Düsseldorf-Germany's 'Little Tokyo'

“Living in Düsseldorf is of course very convenient for the Japanese people like us, because there are many Japanese shops and doctors, everything that you need for everyday life," says Akio Iwashita. The manager adds that he has only a limited number of German friends and acquaintances.

Japanese food stores and sushi bars, book shops and dry cleaners, Japanese travel agents and a Japanese club: Japanese lifestyle can be found from the centre of the city to the suburbs where many Japanese families live. An infrastructure has developed which allows the Japanese community to live next to the Germans in a largely self-reliant way.

Ruprecht Vondran, the chairman of the German-Japanese Industrial Cooperation Committee in Düsseldorf, has experienced that interaction can be quite a challenge: “Especially here in Düsseldorf because the Japanese have their own communities. In North Rhine-Westphalia there are around 11,000, in Düsseldorf an estimated 6,000 Japanese. Actually, they can easily stay among themselves.“

Industrial relations between Düsseldorf and Japan

Düsseldorf, a city of about 600,000, not far from the Dutch border, is known for its fashion, arts and trade fairs. Düsseldorf’s economy is flourishing -- partly because of Düsseldorf’s involvements with its Japanese partners. Today, the economic collaboration is mainly in the car industry, engineering and chemical industry.

Ruprecht Vondran explains how it all began: "Relations began to develop in the fifties. The Germans were essentially faster with their economic miracle after the lost war. The Japanese took a little more time. But in the second half of the fifties they developed immense power and strong investment needs. And they were particularly interested in the then booming heavy industry.”

The interest in the steel industry made Düsseldorf attractive. It is situated right next to the old industrial Ruhr Area and has a good transportation system, including Europe's biggest river port in Duisburg.

From miners to managers

The first Japanese actually came to the area to work in the mining industry. However, these workers were quickly forgotten and replaced by the next generation of Japanese migrants: the highly skilled managers of Japanese enterprises. They have long formed the backbone of the community in Dusseldorf.

Akio Iwashita is one of these managers, who usually stay for 3 to 5 years: “I work for a Japanese machinery manufacturer and I came here as a managing director of this small sales company in Mönchengladbach. I have been here about five and a half years. I came with my wife and my children. “

The establishment of an international Japanese school in 1971 made it easier for expatriate families to keep in touch with their Japanese heritage. It made Düsseldorf a particularly popular location for Japanese families.

Düsseldorf's location in the heart of Europe is strategically used by many Japanese companies: they have their European headquarters in Düsseldorf and even cater to the north African market from here. The city does its best to keep them here by reducing red tape to a minimum; but there are competitors nearby, such as the Netherlands, where taxes are lower. Ruprecht Vondran says Düsseldorf should keep a close eye on the competition if it wants to keep the Japanese.

Author: Verena Degens
Editor: Graham Lucas