Research Guides: Okinawa Studies Research Guide: Diaspora

Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival

Every 5 years, the Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival is for Uchinanchus worldwide to gather in Okinawa. "World Uchinanchu Day" was proposed and created by two Okinawan descendants, and in 2016, October 30th was formally declared as "World Uchinanchu Day" by the Governor of Okinawa.

The 7th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival | 第７回世界のウチナーンチュ大会
- The 7th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival was held October 30th to November 3rd, 2022
- View the 7th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival Symposium and other highlights from the festival on the official Youtube channel

Okinawa International & Domestic Networks

Okinawa Prefecture Department of Culture, Tourism, and Sports Exchange Promotion Division | 沖縄県文化観光スポーツ部交流推進課
- Lists domestic and international Okinawa Kenjin Kais
World Uchina Network | ワールドウチナーネットワーク
- Exchange network that seeks to open up the future of Okinawa by inheriting the history and connections of the approximately 420,000 people of Okinawan descent around the world and further developing multidimensional exchange through Okinawa's unique soft power
- Lists domestic and international Okinawa Kenjin Kais including additional information such as membership numbers and participation history in the World Uchinanchu Festival
Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad | 国際日系ネット公益財団法人海外日系人協会
- Lists international and domestic Nikkei-related groups and organizations

University Libraries Online Resources for Japanese/Okinawa Diaspora Issues

United States

Japan

Academic Journal Articles

Center for Okinawa Migration Studies | 沖縄移民研究センター『移民研究』
- Peer-reviewed yearly journals published by the Okinawa Migration Research Center
- Articles in PDF available 2005~2019
CiNii
- Searchable database of academic information such as articles, books, and journals.
- Available both in English and Japanese
Institutional Repository DataBase (IRDB) | 学術機関リポジトリデータベース
- Collects and provides metadata of contents registered in academic repositories in Japan.
- There are both English-language articles and Japanese ones.
- Check the search results for 'Okinawa' and 'diaspora', 'Okinawa' and 'immigrants.'
J-Stage
- Search journals and proceedings on Okinawa diaspora both in English and Japanese
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History
- Add 'Okinawa' in the search box for Okinawa-related articles
University of the Ryukyus Repository | 琉球大学学術研究レポジトリ
- Search for keywords both in English and Japanese, e.g. 移民, immigration, migration, diaspora, etc.

East Asia National Resource Center GWU

"Let's Talk East Asia" Series: A panel of experts to talk about the history and contemporary trends of transnational migration between East Asia and Latin America

Book Talk with Elizabeth Miki Brina: "Speak, Okinawa"

Media Resources

琉球サウダーヂ移民の追憶

5 episodes on the Okinawan diaspora by
RBC, an Okinawan local TV program, is available on Youtube
Episode 1 「移民県沖縄」
Episode 2「金武小学校」
Episode 3 「熱血漢當山久三」
Episode 4「最後の打電」
Episode 5「写真結婚」
伊芸銀勇氏とペルー移民 | Ginyu Igei y los Inmigrantes

The life of Gin'yu Ige, an honorary villager of Ginosa Village, and the history and achievements of Japanese Peruvian immigrants
『オキナワサントス』（日系移民強制退去事件）

Documentary on Japanese immigration mandatory receding incident in 1973 in Brazil
Discover Nikkei
- Interviews with Okinawan migrants and their descendants in English, Japanese, or Spanish
- Transcripts available in English, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese
『キューバ沖縄移民・家族の系譜』
- A documentary produced by Okinawa Television (沖縄テレビ) about the approximately 200 Okinawans who emigrated to Cuba from the beginning of this century to the 1930s

Immigration Online Records

Brigham Young University Idaho: Japanese Immigrants to the United States, 1887-1924
- Search for records using last name, first name format
- Useful to know some common family names in Okinawa
Family Search Japan Passenger Lists, 1893-1941
- List of Japanese emigrants from the country as recorded by The Diplomatic Record Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
- Free account required
Pioneros ペルー日本人移民データベース(1899-1941)
- Contains data on all 18,727 Japanese immigrants to Peru who traveled as contracted immigrants between 1899 and 1923, and a portion of approximately 11,650 immigrants who traveled as free immigrants between 1923 and 1941
- Data on Japanese immigrants can be searched by name, prefecture of origin, name of the ship, date of arrival in Peru, and name of the place of cultivation
- Available in Spanish and Japanese

