Summary

Single sheet passport issued to Setsutaro Hasegawa in Japan in 1897.
Setsutaro migrated to Australia from Japan in 1897 at the age of 26, just four years before the introduction of the Immigration Restriction Act which severely limited migration to Australia from countries in Asia. He established a laundry business in Geelong and by 1911 he had married an Australian-born woman and had three children.

In 1941 Setsutaro was arrested as an enemy alien and sent to Tatura internment camp in northern Victoria. Released early in 1943 due to his age and poor health, unlike most Japanese interns he was not deported to Japan after the War. Setsutaro remained in Geelong for the rest of his life and died in 1952.

Physical Description

Single sheet of thick paper with two folds. One side has Japanese characters in black ink and four red stamps with assorted characters - one featuring a dragon border. The other side features two red stamps in Japanese and one line of Japanese characters in black ink. There are also two pink stamps form the Japanese Consulate Melbourne, dated 22/3/97. There are two translations, one in English, the other in French. The passport was contained in a brown silk pouch with fringe at opening and the imprint of figure lying on his stomach looking at a basket.

Significance

The Hasegawa collection enables the exploration of a number of important historical themes relating to migration, working life, and wartime internment in Victoria. Late nineteenth century and early to mid twentieth century Japanese migration and settlement experiences are little represented in the museum's collections and this collection of clothing, documents, personal items and photographs helps to redress.

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