Zainichi Korean
Encyclopedia
Terms for Koreans in Japan
Holding Japanese nationality
Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

한국계 일본인
조선계 일본인
Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

韓國系日本人
朝鮮系日本人
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean
The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea proclaimed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replacing the older McCune–Reischauer system...

Hangukgye Ilbonin
Joseongye Ilbonin
McCune-Reischauer
McCune-Reischauer
McCune–Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced McCune–Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000...

Hangukkye Ilbonin
Chosŏngye Ilbonin
Kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

韓国系日本人
朝鮮系日本人
Rōmaji Kankokukei Nihonjin
Chōsenkei Nihonjin
Holding North Korean nationality
Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

재일조선인
Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

在日朝鮮人
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean
The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea proclaimed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replacing the older McCune–Reischauer system...

Jaeil Joseonin
McCune-Reischauer
McCune-Reischauer
McCune–Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced McCune–Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000...

Chae'il Chosŏnin
Kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

在日朝鮮人
Rōmaji Zainichi Chōsenjin
Holding South Korean nationality
Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

재일한국인
Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

在日韓國人
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean
The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea proclaimed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replacing the older McCune–Reischauer system...

Jaeil Hangugin
McCune-Reischauer
McCune-Reischauer
McCune–Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced McCune–Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000...

Chae'il Hankukin
Kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

在日韓国人
Rōmaji Zainichi Kankokujin
Regardless of nationality (in Korea)
Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

재일동포/재일교포
Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

在日同胞/在日僑胞
Revised Romanization
Revised Romanization of Korean
The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea proclaimed by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replacing the older McCune–Reischauer system...

Jaeil Dongpo
Jaeil Gyopo
McCune-Reischauer
McCune-Reischauer
McCune–Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced McCune–Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000...

Chae'il Tongpo
Chae'il Kyopo
Regardless of nationality (in Japan)
Kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

在日コリアン
Rōmaji Zainichi Korian

Koreans in Japan are the ethnic Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n residents of Japan. They currently constitute the second largest ethnic minority group in Japan. The majority of Koreans in Japan are Zainichi Koreans, also often known as Zainichi (在日) for short, who are the permanent ethnic Korean
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...

 residents of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The term "Zainichi Korean" refers only to long term Korean residents of Japan who trace their roots to the period of Japanese colonialism in Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....

, distinguishing them from the later wave of Korean migrants who came mostly in the 1980s.

The Japanese word "Zainichi" itself means "staying in Japan", and implies temporary residence. Nevertheless, the term "Zainichi Korean" is used to describe settled permanent residents of Japan, both those who have retained either their Joseon
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

 (old, undivided Korea) or South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

n nationalities, and even sometimes includes Japanese citizens of Korean descent who acquired Japanese nationality
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....

 by naturalization or by birth from one or both parents who have Japanese citizenship.

Statistics

According to the statistics at Immigration Bureau of Japan, there were 565,989 Koreans in Japan in 2010. This figure does not include those who have adopted Japanese citizenship.

The 2005 figures are as follows:
  • Those with permanent resident status (general and special categories): 515,570
  • Naturalized Japanese citizens: 284,840
  • Long-term visitors: 82,666
  • Korean students in Japan: 18,208
  • Total: 901,284

Origins

Modern Zainichi Koreans can trace their diaspora to the early 20th century under Imperial Japanese rule
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....

. In 1910, as the result of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, all Korean people became subjects of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...

.
Koreans claimed that Japanese land and production confiscation initiatives against Korean farmers during the 1910s caused a wave of forced migrants during the 1920s, while Japanese claim that Japanese colonisation kick-started Korea's defunct feudal economy and that majority of immigration was due to voluntary immigration seeking better economic opportunities. During World War II, a large number of Koreans were also conscripted by Japan, some of them forced to work in slave-like conditions, especially in a number of unsafe coal mines. Another wave of migration started after South Korea was devastated by the Korean War in the 1950s. Also noteworthy was the large number of refugees from the massacres on Jeju Island.

The statistics regarding Zainich's immigration is scarce. However, in 1988, Mindan
Mindan
Mindan , or the Korean Residents Union in Japan, is the name of one of two main organizations for Koreans living in Japan, the other being Chongryon. Mindan has ties to South Korea and was established in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan...

 youth group called Zainihon Daikan Minkoku Seinendan (재일본대한민국청년회, 在日本大韓民国青年会) published a report titled "Father, tell us about that day. Report to reclaim our history" (アボジ聞かせて あの日のことを—我々の歴史を取り戻す運動報告書) The report included a survey of first generation Korean's reasons for immigration. The result was 13.3% for conscription, 39.6% for economics, 17.3% for marriage and family, 9.5% for study/academic, 20.2% for other reasons and 0.2% for unknown. The survey excluded those who were under 12 when they arrived in Japan.

During World War II

In 1939, labor shortages due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 led to organised official recruitment of Koreans to work in mainland Japan, initially through civilian agents, and later directly, often involving elements of coercion or deception. In 1944, the Japanese authorities extended the mobilization of Japanese civilians for labor to the Korean peninsula. Of the 5,400,000 Koreans conscripted, about 670,000 were taken to mainland Japan (including Karafuto Prefecture
Karafuto Prefecture
, commonly called South Sakhalin, was the Japanese administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin from 1905 to 1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of Sakhalin south of 50°N became a colony of Japan in 1905...

 (present-day Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...

, now part of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

) for civilian labor. Those who were brought to Japan were forced to work in factories, in mines and as laborers, often under appalling conditions. About 60,000 died between 1939 and 1945 from harsh treatment, inhumane working conditions and allied bombings. Most of the wartime laborers went home after the war, but some remained in Japan, while 43,000 of those in Karafuto, which had been occupied by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 just prior to Japan's surrender, were refused repatriation to either mainland Japan or the Korean peninsula, and were thus trapped in Sakhalin, stateless; they became the ancestors of the Sakhalin Koreans.

Loss of Japanese nationality

Immediately following the end of World War II, there were roughly 2.4 million Koreans in Japan; the majority repatriated to their ancestral homes in the southern half of the Korean peninsula, leaving only 650,000 in Japan by 1946.

Japan's defeat in the war and its loss of sovereignty over the Korean peninsula and Taiwan left the nationality status of Koreans and Taiwanese in an ambiguous position in terms of law. The Alien Registration Ordinance (外国人登録令, Gaikokujin-tōroku-rei) of 2 May 1947, ruled that Koreans and some Taiwanese were to be provisionally treated as foreign nationals. Given the lack of a functional nation on the Korean peninsula, Koreans were provisionally registered under the name of Joseon
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

(Korean: 조선, Japanese: Chōsen, 朝鮮), the old name of undivided Korea.

