Americans in Japan
Encyclopedia
The community of began to form after the 1854 Convention of Kanagawa
, under which Commodore Matthew C. Perry forced Japan to open to international trade. As of 2004, Americans formed 2.4% of the total population of registered foreigners in Japan
, with 51,851 U.S. citizens
residing there, according to the statistics of Japan
's Ministry of Justice
. This made them the sixth-largest group of foreigners; they had formerly been the fifth-largest, but were surpassed by Peru
vians in 2000.
, the Lady Washington and the Grace, landed at Kushimoto, near Osaka
, under the pretense that they were taking refuge from a storm. They began negotiations with Japanese authorities there about the potential of opening trade, but made no headway, and departed after eleven days.
Especially prior to World War II
, it was a common practice for issei
Japanese Americans to send their nisei
children to Japan for education. Known as , they often found themselves the subject of discrimination from their classmates in Japan during their studies; upon their return to the United States, their Japanese American peers also derided them as "too Japanesey" for their alleged authoritarian mindset and pro-Japanese militarist sympathies.
to Americans at large, according to one 1986 study; however, American women in Japan showed a somewhat elevated propensity to stroke
s.
Convention of Kanagawa
On March 31, 1854, the or was concluded between Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy and the Tokugawa shogunate.-Treaty of Peace and Amity :...
, under which Commodore Matthew C. Perry forced Japan to open to international trade. As of 2004, Americans formed 2.4% of the total population of registered foreigners in Japan
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
, with 51,851 U.S. citizens
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
residing there, according to the statistics of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Japan)
The is one of Ministries of the Japanese government.-Meiji Constitution:The Ministry of Justice was established under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1871 as the .-Constitution of Japan:...
. This made them the sixth-largest group of foreigners; they had formerly been the fifth-largest, but were surpassed by Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vians in 2000.
History
The first Americans to come to Japan actually predated Perry by nearly six decades. In 1791, two merchant vessels from MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, the Lady Washington and the Grace, landed at Kushimoto, near Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, under the pretense that they were taking refuge from a storm. They began negotiations with Japanese authorities there about the potential of opening trade, but made no headway, and departed after eleven days.
Especially prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it was a common practice for issei
Issei
Issei is a Japanese language term used in countries in North America, South America and Australia to specify the Japanese people first to immigrate. Their children born in the new country are referred to as Nisei , and their grandchildren are Sansei...
Japanese Americans to send their nisei
Nisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...
children to Japan for education. Known as , they often found themselves the subject of discrimination from their classmates in Japan during their studies; upon their return to the United States, their Japanese American peers also derided them as "too Japanesey" for their alleged authoritarian mindset and pro-Japanese militarist sympathies.
Health issues
Americans in Japan overall had similar pattern of mortalityMortality rate
Mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths in a population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit time...
to Americans at large, according to one 1986 study; however, American women in Japan showed a somewhat elevated propensity to stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s.
Notable individuals
This is a list of current and former American citizens whose notability is related to their residence in Japan.- Tarō Akebono (born Chad Haakeo Rowan), first foreign-born sumo wrestler ever to reach Yokozuna rank
- Billy BlanksBilly BlanksBilly Wayne Blanks is an American fitness guru, martial artist, actor, and the inventor of the Tae Bo exercise program.-Career:Blanks began his study of the martial arts at the age of eleven and practices Karate and Taekwondo...
, fitness guru and martial artist - Thane CamusThane Camus-Biography:Camus was born in New York on November 27, 1970. He is the grandson of Nobel Prize laureate novelist/philosopher Albert Camus. Camus arrived in Japan in 1980 and graduated from a board school in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. He was the first male graduate of St. Maur International...
, television personality - Dante CarverDante Carveris an American actor working in Japan. He moved to Japan in 2005, and became well known following his appearance in a series of TV commercials for SoftBank Mobile from 2006 in which he first played the Japanese-speaking character , and later the older brother of the character played by Aya Ueto as...
, actor - Kent DerricottKent DerricottKent Derricott is an actor and celebrity television personality, or gaijin tarento, in Japan who was born on 3 March 1955 in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. He first learned Japanese while working as a Mormon missionary in Japan when he was 19 years old. He is known as one of "the two Kents"...
, television personality - Leah DizonLeah DizonLeah Dizon is an American-born former gaijin tarento, singer, and model in Japan. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, she moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2006 to pursue a career in entertainment...
, singer and model - Marty Friedman, guitarist and TV personality
- Patrick HarlanPatrick HarlanPatrick Harlan is a gaijin tarento, member of the comedy duo Pakkun Makkun, and one of the hosts of the late-night English television show Eigo de Shabera Night in Japan...
, television personality, better known as "Pakkun" - Daniel KahlDaniel KahlDaniel Kahl is an American of German descent and a foreign TV personality in Japan. He is famous for speaking fluent Yamagata-ben, the very rural dialect of Yamagata Prefecture...
, television personality - Donald KeeneDonald KeeneDonald Lawrence Keene is a Japanologist, scholar, teacher, writer, translator and interpreter of Japanese literature and culture. Keene was University Professor Emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University, where he taught for over fifty years...
, Japanologist, scholar, teacher, writer, translator and interpreter of Japanese literature and culture - Carolyn KawasakiCarolyn KawasakiCarolyn Kawasaki , better known as Caiya , is a Chicago-born American gaijin tarento, that is a foreign celebrity active in Japan. Kawasaki was active as a model in the 1980s working in the United States, Europe, and Japan. In 1990 she married Mayo Kawasaki, a Japanese celebrity...
, model and television personality - Konishiki YasokichiKonishiki Yasokichi----, is a Hawaiian-born Japanese–Samoan former sumo wrestler. He was the first foreign-born wrestler to reach ozeki, the second highest rank in the sport...
(born Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e), former sumo wrestler and the first foreign-born wrestler to reach ozeki rank - Tony LászlóTony LászlóTony László is an American born to parents of Hungarian and Italian descent. He was raised in the United States and came to Japan in 1985...
, freelance journalist, activist, and leading character of Is He Turning Japanese? manga series and movie - J. R. Sakuragi, basketball player in the JBL Super League, naturalized citizen of Japan
- Dave SpectorDave SpectorDave Spector is a gaijin tarento in Japan.Spector, a Jewish American, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He studied abroad at Sophia University in 1972. He has lived in Japan since 1983...
, TV commentator - Takamiyama DaigorōTakamiyama DaigoroTakamiyama Daigorō 高見山大五郎 is a former sumo wrestler, the first foreign born rikishi to win the top division championship . His highest rank was sekiwake...
(born Jesse James Wailani Kuhaulua), former sumo wrestler and the first foreign-born wrestler to win the top division championship - Hikaru Utada, singer
See also
- Occupation of Japan
- Japan-United States relations