Japanese Cemetery

The Japanese Cemetery in Broome, Western Australia, is a historic cemetery located on Port Drive near the town centre. Established in the late 1890s for the Japanese community involved in the pearling industry, it contains over 900 graves of Japanese divers and their families. Notable for rows of headstones facing Japan, it is the largest Japanese cemetery in Australia and reflects Broome's multicultural pearling heritage and the hardships faced by early divers.

Visitors can expect a quiet, open-air cemetery with hundreds of neatly aligned headstones, many with Japanese inscriptions, set on flat, sandy ground with sparse vegetation. The site is divided into rows facing east toward Japan. Interpretive signage explains the pearling history and the lives of those buried. There are no buildings inside; the experience is a short, respectful walk through the grounds with opportunities for photography and quiet reflection.