AMERICA/PERU - First Japanese immigrants arrived in Peru 100 years ago, Japanese Cardinal Fumio Hamao, President of Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, presides Centenary Celebrations in Lima

Friday, 20 January 2006

Lima (Fides Service) - The first Japanese immigrants landed in Peru a hundred years ago on 21 November 1906. A group of 774 farm workers arrived with a contract to work at the Hacienda Santa Clara, 36 of them had left the beautiful Japanese island of Okinawa and were the first in a long migratory flow of Nikei. Since then the flow of Japanese immigrants has increased, with reunification of families and founding in Peru of associations to assist the new arrivals. In 1952 the Asociación Okinawense del Perú took on its present day structure and continues to work in close cooperation with Peruvian authorities.
Celebrations to mark the centenary of Japanese immigration will involve Japanese Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, former archbishop of Yokohama, and since 1998 President of Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, who came from Rome accompanied by Rev. Gabriele Bentoglio, Official of the same office.
On Tuesday January 24 the Cardinal will address the Bishops of Peru meeting for their general assembly. He will give a presentation of the Erga migrantes caritas Christi Instruction applied to the context of Japanese migration to Peru and also the reverse phenomenon of Peruvians who migrate to Japan. The Cardinal will visit a few Japanese communities in Lima and preside the inauguration of a new Hospital at Ventanilla built by the Okinawa community to mark the centenary. In Peru today there are about 80,000 Japanese immigrants and in Japan there are about 70,000 Peruvians and their number steadily increase. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 20/1/2006, righe 23, parole 315)


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