1. Learning Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language. Since I have been learning mandarin for a few years, I thought it could be interesting to talk about learning Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language. Some even go as far as saying that mandarin is the hardest language in the world to learn. Partly because of its reputation, I thought that researching learning strategies could help demystify the language a little.

2. Zainichi Kankoku Chosenjin (South and North Koreans living in Japan).

3. I would like to further explore the mixed identity of Japanese Peruvians and their culture. What inspired me was Netflix's docuseries Street Food Latin America which featured a Japanese-Peruvian chef known as Tomás ("Toshi") Matsufuji living in Lima, Peru.

reaction to feedback: The group recommended that I should start looking at sources and, then narrow down my topic. After discussing with my peers and my teacher, I realized that the topic of my essay (Learning Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language) seemed to serve more an informative purpose rather than an argumentative stance which is why I have decided to change my topic.

I have decided to discuss one of my previous ideas. I first came accross this issue while listening to "Feeling Asian" podcast by Youngmi Mayer and Brian Park and I wanted to learn more about Zainichi Koreans. I have chosen to explore Zainichi Korean's efforts to preserve their culture and their identity. I will highlight their struggle to get accepted by Japan and their oppression. In what way do Zainichi Koreans face discrimination in Japan? How does discrimination affect their efforts to get accepted and recognized by Japanese society? These are questions I'll try to answer in my essay.

*You can find the "Feeling Asian" podcast on Spotify.

So far, I have enjoyed reading more about my topic. I'd like to find some sources that discuss the use of Japanese names in more depth. I find interesting how some people have and use more than one first name in order to blend into society or to assimilate. Some chinese people have both a Chinese name and an English name while not all, but some Zainichis have a Korean name and a Japanese name. I actually have a few friends who prefer using their ethnic names rather than their English names.

Erin Aeran Chung is the Charles D. Miller associate professor of East Asian Politics at John Hopkins University. Chung was the previous director of the East Asian Studies Program as well as previous co-coordinator of the Racism, Immigration and Citizenship Program at John Hopkins University. The author took part of a two-year program "the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation" on US-Japan Network relations and policy-making. This text is a peer-reviewed academic article.

Chung discusses naturalization and Japanese laws over the years and its effects on Zainichi. Chung argues that even though Japanese government new laws and policy granted special permanent residence status, thus creating new opportunities for Zainichi Koreans, it is wrong to assume that racial discrimination has disappeared. Chung claims that North and South Korean political relations with Japan can lead to hate crimes and anti-Korean hate. Chung only briefly mentions the 1970s Hitachi trial case which highlights racial discrimination in employment. Therefore, I am planning on finding further sources that discusses the Pak v Hitachi case.

Chung, Erin Aeran. “Exercising Citizenship: Koreans living in Japan.” Asian Perspective, vol. 24, no. 4, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000, pp. 159–78, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42705311.

Tentative Thesis Statement & Topic Sentences

Thesis Statement: Zainichi Koreans encounter ethnic discrimination in diverse spheres of their life due to their citizenship status, their Korean names and their education background under the Japanese society.

Zainichi Korean experience ethnic discrimination because of their anti-naturalization stance which is the result of previous discriminatory Japanese policies and laws regarding citizenship.

Zainichi Koreans experience discrimination because of Japanese people's disapproval and intolerance of ethnic Korean schools.

Zainichi Koreans face ethnic discrimination and disadvantage in the job market because of their Korean names.

Reaction to feedback: I was unsure if my thesis statement was coherent but my peers told me that it was a good since I clearly stated my claim and I provided my topic and an overview of my arguments.

Okamura and Saito analyze the 2013 decision made by the MEXT (the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) under the Japanese government, to leave out Chōsen schools from its Tuition Waiver and Tuition Support Fund Program in regards to high school education. Okamura and Saito discusses historical events and the creation of Chōsen schools. Okumara and Saito denounce the wrongful decision to exclude Korean high schools students, kindergarteners and university students from receiving financial relief from the government and claim that it is discriminatory. I am a planning on using this source to support my argument that Zainichi Koreans experience discrimination because of Japanese people's and the government's disapproval and intolerance of ethnic Korean schools.

Okamura, Ryoko; Saito, Yukie. "Endangering the Right to Ethnic Education: Japan's Exclusion of Chōsen Schools from the Tuition Waiver Program" The Asia-Pacific Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, feb 2022, pp. 1-32.

Reflection on writing

I think my writing can be improved. Some of my sentences need to be edited because sometimes they don't really make sense or what I am trying to say is worded awkwardly. Also, I could diversify the sentence starters words I use because I always use the same ones. Since I'm a perfectionist, writing can be very draining and sometimes feel like a burden. I tend to always submit my essays the exact same day they are due because I have trouble "letting things go". I am rarely satisfied with my essays.

Kaori H. Okano is a Professor of Asian Studies and Japanese at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Okano's research focuses on the sociological and anthropological side of education and inequality, women, and multiculturalism in Asia and in Japan.

Kaori Okano's article is based on a case study on third generation Koreans living in Japan and entering the workforce. Okano state that Koreans are at at disadvantage when entering the job market and in employment. Interviews completed through this case study reveals the personal opinion and experience of working-class high school Koreans students regarding the job market and the schooling system in 1990. This source is relevant because it supports my argument that Koreans are unfairly judged because they attend Korean schools and discriminated in the employment market due to their ethnic background.

Okano, Kaori. “Third-Generation Koreans’ Entry into the Workforce in Japan.” Anthropology & Education Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 4, [Wiley, American Anthropological Association], 1997, pp. 524–49, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3196243.

TIMELINE

1905 Korea becomes protectorate of Japan

1910 Korea officially becomes annexed to Japan

1945 Korea becomes "liberated". Korea defeats Japan in World War II & Independence of Korea.

1946 The first Korean schools in Japan are established

1945 Creation of the Choryon (Zai Nippon Chosenjin Renmei or “League of of Koreans in Japan)

1947 Alien Registration Law is passed.

1948 The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are established (DPRK)

Korean schools are met with violent oppression by the occupying Allied Forces and the Japanese government (Hanshin Kyōiku Tōsō)

1948 Establishment of the pro-South Korean organization Mindan (Korean Resident Association in Japan.

1950 Korean War begins

1950 Nationality Law

1952 Japan signs San Francisco Peace Treaty with the Allied Powers.

1953 Korean Armistice Agreement puts the war to a halt

1970s Pak v Hitachi case

1982 Kim Kyu Il founds the Korean Research Organization (Zainichi Doho no Seikatsu o Kangaeru Kai)

1984 Japan revised its postwar nationality law (removed the unequal treatment of men and women in the application of jus sanguinis.

1991 Japanese government creates the category “special permanent residents”.

1993 Abolishment of the finger-printing requirement for permanent residents.

2007 Founding of Zaitokukai group (Civil Association against Privileges of Resident Koreans.

2009 Zaitokukai protests against ethnic North-Korean kindergarten and elementary schools in Kyoto.

2013 Anti-Korean demonstration in Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo Korea Town.

2020. The city of Kawasaki enacted a new rule on July 1 that will mete out fines of up to 500,000 yen (US$4,660) for hate speech.

I started watching and I have so-far watched 8 episodes. This TV serie is beautifully shot and very touching. A new episode is released every week, every friday!

Soji Arai who plays Sunja'son Mozasu, who is himself of Zainichi Korean heritage says in interview with Time magazine "I’m so happy, because now people all over the world will know who Zainichi people are, maybe for the first time in history" (Chow).

https://time.com/6157906/pachinko-apple-tv/

Inside North Korea's bubble in Japan

Reaction to peer review

Unfortunately I was unable to go to class due to Covid-19 and show my paper to one of my peers.

Foreigners in their Homeland: Discriminating identities, schools, and employment of Zainichi Koreans within Japan

Many countries have encountered waves of migrants just like Japan’s with its Korean diaspora throughout history, but not all have succeeded in adequately integrating these newcomers into society. Indeed, generations of Zainichi Koreans, its literal term meaning Koreans residing in Japan, have struggled to belong in Japan which still treats them as foreigners even though most of these individuals have stayed in Japan for multiple generations. Recently, the media has shown an increased interest in Japan’s Korean diaspora called Zainichi Koreans which most often describe “a population of colonial-era migrants from the Korean peninsula that settled in the Japanese archipelago and their descendants” (Lie X). In the pages that follow, I will prove that Zainichi Koreans encounter ethnic discrimination and xenophobia in diverse spheres of their life due to their legal status, and their educational background in Japanese society.

