Japanese people in Spain

Japanese people in Spain
Total population
c. 5,000 - 7,000[1][2]
Regions with significant populations
Madrid, Catalonia[3]

Japanese people in Spain consist largely of expatriate managers in Japanese corporations, as well as international students.[4] There are also some people of Japanese ancestry in Spain, including descendants of 17th-century migrants to Spain, as well as migrants from among Nikkei populations in Latin America.[5] According to Spain's National Statistical Institute, 4,898 Japanese citizens resided in the country as of 2009; Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a slightly higher figure of 6,717.[1][2]

Contents

History

The first Japanese people to settle in Spain were the members of an embassy led by Hasekura Tsunenaga. Instead of returning to Japan in 1617, six samurai remained in Coria del Río, near Seville. The surname Japón (old Spanish for "Japanese") is conserved among approximately 700 inhabitants of Coria del Río, identifying them as descendants of the members of Hasekura Tsunenaga's delegation.[6]

Between 1970s and 1980s, Nikkeis—people of Japanese ancestry from various countries of Latin America—settled in Spain, fleeing financial crises or political oppression in their home countries. Since the 1970s, many Japanese have also come to Spain as businesspeople and students.[7] In 1966, there were only about 280 Japanese nationals in Spain, but this number grew to 2,824 by 1993.[8]

Language

Nikkeis in Spain primarily speak Spanish; only a selected number can speak Japanese. In contrast, Japanese expatriates and their children speak Japanese as their primary language.

Notable people

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b INE 2009
  2. ^ a b MOFA 2009
  3. ^ Valls Campà 1998, p. 161
  4. ^ Beltrán Antolín & Sáiz López 2002, p. 45
  5. ^ Beltrán Antolín 2006, p. 114
  6. ^ "Spain's Japon clan has reunion to trace its 17th century roots", Japan Times, 2003-12-11, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20031211b4.htm 
  7. ^ Beltrán Antolín & Sáiz López 2002, p. 46
  8. ^ Valls Campà 1998, p. 158
  9. ^ "David Silva, el nieto de 'la tirajanera'/David Silva, the grandson of the woman from Tirajana" (in Spanish), La Provincia, 2008-06-30, http://www.laprovincia.es/secciones/noticia.jsp?pRef=2008063000_10_160805__DEPORTES-David-Silva-nieto-tirajanera, retrieved 2010-04-19 

Sources

Further reading

Africa
Americas
Latin America (Ecuador · Peru · Mexico)
Asia
China · India · Iran · Japan · Korea · Pakistan · Philippines
Europe
See also
Japanese diaspora and Japanese expatriates
Africa
Americas
North America
South America
Asia
Europe
Oceania
Elsewhere
See Also
Generations
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