North Koreans in Japan rally against Shinzo Abe’s move to axe funding for Pyongyang-linked schools
- In Japan, 10,000 ethnic North Korean pupils are enrolled at an estimated 70 schools associated with the Kim Jong-un regime
- The North Korean view of the world is taught at these schools, which were set up after World War II for the children of forced labourers
The group, also known in Japanese as Chosen Soren, will begin its demonstration with more than an hour of speeches and rallying cries. Members will then march through the nearby Kasumigaseki district, where many Japanese ministries, including the education ministry, are located.
“We expect many young mothers to take part in the protest, along with children who are presently going to kindergarten,” said Han Gyon-hui, a professor of library and information studies at the Tokyo-based Korea University, established by Chongryon in 1956.
“We believe that cancelling the financial support is discrimination against Koreans living in Japan because a lot of parents want their children to go to a Korean kindergarten but they cannot always afford it,” Han said.
“It is the government’s duty to support them,” she added. “I feel that this is another policy against North Korea, and the Japanese government does not want any North Korean schools here.”