Japanese people in France
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 30,947 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Paris | |
| Languages | |
| Japanese, French | |
| Religion | |
| Buddhism, Shinto | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Japanese diaspora |
Japanese people in France (French: Japonais en France, Japanese: 在フランス日本人 Zai Furansu Nihonjin) are French residents and citizens of Japanese ancestry, including both those who have settled in France permanently and those born in the country, along with a significant community of short-term expatriates who spend at most a few years in the country before moving on.
Japanese settlement in France, in contrast to that in Brazil or in the United States, has always consisted of individual sojourners coming to the country for cultural or intellectual reasons rather than economic ones, with little collective mobilisation by the government. Indeed, Japanese leaders of the Meiji period saw France as a symbol of modern civilization, and endeavoured to prevent "men whose respectability and civility they doubted" from settling there.
The flow of individual Japanese expatriates to France began as early as the 1870s. For the most part, they came to France for a few years to experience the intellectual and cultural life there, and then return to Japan; their experiences in France are seen as a form of "cultural capital" which boosts their status back in their home country.
The Japanese expatriate community of the inter-war period is portrayed in Riichi Yokomitsu's novel Ryoshu. The arrival of Japanese expatriates continued at a trickle until the 1930s, when the onset of World War II brought it to a halt.
The post-war Japanese migrants to France largely continued to fit into the mold of highly educated individuals; they consisted of journalists, high officials, scholars, and professionals. 73.6% hold university degrees. The number of students, however, has decreased somewhat as compared to the years between World War I and World War II.
Japanese expatriates in France largely possess mastery of the French language.
There are several Buddhist temples in France which serve the Japanese community. Most are affiliated with the Zen branch of Mahayana Buddhism.
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Wikipedia