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From being a dekasegi to a long-term resident (Japanese)

(Japanese) Well, at least people around me are thinking about living here permanently, I think. As you might know, those who had wanted to go back to Brazil, they had already returned after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the Great East Japan Earthquake. The economic depression put many people in trouble, so those who still decided to stay in Japan are the ones who are striving in Oizumi-machi now, so yes, only those who wanted to stay in Japan have remained in Oizumi.


dekasegi foreign workers Gunma Prefecture Japan Nikkei in Japan Oizumi settlements

Date: October 18, 2016

Location: Gunma, Japan

Interviewer: Shigeru Kojima

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Paulo Issamu Hirano was born in São Paulo in January, 1979. As a Sansei whose grandparents are from Kumamoto Prefecture, he grew up in the Monte Kemel region near Liberdade. In 1989, he moved to Japan as his father, who had come as a dekasegi, called on him. Ever since, he has lived in Oizumi-machi in Gunma Prefecture. At first he was having a hard time with the language, but he made more friends as he learned Japanese. Currently he supports the Brazilian community as a graphic designer with his Japanese skills. In 2009, he started his own business and runs a design studio now. He publishes free magazines that introduce Oizumi-machi. He dedicates his life to making Oizumi-machi a Brazil town. (August, 2017)

Celia Oi
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Celia Oi

Japan's impact on the image of Nikkei in Brazil (Portuguese)

Former Director, Museu Histórico da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil

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Doris Moromisato
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Doris Moromisato

The Nikkei Integration into society (Spanish)

(b. 1962) Peruvian Poet, Okinawan descendant

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Isao Taoka
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Isao Taoka

The Current Conditions of Dekasegi from Paraguay (Japanese)

(b. 1943) Paraguayan Ambassador to Japan

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Toshiko Elena Onchi
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Toshiko Elena Onchi

The breakdown of the family structure as a result of the deskasegi movement (Spanish)

Japanese Peruvian in Japan

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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota
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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota

More government supports in the city of Oizumi for Japanese Brazilians (Portuguese)

(b. 1962) Japanese Brazilian owner of a Brazilian products store in Japan.

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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota
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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota

Oizumi, the Brazilian town in Japan (Portuguese)

(b. 1962) Japanese Brazilian owner of a Brazilian products store in Japan.

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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota
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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota

Future of the Japanese Brazilian community in Japan (Portuguese)

(b. 1962) Japanese Brazilian owner of a Brazilian products store in Japan.

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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota
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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota

Lehman shock’s impact on the Japanese Brazilian community in Japan (Portuguese)

(b. 1962) Japanese Brazilian owner of a Brazilian products store in Japan.

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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota
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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota

Transition from a factory worker to starting his own business (Portuguese)

(b. 1962) Japanese Brazilian owner of a Brazilian products store in Japan.

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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota
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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota

The reason why the city of Oizumi became “Brazilian town” (Portuguese)

(b. 1962) Japanese Brazilian owner of a Brazilian products store in Japan.

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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota
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Antonio Shinkiti Shikota

Japanese Brazilians living in Oizumi (Portuguese)

(b. 1962) Japanese Brazilian owner of a Brazilian products store in Japan.

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Juan Alberto Matsumoto
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Juan Alberto Matsumoto

Supporting Nikkei in Japan (Japanese)

(b. 1962) Nisei Japanese Argentinian, currently residing in Japan

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