Early Japanese migration to Australia was spurred by the pearling and sugar cane industries. From 1901, Japanese migration was limited by the implementation of the White Australia policy.

During the Second World War, people of Japanese origin were interned in Australia as ‘enemy aliens’. National Archives holds alien registration and internment records from this time period. Most Japanese internees were deported at the end of the Second World War.

After the Second World War, the Australian Government granted permission for over 650 Japanese war brides of Australian servicemen to enter Australia.

With the end of the White Australia policy in 1973, Japanese migration to Australia increased.

In the 2021 Census, 78,049 Australians self-identified as having Japanese ancestry.