There is a large population of Koreans (now divided into North Korean and South Korean citizens) in Japan. In 1997, the number of Koreans living in Japan was estimated to be approximately 700,000 - mostly second- and third-generation Koreans who do not have Japanese citizenship, but whose native language is Japanese. Prejudice against Koreans still prevails today in Japanese government policies, as well as in the attitudes of many Japanese people. Koreans face difficulties in employment, obtaining passports, housing and marriage to Japanese.
Koreans are rarely employed by large companies and are not allowed to hold positions of management in the public sector, since the government regards these positions as positions of authority. The result of this exclusion is that unemployment rates for Koreans are substantially higher than those of the general population. Koreans are also disproportionately represented in unskilled and semi-skilled jobs. There are other areas in which Koreans are discriminated against. Even though they pay taxes, they are not allowed to vote, nor are they allowed all the same welfare benefits as Japanese. Until 1982 they received no state pensions. The Japanese government has offered neither pensions nor official compensation to Korean women who were made to work as "Comfort Women" (Korean women forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army).
Some Koreans in Japan, mainly those with South Korean nationality, have been able to acquire Japanese citizenship to overcome problems of employment, housing, and marriage. Other Koreans "pass" as Japanese, using Japanese names and endure a double life. It is rumored that a prominent member of the Japanese national soccer team as well as other famous celebrities have Korean roots. It is nearly impossible to discover the truth; however, as few are willing to “come out”.
