IT IS QUITE SMALL - ONLY ABOUT 170 JAPANESE PEOPLE -

(日本人社会とその規模: ケープタウン及び周辺地域 - 南アフリカ共和国)

There are only about 170 Japanese citizens residing in Cape Town and the surrounding areas, of which roughly 60% have South African permanent residency status (as of July 2006).

Because, regulated by the Japanese passport law, all Japanese nationals who take up residence outside of Japan for more than a continuous duration of three months are required to register by submitting the "Overseas Residential Registration (在留届)" form to the designated consular representative in the respective regions, the above-mentioned figure is considered to be very accurate. Although the individuals' information is strictly confidential, the survey figures and breakdowns are disclosed annually and become available via the Japanese Foreign Ministry publications.

According to the available information, there are only ten Japanese firms or business entities which are recognised as such by the Japanese Consulate in Cape Town. This figure includes only either branch offices and/or factories managed directly or indirectly by their head offices in Japan, or companies or agencies that are subsiduaries or representatives of their main operations in Japan. Therefore, even though they may deal with Japanese products, the figure does not include locally-managed, and/or financed businesses with Japanese connections. Four of them are vehicle parts and components manufacturing companies, two of which are in Cape Town and two in Port Elizabeth. There are four companies or organisations that are related to Japanese fishing industries and only one Japanese freight/shipping company represented in Cape Town.

The small size of the Japanese community surprises most people who have a different perception, especially amongst local Capetonians, based on seeing a number of new sushi bars and restaurants opening in recent years. Many of these establishments employ less costly cooks/chefs from other parts of Asia. There are, in fact, less than ten Japanese sushi chefs in Cape Town.

In contrast, there are approximately 12,000 to 15,000 non-Japanese, Far-East Asian citizens who reside in Cape Town and, therefore, it is not surprising that many Cape Town residents confuse Japanese people with other East Asian nationalities such as Chinese, South Korean, Taiwanese, Hong Kong Chinese and possibly other Chinese-related people from South-East Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia.

From the South African point of view, in recent times, Japan has been the most important business and trading partner in Asia. Only recently has it been replaced by China as its biggest trading partner in value with Asia. Surprisingly, no official Japanese trade and commercial mission is represented in Cape Town. As the local tourism industry grows and more Japanese travellers visit Cape Town, the demand for tour guides who speak Japanese will become greater. There are less than ten Japanese speaking tour guides operating at present.

There is a non-profit social club for the Japanese community in South Africa and it is called "The Nippon Club of South Africa". Although its membership consists of small groups from other parts of the country, including Cape Town, its main organisational body is based in Johannesburg and most member activity is arranged and performed in Gauteng.

January 2007

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