Responding to Hate in Contemporary Japan: Fragmenting Factors Obstructing Effective Ethnic Advocacy

Defying national homogeneity: Hidden acts ofZainichiKorean resistance in Japan

“…This schism explains why the Korean community in Japan has historically been so divided in terms of political orientation and nationality status. Mindan and Chongryon's preoccupation with Cold War politics often took precedence over concerns for the living conditions of Koreans in Japan, leading to a fragmentation of Zainichi Korean activism that persists to this day (Lim, 2018). Still, the two organizations provided services to members of the community, notably by operating schools for Korean children (Ryang, 1997).…”

“…Zainichi Koreans have also had to contend with the rise of right-wing politicians and ultranationalist groups like Zaitokukai, which openly celebrate Japan’s imperial past and militate against the civil rights afforded to descendants of colonial subjects (Park-Kim, 2019). While Mindan and Chongryon have sometimes tried to organize against these threats, they have so far remained loyal to their historic rivalry and mostly failed to coordinate their efforts (Lim, 2018). For their part, ordinary Korean descendants have been reluctant to engage in protests against recent racist assaults, fearing that open confrontation would only increase their visibility and precarity within Japanese society (Ahn and Park, 2019).…”

The Rise and Fall of Japan’s New Far Right: How Anti-Korean Discourses Went Mainstream

“…The Zaitokukai also organized a series of protests in 2008, 2009, and 2011 at Korea University in Tokyo (affiliated with Chongryon, a Zainichi Korean organization with ties to North Korea), chanting, "Let's kick Koreans out of Japan!" 134 Korean enclaves were also the target of frequent attacks. A series of weekly protests were held in the middle of Tokyo's Koreatown in the days following President Lee Myung-bak's controversial visit to the Dokdo/Takeshima Islands on August 25, 2012.…”