From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Asian Peruvians, primarily Japanese and Chinese, that constitute some 5% of the population, which in proportion to the overall population is the largest of any Latin American nation. Peru has the second largest population of people of Japanese descent in Latin America after Brazil and the largest population of Cantonese descent in Latin America. Historic communities inhabited by people of Chinese descent are found throughout the Peruvian upper Amazon, including cities such as Yurimaguas, Nauta, Iquitos and the north central coast (Lambayeque and Trujillo). In contrast to the Japanese community in Peru, the Chinese appear to have intermarried much more since they came to work in the rice fields during the Viceroyalty and to replace the African slaves, during the abolition of slavery itself. Despite the presence of Peruvians of Asian heritage being quite recent, in the past decade they have made significant advancements in business and political fields; a past president (Alberto Fujimori), several past cabinet members, and several members of the Peruvian congress are of Japanese or Chinese origin. The largest Asian ethnic groups living in Peru are:
