ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the historical background of migrants in Japan to understand the context of the Sikh diaspora in Japan. It focuses on the general history of migrants in Japan, Indian and Sikh migrants. The chapter presents some case studies of those Sikhs in Japan. It is difficult to identify the first Sikh who came to Japan, and the year. Also, one cannot specify how many Sikhs are there in the Indian population in Japan because there are no statistics available based on religion. Though Sikhs migrated to Japan with an economic motive, their activities could be divided into two types, namely, those operating their own companies and those employed as unskilled labour. A comparative look at the stories of Sikhs living in Kobe and Tokyo who have migrated to Japan threw up some common points and many differences: financial reasons, own businesses/work and family or friends’ networks. Various backgrounds of migration were seen in case studies.
