Plonked in farmland hundreds of miles from Tokyo lies Sony’s factory producing Bravia liquid crystal display television sets. Inside, thousands of workers assemble components that have helped Sony to regain its lead in consumer electronics, propelling its LCD TVs to the world’s top-selling brand.

But on the factory floor, the crisp, staccato tones of Japanese are overwhelmed by the softer strains of another language altogether. Signs posted in the women’s toilet are in Portuguese. Inquiry reveals that half of Sony’s 1,600 factory workers are of Japanese-Brazilian descent.