The recent influx of Chinese immigrants to Japan isn¡¯t limited to businessmen. Chinese intellectuals are also increasingly attracted to Tokyo¡¯s cultural depth.

¡°Things look similar to what happened a century ago,¡± said Jia Jia, a Chinese writer now living in Japan, referring to the time when progressive Chinese intellectuals such as Liang Qichao and Lu Xun spent time in Japan absorbing Western ideas. ¡°The difference is that today, the ruling party in China has more extensive interfering capability outside its territory.¡±

With an increasing number of intellectuals moving to Japan, Jia envisions that the Chinese community might build a Chinese school in Japan using materials not from mainland China, or launch its own independent online media, apps and publishers, away from Chinese state propaganda.