Pakistanis in Japan
Encyclopedia
form the country's third-largest community of immigrants from a Muslim
-majority country, trailing only the Indonesian community
and Bangladeshi community
. As of 2000, official statistics showed 7,498 registered foreigners of Pakistan
i origin living in the country, with a further estimated 3,414 illegal immigrants
.
which created the Pakistani state, there were recorded to be four Pakistanis living in Japan. However, Pakistani migration to Japan would not grow to a large scale until the 1980s. The later Pakistani migrants in Japan largely come from a muhajir background; their family history of migration made them consider working overseas as a "natural choice" when they found opportunities at home to be too limited. While Pakistanis saw North America as a good destination to settle down and start a business, Japanese employment agencies commonly advertised in Karachi newspapers in the 1980s, when Japan offered some of the highest wages in the world for unskilled labour; it came to be preferred as a destination by single male migrants, who came without their families. The wages they earned could reach as high as twenty times what they made in Pakistan. Another attraction of Japan over other traditional migration destinations, particularly the Middle East, was the social freedom it offered to migrants; some young Pakistanis came not so much out of economic motives, but instead out of a desire to find freedom which seemed unattainable at home or in other Muslim countries.
Pakistani citizens once enjoyed the privilege of short-term visa-free entry to Japan, but when controversy arose in Japanese society over illegal foreign workers, the Japanese government revoked this privilege. With little chance of acquiring a work visa or even permission to enter the country, Pakistanis paid as much as ¥
300,000 to people smugglers
in the late 1980s and early 1990s to enter the country. According to Japanese government statistics, the number of Pakistanis illegally residing in Japan peaked in 1992 at 8,056 individuals and declined after that. However, Pakistani sources suggest that as late as 1999, the total population of Pakistanis was 25,000 and still included a significant amount of illegal immigrants. Some Pakistanis were able to obtain legal resident status by finding Japanese spouses. However, in the tightened security environment following the September 11 attacks in the United States, many were deported; the population shrunk to around 10,000 legal immigrants.
Only an estimated 200 Pakistanis hold Japanese citizenship
.
In January 2010, two Japan-born children by a Pakistani father and a Filipino
mother were ordered to be deported along with their parents because their foreign-born parents lacked proper visas when they came to Japan 20 years ago.
Though many migrants come from a middle-class family background in Pakistan, because they often work at so-called Dirty, Dangerous and Demeaning
(3D/3K) jobs, and because of their portrayal in the Japanese media, even their co-workers tended to misperceive their background and level of education.
.
In 2001, an incident of Qur'an desecration
in Toyama
, where about 150 Pakistanis lived, sparked protests from the community. At least one Qur'an
was taken from a makeshift prayer room used by Pakistanis, with allegations that six others had also been stolen; someone later left torn Qur'an pages at a Pakistani-owned used car dealership
. Hundreds of Pakistani Muslims marched in Tokyo, and nine representatives from the Pakistani Association of Japan met with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
to deliver a letter of protest.
publications targeted towards Muslims at large.
, 1470 in Tokyo, 1013 in Kanagawa, 857 in Aiichi, 741 in Chiba, 626 in Gunma, 497 in Ibaraki, 366 in Tochigi, 347 in Toyama, 270 in Shizuoka and some 411 living in other prefecturers of Japan.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
-majority country, trailing only the Indonesian community
Indonesians in Japan
form Japan's largest immigrant group from a Muslim-majority country. , Japanese government figures recorded 25,620 legal residents of Indonesian nationality and estimated further 4,947 more were residing in the country illegally.-Demography and distribution:...
and Bangladeshi community
Bangladeshis in Japan
form one of the smaller populations of foreigners in Japan. As of 2008, Japan's Ministry of Justice recorded 11,414 Bangladeshi nationals among the total population of registered foreigners in Japan.-Migration history:...
. As of 2000, official statistics showed 7,498 registered foreigners of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i origin living in the country, with a further estimated 3,414 illegal immigrants
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
.
