The Japanese in Brazil – Brazil for Foreigners

The Japanese in the Brazilian Economy:

A Journey of Success!

THE PRESENCE OF THE JAPANESE PEOPLE IN BRAZIL

It started at the beginning of its modernization, initiated in the Meiji Era (1868) Japan felt the necessity to adopt an emigration policy so that they could relieve the enormous social pressure, due to the lack of job opportunities.
With a deep agricultural reform, the mechanization of agriculture led to the unemployment of thousands of farmers and many others got in debt or lost their lands due to the lack of resources to pay taxes, which started being charged in cash, when previously it was possible to be paid with part of the produce.
Actually, since 1880 the Governments of Brazil and Japan had been working in the pursuit of a diplomatic agreement or even a Treaty of Friendship , Commerce and Navigation, which made the process of immigration possible.

These efforts continued, but only 15 years later, on November 5th, 1895, in Paris, the agreements have gotten to the signature of the TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP, COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION, which would finally open the emigration of Japanese people to Brazil.
But, only in 1908 – hence, only 13 years later after the agreement in Paris – the ship Kasato Maru, leaving from Kobe, harbored in Santos, in the shore of São Paulo, bringing the first 781 immigrants, who were in sequence taken to six farms in the countryside of São Paulo State.

Two years later, in June, 1910, another Japanese ship – Ryojun Maru – arrived in Brazil, also in Santos, with more 906 workers, equally taken to the work in farms in the countryside of the same state.

There was a gap in this process during World War II

Even though they had troubles to get used at the beginning to the work in the farms, the truth is that in 1911 some families became land owners, with the purchase of lands close to the called Cerqueira César Station, on Ferro Sorocabana Road, and became pioneers in cotton production, which would become a really important product in the economy of Brazil.
Proceeding on this path of progress, in March, 1912, new Japanese families were housed in lands donated by the Government of São Paulo, in the region of IGUAPE – it is important to say that these families came from farms where they were employees, and at this moment they became land owners.
The immigration of Japanese in Brazil rekindled so that in 1914 the number reached 10,000 people, a number which discloses the level of interest the country had, a great attraction for its huge possibilities in the field.
But at this rate the Government of São Paulo, which subsidized the payment of the ship tickets of the immigrants to Brazil, decided to suspend this benefit, in light of the financial difficulty faced then, a result of the drop in State tax collection.
The colonies, however, continued to prosper and despite the concentration of the communities in agricultural areas, the children of the immigrants started studying in colleges and in 1923 the first of them got a degree as a Dentist by the University of Odontholy of Pindamonhangaba – marking the beginning of the establishment of a high number of liberal professionals in every segment – and which would occupy important position both in Public and Private segments in Brazil.

There was a gap in this process during World War II, as Brazil opposed the ROME-BERLIN-TOKYO axis (known as ROBERTO) and the country was aligned with the Allies, even giving the Americans a headquarter in Natal, the most accessible spot for the aviation to reach Africa.

Due to the fact the Japanese were aligned with Germany – against which Brazil was fighting – all publications in Japanese had their circulation forbidden and many imposed restrictions, as an example of what was also happening with the Japanese and Italian colonies.

But, after the conflict, it got back to normal so that in 1948, Yukishige Tamura was elected a City Councilor to the City Hall of the State of São Paulo, hence becoming the first nikkei to occupy a position chosen by the population.
In Brazil, the expression nipo-brasileiro (Nippon-Brazilian), means that a Brazilian citizen has Japanese ascendants.
These descendants are named NIKKEIs. Their children are named NISSEIs. Their grandchildren SANSEIs.
And the great grandchildren YONSEIs.

However, in the 80s, there was a reverse migration scenario: Nippo-Brazilian emigrating to Japan. These emigrants are named DEKASSEGUIS.

THE BIGGEST COLONY OUT OF JAPAN

Brazil houses nowadays the biggest Japanese colony out of Japan. The estimated number of Brazilian citizens with Japanese ascendence was of approximately 1,500,000 in data raised by the Consulate of Japan, with respect to the year of 2017. At this moment, there is no updated data, but, it is unquestionably there is a growth, being important to mention that the biggest colony is in the State of São Paulo, with an also expressive presence in the state of Paraná.
Brazil keeps with Japan a strong commercial exchange, exporting commodities, standing out in exportation matter iron ore, coffee, corn, alcohol, chicken and soy and importing a wide variety of products.