The starting point of this unit is the Japanese immigrant experience which is an integral part of our overall national history and an important piece of America’s multi-ethnic mosaic. In 1639, and for nearly two centuries thereafter the Japanese government effectively restricted travel abroad by adopting a “closed door” policy. Japanese citizens were forbidden to travel. Japan’s presence in North America was first felt in Hawaii. Manjiro Nakihara, a shipwrecked sailor, was rescued by a U.S. vessel. He became the first Japanese to enter the U.S. in 1843. Hawaii at that time was not part of the United States.
Immigration from Japan began in 1885 after the Japanese government relaxed its restriction on immigration. This was due partly to the economic depression Japan was experiencing and the previously established trade and diplomatic relations with the U.S. of 1854. Severe economic hardships engulfed the population; particularly hardest hit were the farmers. In 1885, 944 migrants arrived on “The City of Tokio” to work as laborers on the sugar plantations. This was soon followed by a large increase of Japanese immigrants to the U.S.
Significantly the reasons for this influx of immigrants was due to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act (the first law to exclude immigrants based on race or nationality) that was passed by the U.S. Congress banning immigration from China which resulted in labor shortages in the western part of the U.S. and Japan’s Immigrants Protection Law Of 1896 which required each immigrant to insure sponsorship for their financial support in the country of their destination. Soon U.S. labor contractors implemented policy directly with immigration companies in Japan to guarantee financial assistance and employment in the US. This marketing strategy proved highly effective.
