The Japanese and Chinese residential area in Broome, about 1927

In the summer of 1888–89, Broome became the centre of the pearling industry in the colony of Western Australia. The most successful divers were Asians: Malays, Timorese and, especially, Japanese.

Broome has kept many aspects of Japanese culture. And in 1981 Taiji (a town in Wakayama region, where many of the Japanese divers came from) became Broome’s sister city.