| As two neighbors around the Japanese Sea, Korea and Japan once had friendly economic and cultural exchanges in the history. In modern times, however, the Japanese imperialism imposed colonial rule upon Korea, and thousands of Korean peasants were forced to cross the Sea to Japan. They have long lived there and become an ethnic group known as "the Koreans in Japan". The Japanese government's policy of ethnic assimilation and discrimination made the Koreans living in hardships. With the Koreans in Japan as its research object, this paper discusses the process in which they came into being, their current surroundings and their future. Also, the paper criticizes the assimilation policy the Japanese government has long practiced. At the same time, the paper emphasizes the necessity of peaceful co-existence of various ethnic groups in contemporary times.In the preface, the paper gives an introduction to the study in terms of purpose, significance and methodology. Related studies on this issue are also outlined. But more attention is paid to the concept of "the Koreans in Japan". The author points out that the concept should include all Koreans living in Japan, no matter with the citizenship of ROK or DPRK or Japan or without any citizenship. Only in this way, can the integrity of the ethnic group be reflected.The first chapter deals with the economic and cultural exchanges between Korea and Japan in the history. The historical process in which the feudal rule declined in Korea and Japan gradually invaded and occupied Korea is also dealt with. These materials can be served as the background for the study of the Koreans in Japan.The second chapter expounds the process in which the Korean community was formed in Japan. It also discusses the colonial rule of Japan imperialism over Korea, the causes and routes of the Koreans' eastward migration, and their distribution in Japan. The paper points out that the Koreans' migration to Japan, as a passive process, was a product of the annexation of Korea by Japan and its colonial rule over Korea.The third chapter deals with the real conditions of the Koreans in Japan in the colonial times. Under the ethnic pressure and assimilation policy of the Japanese imperialism, the Koreans were discriminated and exploited harshly in terms of politics, economy, culture and education. They lived in hardships, without any development.The fourth chapter deals with Japan's surrender, Koreans' returning home, policies of the allied forces' headquarters and Japanese government toward Koreans in Japan, the discrimination and prejudice existed in Japanese society, and the relationships between Koreans in Japan and the twogovernments in the Korean Peninsula. The part of this paper also discusses why many Koreans had to stay in Japan. The author points out that those who failed to return home after the war makes up the basis and mainstream of Korean community in Japan.The fifth chapter analyzes the current conditions of the Koreans in Japan. Then, it points out that, compared with the economic development and the process of political democratization in Japan, ethnic discrimination and prejudice still exist seriously in Japanese society, and the historically-left problem of the Koreans in Japan has not been totally solved. Although the Koreans are an ethnic minority in Japan, they are still regarded as "foreigners". The key point to solve the problem of the Koreans lies in confirming their legal status, that is, recognizing their citizenship as Japanese.In the conclusion, the paper summarizes the features of the problem of the Koreans in Japan. The paper holds that the Koreans in Japan came into being under special historical conditions, and that, as an "ethnic minority" living in Japan, they have become a component part of Japanese society. In addition, the paper puts forward some suggestions to solve the problem concerned and reveals something significant for reflections.The paper is characterized with the following points:A. An all-round way of discussion. The history,... |
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