Making a Living: Japanese Labor in Hawaii and the United States.

The first Japanese immigrants in Hawaii worked mainly on sugarcane plantations. Once a laborer arrived on a plantation, he or she usually signed a contract that bound them to work for a period of time — usually three years. The contracts set the wages and amount of time a worker would stay at a particular job. Each worker had to wear an identification number on a brass tag with which they were identified. The bosses were cruel and whipped anyone not working fast enough. Furthermore, the Japanese were being paid less than Puerto Rican or Portuguese workers. This angered many of the Issei. However, despite all these unfair conditions the Japanese worked hard for the plantation owners, and more and more immigrants began to settle in Hawaii. The hard work and skill of the Japanese in Hawaii was not limited to plantation work. Many of the Japanese immigrants also found work with the fishing industry. However, Hawaii was not the only place these new immigrants settled. Many made their homes in West Coast cities in the United States, and some made homes in Mexico and Canada. INSETS: JAPANESE EMIGRATION COMPANIES;THE GENTLEMEN'S AND LADIES' AGREEMENTS.