Recent Events in Japan

Racism in Education: making a final decision until the end of July. Discrimination against Korean Schools In any case, why must Korean schools Young Kim face discrimination simply because of the abduction cases? These abduction incidents The issue surrounding National are a truly serious national crime. However, University entrance exam qualifications for is discrimination justified because this is a ethnic school students is about to face the school supporting such a government? If so, Ministry of Education’s blatant discriminatory the Japanese government is doing the same tactics. thing as those who have repeatedly harassed In March of this year, the Ministry Korean students since the abduction issue came announced that graduates of ethnic schools, out into the open. The decisions of the except the 16 International Schools recognized Ministry hurt the children just as the burden of by US and British accrediting bodies, will be verbal and physical harassments. deprived of the right to apply directly for The children of the North Korean school admission to national universities. faced an enormous shock on September 17th, Presently, there are a number of ethnic when the abduction issue came out. Adults and schools, including Korean Schools, Korean teachers told them that abduction did not exist, Gakuen, Chinese schools, and Brazilian and until that day, the children believed what schools. Amongst these ethnic schools, there they had been told. Learning of the shocking are around 100 Korean schools including 12 reality that the abduction suspicion was true high schools. The true, hidden reason behind hurt the children tremendously. Moreover, the Ministry’s new policy may be an attempt to seeing confusion among the shocked adults eliminate all Korean schools in Japan. must have led to even bigger insecurity and Although there are positions for and anxiety, and at the same time, must have led to against this issue even within the Ministry a sense of impiety towards the adults who were, itself, by last spring, opinion had tilted towards in effect, “lying” to them for years. Further, recognition of all ethnic school diplomas for they may have experienced a sense of distrust national university admission. However, and disappointment towards North Korea there was a sudden change in policy. The where they placed their loyalty as their country “abduction”1 issue obviously has cast a large of origin. shadow over the policy and has caused opinion My two children also attend a Korean to shift. school in the area. They gazed Many criticized the Ministry’s painfully into the TV screen with a look of announcement as being discriminatory. The confusion as the first reports of the abduction public comments on the Ministry’s website issue were told on the news. Contacts from totaled about 13,350 in a period of one month, the school came within a few hours. From the and of those, 96% were protests against their following day, the children were not to wear policy. The Ministry, not being able to push their uniforms, and were to commute to and through their new policy, was forced to from school in groups. Tension gradually reconsider their position and put a hold on arose. The “Chima-chogori incident”2 made its

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Recent Events in Japan way back into our minds. The situation was Now, the situation forced us to hide our different from those incidents since 1989 Korean identity. By March of this year, the occurring every 4 or 5 years because of number of pestering phone calls and mails “suspicions.” This time, there was proof that totaled over 200 in all Korean schools the state had committed a crime. There was throughout Japan, and in late January, a female proof that the state had inspired these shocking student in Tokyo had a 7 cm hole cut in her abduction incidents. All we could do was to chogori in the train on her way to school. sigh deeply to blow away the insecurity and Moreover, many Korean residents in tension running through us. Japan (including both Japanese-registered and This was hardly an overreaction. The Korean-registered citizens) felt uneasiness, police themselves contacted the school a few anger and rage at the Japanese media’s hysteric days later and offered security. North Korean and abduction reports. In the following months, the children Although the abduction issue is a matter of lived in a situation where they had to worry national crime, the reports brimmed with about revealing their Korean identity. insulting remarks and mirrored discrimination Elementary school students told their parents towards the Korean population as a whole. the importance of hiding their Korean names. The reports also failed to address the main Kids whispered to each other that they must topic of the 9/17 conference between the North not wear Korean T-shirts. Parents warned Korean and Japanese prime ministers: wartime their children that they must not speak Korean atonement for Japanese colonial rule. in trains and busses. My two children in elementary and junior It is an ironic situation. I sent my high schools made attempts to sympathize and children to Korean school so that they would understand the feelings of the abduction grow up like any other child, proud of their victims despite their anger towards the identity, not being isolated or friendless. In one-sided Japanese attitude. They recognized actuality, when I heard smatterings of Korean and understood that all Koreans residing in from them, talking lively with their friends, I Japan, including themselves, were torn apart, had felt reassured of my decision. It cannot broken-up families just like the abduction be denied that Korean schools teach glorified victims. They mirrored the sight of the images of Kim Jong-il and his son, however, abductees reuniting with their families for the the emphasis of such education has been first time in 20 years to the sight of their reduced over the years, and the idea seemed grandfather, meeting his brother after half better than Japanese children looking up at the century. They tried to put themselves in the flag with choirs of “Kimigayo”3. I also shoes of children left behind in North Korea, believed that there was meaning in going and thought, “what if we were told that the through the North Korean education and return to the status quo for Korean residents in learning about their roots. The school had Japan is to move back to South Korea or North made much effort in the past 10 years to Korea?” conform to Japanese society, and the They had seen their grandmother grieve passionate teachers were also an attractive over the impossibility of seeing her sister, who factor. had returned to North Korea. They

