[June 10 Lecture] A Journalist in Brazil Discusses the Evolution of the Japanese-Brazilian Community Through Marriage Trends

Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, with approximately 2.7 million people—roughly the population of Osaka City and 1.7 times that of the Japanese-American population. The first ship to carry immigrants to Brazil, the Kasato Maru, departed from Kobe Port and arrived at Santos Port in São Paulo in 1908. It carried 781 passengers, over 20% of whom were women. It was a 50-day voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. 118 years have passed since then. What kind of lives are their descendants leading now? In this lecture, we will focus on the recent marriage trends of Japanese-Brazilians and invite Ayumi Matsuda, a journalist living in São Paulo, to speak. To summarize the lecture points, first and second-generation immigrants mostly married within the Japanese community due to language and cultural barriers. The Brazilian government required Japanese immigrants to be families with at least three working members (aged 12 or older), which included women. However, men were the overwhelming majority. To fill this gap, "bride immigrants" traveled from Japan to Brazil. Some even "dated" via letters before meeting for the first time in Brazil. While this is remarkable, what was more shocking for the bride immigrants was the unimaginably harsh "pioneer life" in the depths of the Amazon or the inland areas of São Paulo. Having overcome these tragic circumstances, Japanese-Brazilians have continued their generations to this day. By the third and fourth generations, assimilation into Brazilian society has progressed, and marrying non-Japanese individuals has become the norm. Former Japan national soccer team player Marcus Tulio Tanaka and TV personality Akemi Darenogare are prime examples of Brazilians with mixed Japanese and non-Japanese (Italian) heritage. There is no right or wrong to this trend. However, in this lecture, we will have Ms. Matsuda discuss how the Japanese-Brazilian community will change in response to these marriage trends and whether it is heading toward disappearance in the name of assimilation. This is recommended for professionals and students interested in the history of immigration, the Japanese community in Brazil and around the world, the differences between past and present generations, and immigration issues currently discussed in Japan.