Which U.S. state has the most Japanese speakers?
The first Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii in 1885 (when it was not a part of the U.S. yet) as contract laborers for the sugar cane and pineapple plantations. Today, approximately 12% of Hawaii residents speak Japanese, with an estimated 12.6% of the population of Japanese ancestry in 2008. The Japanese, with their economic and historical ties to Hawaii as well as relative geographical proximity, are also among principal tourists in Hawaii.