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Abe Keita (Franciscan Priest)
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Since long ago I have been helping at the Japanese literacy classes for
Korean women, as a staff member of the 'Omoni Hakkyo' school. Then, I decided
to live in the Ikuno region where many Koreans live, in order to commit
myself more to them. Four years have already passed since I moved there
and I would like to introduce Ikuno to the readers of this Bulletin.
The population of Ikuno is roughly 150,000 people. Korean residents count
for about 45,000. This is the largest Korean population in Japan.
Korean residents live in one community near the Korean shopping center
town that fulfills the important task of providing housing and all daily
needs of the Korean residents. At the same time, Korean groups, from the
North and the South, as well as various Protestant groups of Koreans are
dispersed and work around that region.
The production of "hep sandals" in small factories and workshops
is the most famous industrial activity where Korean Ikuno residents are
involved. Those workshops are dispersed around the region. As a matter
of fact the name "hep sandals" was born in Ikuno.
Most Korean residents of Ikuno came formerly from Cheju Island in South
Korea and many of them, belonging to the first and second generation, still
know words and customs that have practically disappeared from Korea, their
country of origin. In this way, they keep the old Korean customs better
than the Koreans and the Confucian influence remains also quite strong.
Korean residents carefully keep the old Korean festivals, like the old
New Year and the Feast of the Deceased (Obon). One can realize that they
preserve their ethnic identity by such events and life customs. On the
other hand, native Koreans discriminate against them, because they are
very Japanese-like and cannot speak the Korean language; they are just
halfway (Panchoppari) Koreans.
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Nevertheless, all kinds of groups based on opposite stands and ideologies
have been active in Japan, through past campaigns against discrimination
and the fingerprint system, to safeguard the rights and dignity of Korean
residents suffering from unjust discrimination. The fingerprint system
was abolished in 1992, but, since Japan still keeps and uses the fingerprints
that were taken in the past, Koreans have filed suits against the government
to recover their fingerprints. Ikuno region was the originator of a movement
to demand that the law obliging foreigners to always carry their registration
cards be abolished. All kinds of people still continue such activities
and although, different from the past, their involvement in human rights
action is not burning like a big flame so prominently, the fire is not
extinct.
Last year, the hope for North-South unity, following the common declaration
announced by both North and South Korea, looked nearer to reality. But,
in fact, several years before that, in 1994, Koreans living in Japan established
an organization of Korean volunteers to take care of their senior compatriots,
whether they belonged to North or South Korea. Their activities continue
under the slogan, "North-South unity through volunteer action."
Again, Ikuno has taken the initiative to plan the events, "One-Korea
Festival" to promote unity between North and South.
Ikuno's Ethnic Cultural Festival is also an event with deep roots in the
region.Ikuno is a peculiar region where the largest Korean population resides.
And as a result, there are so many events and activities concerning Koreans
that it is difficult to report them. Next time I will provide some more
information on this subject.
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