In 1948, the northern and southern parts of Korea declared independence individually, making Joseon, or the old undivided Korea, a defunct nation. The new government of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) made a request to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...

, then the occupying power of Japan, to change the nationality registration of Zainichi Koreans to Daehan Minguk (대한민국, 大韓民國; Japanese: Daikan Minkoku, 大韓民国), the official name of the new nation. Following this, from 1950 onwards, Zainichi Koreans were allowed to voluntarily re-register their nationality as such.

The Allied occupation of Japan ended on 28 April 1952 with the San Francisco Peace Treaty, in which Japan formally abandoned its territorial claim to the Korean peninsula, and as a result, Zainichi Koreans formally lost their Japanese nationality.

The division on the Korean peninsula led to division among Koreans in Japan. Mindan
Mindan
Mindan , or the Korean Residents Union in Japan, is the name of one of two main organizations for Koreans living in Japan, the other being Chongryon. Mindan has ties to South Korea and was established in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan...

, or the Korean Residents Union in Japan, was set up in 1946 as a pro-South offshoot of Chōren (League of Koreans in Japan), the main Korean residents' organisation, which had a socialist ideology. Following the May Day riots of 1952, the pro-North organisation was made illegal, but it re-formed under various guises and went on to form the "General Association of Korean Residents in Japan", or Chongryon
Chongryon
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan , abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chae Ilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe in Korean or Zai-Nihon Chōsenjin Sōrengōkai in Japanese), abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents...

, in 1955. This organisation kept to its socialist, and by extension pro-North stance, and enjoyed the active financial support and advisement of the North Korean government.

In 1965 Japan concluded a Treaty on Basic Relations with South Korea
Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea
The Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea was signed on June 22, 1965 to establish basic relationship between Japan and the Republic of Korea .-History:...

 and recognized the South Korean government as the only legitimate government of Korea.

Division between Chongryon and Mindan

Out of the two Korean organizations in Japan, the pro-North Chongryon has been the more militant in terms of retaining Koreans' ethnic identity. Its policies included:
  • Operation of about 60 ethnic Korean schools across Japan, initially partly funded by the North Korean government, in which lessons were conducted in Korean. They maintain a strong pro-North Korean ideology, which has sometimes come under criticism from pupils, parents, and the public alike.
  • Discouraging its members from taking up Japanese citizenship.
  • Discouraging its members from marrying Japanese.
  • Chongryon-operated businesses and banks to provide the necessary jobs, services, and social networks for Zainichi Koreans outside mainstream society.
  • Opposition to Zainichi Koreans' right to vote or participation in Japanese elections, which they saw as an unacceptable attempt at assimilation into Japanese society.
  • A home-coming movement to North Korea in the late 1950s, which it hailed as a socialist "Paradise on Earth". Some 90,000 Zainichi Koreans and their Japanese spouses moved to the North before the migration eventually died down as the conditions which awaited them became increasingly clear.


Pro-North Zainichi who maintained their Joseon nationalities have been called "North Koreans in Japan" in English by writers such as Sonia Ryang. While this term is technically correct, it is somewhat misleading. Zainichi Chōsenjin, as they are called, in the vast majority of cases settled in Japan before the modern state of North Korea was instituted, and in most cases originate from the south of the Korean Peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...

. Their status as "North Koreans" is based almost entirely on their historical ideological loyalties.

Well into at least the 1970s, Chongryon was the dominant Zainichi group, and in some ways remains more politically significant today in Japan. However, the widening disparity between the political and economic conditions of the two Koreas has since made Mindan
Mindan
Mindan , or the Korean Residents Union in Japan, is the name of one of two main organizations for Koreans living in Japan, the other being Chongryon. Mindan has ties to South Korea and was established in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan...

, the pro-South Korean group, the larger and certainly the less politically controversial faction. 65% of Zainichi are now said to be affiliated to Mindan. The number of pupils receiving ethnic education from Chongryon-affiliated schools has declined sharply, with many, if not most, Zainichi now opting to send their children to mainstream Japanese schools. Some Chongryon schools have been closed for lack of funding, and there is serious doubt as to the continuing viability of the system as a whole. (Mindan has also traditionally operated a school system for the children of its members, although it has been always been less widespread and organized compared to its Chongryon counterpart, and is said to be nearly defunct at the present time.)

Chōsen-seki

There are Zainichi Koreans who don't affiliate with the Chongryon nor Mindan. They instead have an alternative Chōsen-seki
Chōsen-seki
is an alternative nationality among ethnic Koreans in Japan who has neither ties to Chongryon nor Mindan. It is a convention made by the Japanese government to register the specified residences who live in Japan...

 (朝鮮籍) political identity.

Newcomers

Since the 1990s, there is a new group of Koreans from South Korea who reside in Japan. Their affiliated residence association is called the Association of South Korean Residents in Japan (재일본한국인연합회, 在日本韓國人聯合會).

Repatriation to Korea

Repatriation of Zainichi Koreans from Japan conducted under the auspices of the Japanese Red Cross
Japanese Red Cross
The ' is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross.The Imperial Family of Japan traditionally has supported the society, with Empress as Honorary President and other royal family members as vice-presidents. Its headquarters is located in Tokyo and local chapters are set up in all 47...

 began to receive official support from the Japanese government as early as 1956; a North Korean-sponsored repatriation programme with support of the Chōsen Sōren
Chongryon
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan , abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chae Ilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe in Korean or Zai-Nihon Chōsenjin Sōrengōkai in Japanese), abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents...

 (The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan) officially began in 1959. In April 1959, Terao Gorō (寺尾 五郎), a political activist of the Japanese Communist Party
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...

, published a book "The 38th parallel north" (38度線の北), in which he idolized North Korea for its rapid development and humanitarianism
Humanitarianism
In its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution...

; numbers of returnees skyrocketed. The Japanese government was in favour of repatriation not only as a way to reduce the number of welfare or other public assistance recipients in a time of economic difficulty, but also as a way to rid the country of ethnic minority residents regarded as "Communist", "violent", "ignorant", or "subversive." Though the United States government was initially unaware of Tokyo's cooperation with the repatriation programme, they offered no objection after they were informed of it; the US ambassador to Japan was quoted by his Australian counterpart as describing the Koreans in Japan as "a poor lot including many Communists and many criminals".

