Japanese Venezuelans ( es, Japonés Venezolano; ja, 日系ベネズエラ人, ''Nikkei Benezuerajin'') are

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n citizens who have full or partial

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

ancestry. The first wave of Japanese came to Venezuela on 1931.

Language

Most Japanese Venezuelans only speak Spanish. Only a selected number can speak Japanese, while those with higher education speak

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. There are even a number of Japanese Venezuelan schools that offer English language teaching to the recent Japanese residents.

Religion

The majority of Japanese Venezuelans are

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

, while the rest are Buddhists.

Notable individuals

* Kaori F. Yonekura, filmmaker * Hanshi Gijin Hiramatsu, martial artist * Alexander Cabrera Suzuki, baseball player *

Hana Kobayashi Hana Kobayashi (born 19 March 1982) is a Venezuelan singer of Japanese descent. Biography Daughter of a Venezuelan mother and a Japanese father, Hana began her musical education when she was fourteen years old, studying in conservatories such ...

, singer *

Sadao Muraki Sadao may refer to: Places * Sadao, Buachet - Buachet District - Surin Province, North-Eastern Thailand * Sadao, Nang Rong - Nang Rong District - Buriram Province, North-Eastern Thailand * Sadao, Phlapphla Chai - Phlapphla Chai District - Bur ...

, pianist *

Yoshikatsu Yoshida is a retired Japanese freestyle wrestler. He won gold medals in the 52 kg category at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Born in Hokkaido, Yoshida graduated from the Nihon University in Tokyo. After retiring from wrestling he left sport and worked ...

, mathematician *

Henry Zakka Henry Zakka (born July 29, 1956, Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan actor and film director, director who began acting in the 1980s and 1990s in RCTV telenovelas. Filmography As director Television Films * The Christ Child (2021) * Um ...

, actor

Notes

References

* Masterson, Daniel M. and Sayaka Funada-Classen. (2004), '' The Japanese in Latin America: The Asian American Experience''. Urbana, Illinois:

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic proje ...

. ;
La inmigración japónesa en Venezuela (1928-2008).
(The Japanese immigration in Venezuela. 1928-2008) {{Japanese diaspora

Venezuelans Venezuelans ( Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connections exist and are the source of ...

Ethnic groups in Venezuela

Japan–Venezuela relations