Discover Nikkei at COPANI XV - Uruguay 2009

(INITIAL NOTE: Assuming that the information contained in this text is not restricted to a particular group, we ask non-Chilean readers to replace the word “Chilean” with his or her own nationality, while accepting the few historical notes found therein.)

‘Nikkei’ concept apparently became applicable to Chile only after the first decades of the 20^th century. It is a given that Japanese presence in our country dates back as early as 1875. The population census of that year registered the presence of two Japanese on Chilean territory, while by 1885 their number reaches 51; in 1895, however, that figure …

Part 1 >>

HOW DID A NIKKEI COME TO GOVERN A COUNTRY?

In Peru an extradordinary thing happened. A Nikkei, or should we say a Nisei (a child of Japanese parents), came to occupy the presidency of the country by a majority vote of the population. And even more extraordinary was that such a thing occurred less than fifty years after Peru declared war against Japan.

Japanese immigrants always tried to live immersed in the middle of their communities and dedicate themselves to providing a good education to their children, while trying to preserve traditional values and Japanese culture.

When …

My participation in this workshop, which deals with the transformation of the Nikkei community in Peru, is due to the kind invitation of the Discover Nikkei Program of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.  My presentation is part of the workshop on Japanese Immigration of the XV COPANI.

I want to clarify something before I begin, mainly that this presentation was originally going to take place with the participation of Amelia Morimoto, an indefatigable researcher and author of various books on Japanese immigration, truly a profound expert on the reality of the Peruvian Nikkei community.  Unfortunately, she …

The first Japanese arrived in Chile at the end of the nineteenth century. The development of the Nikkei community, therefore, has evolved for more than 100 years. From the point of view of the Japanese influence in Chile, we can divide the period of Nikkei development into the following stages:

•  Before 1900: We have no information regarding the arrival of the Japanese
•  1900-1950: The Issei period (Meiji-Taisho)
•  1950-2000: The Nisei period 
•  2000 to the present: The Nikkei period

Before 1900

To better understand the multiracial and multiethnic influences that the Japanese and Nikkei experienced at the …

With financial and moral support from the commission of the Paraguayan Nikkei Center as well as parents, we of the Nikkei Youth Union, started our first exchange. Approximately 100 young people from most of the Nikkei communities in Paraguay participated, including youth from the rural areas of Yguazú and La Colmena and from the cities of Asunción, Encarnación, Ciudad del Este, and Pedro Juan Caballero.

Extraordinary and spirited activities took place at a large camp where you could find youth of different ages, including kids who spoke only Japanese or those who only spoke Spanish, kids from the city and …