The Future of Zainichi Korean Socio-political Organizations in Japan
Open Access
Author:
Hamel, Winston Tyler
Area of Honors:
East Asian Studies
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Gregory James Smits, Thesis Supervisor Charlotte Diane Eubanks, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Japan Zainichi Koreans
Abstract:
The Zainichi Korean community of Japan, made up of the descendants of colonial era Korean migrants to Japan, is today the largest ethnic minority in Japan. By first looking at Japanese-Korean relations, with a focus on the modern era, I will show how many Koreans came to Japan for economic and educational reasons, and how this group of migrants formed the basis for today’s Zainichi community. The socio-political organizations the Zainichi Koreans formed in the aftermath of World War II, the South Korea-affiliated Mindan and the North Korea-affiliated Chongryun, have had a lasting impact on the Zainichi community, and I will overview these organizations’ history and their current status. I will argue that only Mindan will survive and that due to a number of factors Chongryun will disappear; however, I will also argue that given the increasingly Japanese identification of many Zainichi Koreans, as evidenced by increasing naturalization and intermarriage rates with ethnic Japanese, Zainichi socio-political organizations themselves are beginning to become irrelevant.