The forgotten history of Japanese pearl divers in Australia

From the 1870s onward, pearling became a major industry in places like Broome, a remote town in north-west Western Australia.

By 1910, Broome was the world’s largest pearling centre, and between 1900 and 1914, Australia was supplying over half of the world’s pearl shell.

The mother-of-pearl lining of oyster shell was in high demand for making buttons, buckles and other ornamental items. Japanese divers were instrumental in this success.

They were known to be the most skilled and reliable workers in the pearling fleet, and while early pearling had relied on Indigenous Australians and other Asian workers, Japanese divers soon became the dominant group because of their experience and strong work ethic.

White Australians were generally unwilling to do the dangerous deep-sea diving work, so pearling companies looked to Asia for labour.

Most European divers simply could not match the economic success of the Japanese.

For example, in 1912 a group of ten British divers was brought to Broome, but within 18 months three of the divers who were British had died and the rest quit the job.

In contrast, Japanese divers continued to perform the bulk of the work. As the industry grew, so did the presence of Japanese workers.

By 1920, Japanese divers made up about one-third of the Western Australian pearling workforce.

Their labour helped Australia export tons of pearl shell around the world, generating significant income for the economy.

Without Japanese involvement, the pearling industry would not have thrived as it did in that era. 

Most Japanese pearl divers were young men from coastal regions of Japan, such as Wakayama Prefecture, where many people fished or dived for abalone.

Lured by the prospect of good earnings, they signed on as contract workers to dive in Australia.

The work was grueling. Divers typically worked from dawn until dusk, as they made up to 50 dives a day and stayed out at sea for months at a time.

They lived aboard pearling boats which were called luggers, in cramped, uncomfortable conditions.

After long hours underwater, they ate basic meals and slept in cramped, tiny cabins often infested with insects.

Life at sea was tough, but many put up with it in hopes of finding valuable pearl shells.

Those who succeeded and returned to Japan with their savings could become wealthy in their home communities. 

When not at sea, the Japanese divers formed their own communities in the pearling towns.

In Broome they lived in an Asian quarter of town alongside Chinese, Malay and other immigrant groups.

They maintained aspects of their culture, sharing Japanese food and traditions among themselves.

Over time, the Japanese community in Broome became more established. A doctor who was Japanese arrived in Broome in 1910, and by the next year he had opened a small hospital to serve the Japanese migrants.

Many Japanese-run businesses like this soon appeared, and even a few Japanese women migrated to work or join their families.

Many planned to work for a few seasons, save money, and then return to Japan.

Some did go home, but others stayed longer or even lived out their lives in Australia, and their presence went on to influence Broome’s local culture and way of life. 

Pearl diving was an extremely dangerous occupation. Divers had to descend to depths of over 30 metres in Broome’s waters as they wore heavy copper helmets and weighted suits, all while relying on air pumped from the boat above.

The risks were high: if a diver surfaced too quickly, nitrogen bubbles could form in his body, which caused 'diver’s paralysis' or 'the bends,' leading to agonising pain or even death.

Almost all pearl divers suffered from the bends at some point in their careers.

Other dangers included drowning, shark attacks, and the risk of getting caught in underwater snags.

As a result, mortality rates were shockingly high. It is estimated that more than one in ten Japanese divers died each year on the job.

Many of those who perished were very young. Around half of the Japanese divers buried in Broome’s Japanese Cemetery died in their twenties.

By 1979, about one thousand Japanese names were still legible on the headstones of that cemetery. 

Japanese divers faced social and financial challenges. Since they were employed as foreign contract labour, they were not covered by Australian workers’ compensation laws if they were injured on the job.

This meant they had little protection or support if an accident left them unable to work.

The divers also had to deal with prejudice and isolation. Language barriers and cultural differences separated them from the English-speaking white population.

Racial tensions sometimes flared into violence, as Broome had a strict, unspoken, social hierarchy dominated by white Australians, with Asians, led by the Japanese, and Aboriginal Australians considered lower in status.

Fights broke out between ethnic groups; notably, there were race-related riots in Broome in 1907, 1914, and 1920.

Moreover, white pearling bosses, who were fearful of Japanese competition, passed rules to limit the influence of Japanese workers.

They set quotas on how many Japanese crew could work on each boat and even tried to ban Japanese people from owning pearling vessels.

These challenges meant that Japanese divers had to be resourceful to survive and prosper in Australia. 

The early 20th century in Australia saw the introduction of the White Australia Policy: a set of laws designed to stop non-European immigration.

The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, which was the official beginning of the White Australia Policy, made it very difficult for Asians to enter or work in Australia.

Japanese pearl divers also fell under these harsh rules at first. In the years right after Federation, the government imposed new limits on Asian workers in the pearling industry.

However, the pearling business was booming and desperately needed experienced, skilled divers.

It soon became clear that there were not enough white Australians willing or able to do the physically perilous work.

In response, the authorities made a temporary exception for the pearling industry.

By 1916 the government allowed Asian divers such as the Japanese to continue working.

As a result, this exemption acknowledged that the industry would collapse without these migrant workers. 

Even with the exemption, immigration officials closely monitored Asian entrants, and Japanese workers usually came on fixed-term contracts rather than as permanent settlers.

The special permits did not fix local resentment, and white Australians in Broome remained uneasy about the success of the Japanese, which contributed to the crew limits and bans on boat ownership mentioned earlier.

Over time, the White Australia Policy still aimed to reduce all non-white populations in the country.

Ultimately, however, the era of Japanese pearl divers effectively came to an end during World War II.

When Japan entered the war against Australia in 1941, all Japanese people in Australia were rounded up and interned in camps for the duration of the war.

Many Japanese divers never returned after this. The White Australia Policy itself continued in some form until the mid-20th century, by which time the traditional pearling industry had changed, and fewer divers were needed.