By Angela Montefinise

When Japanese native Hiroshi Machida opened his restaurant Tokyo Steak in Fresh Meadows two years ago, he noticed that “there are not many” Japanese people in Queens.

“I live in Manhattan . . . Most Japanese move to Manhattan. Not many in Queens,” he said.

In fact, the 2000 Census counted only 5,103 Japanese people in the borough, making the group one of the smallest Asian populations in Queens.

Machida said the numbers don’t surprise him. “Most Japanese come here with their business firms. So they live in Manhattan, where they can be closer to [their] jobs . . . People come here from Japan because they want to open a business or because of their work,” he said.

The Japanese Consulate’s office agreed, with a representative explaining, “The economy and government in Japan was not one that people wanted to get away from. In China and Korea, the governments did not and actually still do not allow for much opportunity. So people leave to find a better life . . . It’s different in Japan. People leave to join their firms overseas, or open a business in America. There are different circumstances.”

According to Consulate statistics, there were over 2,000 Japanese firms operating offices in New York in 2000, with a representative saying, “New York City is a gateway to the world. The Japanese have good business relationships with America, so it makes sense to have offices there . . . In truth, most Japanese people in America live in California, which is geographically closer to Japan. But more firms are moving to New York City.”

The Consulate representative also mentioned that Japanese people who come to New York City “already have money,” and are able to live in Manhattan. The representative said, “Japanese people can afford, normally, to live near their jobs in Manhattan. That’s why they congregate there . . . We are seeing an emergence of some Japanese communities in Long Island City, Elmhurst and Western Queens, however. Many of them want to live near Manhattan, but in more residential neighborhoods.”

Despite the trend, the Consulate representative said Japanese people do not live in close communities, and said, “Chinese and Korean immigrants have very like circumstances. Many Chinese immigrants are in similar situations to other Chinese immigrants, so living together in tight communities like Flushing makes sense. That’s not the case with the Japanese. Many of them know English, they are of all kinds of economic backgrounds, and are in all kinds of situations. They live all over the place. The Japanese are spread out. “

Machida agreed, and said that he has seen Japanese people move to Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, Nassau County, Fresh Meadows and New Jersey.

He said, “They move everywhere . . . They come here and start families, but sometimes, they go back. If a businessman comes here for work, he usually goes back to Japan with his family. Sometimes, they stay . . . Japanese people don’t send for their families when they come here. Chinese, when they come, they send their entire family here after them so the family grows and grows and grows. Not Japanese. They leave their families in Japan.”

These insights may explain why the Japanese are one of the smallest groups in Queens, even though they were the first Asians to arrive in the borough, according to Census statistics.

The Japanese Consulate representative said, “That’s debateable. But Census figures seem to show that Japanese people arrived here in the late 1950s, while the Chinese and Koreans came in the 1960s. The Japanese moved into Flushing, but moved when the economy turned bad in the 1970s.”

The Consulate representative said that many Japanese did not stay in the United States or send for their families in the 1950s and 1960s because “there was still some friction after World War II.” He said, “That’s way in the past now. The relationships now are very, very good . . . At the time, there weren’t many problems, but it was rough time period.”

Machida said that the number of Japanese people coming to America varies based on the Japanese economy, and said that fewer Japanese are coming to America currently. He added, “When the economy is better, more businesses will come.”