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
- ^ Refsing, Kirsten; Colin MacKerras (ed.) (November 2003). Ethnicity in Asia. United Kingdom: Routledge, 58-59. ISBN 0-415-25816-2.
- ^ CRI Editors. "Why did Xu Fu go to Japan?", China Radio International, 2005-02-18. Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
- ^ Kerr, George H (2000). Okinawa: the History of an Island People. Boston: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0804820872. See page 76.
- ^ Kreiner, Josef; Ulrich Mohwald, Hans-Dieter Olschleger (January 2004). Modern Japanese Society. Brill Academic Publishers, 240-242. ISBN 90-04-10516-6.
- ^ Larimer, Tim. "Rabble Rouser", Time Asia, 2000-04-24. Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
- ^ Soderberg, Marie; Ian Reader (March 2000). Japanese Influences and Presences in Asia. United Kingdom: Routledge, 242-243. ISBN 0-7007-1110-4.
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| See also | Dekasegi · Ethnic issues in Japan · Gaijin · Japanese nationality law |
