Japanese Australians

are Australian citizens and residents who claim Japanese ancestry.

Japanese people first arrived in the 1870s (despite a ban on emigration in place until 1886). During the late 19th and early 20th centuries Japanese migrants played a prominent role in the pearl industry of north-western Australia. By 1911, the Japanese population while small groups had grown to approximately 3,500 people. With the outbreak of war in the Pacific in 1941, most Japanese in Australia were interned and then deported when the war ended. At the end of the war only 74 Japanese citizens and their children were permitted to remain in Australia. Not until the 1970s did the Japanese population recover to the levels at the start of the 20th century. As of 2011, of Australia's 35,378 Japan-born residents, more than 65% had arrived from the mid-1990s onwards.

According to a global survey conducted at the end of 2013, Australia was the most popular country for Japanese people to live in.2013 End of the Year Survey - Japan WIN/GIA

History The first person from Japan to settle in Australia was recorded in 1871.

Japanese only began to emigrate en masse in the 1880s following the lifting of restrictions. In Australia, the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 temporarily prevented more Japanese from migrating, but subsequent exemptions to the dictation test were applied to Japanese people mitigating restrictions.

In Australia from the late 19th and early 20th Century many worked as pearlers in Northern Australia or in the sugar cane industry in Queensland. They were particularly prominent in the Western Australian Kimberley town of Broome, where until the Second World War they were the largest ethnic group. Several streets of Broome have Japanese names, the town has one of the largest Japanese cemeteries outside Japan and the creole language Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin contained many Japanese words.

Between December 1941 and September 1945, Australia and Japan were at war. On July 28, 1941, Australian military intelligence indicated that there were 1139 Japanese living in Australia and 36 in Australian-controlled territories. Under the guise of national security, 1141 Japanese civilians (almost the entire population) living in Australia were interned for up to six years throughout WWII. An additional 3160 Japanese civilians arrested in allied countries across the Asia-Pacific Region were also interned in Australia on a user-pay basis; this included 600 Formosans (Taiwanese). An unknown number of Koreans were arrested as Japanese and carried Japanese names. The internment of Japanese in Australia was more racial than political, with Japanese being "evacuated" from their hometowns "for their own good" (i.e., to prevent racist attacks against them by non-Japanese). Several months after the cessation of hostilities, all ethnic-Japanese internees who did not possess Australian nationality were repatriated to Occupied Japan, regardless of the locations of their previous abodes, whilst all ethnic-Formosans were repatriated to Occupied Formosa.

Demography

The 2021 census recorded 45,267 Japanese-born residents in Australia, with 78,054 people reporting Japanese ancestry (including those who claimed other ancestries). Of this number 58,755 reporting speaking Japanese at home. New South Wales had the largest population of Japanese born (14,894), followed by Queensland (13,236), Victoria (9,251), Western Australia (4,716), and South Australia (1,640). Only 9,734 Japanese-born residents have since acquired Australian citizenship representing 21.5% of the community. In 2021, women represented 70% (31,723) of the Japanese-born in Australia.

Over half of all Japanese-born residents profess no religious affiliation (66.8%), with Buddhism (17.8%) and Christianity (3.1%) the most commonly identified religions.

In Northern Australia (Broome, Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Torres Strait) many Indigenous and non-Indigenous families claim descent from Japanese pearl luggers and sugar-cane cutters who settled in these areas before 1901.

Education

Japanese international day schools in Australia include the Sydney Japanese International School (SJIS), the Japanese School of Melbourne (JSM), and the Japanese School in Perth (JSP). There are also weekend supplementary programmes in Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth approved by the Japanese Ministry of Education."大洋州の補習授業校一覧（平成25年4月15日現在）" Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Retrieved on February 13, 2015. The Japanese Language Supplementary School of Queensland"平成 26(2014)年度" (Archive). The Japanese Language Supplementary School of Queensland. Retrieved on April 1, 2015. p. 4. Adelaide Japanese Community School (ACJS; アデレード日本語補習授業校 Aderēdo Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō)"学校名称." Adelaide Japanese Community School. Retrieved on April 7, 2015. Old URL Cairns Japanese Language Tutorial Centre Inc. (ケアンズ日本語補習授業校 Keanzu Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō)Home page (Archive). Cairns Japanese Language Tutorial Centre Inc. Retrieved on April 7, 2015. Canberra Japanese Supplementary School"学校概要" (Archive). Canberra Japanese Supplementary School Inc. Retrieved on 7 April 2015. Melbourne International School of Japanese The Weekend Japanese School in Perth

Notable figures

Sarah Àlainn: Vocalist, violinist Emma Anzai: Bassist for the band Sick Puppies Joey Bizinger: YouTuber based in Japan Jimmy Chi: Composer, musician and playwright Jason Davidson: Australian soccer player Alan Davidson: Former Australian soccer player Alex Davies: Australian rules footballer Georgia Godwin: Gymnast Tai Hara: Actor, model and presenter Amy Harvey: Singer and member of the J-pop group XG Rinky Hijikata: Professional tennis player Takaya Honda: Actor and television presenter Akira Isogawa: Fashion designer Eddie Jones: Former Australian rugby union coach Shioli Kutsuna: Actress, model Last Dinosaurs: Band members Sean Caskey, Lachlan Caskey, and Dan Koyama Rob Lucas: Treasurer of South Australia (1997–2002, 2018–2022) George "Joji" Miller: Musician and Internet celebrity Nagi Maehashi: Author, cook and business owner Sen Mitsuji: Actor Yūko Miyamura: Voice actress, best known for voicing Asuka Langley Soryu in Neon Genesis Evangelion Yasukichi Murakami: Inventor Michito Owens: Australian rules footballer Gehamat Shibasaki: Rugby league player Yumi Stynes: Television personality Kumi Taguchi: Journalist and newsreader for the ABC Arisa Trew: Skateboarder Shu Uchida: Voice actress Tando Velaphi: Soccer player Tetsuya Wakuda: Chef Sean Wroe: Runner Masa Yamaguchi: Actor, stunt performer Erika Yamasaki: Weightlifter Nina Oyama: Actress, comedian Saya Sakakibara: BMX athlete Kai Sakakibara: BMX athlete Kasumi Takahashi: Rhythmic gymnast

Gallery

Japanese Australians

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