Despite the fact that 97% of the Zainichi Koreans originated from the southern half of the Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...

, the North was initially a far more popular destination for repatriation than the South; however, as word came back of difficult conditions faced in the North, and with the 1965 normalization of Japan-South Korea relations
Japan-Korea relations
Korea-Japan relations are the relations between Korea and Japan. In a modern context, these relations pertain to three states: Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. Japan and Korea have had cultural interactions for over a thousand years and direct political contact almost as long...

, the popularity of repatriation to the North dropped sharply, though the trickle of returnees to the reclusive communist state continued as late as 1984. In total, 93,340 people migrated from Japan to North Korea under the repatriation programme; an estimated 6,000 were actually Japanese migrating with Korean spouses
Japanese people in North Korea
Japanese people in North Korea consist mainly of four groups: prisoners-of-war in the Soviet Union, Japanese accompanying repatriating Zainichi Korean spouses, defectors, and kidnapping victims...

. Around one hundred such repatriates are believed to have later escaped from North Korea
North Korean defectors
A number of individuals have defected from North Korea. Since the division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War , many people have defected from North Korea, mainly for political, ideological, religious and economic reasons...

; the most famous is Kang Chol-Hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan
Kang Chol-Hwan is a defector from North Korea. As a child he was imprisoned in the Yodok concentration camp for 10 years; after his release he fled the country, first to China and eventually to South Korea...

, who published a book about his experience, The Aquariums of Pyongyang
The Aquariums of Pyongyang
The Aquariums of Pyongyang, by Kang Chol-Hwan and Pierre Rigoulot, is an account of the imprisonment of Kang Chol-Hwan and his family in the Yodok concentration camp in North Korea....

. Though repatriates in general faced social discrimination and political repression, with as many as 10,000 being imprisoned in concentration camps, some rose to positions of power in the North Korean government; one returnee who later defected back to Japan, known only by his Japanese pseudonym Kenki Aoyama, worked for North Korean intelligence as a spy in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

. The repatriations have been the subject of numerous creative works in Japan, due to the influence they had on the Zainichi Korean community; one documentary film about a family in which the sons repatriated while the parents and daughter remained in Japan, Dear Pyongyang
Dear Pyongyang
Dear Pyongyang is a documentary film by Zainichi Korean director Yang Young-Hee about her own family. Shot in Osaka Japan and Pyongyang, North Korea, the film features Korean dialogue with Japanese subtitles. The US release has Japanese and Korean dialogue with English subtitles...

, won a special jury prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...

.

Some Zainichi Koreans have also gone to South Korea to study or to settle; for example, author Lee Yangji studied at Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...

 in the early 1980s.

Integration into Japanese society

Zainichi today have established a stable presence in Japan after years of activism. Through Mintohren
Mintohren
Mintohren, also Mintōren, is a grass-roots movement created by young Zainichi Koreans to combat ethnic discrimination by encouraging a multicultural and positive approach to integration of Koreans into Japanese society...

, community support by Zainichi organizations (Mindan, Chongryon, among others), other minority groups (Ainu
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...

, Burakumin
Burakumin
are a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and Japanese residents of Korean and Chinese descent....

, Ryūkyūans
Ryukyuans
The are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyūshū and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture...

, Uilta, Nivkhs and others), and sympathetic Japanese, they have improved the social atmosphere for Zainichi in Japan. There are also Koreans living in Japan who try to present themselves as Japanese to prevent discrimination. Most younger Zainichi now speak only Japanese, go to Japanese schools, work for Japanese firms and increasingly now marry Japanese. Most naturalization
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....

 occurs among the young during the period when they seek formal employment or marriage. Those who have already established their life often choose to retain their South Korean or Joseon nationality as part of their heritage.

Assimilation

One of the most pressing issue of Zainichi Community is the rate of assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...

 of Zainichi into Japanese. About 9,000 to 11,000 Koreans naturalize in Japan every year out of slightly less than 600,000.
One crucial aspect of naturalisation for Zainichi Korean is that both Mindan and Chongryon link Korean ethnic identity to Korean nationality (Japanese and South Korean nationality laws do not allow multiple citizenship for adults). By their definition, opting for a Japanese passport means becoming a Japanese, rather than a Korean Japanese. Though there are a few cases of celebrities who naturalize with their Korean name, the majority of them formally adopt their (Japanese) pass name. This means that the rate of naturalisation can be taken as a rough measure of assimilation.

Tong-il Ilbo (통일일보) or Tōitsu Nippō (統一日報), a Korean Japanese newspaper, reported that according to statistics from the Japanese Health and Labour ministry, there were 8376 marriages between Japanese and Koreans. Compared to 1971 marriages in 1965, when the statistics begin, the number has roughly quadrupled and it now constitutes about 1% of the 730,971 total marriages in Japan. The highest number of marriages between Japanese men and Korean women was 8,940, in 1990. Since 1991, it has fluctuated around 6000. On the other hand, marriages between Korean men and Japanese woman were 2335 in 2006. It has been stable since the number reached 2000, in 1984.

In 1975, Hidenori Sakanaka (坂中 英徳), a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Justice, published a highly controversial document known as the "Sakanaka Paper". He stated that the assertion by both Mindan and Chongryon that Zainichi are destined to eventually return to Korea is no longer realistic. He further predicted that Zainichi would naturally disappear in the 21st century unless they abandon their link between Korean identity and Korean nationality. He argued that the Japanese government should stop treating Zainichi as temporary residents (with a special status) and start providing a proper legal framework for their permanent settlement as "Korean Japanese".

In December 1995, "Gendai Korea" (Modern Korea) published "20 years after the Sakanaka Paper" to assess further development. Sakanaka pointed out that in the 1980s, 50% of Zainichi Koreans married Japanese and in 90s, the rate was 80%. (In fact, he quoted only 15%-18% Korean marriage during 1990 to 1994.) He also pointed out the change in the law in 1985, which granted Japanese citizenship to a child with either parent being Japanese. (Previous laws granted citizenship only to a child with a Japanese father.) In practice, this would mean that less than 20% of Zainichi marriages would result in Zainichi status. As naturalisation is concentrated among the younger generation, the Zainichi population is expected to collapse once the older generation starts to die out in two decades.

