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
When the Koreans are forced to change their family names to Japanese ones, their Korean identity is weakened. Going through this traumatizing experience is
(Racism and Anti-Japanese Sentiment), Even before the events of Pearl Harbor there was a lot of resentment against the Japanese that came to the states because of their heritage and their traditions. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the resentment against the Japanese grew and their “human rights” were taken from them when they were thrown into the internment camps.
Dower changes things in Part III by implementing the idea that Japanese racism differentiates from that of American racism in that it does not necessarily have to do with Race. Chapter 8 explains that Japanese racism has more to do with genetics. The Japanese believed themselves to be “historically purer then other peoples genetically and morally,” and these attributes they associated with the
The outbreak of war coupled with the aggression of the Japanese Government in China and Manchuria, once again led to resentment against Japanese living in America. This continued through the years of depression.
The internment and cruel treatment of the Japanese in the U.S. stemmed from a fear of a full-pledged invasion from Japan and also from years of racial prejudice
America feared that the Cold War would inspire the Soviet communism nurture egalitarian societies, and prompt the colored people inside and outside America to remain marginal between capitalism and communism. This inspired American policy makers to undermine their practice of discriminating the colored communities. Thus, during the 1960s America witnessed radicalization of anti-racism movements. The Cold War affected the Asian Americans in different ways. First and foremost, a vociferous call by Asian Americans against racism would invite condemnation of the white Americans. Nevertheless, famed Americans of Asian origin voiced against racism. Until the year 1950, the Japanese were kept beyond the purview of new immigration reforms. Early 1950s saw the Japanese given immigration rights to join hands with Americans to fight communism, which had earlier invaded China by the late 1940s. In 1945, America allowed its citizens who fought the war in different parts of Asia to bring their wives from Philippines and China as Filipinos, Koreans and South Asians were allowed to enter America after granting naturalization rights. This in turn created significant gender imbalance, for instance, among the Chinese and Filipino immigrants.
During this time of crisis in America, the Japanese people in our country were done a huge injustice. They were stripped their constitutional rights, relocated to a location with poor living conditions, and when America apologized it was just too late. The mental and physical health impacts of this event continues to affect tens of thousands of Japanese
Throughout history of not only the United States but also the world, racism has played a huge role in the treatment of other humans. A dark mark in United States history, the Japanese Relocation during WWII is a prime example of this racism coming into play. Whether or not this event was necessary or even justified, however, is a constant question for historians even nowadays. The Japanese relocation of the 1920’s unnecessary and unjustified because it’s main causes: selfish economic plots by farmers, unrealistic military measures, and blatant racism.
The Japanese Americans sustained many injustices during the pre-World War Two era, including exclusion from traditional establishments and occupations. It was noted, “the [economic] argument and the discriminatory measures are plain contradictions” (Goto 105-106). Although the stated goal of Californians was to have a unified population, their actions belied their true motives. The colossal nature of the assimilatory feats performed by Japanese dictated that “even Californian agitators themselves, in their moments of private reflection, admit the wonderful power of adaptability of Japanese,” but, “in public they do everything to prevent the process of assimilation from running its natural course” (Goto 106). Often, the bigoted owners of white establishments barred people of Japanese
The Japanese colonization was a difficult time for the Koreans due to the oppression and adversity most of them faced. Albeit not all of them had horrendous experiences, but there is certainly a level of diversity of
When the Japanese Americans migrated to the United States they were not welcomed with open arms. The Japanese Americans faced many hardships. The biggest hardships they faced were their treatment by the American people as well as by the American government after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Japanese Americans were taken from their homes and placed in internment camps for years with little to no explanation as to why. According to the United States government the Japanese Americans placement in internment camps “were justified on national security grounds” (Brooks), but the truth is Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps because of fear and racial prejudice. This event in history is important because it
How the United States and Japan integrated “previously despised populations into their nations in unprecedented ways, while at the same time denouncing racial discrimination and even considering these peoples as part of the national populations and, as such, deserving of life, welfare, and happiness” (Fujitani
After the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, life in the U.S. had changed. It was the first time in a long time that America was attacked on its homeland. This national security threat was a big shock to the people. The Japanese had to suffer the consequences of their attack. Just as the Germans developed concentration camps for the Jewish during World War II, the Americans set up "relocation" programs better known as internment camps to keep all the Japanese. The reason the Japanese were moved into these camps was because they were suspected of being spies. They were forced to live there for up to four years and were not able to continue with their own lives as they were before while they were living in these camps.
Mexican American (Chicano) first generation back in 1960 were not treated with respect. They were mistreated and had to deal with racism. The school district did not offer them the same rights as any other students, they did not give them classes to get ready for college. Thousands of students who attended high school in Los Angeles were fed up of being treated like if they were less than anyone else. They decided to take action and thirteenth students organized blowouts.
In Japan, there is a dislike for people who are living there and who are not Japan. Korean people who live in Japan face discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes. According to the lectures and readings, during World War II, Japanese people accused the Koreans of “swaggering” and the Koreans became scapegoats. This lead to their exclusion from business, trade associations and to the establishment of ethnic stratifications. The intermarriage between Koreans and Japanese people is disliked. Japanese people do not socially accept Koreans as being part of their society and Japanese children who are of Korean descend are not identified as Japanese. They are seen as children who cause trouble and they usually have low self-esteem, poor academic performance, and higher unemployment rates. Japanese people believe in the purity for Japanese blood and that intermarriage is not tolerated. Therefore, the Korean women were used as sex slaves until 1998, when it was banned and in April 1999, Japan banned the sexual exploitation of immigrant children.