By Jay Kim
In early 1996, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan invited several U.S. congressmen to visit Japan. Japan is always a favorable place to visit; however, coincidentally there was an invitation to visit Europe at the same time, and many people chose Europe. So I ended up going to Japan alone. I had never visited Japan, even though it was so closely situated to Korea, and was very excited about my first visit to Tokyo.
When I arrived at Haneda Airport, I was greeted by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as members of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Some Koreans living in Japan, including a few pretty ladies, welcomed me with flowers. I first checked in at the embassy, guided by the ministry officials. I then checked in at the New Otani Hotel. My hotel room was so big and luxurious. From the room, I could see the palace where the emperor of Japan lived and a Koreatown called Akasaka. That evening, I had dinner with some visiting American businessmen.
When a U.S. congressman visits a foreign country, before anything else, he first receives a detailed briefing from the American Embassy in the country. He then has dinner with the American businessmen residing in the country, each of whom is introduced personally, and listens to any difficulties that they may have. The embassy aides and officials usually record these concerns and issues, and present them to the Japanese high officials the next day, with the hopes of securing promises from them to improve the situation.
In a sense, the purpose of a U.S. congressman’s trip to a foreign nation is to help improve the relationship between the two nations, as well as to help U.S. business in that nation. It seems that the purpose of the U.S. Embassy there is mainly to protect and improve the business relationships between the two nations as well. I think that the way that Congress and the administration together help the U.S. corporations in foreign countries is the source of the success of American corporations throughout the world.
I had a day open before I would meet with the prime minister of Japan. Before the dinner with the U.S. businessmen, I received a message that a few Korean residents in Japan had come to the hotel lobby to meet me. They were members of the Korean Residents Union in Japan ? its president, director, and some board members. The director was a son of Sohn Kee-chung, the famous Olympic gold medal-winning marathoner. They asked if I could spend the open day with them. I readily agreed, and immediately called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask for understanding. They told me that although the breakfast meeting for the next day could not be moved, they could move the dinner meeting to allow me to have two days to spend with the Korean residents. I repeatedly thanked them.
The next day, I went to the office of the Korean Residents Union, located in the heart of Tokyo. They owned a quite large six-story building, and I was told that its tenants were also mainly people involved with the Korean residents. The building also had an auditorium; it was so different from the shabby building of a Korean association that I saw in the U.S. We visited Akasaka in the evening. The town was quite clean and, aside from the Korean signs, did not look so different from other Japanese towns in Tokyo.
Koreatowns in the U.S. are usually formed in less affluent areas and centered on Korean restaurants. Later, as the town quickly develops, the price of real estate in the area generally skyrockets. For example, the Koreatown on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles was a tough area, full of illegal immigrants and close to the dangerous southern part of LA. As Koreans cleaned up and revived the area, modern buildings were built, and real estate prices soared. A place called Annandale, near Washington, D.C., was also underdeveloped and full of immigrants standing on building corners seeking day work, but Korean merchants arrived and helped change it into a beautiful Koreatown. Tokyo was different ? the Koreatown there was located in a splendid area as good as any other part of the city.
During our dinner at a Korean bulgogi restaurant, there were a few Japanese customers in a neighboring room making too much noise. We asked them to tone it down both in Korean and Japanese, and they became quiet. Curious about this, I asked how this could be, and was told that Japanese people were being polite because it was a Koreatown. I wondered to myself if Americans would do the same. However, as they told me their stories, I learned that there was severe ethnic discrimination against Korean residents in Japan, which led many of them to use Japanese names. They said that those with Korean names like Kim, Park and Lee wouldn’t even get loans from banks, or interviews for government positions. I was told that the Japanese were not blatant with their discrimination, but rather deceptive.
The next day, I met the Japanese prime minister. Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and his chief of staff sat together, with an interpreter in the middle. After talking about several matters, I asked about the systematic racial discrimination against Korean residents in Japan. I told them it was a disgrace to their ancestors and homelands for them to have to change their names to Japanese names in order for them to hold higher office in Japan. I pointed out that Norman Mineta and Bob Matsui were elected to the U.S. Congress with Japanese names and I had been elected with my Korean name. I emphasized that the issue with bank loans deserved investigation from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
The prime minister was surprised. He called the minister of home affairs, assuring me that that must not be the case. He told me that racial discrimination was absolutely illegal in Japan, and asked me to contact him if I found out about any cases of discrimination, giving me his cards. He also gave me a copy of the anti-racial discrimination law passed in early 1980. I could not find words, so I thanked him and changed the subject in a hurry.
When I returned to the hotel from the meeting, several Koreans were waiting for me. They all seemed to be interested in the result of the meeting. A little angrily, I relayed to them what the home affairs minister had told me about the anti-discrimination laws, asking them why they hadn’t told me that that law already existed. I was surprised by their answer ? even though the law existed, there was no punishment for the offenders. What, then, was the point of having the law? I called the home affairs minister right away, but he was not in the office. I decided to ask him at the dinner party I was attending the next day. He was very polite, and assured me he would look into it.
My stay in Japan was a very exciting and pleasant experience, and overall I was quite impressed with the country. I wanted to visit again and again.
Jay Kim is a former U.S. congressman. He serves as chairman of the Washington Korean-American Forum. For more information, visit Kim’s website (www.jayckim.com).
Source: www.koreatimes.co.kr
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