고려대학교

초록/요약

More than sixty years have passed since World War Ⅱ ended in 1945. Before and during the Japanese colonialism, numerous Koreans were involuntary migrant laborers, who were coerced to migrate though either formal or informal conscription. When Korea was liberated from Japanese colonialism rule in 1945, there were approximately 2,300,000 Koreans residents in Japan. However, 500,000 to 600,000 Koreans remained in Japan for economical and social reasons. Those Koreans who remained in Japan and their ancestors are called Zainichi (residents of Japan) Koreans. Currently, a greater majority of Koreans living in Japan belong to the third or fourth generation of the original immigrants. Approximately one percent of the Japanese populations is Zainichi Koreans and they represent a large portion of minorities within Japanese society. Although Zainichi Koreans spend their entire life in Japan from the day they are born till the day they die, they face social discrimination in many avenues, including educations, marriages, housing and employment, without fully knowing the specific reasons. This study sets out to investigate the characteristics of the lives of Koreans in Japan and examines why they encounter conflicts and difficulties in Japanese society. The study argues that the most important factor in the Japanese intolerance toward foreigners in general and Koreans in particular is Shinto and the existence of Emperor, who is believed to be the descendant of the Shinto God. Shinto was the national religion of Japan until the end of World War Ⅱand still remains as the one of the major religions in Japan. Also, under the assimilation policy, Koreans were forced to assimilate into Japanese society and even adopt Japanese identity. A second reason is because of the Japanese economic growth and industrialization, which made Japanese apparently superior. A third reason for the Japanese prejudice against Koreans is the Japanese educational system’s biased perception of hi