"ウトロ 51" and the Peace Memorial Hall to Inherit and Record the History of "North Koreans and Koreans in Japan"

On the 30th of last month, the "ウトロ Peace Memorial Hall (ウトロ Peace Memorial Hall )", which inherits the historical memory of Japan and the Korean Peninsula, was officially opened in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture.

"ウトロ Peace Memorial Hall" is located at "ウトロ 51", which is a 10-minute walk from Isetan Station on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line. This area was a settlement of Korean workers before World War II for the construction of a Kyoto airfield. After World War II, they still chose to stay in Japan. A settlement of Korean and Korean people with deep roots in Japan.

The development of "ウトロ51" not only records the history of Koreans and Koreans in Japan, but also a true portrayal of the lives of Koreans and Koreans in Japan.

Regarding the place name of ウトロ, according to research, it should have been originally "Utuguchi (pronounced: ウトグチ)", which means the land that goes to Uji. However, there was a sound change in the middle, and the pronunciation of "口 (グチ)" in Chinese characters became "ロ" in katakana, and it was changed to the pinyin method of using katakana. Currently, local place names must be indicated in katakana in Japanese. Considering that katakana is indeed one of the ways that Koreans and Koreans in Japan spell Korean, this article regards "ウトロ" as a symbol, and the whole text is called ウトロ, and will not be converted to the old Chinese character designation "Utukou" .

Before the war, it was the scheduled site of the military Kyoto airfield.

Back in time to 1939. At that time, the Empire of Japan decided to build five military airports in mainland Japan. One of them, the Kyoto Airfield, was located on a land of about 11,000 square meters in Uji City.

This project was undertaken by the half-government and half-civilian national policy company "Japan International Aviation Industry Corporation", and was contracted to the Takenaka Group (present-day Takenaka Public Works Store), Okura Group (present-day Dasei Construction) and Otori Group (present-day Big Bird Construction) )Responsible. Of the approximately 2,000 workers recruited for the construction at the time, 1,300 are believed to be North Korean workers.

Good job with no draft and family

These Korean laborers are not necessarily directly recruited from the Korean peninsula, but after the Korean peninsula became a colony of the Japanese Empire (1910), due to factors such as colonial policies (for example, farmers lost their farmland due to land surveys in the early stage), etc. Had to leave the Korean peninsula in search of a better job, and came to the interior (= present-day Japan). However, after arriving in Japan, they may not be able to find good jobs, and most of them can only find low-wage manual work, such as the Kyoto Airport is an example. Compared with other physical work, the top floor of the Kyoto Airfield is a job contracted by the state, which is relatively stable and can be exempted from conscription.

The current "ウトロ51" is the "dining place" of the Kyoto Airfield before World War II.

What is the "Restaurant System"?
The "dinner system" was a labor system in which simple workshops were built near the open spaces of mines and civil engineering before World War II. At first glance, it sounds like the benefits are good, but the actual situation is that the laborers are tied to the construction site, separated from the external environment, and forced labor (forced labor, Japanese writing "forced labor"). Not only that, most of the foremen in charge of operating the restaurant are middle- and lower-level foreman after subcontracting. Therefore, the bottom-level laborers who live and work under the restaurant system are also the most severely exploited bottom-level laborers.
Similar concepts or phrases include the "Naya system" in coal mines and the "タコbuya" in Hokkaido - doing physical work in a (coal) mine or large (public) construction in Hokkaido is like being caught in an octopus pot. The octopus, no matter how hard she worked and how much she struggled to the death, couldn't break free from the octopus pot—
After World War II, the "dinner system", "the house system" and "タコbuya" have all become historical terms, because Article 5 of Japan's "Labor Standards Law (労働 Standards Law)" in post-war Japan expressly prohibits forced labor, Chapter 10 (Articles 94 to 96-3) There are also regulations regarding boarding and dormitories (boarding houses).

