Japanese people in Germany

Japanese people in Germany

Total population
36,960 (2009)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Düsseldorf • Berlin • Hamburg
Languages
German • Japanese

There is a community of Japanese people in Germany, consisting mainly of expatriates from Japan as well as German citizens of Japanese descent.

In 1932 Berlin was the home of about 20% of all of the Japanese people in Europe and Germany had become a centre for Japanese people sent by the Japanese Ministry of Education to study in Europe. At the time of the 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor about 300 Japanese people lived in Berlin. Around that time fewer than 200 Japanese women and children previously in Germany returned to Japan by ship. They boarded the Yasukunimaru, a ship operated by NYK Line, in Hamburg.^[2]

In 1985 there were about 16,500 Japanese persons living in West Germany. The largest group, making up about 6,000, resided in Düsseldorf, and there were other Japanese communities in Berlin and Hamburg.^[3]

Geography

In 1963 there were 800 Japanese people in Hamburg, including 50 children.^[4]

Demographics

As of 1985 over 90% of ethnic Japanese households in West Germany had an affluent corporate executive as the head of the household. This executive often stays in Germany for three to five years.^[3]

As of 1985 company employees arriving in Germany often move into residences formerly occupied by those returning to Japan.^[3]

Tourism

In 1975, 195,350 Japanese people visited West Germany. In 1984 that figure was about 400,000.^[3]

Education

Japanische Internationale Schule Frankfurt

There are five nihonjin gakkō (Japanese international elementary and junior schools operated by Japanese associations) in Germany:

• Japanische Internationale Schule zu Berlin
• Japanische Internationale Schule in Düsseldorf
• Japanische Internationale Schule Frankfurt
• Japanische Schule in Hamburg
• Japanische Internationale Schule München

The Toin Gakuen Schule Deutschland, a Japanese boarding high school/gymnasium in Bad Saulgau classified as a shiritsu zaigai kyōiku shisetsu (overseas branch of a Japanese private school) was scheduled to close in 2012.^[5]

Hoshū jugyō kō (supplementary/weekend Japanese schools) include:

• Japanische Ergänzungsschule in Berlin e.V. (ベルリン日本語補習授業校 Berurin Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō) - Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Berlin^[6][7]
• Zentrale Schule fur Japanisch Berlin e.V. (共益法人ベルリン中央学園補習授業校 Kyōeki Hōjin Berurin Chūō Gakuen Hoshū Jugyō Kō) - Wilmersdorf, Berlin^[8] - Established April 1997.^[9]
• Japanische Schule Bonn e.V. (ボン日本語補習授業校 Bon Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō)^[10]
• Japanisches Institut in Bremen (ブレーメン日本語補習授業校 Burēmen Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō)^[11]
• Japanische Schule Köln e.V. (ケルン日本語補習授業校 Kerun Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō) - Kalk, Cologne^[12]
• Japanische Ergänzungsschule in Dresden (ドレスデン日本語補習校 Doresuden Nihongo Hoshūkō)^[13]
• Japanische Ergänzungsschule in Düsseldorf^[14]
• Forderschule fur Japankunde in Düsseldorf e.V.
• Japanisches Institut Frankfurt am Main (フランクフルト補習学校 Furankufuruto Hoshū Jugyō Kō)
  • It conducts its classes in the Japanese day school of Frankfurt's building.^[15]
• Japanisches Institut Hamburg (ハンブルグ補習授業校 Hanburugu Hoshū Jugyō Kō) - Halstenbek
  • It was established on June 15, 1963. It has conducted its classes at the Japanische Schule in Hamburg since 1994. As of 2013 it has 100 students, with about 70% of them from mixed Japanese and German relationships. The school has mathematics, geography, and Japanese history classes, all taught in the Japanese language. As of 2013 pupils under 15 years of age have tuitions of 84 euros per month per child while those 15 and older have tuitions of 100 euros per month per child.^[4]
• Japanische Ergänzungsschule Heidelberg e.V. (ハイデルベルク日本語授業補習校 Haideruberugu Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō)^[16]
• Japanisches Institut in München e.V. (JIM; ミュンヘン日本語補習授業校 Myunhen Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō) - Munich^[17]
  • Usually the school holds its classes in the Mathilde-Eller Schule but if that location is unavailable it holds its classes in the Munich Japanese day school building.^[18]
• Japanische Kulturvereinigung in Nurnberg e.V. (ニュンベルグ補習授業校 Nyunberugu Hoshū Jugyō Kō) - Nuremberg
• Japanische Schule Stuttgart e.V. (シュツットガルト日本語補習授業校 Shutsuttogaruto Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō)^[19]

Notable individuals

• Fred Armisen, American comedian whose father was born in Germany of Japanese descent
• Ken Asaeda, footballer
• Blumio, rapper
• Kimiko Douglass-Ishizaka, pianist, Olympic weightlifter and powerlifter
• Nic Endo, musician
• Erika Ikuta (生田絵梨花)
• Sadakichi Hartmann, photography critic and poet
• Tetsuya Kakihara, voice actor and singer
• Rubina Kuraoka, voice actress
• Liza Kennedy, fashion model
• Jun Märkl, conductor
• Alice Sara Ott, pianist
• Yuki Stalph, footballer
• Arabella Steinbacher, violinist
• Mari Vartmann, pair skater

