With the restrictions on entering the United States, the level of Japanese immigration to Latin America began to increase. Mexico was the first Latin American country to receive Japanese immigrants in 1897, when the first thirty five arrived in Chiapas to work on coffee farms. Immigration into Mexico died down in the following years, but was eventually spurred again in 1903 due to the acceptance of mutually recognized contracts on immigration by both countries. Immigrants coming in the first four years of these contracts worked primarily on sugar plantations, coal mines, and railroads. Unfortunately, Japanese immigrants in Mexico proved to have far less continuity than those in other South American countries, as disease, mining accidents, and discrimination caused many Japanese to pass away or simply leave without seeing their contracts through to completion. Less than 27% of the total number of Japanese who immigrated into Mexico before 1941 remained there 40 years later. Japanese immigrants (particularly from the Okinawa Prefecture, including Okinawans) arrived in small numbers during the early 20th century.