Dirty living and working environment

In 1942, Wen Guang (ムン・クワンジャ), who came to work at the restaurant at the present "ウトロ51" with her husband, recalled that the restaurant at that time was divided into 6 households, and there were only simple partitions in the middle. You can directly see the house next door; no matter how many people there are in your family, each household is a 6-tatami plus 3-4 tatami-sized earthen room (編註：「土間」是傳統日式建築內，房子裡沒有另外鋪地板，需要穿鞋、直接是泥地的區域，多半是入口玄關與廚房), and the roof is only a thin cedar bark, which will leak in rainy days, cold in winter and hot in summer; toilets and wells are shared. , not even a bathroom equipment.

At that time, Wen Guang's husband, like other men in "ウトロ51", had to move earth and rocks before dawn, and didn't go home until sunset. As for Wenguang, he and the other girls cooked the meals for the entire restaurant. In this way, they worked all the way until 1945. The military supply factory in the territory of "ウトロ51" was completely destroyed by air raids in July, and the construction of the Kyoto Airfield was also ended in August after the defeat of the war.

"North Koreans and Koreans in Japan" who choose to stay in Japan

Just like the Koreans who came to the Japanese mainland before the war, although the Korean peninsula was no longer a Japanese colony after the end of the war, everyone had already settled deeply in the Japanese mainland, and even if they returned to the Korean peninsula, they may not be able to find relatives. In addition, the Jeju April 3 Incident and the Korean War broke out on the Korean peninsula after the war, and it may not be better to return to the Korean peninsula immediately, so some Koreans who came to Japan before the war chose to continue to live in Japan.

After all, it may not be better to go back to the Korean peninsula immediately. Maybe if you stay in Japan for a while, you will be able to wait until the day when the South and North Korea are reunified. If you return to the Korean Peninsula, if you still have to separate the South and North Korea from your relatives, then you will be able to live with your loved ones. What is the difference between being separated from relatives in Japan? Or, the hometown on both sides of the husband and wife, one is north of the 38th line, and the other is south of the 38th line, which side of the hometown to go back to is also a problem, it is better to stay in Japan, the family can still live in live together.

The Koreans who chose to stay in Japan after the war were the so-called "Koreans in Japan": they came to the Japanese mainland from the colonial Korean peninsula before the war, but they lost their Japanese nationality after the war and could use " Koreans with special permanent residence status and descendants living permanently in Japan.

Postwar law and policy is institutional discrimination

It must be noted that today these "Korean and Korean people in Japan", or the "Taiwanese in Japan" who lived in mainland Japan before the war, what would they be living on this land today? Why was Japanese nationality lost after the war? This is all related to the hegemony and oppression of the Japanese government.

After the war, the people of the former colonies should be given the right to choose their nationality. The people who came to the "inland" before the war were those who wanted to stay in the "inland" after the war, the former colonial mother country should protect the rights of these people. As a result, the Japanese nationality of these former colonies who chose to stay in the "inland" was directly abolished without taking this aspect into consideration at the time. Not only that, but subsequent policies have treated these ex-colonial descendants who stayed in the "inland" as foreigners, and the institutional separation of ex-colonial descendants from "Japanese" is a form of institutional discrimination. To this day, these "North Koreans and Koreans in Japan" or "Taiwanese in Japan" who choose to stay in the "Mainland" and obtain "special permanent residence status", if they do not change their nationality to Japan, they do not have full suffrage.

