Japanese Australian
Encyclopedia
Japanese Australians are people of Japanese
ancestry who are resident in Australia, either through birth or immigration.
In the 2006 Census 30,778 Japanese-born residents were counted in Australia. This number excludes Australian-born persons of Japanese ancestry, and Japanese in Australia as overseas visitors (and would include non-Japanese born in Japan). Of this number 24,373 spoke Japanese at home, and 40,968 declared Japanese ancestry (including those who claimed other ancestries). Sydney
had the largest population of Japanese born (10,020), followed by Melbourne
(5,287), Brisbane
(3,300) and the Gold Coast
(3,148).
Only 4,643 Japanese-born residents have since acquired Australian citizenship (discouraged perhaps because Japanese citizenship
does not recognise multiple citizenship
for its citizens aged over 22). Japanese women represent about two thirds (20,413) of the Japanese-born in Australia. About half of all Japanese-born residents profess no religious affiliation (15,131), while Buddhists (8,644) and Christians (3,645) are the most commonly subscribed religions.
which dissuaded Japanese from emigrating.
Japanese only began to emigrate from their homeland in the 1880s. The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 temporarily prevented more Japanese from immigration to Australia, but they were shortly later exempted from the dictation test
when applying for extended residency.
In Australia at the time 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, who were attracted to the opportunities
in pearling. Several streets of Broome have Japanese names, and the town has one of the largest Japanese cemeteries outside Japan.
The Second World War led to the Japanese population being detained and later expelled at the cessation of hostilities. The Japanese population in Australia was later replenished in the 1950s by the arrival of 500 Japanese war brides, who had married AIF soldiers stationed in occupied Japan.
Japan's increasing economic importance to Australia from the 1960s, and rising prosperity and linkages between the two countries, naturally led to an increase in the number of Japanese choosing to live in Australia.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
ancestry who are resident in Australia, either through birth or immigration.
Demography
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
had the largest population of Japanese born (10,020), followed by Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
(5,287), Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
(3,300) and the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
(3,148).
Only 4,643 Japanese-born residents have since acquired Australian citizenship (discouraged perhaps because Japanese citizenship
Japanese nationality law
Japanese nationality is a legal designation and set of rights granted to those people who have met the federal criteria for citizenship by parentage or by naturalization...
does not recognise multiple citizenship
Multiple citizenship
Multiple citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of more than one state. Multiple citizenships exist because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, citizenship requirements...
for its citizens aged over 22). Japanese women represent about two thirds (20,413) of the Japanese-born in Australia. About half of all Japanese-born residents profess no religious affiliation (15,131), while Buddhists (8,644) and Christians (3,645) are the most commonly subscribed religions.
History
A relatively recent ethnic group, only 2,384 Japanese-born had arrived in Australia before 1980. The lifting of barriers in Australia to non-European immigration in the 1960s coincided with the Japanese post-war economic miracleJapanese post-war economic miracle
The Japanese post-war economic miracle is the name given to the historical phenomenon of Japan's record period of economic growth following World War II, spurred mainly by Japanese economic policy, in particular through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry...
which dissuaded Japanese from emigrating.
Japanese only began to emigrate from their homeland in the 1880s. The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 temporarily prevented more Japanese from immigration to Australia, but they were shortly later exempted from the dictation test
White Australia policy
The White Australia policy comprises various historical policies that intentionally restricted "non-white" immigration to Australia. From origins at Federation in 1901, the polices were progressively dismantled between 1949-1973....
when applying for extended residency.
In Australia at the time many worked as pearlers
Pearl hunting
Pearl hunting or pearl diving refers to a largely obsolete method of retrieving pearls from pearl oysters, freshwater pearl mussels and, on rare occasions, other nacre-producing molluscs, such as abalone.-History:...
in Northern Australia or in the sugar cane industry in Queensland. They were particularly prominent in the Western Australian Kimberley town of Broome
Broome, Western Australia
Broome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
, where until the Second World War they were the largest ethnic group, who were attracted to the opportunities
Pearling in Western Australia
Pearling in Western Australia existed well before European settlement. Coastal dwelling Aborigines had collected and traded pearl shell as well as trepang and tortoise with fishermen from Sulawesi for possibly hundreds of years. After settlement the Aborigines were used as slave labour in the...
in pearling. Several streets of Broome have Japanese names, and the town has one of the largest Japanese cemeteries outside Japan.
The Second World War led to the Japanese population being detained and later expelled at the cessation of hostilities. The Japanese population in Australia was later replenished in the 1950s by the arrival of 500 Japanese war brides, who had married AIF soldiers stationed in occupied Japan.
Japan's increasing economic importance to Australia from the 1960s, and rising prosperity and linkages between the two countries, naturally led to an increase in the number of Japanese choosing to live in Australia.
Notable figures
- Akira IsogawaAkira Isogawais one of Australia's most prominent contemporary fashion designers. Born in Japan, he immigrated to Australia in 1986, studying fashion at East Sydney Technical Collage drawing from inspiration from contemporary Japanese design. He also opened up a store in Woollahra, Sydney, in 1993. By the...
: fashion designer - Grazielle Oganna: singer
- Tando VelaphiTando VelaphiTando Yuji Velaphi is an Australian football goalkeeper who currently plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Before joining Victory in 2011, he spent several seasons at , eventually developing into their first-choice 'keeper....
: soccer player - Keiko Tamura: author
- Tetsuya WakudaTetsuya Wakudais a Japanese-born Australian chef based in Sydney, Australia. He is widely recognised as one of Australia’s most original, creative and successful culinary talents. His eponymous restaurant, Tetsuya's, is celebrated both nationally and internationally...
: chef - Erika YamasakiErika YamasakiErika Yamasaki is an Australian weightlifter. She started Weightlifting in 2000, when she was tested in a talent identification program. Erika first started to represent Australia in 2003 at the Oceania Championships...
: weightlifter - Tokiuchi Kuribayashi: pearling entrepreneur
- Emma Anzai: Bassist for the band Sick PuppiesSick PuppiesSick Puppies is an Australian rock band, formed in 1997. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Shimon Moore, bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin....
- Nobuyuki "Nobbi" Tanaka: Big Brother contestant
- Eddie Jones: former Australian rugby union coach
- Yumi StynesYumi StynesYumi Tasma Stynes is a television presenter for an Australian morning show The Circle and television channel Max.-Early life:...
: television personality - Sean Yoshiura:AFLAustralian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
player of the Brisbane LionsBrisbane LionsThe Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996... - Jimmy ChiJimmy ChiJimmy Chi was born in 1948 in Broome, Western Australia, to a Chinese/Japanese/Anglo-Australian father and a Scots/Bardi Aboriginal mother. He is a composer, musician and playwright.- Biography :...
: composer, musician and playwright - Sean WroeSean WroeSean Wroe is an Australian sprinter. His personal best in the men's 400 metres is 45.17 ....
: Runner - Kutsuna Shiori: Actress (currently living in Japan but was born in Sydney, Australia)