The latest figure from Mindan shows that the total population of Zainichi is 598,219 in 2006 and 593,489 in 2007; only 8.9% married another Zainichi in 2006. There were 1,792 births and 4,588 deaths resulting in a 2796 natural decrease. On top of that, there were 8531 naturalisations, which resulted in a total decrease of 11,327 in 2006 (1.89%). http://www.mindan.org//toukei.php

Registration of residents

Japan used to take fingerprints as part of the registration process for foreign residents, a subject of much controversy, especially among resident Koreans. After many years of campaigning, the requirement was abolished in 1992 for those with "Special Permanent Residents" status: zainichi Koreans. In 1999, the Alien Registration Law was further amended to eliminate fingerprinting of foreign residents in general. Mindan expressed disappointment, as it did not eliminate the requirement that foreign residents carry their registration cards at all times, and Koreans protested in Tokyo alongside Thais, Filipinos and Brazilians dressed in traditional attire of their homelands.

Right to vote and government employment

Long-term ethnic Korean residents of Japan who have not taken up Japanese nationality currently have the legal status of Tokubetsu Eijusha ("Special Permanent Residents") and are granted special rights and privileges compared to other foreigners, especially in matters such as re-entry and deportation statutes. These privileges were originally given to residents with South Korean nationality in 1965, and were extended in 1991 to cover those who have retained their Joseon nationality.

Over the decades, Zainichi Koreans have been campaigning to regain their Japanese citizenship rights without having to adopt Japanese nationality. The right to claim social welfare benefits was granted in 1954, followed by access to the national health insurance scheme (1960s) and state pensions (1980s). There is some doubt over the legality of some of these policies as the Public Assistance Law, which governs social welfare payments, is seen to apply to "Japanese nationals."

There have also been campaigns to allow Zainichi Koreans to take up government employment and participate in elections, which are open to Japanese nationals only. Since 1992, Mindan
Mindan
Mindan , or the Korean Residents Union in Japan, is the name of one of two main organizations for Koreans living in Japan, the other being Chongryon. Mindan has ties to South Korea and was established in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan...

 has been campaigning for the right to vote in elections for prefectural and municipal assemblies, mayors and prefecture governors, backed by the South Korean government. In 1997, Kawasaki
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....

 became the first municipality to hire a Korean national. So far, three prefectures - Osaka
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...

, Nara
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....

 and Kanagawa
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

 - have supported voting rights for permanent foreign residents.

However, the Japanese Diet has not yet passed a resolution regarding this matter despite several attempts by a section within Liberal Democratic Party of Japan to do so, and there is considerable public and political opposition against granting voting rights to those who have not yet adopted Japanese nationality. Instead, the requirements for naturalization has been steadily lowered for Zainichi to the point that only criminal records or affiliation to North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

 would be a hindrance for naturalisation. Both Zainichi organisations oppose this countermove, as both organisations see naturalisation as de facto assimilation. Chongryon
Chongryon
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan , abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chae Ilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe in Korean or Zai-Nihon Chōsenjin Sōrengōkai in Japanese), abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents...

, furthermore, opposes moves to allow zainichi Koreans to participate in Japanese politics, on the basis that it assimilates Koreans into Japanese society and thus weakens the Korean ethnic identity.

Korean schools

The pro-Pyongyang Chongryon operates 218 Korean schools (Korean: 조선학교/우리학교, Hanja: 朝鮮學校, Japanese: 朝鮮学校) across Japan, including kindergartens and one university. All lessons, and all conversations within the school are conducted in Korean. They teach a strong pro-North Korean ideology and allegiance to Kim Il-Sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...

 and Kim Jong-Il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...

. (Mindan also operates a few schools but are said to be nearly defunct.) They are not classified as regular schools under Japanese law as they do not follow the national curriculum, but rather as "miscellaneous schools" alongside driving schools. This has led to many discrepancies with regular Japanese schools which Chongryon calls discriminatory.

One of the issues is funding. The schools were originally set up and run with support from the North Korean government but this money has now dried up, and with dropping pupil numbers, many schools are facing financial difficulties. The Japanese government has refused Chongryon's requests that it fund ethnic schools in line with regular Japanese schools, citing Article 89 of the Japanese Constitution, where use of public funds for education by non-public bodies is prohibited. In reality the schools are in fact partly funded by local authorities, but subsidies takes place in the form of special benefits paid to the families of pupils, as opposed to paying the schools directly, in order to avoid a blatant breach of Article 89. It is also much less than regular Japanese schools.

Another issue is an examination called the High School Equivalency Test, or daiken, which qualifies those who have not graduated from a regular high school to apply for a place in a state university and take an entrance exam. Until recently, only those who have completed compulsory education (i.e. up to junior high school) were entitled to take daiken; this meant pupils of ethnic schools had to do extra courses before being allowed to take the exam. In 1999 the requirement was amended so that anyone over a certain age is qualified. Campaigners were not satisfied because this still meant graduates of non-Japanese high schools had to take daiken. In 2003, the Education Ministry removed the requirement to take the Equivalency Test from graduates of Chinese schools, Mindan-run Korean schools and international schools affiliated with Western nations and accredited by U.S. and British organizations. However, this did not apply to graduates of pro-Pyongyang Korean schools, saying it could not approve their curricula. The decision was left up to individual universities, 70% of which allowed Korean school graduates to apply directly.

Pass name

Registered aliens in Japan are allowed to adopt a , often abbreviated to , lit. "pass name", as their second legal name. Traditionally, Zainichi Koreans have used Japanese-style pass names in public, but some Zainichi Koreans, including celebrities and professional athletes, use their original Korean names. Well-known ethnic Koreans who use Japanese names include Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...

 star Tomoaki Kanemoto
Tomoaki Kanemoto
is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder with the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball.The Tigers' current cleanup hitter, Kanemoto is regarded as one of the most accomplished hitters in Japanese professional baseball history and has hit more home runs in his career than any other...

, pro wrestlers Riki Chōshū
Riki Choshu
Mitsuo Yoshida , better known by his stage name Riki Chōshū , is a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a wrestler and a booker...

 and Akira Maeda
Akira Maeda
is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, also known as Kwik-kik-Lee for his time on the British Wrestling show World of Sport. He helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s....

, and controversial judoka and mixed martial artist Yoshihiro Akiyama
Yoshihiro Akiyama
, born Choo Sung-hoon , is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. He is a fourth-generation Japanese of Korean descent and acquired Japanese nationality in 2001....

.