Why write "North Korean and Korean in Japan"?
In early Japanese, only "Korean in Japan" was actually written, because the birthplace indicated on the identity note was "North Korea". "North Korea" here does not mean "North Korea = North Korea", but the Korean Peninsula. Before World War II, since the Korean peninsula became a Japanese colony, people from the Korean peninsula have always been labeled as "Korean" or referred to themselves as "Korean".
However, after World War II, the Korean peninsula was divided into north and south, and the north of the 38th line became "North Korea", and the south of the 38th line became "South Korea (South Korea)." Under the Cold War framework, Japan in the US-Japan alliance naturally chose to regard South Korea (South Korea) as the representative regime on the Korean Peninsula, and "North Korea" became synonymous with "North Korea". Coupled with the deepening of the conflict and mistrust between Japan and North Korea, people are generally very cold about the word "North Korea", and even (because of the public's ignorance) mistakenly regard "North Korea" representing the Korean peninsula as "North Korea", It is believed that the "Koreans in Japan" are pro-North Korea, or even spies sent by North Korea, and there is a call for the "Koreans in Japan" to be renamed "Koreans in Japan (Koreans in Japan)".
In fact, there are indeed pro-North Korean or pro-South Korean factions in the "Japanese-North Korean-South Korean" community (just as foreigners in the sea have different pro-Republic of China and Taiwan factions), and a large part of them hope to be able to Seeing the day of cooperation and reunification between the North and the South, after all, many people's elders chose to stay in Japan because of the division of the North and the South.
In order to avoid being misunderstood by (the ignorant public) "North Koreans in Japan" as being pro-North Koreans, the pro-South Korean faction started calling themselves "Koreans in Japan"; "People", in recent years, in Japanese academic research or news reports, the writing method of "Japanese コリアン (Korean)" is commonly used. But in fact, if you actually have contact with "North Koreans and Koreans in Japan", you will find that each person chooses to use the self-proclaimed differently. The term used by the client to refer to himself as "in Japan", "Korean in Japan", "Korean in Japan" or "Japanese コリアン" can reflect the background of the client's growth (family, community, school, etc.) to a certain extent. factors) or political identity.
Because in Chinese writing, writing "Japanese コリアン" as "Japanese Korean" is not in line with the Chinese usage situation, so this site has long used the term "Japanese Koreans and Koreans" to refer to this group of people.

ウトロ into the forgotten land

After the war, the construction of the Kyoto Airfield was terminated, and the "Japan International Aviation Industry Corporation" responsible for the Kyoto Airfield project was also transformed into the "Nihon Kogyo Co., Ltd." in the following year (1946), which liquidated the assets of the old munitions industry, and then turned into a special replacement. Nippon Kogyo Co., Ltd., which manufactures trucks and buses for the U.S. military.

In this process, "ウトロ51" is like a forgotten land, not listed as a prewar asset of "Japan International Aviation Industry Corporation". The Japanese who originally worked together on this land before the war, He also gradually left after the Kyoto Airfield project was terminated. In the end, the only people who stayed at "ウトロ 51" were the "North Koreans and Koreans in Japan" who had lived here since before the war.

Not only that, but the "North Koreans and Koreans in Japan" who continued to live in "ウトロ51" after the war had to find a way to continue living even though their wages and living security were gone. Although I still live in a humble house like the "dining room" before the war, I have at least found a space as an ethnic school where children can learn Korean. "I heard that there are many compatriots here, and they also gathered in "ウトロ51" to live together, exchange information, and support each other.

The problem of land property rights is difficult to solve

However, the unresolved property rights issue of "ウトロ51 Fandi" will cause more trouble in the future.

For a long time, "ウトロ51" has been a forgotten land. There is no running water and no sewers. Compared with other places in Japan, the quality of life is not even "ordinary". Finally, in 1988, Uji City finally sent people to "ウトロ51" to set up water pipes and sewers. At that time, everyone was preparing to celebrate that there was finally running water, but then they received a notice of forced eviction. It was only then that everyone discovered that their home had been sold.

The property rights of the land were sold without the knowledge of the residents

As mentioned earlier, "ウトロ51" was land that belonged to "Japan International Aviation Industry Corporation" before the war. After many consolidations after the war, the land ownership finally fell to Nissan's affiliated company "Nissan Car Body (Nissan Car Body)" "Hands. On the same day that Nissan Body submitted the consent to the installation of underground water pipelines to Uji City, there was a self-proclaimed "ウトロ Autonomous Chairman" Hirayama Tsukuo (Xuchang Jiu), who spent 300 million yen to buy " "ウトロ51" is a land of 21,000 square meters.

At that time, there were 80 households and a total of 380 people living in "ウトロ 51", and none of the households knew that the land they lived in had been sold.