Migration history
As early as 1950, only a short time after the Partition of IndiaPartition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
which created the Pakistani state, there were recorded to be four Pakistanis living in Japan. However, Pakistani migration to Japan would not grow to a large scale until the 1980s. The later Pakistani migrants in Japan largely come from a muhajir background; their family history of migration made them consider working overseas as a "natural choice" when they found opportunities at home to be too limited. While Pakistanis saw North America as a good destination to settle down and start a business, Japanese employment agencies commonly advertised in Karachi newspapers in the 1980s, when Japan offered some of the highest wages in the world for unskilled labour; it came to be preferred as a destination by single male migrants, who came without their families. The wages they earned could reach as high as twenty times what they made in Pakistan. Another attraction of Japan over other traditional migration destinations, particularly the Middle East, was the social freedom it offered to migrants; some young Pakistanis came not so much out of economic motives, but instead out of a desire to find freedom which seemed unattainable at home or in other Muslim countries.
Pakistani citizens once enjoyed the privilege of short-term visa-free entry to Japan, but when controversy arose in Japanese society over illegal foreign workers, the Japanese government revoked this privilege. With little chance of acquiring a work visa or even permission to enter the country, Pakistanis paid as much as ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
300,000 to people smugglers
People smuggling
People smuggling is defined as "the facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation or illegal entry of a person or persons across an international border, in violation of one or more countries laws, either clandestinely or through deception, such as the use of fraudulent documents"...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s to enter the country. According to Japanese government statistics, the number of Pakistanis illegally residing in Japan peaked in 1992 at 8,056 individuals and declined after that. However, Pakistani sources suggest that as late as 1999, the total population of Pakistanis was 25,000 and still included a significant amount of illegal immigrants. Some Pakistanis were able to obtain legal resident status by finding Japanese spouses. However, in the tightened security environment following the September 11 attacks in the United States, many were deported; the population shrunk to around 10,000 legal immigrants.
Only an estimated 200 Pakistanis hold 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...
.
In January 2010, two Japan-born children by a Pakistani father and a Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
mother were ordered to be deported along with their parents because their foreign-born parents lacked proper visas when they came to Japan 20 years ago.
Business and employment
Many Pakistanis in Japan run used car export businesses. This trend was believed to have begun in the late 1970s, when one Pakistani working in Japan sent a car back to his homeland. The potential for doing business in used cars also attracted more Pakistanis to come to Japan in the 1990s.Though many migrants come from a middle-class family background in Pakistan, because they often work at so-called Dirty, Dangerous and Demeaning
Dirty, Dangerous and Demeaning
Dirty, Dangerous and Demeaning , also known as the 3Ds, is an American neologism derived from an Asian concept, and refers to certain kinds of labor often performed by unionized blue-collar workers.The term originated from the Japanese expression 3K: kitanai, kiken, and kitsui, and has...
(3D/3K) jobs, and because of their portrayal in the Japanese media, even their co-workers tended to misperceive their background and level of education.
Religion
Many Japanese wives of Pakistani migrants have converted to Islam, and in fact form the largest group of native Japanese converts to Islam. They often send their children to mosques so that they can learn about their ancestral religion and study the Arabic languageArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
.
In 2001, an incident of Qur'an desecration
Qur'an desecration
The term "Qur'an desecration" is defined as insulting the Qur'an by defiling or defacing it.Most traditional schools of Islamic law require wudu before a Muslim may touch the Qur'an, which is regarded as the literal word of God in its untranslated Arabic form...
in Toyama
Toyama, Toyama
is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
, where about 150 Pakistanis lived, sparked protests from the community. At least one Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
was taken from a makeshift prayer room used by Pakistanis, with allegations that six others had also been stolen; someone later left torn Qur'an pages at a Pakistani-owned used car dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
. Hundreds of Pakistani Muslims marched in Tokyo, and nine representatives from the Pakistani Association of Japan met with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
to deliver a letter of protest.
Media
Japan has some Urdu-language media aimed at Pakistanis, such as the freely distributed Pak Shimbun, as well as other Japanese-languageJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
publications targeted towards Muslims at large.
Demographics
According to 2008 Census of Ministry of Interior, Government of Japan, there are 1639 registered Pakistanis in SaitamaSaitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, 1470 in Tokyo, 1013 in Kanagawa, 857 in Aiichi, 741 in Chiba, 626 in Gunma, 497 in Ibaraki, 366 in Tochigi, 347 in Toyama, 270 in Shizuoka and some 411 living in other prefecturers of Japan.
Notable people
- Taimur HussainTaimur HussainTaimur Hussain is a Pakistani professional golfer. In 1998 he became the first Pakistani to win on the Asian Tour when he captured the Myanmar Open.-Asian Tour wins :- External links :*...
, professional golfer - Syed Hussain Shah, professional boxer
Further reading
-
- A draft research paper in English by the same author covering similar material was also presented the previous year: