Japanese Venezuelans

Japanese Venezuelans
Japonés Venezolano

Total population
1,172
Regions with significant populations
Caracas, Puerto La Cruz, and Maracaibo.
Languages
Spanish, Japanese, English
Religion
Roman Catholicism and Buddhism
Related ethnic groups
Japanese Americans, Japanese Argentines, Japanese Brazilians, Japanese Colombians, Japanese Mexicans, Japanese Paraguayans, Japanese Peruvians, Japanese Uruguayans

Japanese Venezuelans are Venezuelan citizens who have full or partial Japanese ancestry. The first wave of Japanese came to Venezuela in 1931.

Language

Most Japanese Venezuelans only speak Spanish. Only a selected number can speak Japanese, while those with higher education speak English. There are even a number of Japanese Venezuelan schools that offer English language teaching to the recent Japanese residents.

Religion

The majority of Japanese Venezuelans are Roman Catholic Christians, while the rest are Buddhists.

Notable individuals

• Kaori F. Yonekura, filmmaker
• Hanshi Gijin Hiramatsu, martial artist
• Alexander Cabrera Suzuki, baseball player
• Hana Kobayashi, singer
• Sadao Muraki, pianist
• Yoshikatsu Yoshida, mathematician
• Henry Zakka, actor

Further reading

• Masterson, Daniel M. and Sayaka Funada-Classen. (2004), The Japanese in Latin America: The Asian American Experience. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-07144-7; OCLC 253466232
• La inmigración japónesa en Venezuela (1928–2008). (The Japanese immigration in Venezuela. 1928–2008)