[ED. Susan, a Korean-American born, raised and educated  in the States, spent some time in Korea, both teaching English
 and  learning about Korea.  This essay is based on experiences not only of her own, but also of her many friends who shared
 their experiences, opinions, and views with her.  In particular, Susan wants to share  in this essay the observed differences
 between the ethnic Koreans born and raised in America and those born and raised in Japan.  Susan has majored in History
 and Liberal Arts at SUNY-New Paltz and is planning to pursue her graduate study in the Korean Studies.  Susan is a member
 of SKAS.]
 

 During my time at the Korean Language Institute at Yonsei University,  I was fortunate to meet many young people from
 Japan.  Until then,  my primary interest in Japan had been its history with Korea.  But  the majority of students at KLI were
 from Japan.  Many were born to  Japanese parents, but there was an equally large number who like myself (born and raised
 in the US), are Korean but had been born and  raised in Japan and continue to live there.  I became close friends  with
 many of these Japanese students, spending countless days and  nights together, talking and enjoying each other's company.
 It is  the Korean-Japanese friends whose situation I find most interesting;  I feel they are the true victims of the contentious
 relationship  between Korea and Japan.

 Among the Korean-Japanese I came to know, I found widely diverse  views regarding their relationship with Japan.  Some
 of them were angry with Japan while others fully accepted their country of birth. Many wavered between the two extremes.
 But to an outsider like myself, coming from America where people of all nations are characteristically welcomed equally, I
 felt my Korean-Japanese counterparts were forced to lead what appeared to me to be highly complex personal lives.

 Many of my KJ friends do not even like the English words "Korean- Japanese". They feel that since "Japanese" is included
 in the wording, it implies that they have some Japanese blood when they are in fact totally of Korean origin.  Many of their
 parents had immigrated to Japan for a better life, as my parents had to America,  resulting in their being born in Japan.  In
 other cases, some were second or third generation of Koreans living in Japan. Instead of the English words
 "Korean-Japanese", they prefer the Korean title,  che-il-kyopo, the ethnic Koreans (kyopo) in Japan (che-il).
 [Korean-Americans, in this vein, would be che-mee-kyopo].

 All of my KJ friends were born in Japan and raised there.  The  language they speak at home is Japanese, the food they eat is
 essentially Japanese. They were all educated in Japan, attending  public schools and colleges. Most of their friends are
 Japanese, and  they date primarily Japanese people. Essentially, the culture they  identify most closely with is Japanese.

 Why their situation is so interesting to me is because the nature of their bias and/or prejudice they experience begins from their
 government.  Many of my KJ friends, as stated, are second or third generation.  Only a small fraction of their parents could
 even speak Korean.  And yet, although they and their parents were born  in Japan and lead full lives there, they are not
 considered Japanese  citizens and therefore are denied citizen rights.

 My friends who have lived in Japan their entire lives would like to  be Japanese citizens, but do not feel the sacrifice necessary
 for  citizenship is worth it.  For them to gain Japanese citizenship,  they would have to renounce their Korean nationality.
 Anything  that would identify them as Korean would have to be sacrificed.  Names would have to be changed to Japanese,
 erasing any Korean sounding names.

 Furthermore, many of my friends held two first and last names, one-Korean and one-Japanese.  Most used and were
 comfortable with their Japanese name, because it is what they had used since birth.   Some had told me if they had used
 their Korean name, they would have encountered prejudice on a daily basis.  Since they could not be identified as Korean
 by appearance, they felt without a Korean name to distinguish them, the subject of origin would not become an issue to
 friends, classmates, neighbors, teachers, and employers.  Also, they felt that if they used a Korean name when applying for
 a job, they might be immediately rejected without further  consideration.

 I asked my KJ friends how their Japanese friends felt about their  actually being Korean.  A surprising answer was that it had
 not become an issue because their friends never knew they were of Korean descent.  My friends and their families consciously
 lived no differently than the Japanese families that surrounded them.  This deception is based mainly on their need and desire
 to lead  normal lives without any unnecessary conflict.  An easy challenge  because their daily habits and lives mirrored those around them.

 Because of the close proximity of the two countries, there are many Japanese living in Korea and many Koreans living in
 Japan.  And within Japan, there are tight-knit communities of Koreans who  are protected from prejudice to some degree
 because of their strength of their numbers. Schools do exist for international  students which KJ attend and where they find
 camaraderie among others like themselves.  And I was told that there is pressure to  choose between KJ friends or Japanese
 friends in this tight-knit community.  As a result of these complex relationships, some KJ who have spent their entire lives in
 Japan feel as much hatred for  their adopted home as do Koreans living in their native country who  remember the ugly
 history of their two countries and have never so  much as visited Japan.

 This is a problem deeply imbedded in Japanese society, affecting every area of life, its culture, and its government.  One of the
 most contentious issues has centered around the textbooks approved  by the Ministry of Education for use in teaching history
 in middle and highschool throughout Japan.  School districts are permitted  to use any of the books on the
 government-approved list, but the list consistently includes large number of texts that distort 19th and 20th century history,
 and only a small number that are more  inclusive of events deemed painful to the Japanese.  The Korean and Chinese
 governments have objected strongly to this practice, arguing that the version of history being read and taught in most
 of these textbooks is deliberately misleading.  They feel that most of the Japanese texts are not truthful, failing to include
 verified information about events that took place in the decades of Japanese occupation of their countries. Obviously, this is a
 very delicate and complex issue, but it exemplifies the profound problems that still persist between Japan and its neighbors in
 East Asia.  For young people of Asian descent growing up in Japan, they continue to rouse painful emotions.  The Korean
 government  has threatened to take action against Japan if it fails to correct  the textbook material adequately.  Thus far the
 efforts have been limited to restricting Japanese imports on some items, and a few  other economic reprisals.  Many Koreans
 are convinced that the  failure of the Korean government to take meaningful action has resulted in perpetuating prejudices in
 Japan against them.

 The Japanese government has remained steadfast in its decision not to alter most of the texts that are taught to its youth.  The
 youth  in Korea however are fully aware of their country's history and what their ancestral nation was subjected to by the
 Japanese.  They are taught at home of the horrors of annexation, the murderous  suppression of opposition within Korea,
 the terrible suffering  endured by its young men and women, and, above all, the endless  Japanese efforts to suppress every
 trace of Korean culture within Korea for nearly half a century.  This is another challenge and tangible face of prejudice that
 KJ within Japan have to deal with as part of their struggle.  I can  imagine it leaves them with a profound sense of anger,
 confusion,  and sadness for the country they call their home.

 During my stay in Korea I taught young Korean students ESL.  Some of these students had read of the horrific events their
 country had survived at the hands of the Japanese and had consequently  developed a hatred for their eastern neighbor.
 Japan is of course an extremely powerful country, particularly in Asia.  Its close proximity to Korea gives it great influence
 in that country.  It  is also a powerful force in the world economy through its investments and its presence in world economic
 bodies.  To many in the world, Japan represents Asia.  Korean-Japanese often feel that Japan should act as a model in the
 region by disavowing her  wartime behavior through heartfelt governmental apology.  They  argue that they cannot completely
 feel part of Japan until Japan herself acknowledges the sins of her past in meaningful ways.

 Every country faces problems with its neighbors, but this  particular relationship is unfortunate for so many reasons.  These
 two countries are but two hundred miles away from each other, a mere two-hour plane ride. They share a tumultuous and
 hurtful past, and are constantly facing a challenging present and future.  Their struggles against one another no longer have
 to do with land and military superiority, but their conflict continues within the hearts and minds of the youth of both nations.