Zainichi
There are about 600,000 ethnic Koreans who are permanent residents in Japan today. The term ‘Zainichi’ (from the Japanese, meaning ‘staying in Japan’) is used to refer to them. Most of them are descendants of migrants who were forcefully brought as laborers to Japan when the Korean peninsula was annexed to the Japanese empire. In Japan, there are 98 Korean schools are the only schools in the world that are strongly affiliated to DPRK. The school is the core place where they share the meaning of their existence. But such schools do not seem to find a proper space within the Japanese territory; the Japanese Ministry of Education does not officially recognize them as regular institutions. In addition, due to the political tension between Japan and DPRK,students at Korean schools have often been subjected to harassment and discrimination. Japanese media and journalists do not pay attention to the community or the schools
The reason why I chose this theme is that I want to tell their story since their existence is virtually “invisible”.
A few years back I visited Hiroshima Korean school, which has 196 students now. Although there is a stereotype about the school saying that they are insular and secretive, the teachers and students welcomed me very friendly and openly. I was staying with student at their school dormitory while I was documenting their life.
I noticed during my work that there is a variety of reasons why students want to attend the school, as well as different perceptions about their homeland. In addition, even though most of them were born in Japan and were raised in Japan and speak Japanese perfectly、it seems that many students feel alienation in Japanese society. And it is not easy to capture visually. I would like to use this opportunity to broaden my vision.I have always been curious about how they feel and how they see Japanese society. The Korean minorities are largely neglected. Since Zainichi Korean look like Japanese, they cannot be singled out by their physical appearance. As a photographer, I want to share everyday life with the students and gain a better understanding of their complex realities.
There are about 600,000 ethnic Koreans who are permanent residents in Japan today. The term ‘Zainichi’ (from the Japanese, meaning ‘staying in Japan’) is used to refer to them. Most of them are descendants of migrants who were forcefully brought as laborers to Japan when the Korean peninsula was annexed to the Japanese empire. In Japan, there are 98 Korean schools are the only schools in the world that are strongly affiliated to DPRK. The school is the core place where they share the meaning of their existence. But such schools do not seem to find a proper space within the Japanese territory; the Japanese Ministry of Education does not officially recognize them as regular institutions. In addition, due to the political tension between Japan and DPRK,students at Korean schools have often been subjected to harassment and discrimination. Japanese media and journalists do not pay attention to the community or the schools
The reason why I chose this theme is that I want to tell their story since their existence is virtually “invisible”.
A few years back I visited Hiroshima Korean school, which has 196 students now. Although there is a stereotype about the school saying that they are insular and secretive, the teachers and students welcomed me very friendly and openly. I was staying with student at their school dormitory while I was documenting their life.
I noticed during my work that there is a variety of reasons why students want to attend the school, as well as different perceptions about their homeland. In addition, even though most of them were born in Japan and were raised in Japan and speak Japanese perfectly、it seems that many students feel alienation in Japanese society. And it is not easy to capture visually. I would like to use this opportunity to broaden my vision.I have always been curious about how they feel and how they see Japanese society. The Korean minorities are largely neglected. Since Zainichi Korean look like Japanese, they cannot be singled out by their physical appearance. As a photographer, I want to share everyday life with the students and gain a better understanding of their complex realities.