Sakura Maru departs Yokohama beginning Japanese immigration to Peru

Background. Peru holds the second largest ethnic Japanese population in South America, following Brazil. The community has exerted significant cultural influence, with census data from 2017 recording 22,534 individuals self-reporting Japanese ancestry. Historical estimates suggest at least 200,000 Peruvians possess some degree of Japanese heritage, reflecting the long-term demographic impact of early immigration waves.

Immigration. Peru was the first Latin American nation to accept Japanese immigration. The Sakura Maru transported Japanese families from Yokohama to Peru, arriving at the port city of Callao on April 3, 1899. This group of 790 Japanese emigrants became the first of several waves of emigrants who made new lives in Peru, some nine years before emigration to Brazil began.

Departure. Yokohama, the second-largest city in Japan, served as the departure point for the Sakura Maru. By 1899, when the extraterritoriality of foreigner areas was abolished, Yokohama was the most international city in Japan, with foreigner areas stretching from Kannai to the Bluff area and a large Chinatown. The ship carried Japanese families from this city to Peru.