During the Japan-Korea 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

, a Mindan
Mindan
Mindan , or the Korean Residents Union in Japan, is the name of one of two main organizations for Koreans living in Japan, the other being Chongryon. Mindan has ties to South Korea and was established in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan...

 newspaper conducted a survey regarding the use of a pass name. Fifty percent stated that they always only use a pass name while thirteen percent stated they use their original name. Thirty-three percent stated that they use both depending on the situation.

Controversies over Chongryon

For a long time, Chongryon enjoyed unofficial immunity from searches and investigations, partly because authorities were reluctant to carry out any actions which may provoke not only accusations of racism but lead to an international incident. Chongryon has long been suspected of a variety of criminal acts on behalf of North Korea, such as illegal transfer of funds to North Korea and espionage, but no action was taken. However, recent escalating tensions between and Japan and North Korea over a number of issues, namely
North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

's abduction of Japanese nationals
North Korean abductions of Japanese
The abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...

 which came to light in 2002 as well as its nuclear weapons program
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
North Korea has declared that it has nuclear weapons and is believed by many to have nuclear weapons. The CIA assesses that North Korea also has a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons...

, has led to a resurgence of public animosity against Chongryon. Chongryon schools have alleged numerous cases of verbal abuse and physical violence directed against their students and buildings, and Chongryon facilities have been targets of protests and occasional incidents. The Japanese authorities have recently started to crack down on Chongryon, with investigations and arrests for charges ranging from tax evasion to espionage. These moves are usually criticized by Chongryon as acts of political suppression.

In December 2001, police raided Chongryon's Tokyo headquarters and related facilities to investigate Chongryon officials' suspected role in embezzlement of funds from the failed Tokyo Chogin credit union.

In 2002, Shotaro Tochigi, deputy head of the Public Security Investigation Agency told a session of the House of Representatives Financial Affairs Committee that the agency is investigating Chongryon for suspected illicit transfers of funds to the North. The image of Chongryon was further tarnished by North Korea's surprise 2002 admission that it had indeed abducted Japanese nationals in the 1970s, as it had been categorically and fiercely denying for many years that the abductions had ever taken place and dismissing rumors of North Korean involvement as an allegedly “racist fantasy.” Some of the recent drop in membership of Chongryon is thought to be attributed to ordinary members of Chongryon who had believed the party line feeling deeply humiliated and disillusioned upon discovering that they had been used as mouthpieces to deny the crimes of the North Korean government.

In March 2006, police raided six Chongryon-related facilities in an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the June 1980 disappearance of one of the alleged abductees, Tadaaki Hara. Police spokesman said that the head of Chongryon at the time is suspected of co-operating in his kidnapping.

The operation of the Mangyongbong-92
Mangyongbong-92
The Mangyongbong-92, named after a hill near Pyongyang, is a passenger ferry built in 1992 to celebrate the North Korean leader, Kim Il Sung's 80th birthday. The ferry was built with funds from Chongryon, the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.The ferry makes 20 to 30...

 (currently suspended), a North Korean ferry that is the only regular direct link between North Korea and Japan, is a subject of significant tension, as the ferry is primarily used by Chongryon to send its members to North Korea and to supply North Korea with money and goods donated by the organization and its members. Although the humanitarian aspect of such contributions cannot be denied, particularly given that older Chongryon members have immediate family in North Korea, Chongryon members also continue to send lavish gifts, such as cash, expensive western liquor, and Japanese beef, to Kim Jong Il and other high-ranking North Korean officials.. In 2003, a North Korean defector made a statement to the US Senate committee stating that more than 90% of the parts used by North Korea to construct its missiles were brought from Japan aboard the ship.

In May 2006, Chongryon and the pro-South Mindan agreed to reconcile, only for the agreement to break down the following month due to Mindan's distrust of Chongryon. North Korea's missile tests
North Korean missile test, 2006
Two rounds of North Korean missile tests were conducted on July 5, 2006. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea reportedly fired at least seven separate missiles...

 in July 2006 have deepened the divide, with Chongryon refusing to condemn the missile tests, expressing only its regret that the Japanese government has suspended the operation of the Mangyongbong-92. Outraged senior Mindan officials joined mainstream Japanese politicians and media in sharply criticizing Chongryon's silence over the matter.

Business and economics

  • Han Chang-Woo, CEO of Maruhan (Japan's largest pachinko
    Pachinko
    is a type of game originating in Japan, and used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a niche in gambling in Japan comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but...

     operator)
  • Masayoshi Son
    Masayoshi Son
    Masayoshi Son , born a Zainichi Korean and now a naturalized Japanese citizen, is a businessman and the founder and current chief executive officer of SoftBank Capital, and the chief executive officer of SoftBank Mobile...

    , CEO of Softbank
    SoftBank
    is a Japanese telecommunications and internet corporation, with operations in broadband, fixed-line telecommunications, e-Commerce, Internet, broadmedia, technology services, finance, media and marketing, and other businesses....

  • Shin Kyuk-ho
    Shin Kyuk-Ho
    Shin Kyuk-Ho is the founder of Lotte group. He was born in Ulsan, South Korea, 1922 and founded Lotte in 1948, which grew from selling chewing gum to children in post-war Japan to becoming a major multinational corporation with overseas branches in dozens of countries and products shipped...

    , CEO and founder of Lotte
    Lotte (conglomerate)
    Lotte Co., Ltd. is a South Korean-Japanese Jaebeol and one of the largest food and shopping groups in South Korea and Japan. Lotte was established in June 1948, in Tokyo, by Japanese-educated, Korean businessman Shin Kyuk-Ho – also known as...


Crime

  • Hayashi Yasuo, terrorist in 1995 sarin gas attack
    Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
    The Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japanese media as the , was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995....

     by Aum Shinrikyo
    Aum Shinrikyo
    Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese new religious movement. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway....

  • Jo Hiroyuki
    Hiroyuki Jo
    is a Zainichi Korean member of , an uyoku organization, and the Mie Prefecture-based Hane-gumi branch of Yamaguchi-gumi, a yakuza organization. Jo assassinated Hideo Murai, a member of Aum Shinrikyo, on April 23, 1995....

    , uyoku assassin
  • Machii Hisayuki
    Hisayuki Machii
    , nicknamed the , was the founder of one of Japan's most notorious yakuza gangs, the Tosei-Kai.A Korean, Machii was born Jeong Geon Yeong in 1923 when Korea was under Japanese occupation. After World War II, Machii settled in Tokyo and became involved in postwar Japan's thriving black market...

