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Racism Against Americans

Decent Essays

The History of Justification for Racism Against Ethnic Koreans in Japan Zainichi Koreans are neither Japanese nor Korean. Having lived in Japan almost one century, most of Zainichi Koreans only speak Japanese and has never been to Korea. They use Japanese name and go to Japanese school. Koreans recognize them as Japanese since Zainichi culturally and spiritually are Japanese. However, they identify themselves as Korean because of their nationality. In this sense, Zainichi Koreans have the unique national identity. Their uniqueness is another name for their identity crisis and their lifelong obstacles. Racial discrimination began under the Japanese cultural rule between 1919 and 1937 in Korea through racialization. Under the name of assimilation, …show more content…

The emergence of economic demand for low-skilled labor in post-WWI Japan, Koreans moved to Japan and occupied low-skilled positions, based on stereotyped racialization of Koreans. However, Japanese became suspicious about the intention of Korean labor enduring dirty, low paid, and unsanitary working conditions. Eventually, unsubstantiated rumors spread out over Japan, leading to the massacre of Koreans in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Sonia Ryang states, “the collective unconscious and a cultural logic that guaranteed … this kind of killing of Koreans.” The racialized image of Koreans as colonized and as dangerous aliens was directly related to the discrimination of Korean immigrant labors and the massacre. Japanese government overlooked the massacre as if Korean racialization killing Koreans could be justified by their aggressive, dangerousness, and …show more content…

Although the authors admit the issues in Utoro are rooted in colonialism, they point out the real problem is the residents who have made the village as the symbol of Japanese colonialism. It means the issue of discrimination is a more personal issue, rather than national history. Their hardship in their life is individual difficulty, which cannot be resolved by others. They quote one of third-generation Zainichi Korean resident in Utoro, “It’s a nice place to live, a solid community. I don’t want the history of this place to die” . In the statement, they indicate the sentiment of home and personal memory of the village. In this sense, their discrimination is rooted in their individual choice, rather than the system and the discrimination. In order to support the point, the authors indicate the active engagement and the volitional participation of Japan in resolving the issue of Utoro. The Supreme Court passed judgment, and developers consulted with the UN Human Rights Commission; “nobody is holding their breath.” They imply that Japan has shown their efforts, and Japan has never neglected the issue on Zainichi Korean. Japan is willing to help Korean ethnic residents in Japan. However, Japan cannot resolve the personal issues of them. Thus, Zainich should find another way to avoid their personal troubles. Japan is open to help them if Zainichi detach the

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