Not only that, Mr. Hirayama, who bought the land for 300 million yen, sold the land to his own company, West Japan Colony, for 445 million yen two months later. Direct cash earned 145 million yen. The forced eviction notices received by the residents of "ウトロ51" came from the West Japan Colony.

Court of Appeal still loses

From the perspective of the West Japan Plantation Company, the property rights of "ウトロ51" are in their own hands, so all the residents who live in "ウトロ51" are "illegal occupation". Seeing that the residents of "ウトロ51" were not moved even if they received the forced eviction notice, in addition to filing a complaint with the Kyoto District Court, the West Japan Colony Company also drove the truck directly to the entrance of "ウトロ51" in an attempt to intimidate into force. Demolition of all homes.

After this case was appealed to the court, even if the residents of "ウトロ51" claimed that the time they lived in "ウトロ51" had already exceeded the 20-year limitation period in the Civil Code, they could be registered as real estate owners after 20 years, but The court still believed that the residents of "ウトロ51" had no legal rights. In 1997, it suggested that all the residents of "ウトロ51" should buy "ウトロ51" in one go at a total price of 1.4 billion yen and reached a settlement.

But this amount was too high, and the negotiations broke down. "ウトロ51" lost the first and second trials one after another, and even the third trial was rejected. At the end of 2000, the Supreme Court determined that the residents of "ウトロ51" lost the lawsuit, and all the residents of "ウトロ51" needed to move out of "ウトロ51" and take back all the buildings on the land.

South Korea raises money to buy property

During this period of time, the residents and support groups of "ウトロ 51" kept petitioning, hoping that the government could recite the historical factors, so that the residents of "ウトロ 51" could continue to live on this land, but they all died. Even if the Supreme Court ruled against the residents of "ウトロ51" in 2000, there were no residents who were forcibly evicted from "ウトロ51".

Until 2004, the residents of "ウトロ51" went to South Korea to participate in a seminar on international residence issues, which greatly increased the exposure of "ウトロ51" in the Korean and international media. In the following year (2005), South Korea formed the "ウトロ International Countermeasures Conference (ウトロ International Countermeasures Conference)" to raise funds. About 160,000 Korean citizens participated in the event, and many Korean artists responded. In 2007, during the presidency of Roh Moo-hyun, the Korean National Assembly decided to allocate 3 billion won to help the residents of "ウトロ51" to buy the land.

The current "ウトロ51"

The current "ウトロ51" has 1,152 pings purchased by a Korean government consortium in 2012, and another 830 pings purchased by a Japanese private foundation in 2011. And by the Japanese government, Kyoto prefecture and Uji city in a corner of "ウトロ51" to build 2 public housing. The first one was finally completed in 2018, and the other is still under construction.

According to statistics in 2005, there were 65 households in "ウトロ51" with about 200 residents. Among the 200 or so residents

1. The first generation and their descendants who participated in the Kyoto airfield project before the war
2. There are relatives who were engaged in work related to the Kyoto Airfield before the war, but are not relatives of the immediate family
3. The family and their descendants who moved to "ウトロ 51" after the war

Each accounted for 1/3. Among the 65 households, 30 households had senior citizens over the age of 65, and 16 of them had no co-occupants under the age of 65. The population was seriously aging.

Not only that, in contrast, only 1% of the residents in Uji City live on government-issued living allowances, while in "ウトロ51" the proportion is 20%. Most of the descendants of "ウトロ51" have higher economic strength than the first generation of immigrants after the war, or the first generation after the war, resulting in young people moving out of "ウトロ51" and finally staying in "ウトロ51" The residents of Fandi are relatively disadvantaged groups.

Vicious arson on the eve of the start of the Peace Memorial Hall

Today, the land problem of "ウトロ51" has also been solved, and the government is also building public housing. Has the problem of "ウトロ51" been solved?

On August 30, 2021, "ウトロ51" was set on fire. Although there were no casualties, 5 buildings were completely destroyed and 2 buildings were half burned. Construction was originally scheduled to start next month (2021/9) Part of the "ウトロ Peace Memorial Hall" was also destroyed.

