Nepalis in Japan
{{Short description | Nepali diaspora in Japan}}
{{See also|Indians in Japan|Sri Lankans in Japan}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Nepalis in Japan
| image =
| native_name = {{lang|ja|在日ネパール人}}
{{lang|ne|जापानमा रहेका नेपालीहरु}}
| population = 233,043 (In December, 2024)[https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/press/13_00052.html 令和6年末現在における在留外国人数について]{{cite web | url=https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/policies/statistics/toukei_touroku_gaiyou.html?hl=ru | title=在留外国人統計（旧登録外国人統計） 結果の概要 | 出入国在留管理庁 }}
| popplace = Tokyo (Shinjuku){{·}}Ōsaka{{·}}Aichi{{·}}Hamamatsu{{·}}Fukuoka{{·}}Naha{{·}}Yokohama{{·}}Sapporo{{·}}Kawasaki{{·}}Sagamihara{{·}}Chiba{{·}}Funabashi{{·}}Saitama{{·}}Kawaguchi
| langs = Nepali{{·}}Japanese{{·}}Maithili{{·}}Newari{{·}}Magar
| rels = Hinduism (majority){{·}}Buddhism{{·}}Kirat Mundhum
| related-c = Nepali diaspora, Indians in Japan, Bangladeshis in Japan, Burmese people in Japan, Bhutanese in Japan
}}
Nepalis in Japan consist of migrants from Nepal to Japan, including temporary expatriates and permanent residents, as well as their locally born descendants. In December, 2024, there are about 233,043 Nepalis living in Japan, which makes them the largest South Asian community in the country.[https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/publications/press/13_00052.html 令和6年末現在における在留外国人数について]
Nepalis are the third largest foreign student community in Japan. The country remains a dream destination for many Nepali youth, with many paying over $14,000 to enter the country on a student visa.{{Cite web |title=The Japanese Dream: Nepali Students in Japan - NHK WORLD PRIME {{!}} NHK WORLD-JAPAN |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/3016170/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=NHK WORLD |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last=Kharel |first=Dipesh |date=March 2022 |title=Student migration from Nepal to Japan: Factors behind the steep rise |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01171968221085766 |journal=Asian and Pacific Migration Journal |language=en |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=26–51 |doi=10.1177/01171968221085766 |issn=0117-1968}}
Employment
Japan was a popular destination for Nepalese immigrants, as they could earn five times more than the average wage in Nepal, even in low-skilled manual jobs in the service sector.[http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=277/ Nepal's Dependence on Exporting Labor] Most recently, IT engineers and professionals from Nepal are currently being recruited by Japanese IT companies.[http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=10668/ Nepali IT brains may find jobs in Japan] There are also some Nepalese joining Japan's garments industry and agriculture sector.
Organizations
The Nepalese Association of Japan (NAJ) was founded in 1988 with the sole intent of protecting the rights and benefits of Nepalese people living in Japan, promoting understanding among them by providing a forum to bring them together and assisting develop friendly relationship between the countries of Japan and Nepal.[http://pezis.com/naij.org naij.org]
Other organizations include NRN-NCC Japan, the Nepalese Student Association in Japan (NESAJ) and NUSAJ (another student body).
Demographics
The largest concentration of Nepalis in Japan is in Tokyo, especially in the Shinjuku special ward, home to 3,838 Nepali citizens, or 1.1% of the ward's population in 2024.{{Cite web |title=Resident Nationalities of Shinjuku |url=https://www.city.shinjuku.lg.jp/content/000398852.pdf}} As of 2019, Tokyo had a Nepali population of 27,598. Other wards and neighborhoods with a large Nepali population include Nishi-Kasai, known as Tokyo's Little India with a large population of Indian and Nepali citizens.
The prefectures with the most Nepali citizens in Japan as of 2019 are Tokyo with 27,598 Nepalis, Aichi with 9,093, Chiba with 6,801, Kanagawa with 6,425, Fukuoka with 6,379, Saitama with 6,282, Osaka with 3,053, Gunma with 2,978, Tochigi with 2,350, and Okinawa with 2,139; Tokyo, Gunma, Okinawa, Fukuoka, and Tochigi are the prefectures with the highest concentrations of Nepalis.{{Cite web |url=https://stats-japan.com/t/kiji/19383 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=stats-japan.com}} Nepalis are the largest group of foreign workers in Okinawa, making up 24.6% of foreign workers employed in the prefecture.{{Cite web |last=Times |first=Nepali |date=2019-09-17 |title=Why Nepalis are flocking to Okinawa |url=https://nepalitimes.com/banner/why-nepalis-are-flocking-to-okinawa |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=nepalitimes.com}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{citation|last=Yamanaka|first=Keiko|title=Nepalese Migration to Japan: from Global Warriors to Global Workers|journal=Ethnic and Racial Studies|volume=23|number=1|date=January 2000|pages=62–93|doi=10.1080/014198700329132| s2cid=143191924 }}
{{Nepalese diaspora}}
{{Immigration to Japan}}
{{Ethnic groups in Japan}}