Japan is a country with unique customs and a millennia-old culture that has endured for many years, but with globalization, the influence of the West and other Eastern countries on Japanese society has become increasingly common. As a result, many Japanese have started to relate to people from various other nations. These are those who are residents of Japan.
According to data from the Japanese government, this number is higher among Japanese men than Japanese women, that is, Japanese men are relating even more with foreign women.
In this article, we will look at some data from 2021 from the Japanese government and discover which nations these are and understand a bit of the influenci e that these countries have on present-day Japan. In an order from the smallest to the largest in numbers of couples who got married.
About 9,000 Japanese men married foreign women in 2021. Estimates suggest about 40 couples per day. An impressive number.
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5 – Brazil
About 240 couples got married last year, that is, Japanese men and Brazilian women.
First, it is worth remembering that Japan and Brazil have a historical connection. In the mid-
20th century, around 1900, the ship Kasato-Maru docked in São Paulo, this process brought about 200,000 Japanese to Brazil.
Throughout periods of history, Japanese and Brazilians mixed, forming the so-called descendants. And how did this influence Japan? During part of history, a good portion of Japanese with their descendant children returned to Japan.
These descendants began to cultivate the Japanese language, culture, and language, and this process has repeated itself up to the present day.
This has led to a significant population of descendants in Japan. Currently, about 130,000 Brazilians live in Japan, making them one of the main nationality groups living in the country. With this number and the historical relationship between the countries, it is not surprising that a high number of Japanese are marrying Brazilian women or descendants.
4 – Thailand
About 620 Japanese men married Thai women in 2021. The average distance between Japan and Thailand is about 4,310 km (or 2,330 nautical miles). Much closer than Brazil.
What is the historical relationship between Japan and Thailand? Historically, there has always been a trade relationship between these two countries.
Going back more than 600 years to the 14th century when there was trade between Siam and Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa). While there was exponential growth, there was a decline in trade between these countries over the centuries. But in 2019, at the beginning of the Reiwa era, both countries celebrated the strong union between the royal families, which should last for many years.
This strong historical correlation and the distance influence the growth in the number of Thai residents in Japan and consequently couples.
Another detail is that Japanese men actually have a certain popularity among Thai women, as Thai women tend to like hardworking men, and most Japanese are like that.
3 – Korea
About 1,270 Japanese men married Korean women last year.
In addition to the aesthetic influence of Korean women, who are very beautiful, there is a large
population of Koreans in Japan. Something that facilitates contact between the peoples is a similar culture and habits.
Japan and Korea are countries with very strong historical correlations, both good and bad.
These countries are neighbors and both are the largest allies of the United States in East Asia.
A curiosity is that the Korean and Japanese languages have great similarities in their structures and part of their origins. Both countries have invaded each other, and there has been enmity between them throughout history.
We can see that both countries are like very close brothers in many aspects and with correlations from good to bad, they have always had economic correlations as well, even if at mandatory moments, in this there is a large Korean population in Japan and consequently
couples have formed.
2 – Philippines
About 1,900 Japanese men married Filipino women in 2021. It is common to see some couples around Japan. And there are some famous Filipinos in Japan. Some of these celebrities are:
- Alan Shirahama (former member of the group EXILE, generation);
- Chieco Kawabe (Singer, model, and actress);
- Maharu Yoshimura (Professional table tennis player);
In this, it is noted that Filipinos can have some cultural influence in Japan. Being an Asian country, the proximity is greater, both countries also have historical correlations dating back many centuries.
1 – China
About 2,330 Japanese men married Chinese women last year.
China, the most populous Asian country. It is worth remembering that China has a population of about 1.387 billion people. Therefore, it would not be surprising if a certain portion of this population were in Japan.
But beyond this factor, China and Japan have very strong historical connections. To the point that part
of the use of writing in the Japanese language has its origins in Chinese, that is, kanji. In addition to cultural, religious, philosophical, and even legal factors used in the past.
In the past, Japan was very attached to China, as if the Chinese state’s influence affected various factors from economic to social, but after the mid-1949, Japan began to adopt more individualism in its positions, as they perceived a certain lag in certain positions of China. Thus seeking to modernize more and more.
Today, their correlations are more peaceful, not 100% peaceful, but there is a balance.
And in this, there are many Chinese who move to Japan for various reasons. According to a 2020 survey, around 770,000 Chinese live in Japan.
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