Not the first time targeting the "Korean and Korean in Japan" community

The arsonist is a 22-year-old former hospital employee who lives in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture. The motive for the crime is a hate crime of "hatred of North Koreans", and this is not the first time this arsonist has committed a crime - in 2018, the North Ge branch of the Korean National League in Japan was set on fire in Yamato Takada City, Nara Prefecture, and it was the same murderer. , but the prosecution decided not to prosecute at the time.

NHK Kyoto branch reporter Oyama Shiori, who has interviewed many times about "North Korean and Korean in Japan" hate speech or discrimination issues, said that in his career as a reporter, he has never encountered a "North Korean and Korean in Japan" at home. Arson. And the culprit will be arrested this time, because other arson cases are also aimed at the "North Korean and Korean people in Japan" community. After arresting people, it was unexpected that "ウトロ51" was maliciously set on fire.

Inconsistent with the facts, knowing that it is a hate crime but committing it

After the incident, the NHK interview team met with the arsonist many times, hoping to find out what the killer's real motive was. At first, the arsonist argued that "ウトロ51" was an illegal occupation of land, and now he has to use taxes to build the Peace Memorial Hall and public residences.

But when the reporter told the man that (1) "ウトロ51" is now legally purchased land, and (2) the Peace Memorial Museum was not built with Japanese nationals' taxes, the man still maintained that "even if the tax was not spent, It doesn't change my doubts about building the memorial," and said, "It is also a way to eliminate national dissatisfaction with hatred." It can be seen that the arsonist did know that what he did was a hate crime, and he believed that doing so was a hate crime. is allowed.

Whether to increase the weight of the sentence will be sentenced to sexual intercourse

At present, the arsonist has been charged with "arson of a building other than his current residence", and his first court hearing was held in the Kyoto District Court on the 16th of this month.

However, although Japan signed the United Nations "International Convention on theElimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination " as early as 1995, and established the "Hate Speech Elimination Law ( ヘイトスピーチ Elimination Law )" in June 2016, but this Act does not have any penalties, There are certain difficulties in implementation. Not only that, Japan's criminal judgments so far have never encountered a case that requires a heavier sentence on the grounds of "racial discrimination". Therefore, this lawsuit has a certain representativeness, and it is worth continuing to observe.

Open without fear of difficulties

Even though "ウトロ 51" suffered a disaster at the "ウトロ Peace Memorial Hall" on the eve of the start of construction, the "ウトロ Peace Memorial Hall" still officially opened a month ago.

"ウトロ Peace Memorial Hall" is a new three-story building. The first floor is a public space for community residents to communicate, and the second and third floors are the museum exhibition area. Currently, the second floor is a permanent exhibition that reproduces the life of the residents of "ウトロ51", and the third floor will be used as a special exhibition. In addition, in the outdoor exhibition area of "ウトロ Peace Memorial Hall", there are also sinks and signboards that were burned by arsonists last year. Not far from the exhibition hall is the area where arson was fired at that time. The history of "ウトロ 51" is not only stored in "ウトロ 51" In the Peace Memorial Hall, but the entire "ウトロ51", from the past to the future, is a microcosm of the life of "North Koreans and Koreans in Japan" on the land of Japan.

At present, there are 60 households with about 100 households in "ウトロ51", and 40 households have moved into the first public housing completed in 2017. The second building was originally scheduled to be completed in 2020 and is still under construction. After the second building is also completed, "ウトロ51" may not be able to see the scenery of the "dining room" ruins. If there is no "ウトロ Peace Memorial Museum" to preserve this history and the records of the residents' lives in "ウトロ 51", if the history of "North Koreans and Koreans in Japan" continues to disappear from Japanese textbooks, it is difficult to guarantee that it will be passed on in the near future. More hate crimes against "North Koreans and Koreans in Japan".

Hate crimes are not desirable, regardless of the group they are directed against.

This article is simultaneously published in Ishikawa Kaori's Japanese Current Affairs まとめ translation , and the website version can see the live photos embedded in Twitter.