Museums

Japanese Overseas Migration Museum | 海外移住資料館
- Located in Yokohama, Japan, the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum displays books, documents, photographs, videos, audio recordings, and other archival materials
- Audio guides available online in English, Japanese, and Spanish
- The Research Bulletin (研究紀要) provides information on the results of academic research conducted at the museum.
Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii | 日本ハワイ移民資料館
- Located in Yamaguchi, Japan the exhibition displays the history of the hardships of Hawaiian immigrants, the contribution of the hard-earned wealth of their predecessors to the cultural and economic development of their homeland, and the history of exchange up to the present day
Museo Historico Okinawa Bolivia | オキナワボリビア歴史資料館
- Located in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, the museum is dedicated to the hundreds of Okinawans who migrated from Okinawa to Bolivia
- Access video testimonials, pictures, documents, and other digitally accesible items related to Okinawans in Bolivia
Historical Museum of Japanese Immigration in Brazil | ブラジル日本移民史料館
- Located in São Paulo, Brazil, the museum holds over 97,000 items related to immigration from Japan
- Virtual tours are available
Japanese American National Museum
- Located in Los Angeles, California, The Japanese American National Museum shares the Japanese American experience
- Special events and exhibits related to Okinawan diaspora such as "Yeisaa nu Chimu-Don-Don: Exploring Cultural Identity through Okinawan Drumming" from March 2024

The Diaspora in the Okinawa Collection

Check the Okinawa Collection's Recent Acquisitions on the Diaspora

Please visit the Municipality History page for information on primary sources

Governmental and Municipal Open-Access Resources in Japan

Japan

On Okinawan Immigrants

沖縄県公文書館 | Okinawa Prefectural Archives
- Use the search engine to locate the Ryukyu Governmental resources
- Try the resources on overseas migration (海外移住に関する資料) in 琉球政府文書＞農林局＞移住課
沖縄県立図書館　沖縄県系移民一世ルーツ調査・相談サービス
Site available in English
沖縄県立総合教育センター琉球文化アーカイブ　移民の世紀　〜沖縄移民の１００年〜
那覇歴史博物館デジタルミュージアム
南城市　なんじょうデジタルアーカイブ | Nanjo Deigital Archive
- Materials created and collected by administrative staff and various records left by local people are available for viewing, which are valuable for understanding the history and culture of Nanjo City.
- Select 移民・出稼ぎ on Search page

On Japanese Immigrants

Japan Search | ジャパンサーチ (National Diet Library | 国会国立図書館）
National platform for aggregating metadata of digital resources, operated by the National Diet Library, Japan, in cooperation with a variety of organizations and municipalities in Japan
国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション | National Diet Library Digital Collection
Digitalized materials of books, journals, doctoral dissertations, and official gazettes, as well as materials from national institutions, local governments, and academic institutions
和歌山市民図書館　移民資料室
- The only public library in Japan specializing in immigration　
- Wakayama Prefecture is one of the leading prefectures in Japan for sending immigrants. The library position immigrant materials as the ones that appeal for human rights and peace, considering the fact that Japanese immigrants have historically been a minority in overseas countries and have suffered discrimination and persecution.

International

United Nations Global Migration Database
- "A comprehensive collection of empirical data on the number of international migrants by country of birth and citizenship, sex and age as enumerated by population censuses, population registers, nationally representative surveys and other official statistical sources from more than 200 countries and territories in the world"

Non-Governmental Open-Access Resources outside Japan

On Okinawan Immigrants

沖縄移民研究センター | Center for Okinawa Migration Studies
- It takes over the assets and activities of the Center for Migration Studies at the University of the Ryukyus, which existed from December 2003 to March 2009.
- Publication "Immigration Studies " No.9 (2013/9) ~ No.17 (2021/3)
沖縄情報統合検索システム | Integrated Cross-search for Information of Okinawa (iXio）
The search targets include the University of the Ryukyus Library, Okinawa Prefectural Library, Okinawa Prefectural Archives, Naha City Museum of History, CiNii (National Institute of Informatics), etc. You can search across databases containing information related to Okinawa.

On Japanese Immigrants

Densho（伝承）Collections & Research
- Available in Japanese『日系アメリカ人の歴史ポータル』
- Over 900 hours of interviews are available for free on Densho's website to provide a first-hand account of Japanese American history.
- Use the Search function for Okinawa-related resources
Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
日本移民学会 | The Japanese Association for Migration Studies
Established in 1991, it holds the Annual Conference, the Winter Research Conference, and workshops every year, and publishes the Annual Report on Migration Studies.
移民制作学会 | Japan Association for Migration Policy Studies (JAMPS)
Annual conference (details available online since 2008), spring and winter research conferences (details available online since 2009), and the academic journal Migration Policy Studies (移民制作研究) have been published.