Japan Passenger Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
日本、ブラジルへの旅客リスト

Record Description
This collection contains a list of Japanese emigrants from the country as recorded by the Diplomatic Record Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The records are from an index of overseas travelers processed through Japanese emigration agents and related immigration papers for the years 1893-1941.

Japanese emigration records were generated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japanese Diplomacy office at the time when people emigrated from Japan.

Record Content


Passenger lists usually include the following information:


 * Full name of passenger
 * Address
 * Date of birth
 * Date of departure
 * Gender
 * Destination
 * Residence

Emigration records usually include the following information:


 * Passport Number
 * Full Name
 * Prefecture
 * Birth Date
 * Gender
 * Residence before departure
 * Date of Departure
 * Departure Age
 * Destination Place

How to Use the Record
These records are used to identify the permanent domicile of the head of the household, which is helpful in obtaining the koseki. These records are good linkage records. They are particularly helpful for American researchers who are trying to determine where their Japanese ancestor came from.

Search the Collection
To search the indexed records, fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Related Websites

 * Kesekilaw Rootsweb page: Explains how to use and get family papers called koseki
 * Japanese Embassies list: Listing of Japanese embassies, needed to get koseki
 * Japanese military at Archives.gov: Information about Japanese Internment camps during WWII
 * Japanese American Legacy Project
 * Japan's GenWeb Project
 * Foreign Affairs ministry Historical Museum Diplomacy
 * Prefecture Office Search

Related Wiki Articles

 * Japan
 * Japan Emigration and Immigration
 * Emigration Records from Japan (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.