    , godfather and founder of Toa-kai yakuza syndicate
  • Mun Segwang
    Mun Segwang
    Mun Se-gwang was a Japanese-born North Korean sympathizer who attempted to assassinate South Korean president Park Chung-Hee on August 15, 1974...

    , failed assassin of Park Chung-hee
    Park Chung-hee
    Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...

  • Obara Joji
    Joji Obara
    is a convicted rapist who was accused of the rape and subsequent deaths of two women, British hostess Lucie Blackman in the summer of 2000 and Australian Carita Ridgway in 1992, and the rapes of six other women.-Background:...

    , serial rapist and murderer
  • Kwon Hyi-ro, murderer who brought public attention to discrimination against the Zainichi
  • Sin Gwang-su
    Sin Gwang-su (spy)
    Sin Gwang-su is a Zainichi Korean North Korean, was born in Shizuoka, Japan, He was involved in the North Korean abductions of Japanese....

    , North Korean spy, involved in North Korean abductions of Japanese
    North Korean abductions of Japanese
    The abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...

  • Takayama Tokutaro
    Tokutaro Takayama
    was a yakuza, the president of the Fourth Aizukotetsu-kai. An ethnic Korean, he rose to power as the head of the Kyoto-based gang until his retirement in the 1990s....

    , godfather of Aizukotetsu-kai
    Aizukotetsu-kai
    The , based in Kyoto, is Japan's fourth-largest yakuza organization. Its name comes from the Aizu region, "Kotetsu", a type of Japanese sword, and the suffix "-kai", or society....

     yakuza syndicate

Entertainment

  • Hirofumi Arai
    Hirofumi Arai
    Hirofumi Arai is a third-generation Zainichi South Korean actor.-Career:Arai made his screen debut in Isao Yuiksada's GO in 2001...

    , actor
  • Ayumi Lee, as also known as ICONIQ, singer
  • Tsuyoshi Ihara
    Tsuyoshi Ihara
    is a Japanese actor of Korean descent, born on November 6, 1963 in Kitakyūshū, and who grew up in Ikuno-ku, Osaka. He is a graduate of Imamiya Senior High School, situated in Naniwa-ku, Osaka. Ihara is represented by the K Dash agency.-Biography:...

    , actor (Letters from Iwo Jima
    Letters from Iwo Jima
    is a 2006 war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the...

    )
  • Jyongri
    Jyongri
    Jyongri is a Japanese pop singer of Korean ancestry currently signed with EMI Music Japan.- Background and early life :...

    , singer
  • Tomoyasu Hotei
    Tomoyasu Hotei
    is a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Hotei at number 70 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts.- Life and career :...

    , guitarist
  • Yuna Ito
    Yuna Ito
    is an American pop singer-songwriter and actress who is active in Japan.She was born in Los Angeles and was raised in Hawaii. Ito made her musical debut in Japan with the single, "Endless Story", which was used as one of the theme songs for the popular 2005 film Nana; she also starred in the film,...

    , singer
  • Crystal Kay
    Crystal Kay
    Crystal Kay Williams , known by her stage name Crystal Kay, is a singer and songwriter from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan...

    , singer
  • Hong-Jae Kim
    Hong-Jae Kim
    Kim Hong-Jae is a Zainichi Korean conductor.-Early life:The first experience of music at his early age was an upright piano at his mother's maiden home. In 1967, he entered Amagasaki Korean Middle School and studied clarinet in school band. He also studied improved Korean folk instruments sent...

    , conductor
  • Kim Seikyo, conductor
  • Kim Su-gil, film director and producer
  • Sang-il Lee
    Sang-il Lee
    Lee Sang-il is a Zainichi Korean film director and screenwriter. His first film Chong was a short film about the lives of third generation Koreans living in Japan....

    , Japan Academy Prize-winning film director
  • Yusaku Matsuda
    Yusaku Matsuda
    was a Japanese actor. Yusaku was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi to a Zainichi Korean mother. His father is not known. His date was wrongly recorded as 1950 on his birth records due to a parental error in filing a report.-Career:...

    , actor
  • Kaho Minami
    Kaho Minami
    Kaho Minami is a Japanese actress of Korean descent active in film, television and commercials. She has been married to actor Ken Watanabe since December 3, 2005...

    , actress
  • Harumi Miyako
    Harumi Miyako
    is a Japanese singer of enka.Born Harumi Kitamura in Kyoto, she made her debut in 1964. Her popularity has lasted: She makes frequent appearances in the annual television spectacular Kōhaku Uta Gassen and has acted in a number of films....

    , singer
  • Miyavi
    Miyavi
    , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese visual kei musician. His work as guitarist for Dué le Quartz and his successful solo career have established him as an accomplished musician in the Japanese music scene.- Early life :...

    , musician
  • Romi Park, voice actor
  • Sohee Park
    Sohee Park
    Sohee Park is a stage, film, and television actor. He is Zainichi Korean active in the Japanese and American market.-Biography:...

    , actor
  • Yoichi Sai, Japan Academy Prize-winning film director
  • Sonim
    Sonim (singer)
    is a Zainichi Korean J-pop singer.-Career and biography:She was a former member of the Tsunku-produced duo EE Jump along with Yuki Goto . Yuki was caught underage in a bar, which got him suspended from EE Jump...

    , singer
  • Towa Tei
    Towa Tei
    is a DJ, artist and record producer in Yokahoma, Japan.Tōwa debuted as a member of Deee-Lite, from the U.S. label Elektra Records in 1990, and shot to fame via their international hit single, "Groove Is In the Heart"...

    , DJ
  • Verbal
    Verbal (rapper)
    Verbal is a Japanese third generation Zainichi Korean hip-hop MC, who debuted in 1998 as a member of the J-Pop hip-hop duo m-flo....

    , rapper of M-Flo
  • Akiko Wada
    Akiko Wada
    is a female Japanese singer and television performer of Korean ancestry, originally hailing from , Ikuno-ku, Osaka. Born Kim Bok-Ja , like many Zainichi Koreans, she also had a name for everyday use, which was Japanicized . On her selection of Japanese citizenship, her name became , which upon...

    , singer,
  • Tetsuji Tamayama
    Tetsuji Tamayama
    is a Japanese TV and film actor. He was born to a Korean father. He joined modeling competitions and was active in Checkmate and other fashion magazines. In 2001, Tamayama debuted in Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger as GaoSilver...

