MULTICULTURAL LIBRARIANSHIP IN JAPANby
Kawamura Hiroshi*"A sense of discrimination and even racism against. Korean neighbours in ourcommunity dies hard and often demonstrates itself as an expression of deplorable
insensitivity to our responsibility for the past."- The Japan Times, 26 May 1990
1

An experimental approach of Ikuno Library

Approximately 70% of foreign residents in Japan are Korean citizens. More than 8people out of 1000 residents in Japan, 0n average, are of Korean origin. In Osaka
Prefecture, which has the largest population of Korean origin, 36 individuals out of1000 residents are Koreans. In particular, in some of the wards of Osaka City called
Ikuno-ku, we can find more than 200 permanent residents with Korean nationality
out of every 1000 residents.1
I could find only one public library which has a collection focussing on library needs of
Korean residents after I had completed a survey on multicultural library services
throughout the country on behalf of the Japan Library Association.
The Ikuno Library, a branch of Osaka City Library, is located near "Korea Town" in
Ikuno-ku, Osaka City. According to MR. H Kiryu,2 a librarian involved in services to
Korean readers, at the beginning of his work in Ikuno Library, he was not aware offoreign residents although there was a Korean community near the library. Of course,
he had no conception of the lack of library services to Koreans.
During 1987, the fingerprinting requirements issue raised by residents with foreign
nationalities,3 together with the Seoul Olympic Games, made the librarians of Ikuno
Library aware of the Korean residents around them. The library had a lot of users
looking for books on the fingerprinting issue, sources of the history of Koreans in
Ikuno-ku, information on Korean language schools, Korean newspapers, etc.
* MR. Kawamura works in the Reference Service of the University of Tokyo Libraryand is a member of the Standing Committee of IFLA Section of Libraries for the Blind.
This paper was first presented at the 56th General Conference of IFLA, Stockholm, on
22 August 1990
Since the library could not meet these requests sufficiently at that time, MR. Kiryu
visited a small private library operated by volunteers4 and a book store concentratingon Korean books called Seoul Shorin. Through these visits, he became aware of theprofound problems., including the crisis of self-identity, to which the second and third
generation of Korean residents, who were born in Japan and are expected to live inJapan permanently, are facing.
The majority of the third generation of Korean residents speak Japanese as a first
language. Korean children with good Korean language, who are very few, have nochance to make use of it. The majority of Korean children attend public elementary
schools (6 years) or junior high schools (3 years) administered by local governments,
where they have no chance of learning the Korean language or Korean culture.5
Brides who came recently from the Korean Peninsular encountered the barrier oflanguage and culture as well.
Having found these facts, librarians at Ikuno Library reached a decision to set up asmall library collection on Korea or in the Korean language, called the "Korean Books
Corner".
It was on 1 June 1988 that the first experimental public library service speciallyintended to serve Korean residents in Japan was launched., At the beginning, thecollection consisted of a total of 700 volumes, including only 50 in Korean. It has now
grown to 1200 volumes, of which 200 volumes are in Korean. Once the "Korean Books
Corner" had been started, a stream of requests for books on Korea became apparent.
Before it was opened, there were no requests for such topics at all. As MR. Kiryu
points out - "the library went unnoticed".62

Invisible library needs of the Korean residents

Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsular throughout 1910 - 1945 brought
millions of Koreans to Japan. They were sent to battle fields as Japanese soldiers,
were killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic bombs, and were exposed to theharsh discrimination and prejudice which were systematically strengthened by theEmperor-State Government. No public schools, either in Japan or in the Korean
Peninsular, provided education in Korean, with the exception of unofficial nightschools supported by conscientious Japanese, who were to be totally oppressed during
the war.7,8
Public libraries throughout the country were organized by the Ministry of Education
with the idea of encouraging in the public a "correct" idea of the Emperor-State
heritage. None of the Japanese public libraries had an opportunity of meeting theneeds of the Koreans, who were eager to keep their own language, texts, and cultural
heritage, and not least their self identification.9,10

