Japan s Filipino community puts down roots, moves past hostess origins
January 24, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Filipina housekeepers recruited by Kurashinity to work in Japan participate in an orientation in June 2020. (Photo courtesy of Pasona Group Inc./Kyodo) TOKYO (Kyodo) Almost four decades on from its origins in the arrival of women to work as hostesses at Philippine pubs, the Filipino community has become one of the most rooted in Japan but one that still remains largely female. Filipinos are the fourth-largest foreign contingent after the Chinese, South Korean, and Vietnamese communities, with many choosing to spend their lives here. According to data released by the Justice Ministry as of June 2020, 132,551, or roughly 47 percent, of the 282,023 Filipinos legally residing in Japan held permanent resident visas much higher than the 28 percent for foreign nationals overall. Women, meanwhile, accounted for around 70 percent of the total, rising to about 8
A minority community made up largely of women, those who have come to Japan from the Philippines have often opted to settle down here for the long term.