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60 (Lee 1981a, 162)
(Lee 1981a, 162)
In contrast to the stringent policy of assimilation applied in Korea, resident Koreans in Japan were ignored until after the depression of the 1930s, which caused severe unemployment among Koreans. A rising crime rate and left-wing agitation among the Koreans stirred Japanese officials to action. The Social Welfare Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior undertook a study and recommended instituting an assimilation policy similar to that in Korea. As a result, a substantial amount of money was set aside in the 1936 budget to initiate an assimilation program, officially designated as Kyouwa jigyou (Project for the Japanization of Koreans).
To implement the program, the Kyowa Association was organized under the direct supervision of the Ministry of the Interior in 1939, with branches in each prefecture and smaller units in cities and towns. All Korean residents in Japan were compelled to hold membership in the association and were required to carry their membership cards at all times. In reality, the creation of the Kyowa Association had a dual purpose. One was to assimilate the Koreans, and the other was to control any potential subversive activities among them. The first Kyowa National Conference, convened in Tokyo in December 1940, adopted the following pledge:
1. In accordance with the wishes of Emperor’s universal benevolence, we pledge to become loyal Japanese subjects.
2. In accordance with the principle of the Imperial way, we pledge to devote ourselves to public service.
3. In accordance with the principle of unity, we pledge to reform and improve our life style.
The Kyowa project was literally designed to restructure the souls of Koreans to conform to an Imperial Japanese society. Included in these programs were the changing of Korean names, compulsory Shinto worship, and the learning of Japanese language and customs. Adult classes were established in local areas to teach not only the language but also the “Japanese way” of family life. Especially for Korean women, classes were conducted to teach Japanese cooking and sewing and even Japanese marriage and funeral ceremonies. Korean children were already attending Japanese public schools, in which it was assumed all children were “Japanese” in cultural heritage.