Zainichi Korean experience ethnic discrimination because of their lack of Japanese citizenship and their anti-naturalization stance. Under Japanese rule (1910-1945), discriminatory policies intended to assimilate Koreans were implemented in Korea. The 600,000 Koreans (Chung 165) that remained in Japan and did not return to their homeland due partly to the ongoing Korean War, were considered foreigners by the Alien Registration Law of 1947. By 1952, Koreans who were previously considered Japanese nationals, lost their Japanese citizenship due to the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Some scholars agree that Zainichi Koreans still resist naturalization even though it has limited them from being fully recognized as Japanese citizens since “Korean Nationality has become one of their few remaining identity markers” of their Korean identity and culture (Okano 528; Motani 229). Additionally, the Jus sanguinis meaning “right of blood or parentage” policy adopted by Japan is discriminatory because it implies that if someone has not at least one Japanese national parent, then one cannot be considered a Japanese national. (Lawyers Association of Zainichi Koreans 5). This principle literally disregards Zainichi’s identity since Zainichi Koreans who were born in Japan are not considered “Japanese”. Incidentally, The Zaitokukai, (Association of Citizens against the Special Privileges of the Zainichi) an anti-Korean far-right activist group, against Koreans, using Japanese names, having special permanent residency, receiving funding from the Japanese government for their Korean schools and receiving public welfare assistance (Shibuichi 723) has held various hate-speech protests and rallies on the streets and in Koreatowns. However, non-naturalized Zainichi Koreans experience unequal treatment since according to research dating back to 2002, 20, 000 elderly Zainichi Koreans and 5, 000 Zainichi Koreans with disabilities did not receive pension benefits (Demelius 96, LASAK). While Japan is far from being welcoming, their own country has prohibited Koreans in Japan from returning to Korea because of their Chosen-seki legal status (Hu). In short, Zainichi Korean's resistance to naturalization is a result of various racially discriminatory policies regarding legal status in Japan.

Zainichi Koreans experience discrimination because of Japanese people's disapproval and intolerance of ethnic Korean schools. Within the Zainichi Korean community, two ethnic groups co-exist, Chongryun (pro-North, Association of Koreans Residents in Japan) and Mindan (pro-South, Korean Residents Association in Japan). Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)’s 2013 decision to completely exclude all ten Chongryun (Pro-North Korean) high schools (referring to the Tuition Fee Waiver Program) and later Chōsen kindergartens (2019) and Chōsen University students (2020) from receiving financial support (Okamura; Saito 3 - 9) shows that Japan’s and its Ministry of Education does not consider Korean schools as legitimate schools. Korean school's miscellaneous (non-academic) status assigned by the School Education Act which is the reason why these schools could not receive subsidies shows once again Japan's blatant racism. Furthermore, these schools in Japan, are considered the same as vocational schools suchlike cooking, sewing and beauty (Motani 231). Yoko Motani states in her article "Towards a More Just Educational Policy for Minorities in Japan: The Case of Korean Ethnic Schools" that "Korean ethnic schools are among one of the very few safe spaces where Korean students can affirm their cultural and linguistic language" (234) as well as their pride, hence cutting funding is extremely harmful to the Korean youth in Japan. Kindergarteners and elementary school students have been targeted and harassed by Zaitokukai. In 2009 in Kyoto this right-wing organization protested in front of Daiichi Kyoto primary school while shouting hateful and abusive messages suchlike “Kick out the Koreans” and “You are North Korean Spies” with their megaphones (Shibuichi 728). In brief, Japan's denial to provide Zainichi Koreans equal education opportunities showcases Japan's failure to strive toward being an inclusive society.