See also

• Germany–Japan relations

References

1. "Japanese people in Germany" (PDF). Mofa.go.jp. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
2. Kudo, Akira. Japanese-German Business Relations: Co-operation and Rivalry in the Interwar Period (Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies). Routledge, October 2, 2012. ISBN 1134750099, 9781134750092. p. 31.
3. Heinrich, Mark. "Corporate Japanese colony sprouts in West German city." Associated Press at the Houston Chronicle. Sunday November 224, 1985. Page 1, Section 4. Available from NewsBank, Record Number HSC112453511. Available online from the Houston Public Library with a library card. "This is the heart of Duesseldorf's Japanese district, a closely knit foreign community of 6,000 people in the midst of this busy city with a population of 580,000." and "In addition, about 400,000 Japanese tourists flocked to West Germany in 1984, compared with 195,350 in 1975, according to Akio Tanaka, press attache at the JapaneseEmbassy in Bonn." and "About 16,500 Japanese live in West Germany. Smaller communities reside in Frankfurt, center of international banking in West Germany, and in Hamburg, hub for import-export and shipping firms."
4. Kolarczyk, Arne. "Japaner feiern Jubiläum." Hamburger Abendblatt. 12 June 2013. Retrieved on 2 January 2016. "1963 lebten 800 Japaner in Hamburg. Darunter waren 50 Kinder."
5. "Japanische Schule kehrt Bad Saulgau den Rücken" (Archive). Südkurier. 20 March 2010. Retrieved on 6 January 2015. "Die Schülerzahl hat sich von 1994, dem Jahr mit dem Höchststand, von 136 Schüler auf heute aktuell 47 Schüler um ein Drittel verringert.[...]Für das im April 2010 beginnende neue Schuljahr gibt es keine Schüler, die in die 7. Klasse (1. Klasse der japanischen Mittelschule) eingeschult werden."
6. "2014 年度" (Archive). Japanische Erganzungsschule in Berlin. Retrieved on February 14, 2015. "Japanische Ergänzungsschule in Berlin e.V. c/o Halensee - Grundschule Joachim - Friedrich - Str. 35/36 10711 Berlin"
7. "Halensee-Grundschule." City of Berlin. Retrieved on April 2, 2015. "Halensee-Grundschule Joachim-Friedrich-Str. 35-36 10711 Berlin–Wilmersdorf"
8. "欧州の補習授業校一覧(平成25年4月15日現在)" (Archive). MEXT. Retrieved on May 10, 2014. "c/o Comenius-Schule Gieselerstr. 4, 10713 Berlin, GERMANY"
9. "Deutsch." Zentrale Schule fur Japanisch Berlin e.V.. Retrieved on April 6, 2015. "Die Zentrale Schule für Japanisch Berlin e.V. wurde im April 1997 als gemeinnütziger Verein durch eine Elterninitiative gegründet, um Kindern und Jugendlichen aus japanischen, deutschen und interkulturellen Familien die Möglichkeit zu geben, ihre japanischen Sprachkenntnisse in Wort und Schrift zu erhalten und weiter zu entwickeln."
10. "アクセス." Japanische Schule Bonn. Retrieved on February 14, 2015.
11. Home page. Japanisches Institut in Bremen. Retrieved on March 31, 2015.
12. "Geschichte." Japanische Schule Köln. Retrieved on February 14, 2015. "Wir sind umgezogen. Ab 20.08.2009 findet der Unterricht in der Kaiserin-Theophanu-Schule, Kantstr. 3 in 51103 Köln-Kalk statt." Japanese version.
13. "補習校案内." Japanische Erganzungsschule in Dresden. Retrieved on February 14, 2015.
14. "デュッセルドルフ日本語補習校". Web.archive.org. 2010-07-17. Archived from the original on July 17, 2010. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
15. "お問い合わせ." Japanisches Institut Frankfurt am Main e.V. Retrieved on April 2, 2015. "フランクフルト補習授業校 Japanisches Institut Frankfurt am Main e.V. Langweidenstr. 8-12 60488 Frankfurt am Main" and "Impressum." Japanisches Institut Frankfurt am Main. Retrieved on 31 March 2015. "Langweidenstr. 8-12 60488 Frankfurt am Main"
16. "Lake, Kontakt." Japanische Erganzungsschule Heidelberg. Retrieved on February 1, 2015. Japanese version
17. "Institute." Japanisches Institut in München e.V.. Retrieved on March 31, 2015. "Grundschule am Gärtnerpl. / Mathilde-Eller Schule Klenzestr. 27 80469 München" and "Japanische Internationale Schule München e.V. Bleyerstr. 4 81371 München" (school locations) and "Klenzestr. 18 80469 München" (office)
18. "Institute" (Archive). Japanisches Institut in München e.V.. Retrieved on March 31, 2015. "通常ミュンヘン市内の市立小学校の校舎をお借りしています。（通称クレンツェ校） Grundschule am Gärtnerpl. / Mathilde-Eller Schule Klenzestr. 27 80469 München" and "クレンツェ校が使用できない授業日はミュンヘン日本人国際学校の校舎をお借りしています。 Japanische Internationale Schule München e.V. Bleyerstr. 4 81371 München" (school locations) and "事務局 クレンツェ校に近接して事務局を設置しています。　事務局兼校長室と職員室（会議室）があり、入退会の受付等さまざまな業務を行っています。 住所 Klenzestr. 18 80469 München" (office location)
19. "住所・地図・お問い合わせ." Japanische Schule Stuttgart. Retrieved on February 14, 2015.