Factors associated with the immigration of the Japanese to the United States, which began in the 1880's, are discussed in this document. The types of occupations Japanese pursued and why and how they were discriminated against in their adopted country are also examined. The historical background behind the relaxation of Japan's emigration policies is reviewed. Limited industrial development in Japan and the labor shortage in Hawaii caused by the decimation of that territory's native population are cited as factors which brought about the initial emigration. Japan's economic and labor history since 1885 is reviewed in this context. Immigration to the U.S. mainland, primarily California, is also described. There is an emphasis on the relationship between U.S. government policies and such phenomena as demographic and occupational distribution, wage earning possibilities, and the social and family lives of the Japanese immigrants. Strained relations between Japan and the U.S., anti-Japanese sentiment among the American public, and the passage of discriminatory legislation passed during the first quarter of this century are described. (Author/GC)