Japanese Chilean
Encyclopedia
Japanese Chilean is a Chile
an with ethnic origin from Japan
. The first Japanese in Chile were 126 immigrants hired to work in the mining industry in 1903.
, where it has the second largest Japanese population in Latin America and the sixth largest in world. They were possibly isolated in the nitrate
-rich north and attracted particularly to the southern regions of Valparaíso and Santiago. They found employment in a variety of jobs as salaried workers and in small business interests, especially as barbers. The early Nikkei community was largely male. The majority of Issei men married Chilean women. Their children, the Nisei, were raised with the belief of “If they are going to live in Chile, let them be Chilean.”
However, World War II
once more motivated anti-Japanese sentiments and interrupted the Nikkei’s process of integration into Chilean society. Starting in early 1943, several dozen Japanese Chileans were forced to move from strategically sensitive areas (such as copper
mines) to the national interior. Meanwhile, the Japanese community received bigger unity, offering mutual support in the face of wartime oppositions. These ties would later resurface after the war with the organization of the Japanese Beneficence Society (Sociedad Japonesa de Beneficencia).
By the 1990s, Chilean Nikkei enjoyed middle-class status, a high educational level, and employment in white-collar jobs. Contrary to trends in other Latin America
n countries with a Nikkei population, only less than 5% of the ethnic Japanese population has gone to Japan to work as dekasegi
s. The small size of the Japanese community, its lack of unity, and the increase of mixed marriages call into question the future of the Chilean Nikkei.
. There are even a number of Japanese Chilean schools that offer English-language teaching to the recent Japanese residents.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an with ethnic origin from 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...
. The first Japanese in Chile were 126 immigrants hired to work in the mining industry in 1903.
History
The number of Japanese settlers in Chile never went above 900 between 1910 and 1940. Among those who entered the nation, there was a wide diversity of persons ranging from professionals and businessmen to laborers re-migrating from neighboring countries, especially PeruPeru
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....
, where it has the second largest Japanese population in Latin America and the sixth largest in world. They were possibly isolated in the nitrate
Nitrate
The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
-rich north and attracted particularly to the southern regions of Valparaíso and Santiago. They found employment in a variety of jobs as salaried workers and in small business interests, especially as barbers. The early Nikkei community was largely male. The majority of Issei men married Chilean women. Their children, the Nisei, were raised with the belief of “If they are going to live in Chile, let them be Chilean.”
However, 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...
once more motivated anti-Japanese sentiments and interrupted the Nikkei’s process of integration into Chilean society. Starting in early 1943, several dozen Japanese Chileans were forced to move from strategically sensitive areas (such as copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mines) to the national interior. Meanwhile, the Japanese community received bigger unity, offering mutual support in the face of wartime oppositions. These ties would later resurface after the war with the organization of the Japanese Beneficence Society (Sociedad Japonesa de Beneficencia).
By the 1990s, Chilean Nikkei enjoyed middle-class status, a high educational level, and employment in white-collar jobs. Contrary to trends in other Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n countries with a Nikkei population, only less than 5% of the ethnic Japanese population has gone to Japan to work as dekasegi
Dekasegi
Dekasegi is a term used in Latin American cultures to refer to ethnic Japanese people who have migrated to Japan, having taken advantage of Japanese citizenship or nisei visa and immigration laws to escape from economic instability in South America...
s. The small size of the Japanese community, its lack of unity, and the increase of mixed marriages call into question the future of the Chilean Nikkei.
Language
Most Japanese Chileans only speak Spanish. Only a selected number can speak Japanese, while those with higher education speak EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. There are even a number of Japanese Chilean schools that offer English-language teaching to the recent Japanese residents.
Religion
The majority of Japanese Chileans are Roman Catholic Christians, while the rest are Buddhists and Shintoists.Prominent Japanese Chileans
- Michio Nishihara Toro musician
- Carlos Ominami senatorSenate of ChileThe Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
- Yoshiro Sato TV producer
- Hernán Takeda filmmaker
- Tatukichi Sakurada Endo former baseballer
- Takaomi Saito musician and ex-member electro-pop group Lulu Jam
- Kiuge Hayashida musician and bassits
- Sergio Nakasone TV producer/Asian Argentine based in Chile