We Are Tomodachi Autumn / Winter 2017

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21renowned manufacturing companies such as Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawai, foreign nationals (including Nikkei) account for about 22,000 of the 807,000 total population, the highest ratio of foreign residents in any city of Japan.One of them is third-generation Japanese-Brazilian Luiza Sasai. After graduating from architecture school in Brazil, she moved to Japan with her parents. Currently she works in overseas trading at the Iwata Shinkin Bank in Iwata City, adjacent to Hamamatsu City.“Especially in the cities of Hamamatsu and Iwata, in the west part of Shizuoka Prefecture where many foreign nationals reside, there are lots of Japanese language classes and multicultural exchange events to help people better understand Japanese culture. It’s great that in Japan if you work decently hard you can make a living and, as long as you’re not too extravagant, can get pretty much whatever you want. I’m a Japanese-Brazilian, but at my current workplace I get treated the same as any Japanese national. At work and in my daily life, as a Nikkei fluent in both Japanese and Portuguese, I’m happy to be able to assist people who don’t speak Japanese,” she says.Being familiar with both Japanese culture and the culture of their homelands, the Nikkei are a boon to the workforce in Japanese companies that hire foreign nationals living in Japan. Indeed, in this modern age of globalization, the Nikkei have become a highly sought-Japan240,000Hawaii240,000Canada109,740U.S.1,304,286Mexico20,000Colombia1,800Ecuador300Brazil1,900,000Cuba1,100DominicanRepublic800Venezuela800Peru100,000Paraguay10,000Bolivia11,350Chile3,000Uruguay350Argentina65,000Philippines33,000Indonesia4,500Australia36,000after human resource.At the regional level, comprehensive support is available for Nikkei. HICE (The Hamamatsu Foundation for International Communication and Exchange) was established in 1992 to offer information and advice, and provide various classes and events to help the Nikkei and other foreign residents assimilate into the local community.“Japanese-Brazilians account for the majority of the Nikkei in Hamamatsu. As their native language is Portuguese, public institutions such as City Hall and The majority of Japanese emigrants are settled in North and South America, especially Brazil and the United States.Source: The Association of Nikkei & Japanese AbroadTo ensure the safety of foreign residents in case of emergency, HICE provides multi-language interpreters in disasters, and carries out disaster preparedness training for foreign residents of Japan.HICE Coordinator Lissa Kikuyama: “We’re working toward establishing a total support system that covers citizens who are foreign nationals in Japan from their birth until they can get jobs and become contributing members of society.”Nikkei population by country/region