Swedes in Japan

Swedes in Japan
Svenskar i Japan

在日スウェーデン人
Total population
1,871 (2023)
Regions with significant populations
Tokyo, Kyoto, Saitama, Sapporo
Languages
Swedish
Religion
Christianity, Shinto
Related ethnic groups
Swedes

Swedes in Japan (在日スウェーデン人) (Swedish: Svenskar i Japan) consists of Swedish migrants that come to Japan, as well as the descendants. In December 2023, there were 1,871 Swedes living in Japan.

History

Johan Olofsson Bergenstierna was the first Swede who visited Japan in the island of Dejima in 1647. He later became a marine leader in Sweden. Since the begin of diplomatic relations between both countries in 1868, many Swedish explorers came to Japan. First large arrivals of Swedes in Japan were in the 1960s when many Swedes came to study or live in Japan. Since then Swedes have been one of the significant European community in Japan. In 2000, there were about 1,000 Swedes in Japan. With almost 2,000 Swedes in Japan as of 2023, it is the largest Scandinavian community in Japan and the largest Swedish community in East Asia. Since the Swedish culture gained popular in Japan, mostly pop culture there were many Swedish events held in Japan made by Swedish community. Japan has a Swedish protestant church and there were also Swedish-Japanese marriages. Many Swedes are students or work as an artist.

In 1984, Sweden Hills was built in Hokkaido where it became a village with Swedish-style houses. It has a population of about 800 and lots of events take there place. It has also a Swedish cultural center.

Notable people

• Janni Olsson
• Åsa Ekström