The growth of the Vietnamese population during the past decade continues a trend that began in the 1970s, when many refugees came to the United States after the Korean War. Many Vietnamese immigrants arrived over the past decade to reunite with family members who came before them. Chinese and Filipinos also saw their numbers increase from a combination of immigration and new births, according to demographers and sociologists. It was a search for better jobs than those offered in their troubled native economies that spurred many to come to the United States. The only Asian group whose numbers fell over the past 10 years were Japanese-Americans.
Demographers attribute the drop to many factors, including low immigration and low birth rates.
Japan's strong economy in the past few decades has slowed the flow of immigration into the United States, said Paul Ong, director of the Lewis Center for Regional Studies at University of California-Los Angeles. The businessman and grandfather of two Japanese-American boys tries to pass along Japanese culture by teaching judo at San Jose State University three times a week. It was inevitable, after several generations in the United States, for the Japanese population to decline, he said. Mercury News Staff Writer Jessie Mangaliman contributed to this report. The Mercury News.