Ryukyuan diaspora

The Ryukyuan diaspora are the Ryukyuan emigrants from the Ryukyu Islands, especially Okinawa Island, and their descendants that reside in a foreign country. The first recorded emigration of Ryukyuans was in the 15th century when they established an exclave in Fuzhou in Ming Dynasty (China). Later, there was a large wave of emigration to Hawaii at the start of the 20th century, followed by a wave to various Pacific islands in the 1920s and multiple migrations to the Americas throughout the 20th century. Ryukyuans became Japanese citizens when Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879; therefore Ryukyuan immigrants are often labeled as part of the Japanese diaspora. Regardless, much of the Ryukyuan diaspora views themselves as a distinct group from the Japanese (Yamato).

Ryukyuan diaspora
琉球人
Total population
1.9+ million[1][2]
Regions with significant populations
Significant Ryukyuan diaspora in:
 United States580,000[3]
 Japan (excluding Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures)480,000[4]note
 Brazil260,000[3]
 Peru150,000[3]
 Taiwan110,000[5]note
 Argentina90,000note
 Canada80,000note
 Mexico70,000note
 Chile60,000[5]note
 Philippines40,000[5]note
 Bolivia—[5]note
 Palau—note
 Paraguay-[5]note
 Cuba-[5]note
 Micronesia-[5]note
 New Caledonia-[5]note
Languages
Ryukyuan languages, Japanese, English, Tagalog, Chinese, and others
Religion
Ryukyuan religion, Buddhism, Shinto, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Japanese diaspora
^ note: Ryukyuans living in Japan outside of the Ryukyu Islands are considered part of an internal diaspora.
^ note: The exact number of Ryukyuans living in other countries is unknown. They are usually counted as Japanese or Asian in censuses.

History

After Japan (Meiji era) legalized emigration from Okinawa Prefecture, thousands of Ryukyuans started to settle in other countries.

The first group of Okinawan emigrants arrived to Hawaii on January 8, 1900 under the leadership of Kyuzo Toyama, who is often referred to as “the father of Okinawan emigration”.[6] Today, there are 45,000 - 50,000 Hawaiʻi residents of Ryukyuan ancestry, totaling around 3% of the state's population.[6]

Brazil received its first migrants from Japan at the port of São Paulo on June 18, 1908. Half of these migrants were from Okinawa Prefecture, despite Okinawa having less than 2% of Japan's total population.[7]

As of 2022, about 580,000 Ryukyuans live in the United States, followed by about 480,000 in Japan, about 260,000 in Brazil, about 90,000 in Argentina, about 70,000 in Mexico and about 60,000 in Chile.

See also

References
  1. Noguchi, Mary Goebel; Fotos, Sandra (2001). Studies in Japanese Bilingualism. Multilingual Matters. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-85359-490-8. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  2. Rabson, Steve. The Okinawan Diaspora in Japan: Crossing the Borders Within. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2012. 2.
  3. Mitchell, Jon (2016-10-22). "Welcome home, Okinawa". The Japan Times Online.
  4. Rabson, Steve. The Okinawan Diaspora in Japan: Crossing the Borders Within. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2012. 2.
  5. Nakasone, Ronald. Okinawan Diaspora. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2002.
  6. "Center for Okinawan Studies". Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  7. "A little corner of Brazil that is forever Okinawa". BBC News. 2018-02-04. Retrieved 2020-08-16.

Sources
  • Ethnic Studies Oral History Project and United Okinawan Association of Hawaii. Uchinanchu: A History of Okinawans in Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1981.
  • Kerr, George. Okinawa: History of an Island People. Tokyo: Charles Tuttle Company, 2000.
  • Nakasone, Ronald. Okinawan Diaspora. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2002.
  • Rabson, Steve. The Okinawan Disapora in Japan: Crossing the Borders Within. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2012.
  • Suzuki, Taku. Embodying Belonging: Racializing Okinawan Diaspora in Bolivia and Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2010.
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