ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the resurgence of Japanese migration to Australia after the Second World War, emphasising the gendered dynamics of cross-national partnership migration. While the early post-war period saw predominantly Japanese women—commonly known as ‘war brides’—marrying Australian servicemen, the 1990s saw a significant rise in Japanese women migrating via the ‘partner visa’ category. Drawing on historical narratives, demographic data and existing scholarship, this chapter argues that female migrants, particularly those in intercultural marriages, played a key role in shaping the contemporary Japanese community in Australia. Unlike earlier waves of state- or economy-driven migration, these women migrated in pursuit of alternative lifestyles, seeking to transcend the constraints of patriarchal gender norms in Japan. This ‘lifestyle migration’ contributed to the development of a spatially dispersed and socially integrated Japanese diaspora. This chapter further examines the formation and subsequent decline of ethnic associations, highlighting the shift from collective ethnic solidarity to more individualised forms of community involvement. Through this analysis, this chapter elucidates the emergence of a transnational, gendered diaspora, offering critical insights into how female agency redefined the prevailing notions of migration, ethnicity and integration within the multicultural Australian society.
