Total population | |
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600,000+ | |
Regions with significant populations | |
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300,000+ |
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Languages | |
Ryukyuan languages, Japanese, English, Spanish, Chinese, and others | |
Religion | |
Ryukyuan religion, Buddhism, Shinto, Christianity | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Japanese diaspora | |
^ note: Ryukyuans living in Japan outside of the Ryukyu Islands are considered part of an internal diaspora. ^ note: The exact number of Ryukyuans living in other countries is unknown. They are usually counted as Japanese or Asian in censuses. |
The Ryukyuan diaspora, also known as the Okinawan diaspora, are the Ryukyuan emigrants from the Ryukyu Islands and their descendants that reside in a foreign country. The first recorded emigration of Ryukyuans was in the 15th century when they established an exclave at Fuzhou in Ming China. Later, there was a large wave of emigration to Hawaii at the end of the 19th century, followed by a wave to various Pacific islands in the 1920s and multiple migrations to the Americas throughout the 20th century. Ryukyuans became Japanese citizens when Japan annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879; therefore Ryukyuan immigrants are often labeled as part of the Japanese diaspora.