47 WOMEN’S ASIA 21 Voices from Japan No. 11 Summer 2003

Recent Events in Japan understood that the issue could not be solved or and the abduction issue in 2002. With the justified through a comparison of colonial collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the cold casualties and abduction victims. I felt saved war came to an end. In Japan, however, by the fact that even small, elementary and beginning with the Law on Measures to Deal junior-high school children, had the with Situations in Areas Surrounding Japan in compassion to use their imagination to May 1999, laws threatening the pacifist sympathize with those who were victimized. Constitution were established one after another. As days passed, however, anger towards The Anti-Terrorism Special Measures bill, the the Japanese “abduction rage” surpassed their Interception of Telecommunications Act (the efforts to appreciate the abductees’ situations. Wiretapping Law), the Law concerning Despite their efforts to understand and National Flag and Anthem, the amended Basic sympathize with the feelings of these victims, Resident Register Law, three National the Japanese society seen through the media Emergency Bills, and the most recent a bill for was completely unsympathetic towards the Japan’s Assistance for the Reconstruction of position of Korean residents in Japan. Iraq all passed the House. The Japanese attitude signified complete The education scene faces harsher denial of history. conditions. In addition to the Law concerning The lack of recognition of history is not a National Flag and Anthem, issues surrounding result of the shocking abduction incidents patriotism assessment and “Kokoro no Nooto” alone. Looking back, in the past 10 years, (the Notebook of My Mind)5 came out into the Japan has steadily “reformed” history and open, and the Fundamentals of Education Act promoted militarization. Japan begins to lean faced undesirable amendments. more and more towards the right as can be seen The issue surrounding the ethnic school through the “Chima-chogori ripping incident” admission rights to national universities The mere fact that such incidents are repeated occurred under these circumstances. Further, over and over again suggests that something in the society has gone wrong and even hints at some kind of political intent. Chogori ripping incidents have been repeated over and over, following the 1989 Pachinko incident4, nuclear suspicions in 1994, missile launchings of 1998,

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Recent Events in Japan a warning must be made that these assaults and Manipulation Hidden Behind “ Kokoro no harassment towards Korean schools have Nooto (Notebook of My Mind)” and affected even the children who were not direct Government Intervention in Children’s victims of the attacks, and have inflicted Minds emotional pain and led to impiety and hostility towards Japan. These feelings are bound to Hikaru Kasahara remain as serious aftereffects, making cohabitation and solidarity even with those During the first term of the 2002 school considerate and humane people difficult. year, “Notebook of My Mind (kokoro no Above all, I worry that the young generation nooto)” was distributed to each school by will get tired of living as “.” means of the local boards of education through It is becoming harder and harder to live the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, normally and truthfully as one ought to live. Science and Technology to be given to all of Japan’s 11 million elementary and junior high school children. The notebook is considered to Footnotes (provided by the editorial staff): be a teaching aid for moral education, and as 1 The abduction issue: It had been believed that the North Korean government abducted some Japanese much as 730 million yen was spent on the who have been missing. At an official meeting production of the notebooks. The Ministry of between North Korea and Japan on September 17, Education, Culture, Sports, Science and 2002, the North Korean government officially Technology said that the use of notebooks was admitted the fact that they had abducted some not compulsory but, in July 2002, conducted a Japanese for the purpose of training spies. survey on the extent of distribution of the 2 The school uniform for Korean school female students is their traditional clothing, Chima-chogori. notebook to students, which put pressure on After the abduction incidents became public, these schools. By September, almost all schools had female students have faced harassment by having completed their distribution. their uniform cut. Since the establishment of the 3 The Japanese National Anthem. Literally Constitution and the Fundamental Law of translated, “Kimigayo” means “your [the Education and the start of post-war education Emperor’s] world.” 4 There was a rumor that Pachinko (Japanese in Japan, which was founded on individual pinball) parlors donated money illegally to the North human dignity, it has been maintained that Korean government. moral education should be conducted in 5 A booklet produced by the Ministry of Education. schools. The necessity of moral education has It focuses on morality but includes sections on been further highlighted with the advent of patriotism for Japan. more serious and recent issues including

bullying, refusal to attend school, and class

disruption. An increased incidence and (Young Kim: Freelance journalist) heinousness of juvenile delinquency (though

data has proven that crimes committed by youth have not become so heinous as believed) and a weakening in the ability of parents and families to discipline children has also

49 WOMEN’S ASIA 21 Voices from Japan No. 11 Summer 2003