Zainichi Koreans face racial discrimination and disadvantage in the job market because of their ethnic background. Zainichi Korean's history is closely connected to the labour market since starting from 1939, the 720, 000 Koreans and so on who moved to Japan were involved in forced labour and worked unsafe manual jobs (Museum of Japanese Koreans). As of now, beyond open expression of Anti-Korean sentiment, prejudice has manifested itself in the workplace and in employment. The 1970s Hitachi trial of Park-Chong Suk, a Korean man who was offered a job but was not hired by Hitachi because of his Korean ethnicity, highlights one of many instances of blatant racial discrimination (Strausz 649). A 1990 case study in "Third Generation Korean's Entry into the Workforce in Japan" was done on working-class high school Korean students and investigated the job-referral system set up in a Korean high school to help its student after their graduation. This study has shown that not many companies were willing to hire gaiseki (Korean students) (Okano 528). A report carried out by the Lawyers Association of Zainichi Koreans Japan has found that Zainichi Koreans who aren’t Japanese nationals are less likely to be promoted to superior positions in their workplace (5). Although Korean businesses are thriving such as Pachinko and yakinikuya (Korean Style BBQ restaurant) (Museum of J-Koreans), Bumsoo Kim claims that although, the proportion of employed Koreans in “managers and officials” has increased, among these are self-employed Koreans who started their own businesses after facing discrimination and exclusion in Japanese mainstream labour market, thus Koreans are still restricted in terms of jobs opportunities (career paths) (239). Thus, Koreans in Japan are less likely to rise in Japanese society. These examples show that Koreans in the employment industry are at a disadvantage and have not yet been fully integrated.

Becoming an inclusive society requires setting aside our biases and prejudice and being open to learning about other cultures. This paper has investigated some different spheres in Zainichi Korean’s life in which they experience discrimination. Overall, although some scholars have declared that the situation of Zainichi Koreans has been improved considerably, instead of settling for this progress, Zainichi Koreans should strive toward obtaining equal rights. Although some Zainichi Koreans were born and raised in Japan, some will never be recognized as fully “Japanese”. Japanese society is indeed evolving and becoming more open to diversity because of the Korean Wave, Japanese people have been consuming more South Korean media, products, and music. However, I believe that this acceptance of Korean people and culture should be extended to the actual diaspora of Korean residents in Japan who still to this day experience racial discrimination and are still fighting for their rights.

Works Cited

Chung, Erin Aeran. “Exercising Citizenship: Koreans living in Japan.” Asian Perspective, vol. 24, no. 4, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000, pp. 159–78, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42705311.

Demelius, Yoko. "Thinking through Community Spirit: Zainichi Koreans in Post-Korean Wave Japanese Communities." Japanese Studies, vol. 41, no. 1, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/10371397.2021.1893673

Hu, Ho-joon, "[News analysis] Ethnic Koreans in Japan shut out from visiting their homeland," The Hankyoreh, July 18, 2017. https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/803299.html.

KIM, Bumsoo. “Changes in the Socio-Economic Position of ‘Zainichi’ Koreans: A Historical Overview.” Social Science Japan Journal, vol. 14, no. 2, 2011, pp. 233–45, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41290234. Accessed 21 Apr. 2022.

Lawyers Association of Zainichi Koreans. "Discrimination Against Koreans in Japan: Japan’s Violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination". August 2014, pp 1-35. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiN79DywfH2AhXMkokEHQ6_ARcQFnoECAkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftbinternet.ohchr.org%2FTreaties%2FCERD%2FShared%2520Documents%2FJPN%2FINT_CERD_NGO_JPN_17768_E.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1nkOGcliofaE97tMX1AcVw.

Lie, John. Zainichi (Koreans in Japan): Diasporic Nationalism and Postcolonial Identity. EScholarship, University of California Press, 2008.

Motani, Yoko. “Towards a More Just Educational Policy for Minorities in Japan: The Case of Korean Ethnic Schools.” Comparative Education, vol. 38, no. 2, 2002, pp. 225–37, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3099786. Accessed 21 Apr. 2022.

Okamura, Ryoko; Saito, Yukie. "Endangering the Right to Ethnic Education: Japan's Exclusion of Chōsen Schools from the Tuition Waiver Program" The Asia-Pacific Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, feb 2022, pp. 1-32.

Okano, Kaori. “Third-Generation Koreans’ Entry into the Workforce in Japan.” Anthropology & Education Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 4, [Wiley, American Anthropological Association], 1997, pp. 524–49,

Shibuichi, Daiki. “Zaitokukai and the Problem with Hate Groups in Japan.” Asian Survey, vol. 55, no. 4, University of California Press, 2015, pp. 715–38, https://doi.org/10.1525/as.2015.55.4.715.

Strausz, Michael. “Minorities and Protest in Japan: The Politics of the Fingerprinting Refusal Movement.” Pacific Affairs, vol. 79, no. 4, Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia, 2006, pp. 641–56,

The History Museum of J-Koreans. Official website. Accessed March 26, 2022. http://j-koreans.org/kr/index.html

Hi ! Here's a 3 min video which sums up the main points surrounding my topic :)