    , actor
  • Shion
    Shion (singer)
    , better known as Shion , is a Korean Japanese R&B singer, who has been active since mid 2000s. Originally from the underground club scene, she has achieved widespread success in the mainstream J-pop scene since 2008.-Early life:...

    , singer

Literature and poetry

  • Kaneshiro Kazuki
    Kazuki Kaneshiro
    is a Zainichi Korean novelist who was born in Kawaguchi, Saitama.Later in his life he acquired Japanese citizenship. Due to early influence from his Marxist-Leninist father, he studied at the Chongryon-affiliated elementary school and middle school. Afterwards his father switched his affiliation...

    , novelist
  • Lee Hoesung
    Lee Hoesung
    Lee Hoesung is a Zainichi Korean novelist in Japan. In 1972, he became the first ethnic Korean to win the Akutagawa Prize. Other representative works of his include Mihatenu Yume and Hyakunenno tabibitotachi .-Biography:Lee was born in 1935 to Korean immigrant parents in Maoka, Karafuto Prefecture...

    , Akutagawa Prize
    Akutagawa Prize
    The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...

    -winning novelist
  • Lee Yangji
    Yangji Lee
    Yangji Lee was a second-generation Zainichi Korean Japanese novelist born in Nishikatsura, Yamanashi, Japan...

    , Akutagawa Prize
    Akutagawa Prize
    The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...

    -winning novelist
  • Tachihara Masaaki
    Tachihara Masaaki
    was the pen-name of a Japanese novelist of Korean descent, active during the Shōwa period.-Early life:Tachihara was born in Andong city, Gyeongsangbuk-do province, Korea to Korean parents, during the period when Korea was under Japanese occupation...

    , novelist
  • Yang Sok-il
    Yang Sok-il
    Yang Sok-il is a writer in Japanese of Korean nationality.Yang first supported himself via various odd jobs, an experience that led to books based on the experience of taxi driving published in the 1980s and filmed as All Under the Moon...

    , novelist
  • Yu Miri
    Miri Yu
    Miri Yu is a Zainichi Korean playwright, novelist, and essayist. Yu writes in Japanese, her native language, but is a citizen of South Korea.Yu was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, to Korean parents...

    , Akutagawa Prize
    Akutagawa Prize
    The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...

    -winning novelist

Politics and law

  • Arai Shoukei, politician, House of Representatives
    House of Representatives of Japan
    The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...

  • Haku Shinkun
    Shinkun Haku
    is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Shinjuku, Tokyo and graduate of Nihon University, he was elected for the first time in 2004....

    , politician, House of Councillors
    House of Councillors
    The is the upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives...

  • Kang Sang-jung
    Kang Sang-jung
    Kang Sang-jung is a second-generation Zainichi Korean political scientist and a professor at the University of Tokyo....

    , political scientist, professor at the University of Tokyo
    University of Tokyo
    , abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...

  • Kim Ch'on-hae, leading official of the Japanese Communist Party
    Japanese Communist Party
    The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...

  • So Man-sul
    So Man-sul
    So Man-sul is the current chairman of the Central Standing Committee of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, Chongryon, as well as a member of Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea .In May 2006, he met his counterpart of the pro-Seoul...

    , North Korean politician, Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, chairman of Chongryon
    Chongryon
    The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan , abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chae Ilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe in Korean or Zai-Nihon Chōsenjin Sōrengōkai in Japanese), abbreviated to Chongryon The General Association of Korean Residents...

  • Togo Shigenori, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Greater East Asia

Science and technology

  • Woo Jang-choon
    Woo Jang-choon
    Woo Jang-choon was a Korean-Japanese agricultural scientist and botanist famous for breeding plants. He preferred U and published his paper with this family name....

    , agricultural scientist and botanist
  • Kim Chung Un, developer of tamiflu

Sports

  • Akiyama Yoshihiro
    Yoshihiro Akiyama
    , born Choo Sung-hoon , is a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. He is a fourth-generation Japanese of Korean descent and acquired Japanese nationality in 2001....

    , judoka and mixed martial artist
  • Ahn Young-Hak, North Korean football player
  • Arai Takahiro
    Takahiro Arai
    Takahiro Arai is a Japanese professional baseball player of Korean descent for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.-External links:...

    , professional baseball player
  • Morimoto Hichori
    Hichori Morimoto
    Hichori Morimoto is a Japanese professional baseballer of Korean descent for the Yokohama BayStars. He was the number 4 draft pick for the Fighters in . For years, he was the backup for the most popular player in the league, Tsuyoshi Shinjo...

    , professional baseball player
  • Harimoto Isao
    Isao Harimoto
    Isao Harimoto is a Korean former Nippon Professional Baseball player and holder of the record for most hits in the Japanese professional leagues. An ethnic Korean, his birth name is Jang Hun...

    , professional baseball player
  • Hiyama Shinjiro
    Shinjiro Hiyama
    is a Japanese baseball player from Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. He plays as an outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers of the Central League.He made public that he is a Zainichi Korean in 2004 .-Biography:...

    , professional baseball player
  • Jong Tae-Se, North Korean football player
  • Kaneda Masaichi
    Masaichi Kaneda
    is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He is one of the best known pitchers in Japanese baseball history, and is the only Japanese pitcher to have won 400 games. He was inducted in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988....

    , professional baseball player
  • Kinjoh Tatsuhiko
    Tatsuhiko Kinjoh
    Tatsuhiko Kinjoh is a Japanese professional baseball player from Higashinari-ku, Osaka, Japan. He plays center field for the Yokohama BayStars...

    , professional baseball player
  • Kanemoto Tomoaki
    Tomoaki Kanemoto
    is a Japanese professional baseball outfielder with the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball.The Tigers' current cleanup hitter, Kanemoto is regarded as one of the most accomplished hitters in Japanese professional baseball history and has hit more home runs in his career than any other...

    , professional baseball player
  • Kanemoto Koji
    Koji Kanemoto
    is a professional wrestler. He is of Zainichi Korean descent.-Career:Kanemoto practiced Judo during his high school days and won a few championships as a professional before being recruited by the New Japan Dojo. He debuted in November 1990, wrestling against Michiyoshi Ohara. In March 1992, he...

    , pro-wrestler
  • Kanemura Kouhiro
    Kouhiro Kanemura
    is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . He is also known as W*ING Kanemura.He is best known for his death matches in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and Big Japan Pro Wrestling. He has also wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling...

    , pro-wrestler
  • Kim Chae-Hwa
    Kim Chae-Hwa
    Kim Chae-Hwa is a South Korean figure skater. She is the 2007 South Korean champion.- Biography :...

    , South Korean figure skater
  • Kim Jong-Song, North Korean football player
  • Kim Yong-Gwi, North Korean football player
  • Kim Seong-Yong
    Kim Seong-Yong
    Kim Seong-Yong is a Japanese-born North Korean striker who currently plays for Japanese club Kyoto Sanga F.C.. He was named as one of the North Korean squad for the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup...

    , North Korean football player
  • Kin Taiei
    Taiei Kin
    Kin Taiei is a Korean-Japanese light heavyweight karateka, kickboxer and mixed martial artist competing in K-1 and DREAM. He's also a karate instructor and a trainer for professional fighters...

    , mixed martial artist
  • Kunimoto Keisuke
    Keisuke Kunimoto
    , birth name: Lee Gyeong-Woo , is a Japanese/Zainichi Korean race car driver who races with Japanese racing license....

    , race car driver
  • Lee Tadanari
    Tadanari Lee
    is a Japanese football player of Korean descent currently playing for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the J. League Division 1.-Career:Lee was born to third generation Zainichi Korean parents in Tanashi , Tokyo. His Korean name is Lee Chung-Sung and also had used pass name...

    , professional football player
  • Maeda Akira
    Akira Maeda
    is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, also known as Kwik-kik-Lee for his time on the British Wrestling show World of Sport. He helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s....

    , pro-wrestler
  • Maenoyama Taro
    Maenoyama Taro
    Maenoyama Tarō is a former sumo wrestler from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He began his career in 1961, reaching the top makuuchi division in 1966. His highest rank was ozeki which he held from 1970 until 1972. He retired in 1974 and became head coach of the Takadagawa stable...

    , sumo wrestler
  • Masutatsu Oyama
    Masutatsu Oyama
    , more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushinkai Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. He was born Choi Yeong-eui . A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese citizenship in 1964...

    , karate master who founded Kyokushinkai, also known as Choi Bae-dal
  • Matsui Akiyoshi
    Shokei Matsui
    , also known by his Korean name of Moon Jang Gyu , is a master of Kyokushin karate and current Kancho of one faction of the International Karate Organization founded by Mas Oyama ....

    , President of Kyokushin kaikan
  • Momota Mitsuhiro
    Rikidozan
    , better known as Rikidōzan , was a Korean Japanese professional wrestler, known as the "Father of Puroresu" and one of the most influential men in wrestling history. Initially, he had moved from his native country Korea to Japan to become a sumo wrestler...

    , pro-wrestler, also known as Rikidozan
  • Momota Mitsuo
    Mitsuo Momota
    is a Japanese professional wrestler and executive, known for his work in the Japanese promotions All Japan Pro Wrestling and later in Pro Wrestling NOAH. He is the son of wrestler Rikidōzan.-All Japan Pro Wrestling :...

    , pro-wrestler
  • Okayama Kazunari, professional football player
  • Ōyama Masutatsu, martial arts expert, founder of Kyokushin kaikan
  • Shokei Matsui
    Shokei Matsui
    , also known by his Korean name of Moon Jang Gyu , is a master of Kyokushin karate and current Kancho of one faction of the International Karate Organization founded by Mas Oyama ....

    , current president of Kyokshin kaikan
  • Ri Han-Jae
    Ri Han-Jae
    Ri Han-Jae is a North Korean football player who played for North Korea in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.He has played for Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Consadole Sapporo in the J. League.-Positions:...

    , North Korean football player
  • Ryang Gyu-Sa
    Ryang Gyu-Sa
    Ryang Gyu-Sa is a retired Zainichi Korean footballer who played for North Korea in 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification.Ryang recently opined on the Japanese abducted to the North by being shocked and stating "there are some strange aspects of North Korea".-Club career statistics:Last update: 1 Dec...

    , North Korean football player
  • Ryang Yong-Gi
    Ryang Yong-Gi
    Ryang Yong-Gi is a Japanese-born North Korean footballer who plays for Vegalta Sendai in the J. League Division 1.Ryang is captain of his club where he is a creative midfielder....

    , North Korean football player
  • Ryouji Sai
    Ryouji Sai
    is a Japanese professional wrestler contracted to Pro Wrestling Zero1, where he is a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion.-Career:...

    , pro-wrestler
  • Tamarikidō Hideki
    Tamarikido Hideki
    Tamarikidō Hideki is a former sumo wrestler born in Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan. Though born in Japan, he is a Zainichi Korean. His highest rank was maegashira 8. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1997, reaching the top makuuchi division in 2001...

    , sumo wrestler
  • Tokuyama Masamori
    Masamori Tokuyama
    is a retired professional boxer in the super flyweight division. His professional record was 32-3-1 . He is a former WBC world super flyweight champion....

    , professional boxer, former WBC super flyweight champion
  • Tatsuhito Takaiwa
    Tatsuhito Takaiwa
    Tatsuhito Takaiwa is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler. Takaiwa is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan, and Zero-One, as well as making special appearances in All Japan and NOAH....

    , pro-wrestler
  • Yoshida Mitsu
    Riki Choshu
    Mitsuo Yoshida , better known by his stage name Riki Chōshū , is a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a wrestler and a booker...

    , pro-wrestler, also known as Riki Choshu

See also

  • Koreatowns in Japan
  • Sōshi-kaimei
    Soshi-kaimei
    Sōshi-kaimei was a policy created by Jiro Minami, Governor-General of Korea under the Empire of Japan, implemented upon Japanese subjects from Korea . As defined by Ordinance No...

  • Demographics of Japan
    Demographics of Japan
    The demographic features of the population of Japan include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....

  • Ethnic issues in Japan
    Ethnic issues in Japan
    - Demographic :About 1.6% of Japan's total legal resident population are foreign nationals. Of these, according to 2008 data from the Japanese government, the principal groups are as follows....

  • Korean-Japanese disputes
    Korean-Japanese disputes
    There have been disputes between Japan and Korea on many issues over the years. The two nations have a complex history of cultural exchange, trade, and war, underlying their relations today...

  • Ryukyuan people
  • Ainu people
    Ainu people
    The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...

  • Yamato people
    Yamato people
    is a name for the dominant native ethnic group of Japan. It is a term that came to be used around the late 19th century to distinguish the residents of the mainland Japan from other minority ethnic groups who have resided in the peripheral areas of Japan, such as the Ainu, Ryukyuan, Nivkh, Ulta, as...


External links

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