It is said that there were 2,300,000 Korean people living in Japan when Imperial
Japan was defeated in 1945. Most of them were successful in returning to their
homeland, but about 600,000 Koreans were not able to leave Japan. These Koreans
had Japanese nationality until the conclusion of the Peace Treaty with Japan in 1952,
when Korean residents were deprived of their Japanese nationality without any
choice.11
Even after World War II, Korean schools were not accredited as normal schools by theJapanese government. Moreover, Korean schools which rented facilities from local
governments were forced to close in 1948 by order of the General Headquarters of theAllied Powers and the Japanese government. A 16-year old Korean boy was shot andkilled by police on 26 April 1948 in front of the Osaka Prefectural Office when
Koreans requesting negotiation on their schools were attacked by a police troop armed
with guns. To date, in Japan there are approximately 160 Korean schools, including
one university managed by Koreans.12 They are not accredited, but until now aretreated as "miscellaneous" schools.13
According to the findings of a survey on Korean citizens living in Kanagawa
Prefecture at the end of 1984,14 more than 90% of Koreans have both a Korean nameand a Japanese name. More than 70% of the Koreans were afraid of, or had
experience of, racial discrimination against Koreans in the classroom and/or on theway to school. Use of their Japanese names is a measure of self protection by which
they may hide their ethnic background to avoid insupportable attacks of racial
discrimination. The realities of both visible and hidden discrimination against
Koreans in all aspects of social life, such as employment, the education system,
including library services, marriage, housing, etc, have discouraged them in thedevelopment of their ethnic identity.
Professor Kim, who is the first Korean professor with life-tenure in a Prefectural
University in Japan, pointed out that the exceptionally high rate of suicide among
Korean residents in the Osaka Prefecture is a result of the loss of self-identity, causedby the discrimination against Koreans. Because of this he appealed to Koreanbrothers and sisters living in Japan to purchase books written by Korean residents, sothat they could share their identity and express their feelings, agonies anddiscriminations through the mass-media.15 I found, when I spoke to Professor Kim in
1988, that he had not at that time given any consideration to public libraries.
Hence, I may summarise, that although there were several private libraries managed
by Koreans, there existed no public library services intentionally meeting the needs ofthe Korean residents, who were struggling for self-identification within a severelydiscriminatory society, until the first experimentally developed public library service
to Korean users of Ikuno Library was launched in June 1988.
3

A Survey on Multicultural Library Services

The 52nd General Conference of IFLA held in Tokyo in 1986 approved professional
resolutions on the promotion of library services to multicultural populations inJapan.16 After the IFLA General Conference, a lot of librarians and library school
professors referred positively to the impact of the resolutions.
In response to an inquiry on the follow-up of the resolutions, the Japan Library
Association reported to the Chairman of the Section of Library Services toMulticultural Populations of IFLA in March 1988 that they were intending to send aquestionnaire on multicultural library services to libraries throughout the country.17
In this way, I was asked to formulate immediately a questionnaire to identify
multicultural library services as they were at that time on behalf of the Japan Library
Association. In consideration of the fact that average librarians were not aware of theneeds of minority residents in society, I prefaced the questionnaire with a short
explanation of the concept of multicultural library services in the Japanese context asfollows:"Within our society, approximately 900,000 foreign people of 140 nationalities,
including 700,000 Koreans, are living today. Both refugees from Indo-China andrelatives of Chugoku Kikoku-Koji [many Japanese children brought up in China by
Chinese parents-in-law after World War II have recently returned to Japan] areincluded with foreign residents as well. The numbers of students and workers fromabroad is growing rapidly. We also have 3,000,000 travelers and crews from overseas
each year.
"People with Japanese nationality also have various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Associations of Ainu, who are the indigenous people of Japan, demand the eradicationof the severe prejudice and discrimination against them. They also strive to preserve
their language and their cultural heritage. Chugoku Kikoku-Koji and Japanesechildren who have adapted themselves to a "foreign" community where they havegrown up, and who have been using a language other than Japanese, are facing a
profound problem caused by the differences of language, social system and thecustoMs. of everyday life. Those who have become naturalised, or who have parents ofdiffering nationalities, have to overcome in some way the crisis of self-identity causedby their different cultural backgrounds.

"In this way, people facing prejudice and discrimination as well as their language andcultural problems., due to their ethnic or cultural backgrounds, are considered to havevarious and particular library needs. For the majority in a society, a correctunderstanding of cultures and backgrounds of minorities without prejudice, together
with a knowledge of their languages, forms the basis to a truly international cultural
exchange. Thanks to the evolution of transportation and telecommunication, we now
send six million people overseas each year, and a break from convention is needed toconstruct a society in which individual cultural heritages can coexist with mutual
respect.
"IFLA defines the library services meeting such needs as Multicultural LibraryServices, and gave its approval to resolutions on the promotion of Multicultural
Library Services in Japan at its General Conference in Tokyo.
"The purpose of this survey is to identify the status quo of Japanese Multicultural
Library Services."18
The questionnaires were sent out in April 1988 to all public libraries and to university
and college libraries throughout the country, except for branch libraries. I received
1992 responses, and the response rate was almost 100%.
4Findings of the survey of 1988

Findings of the survey which was carried out as a supplementary survey to Nippon no
Toshokan [Annual statistics of libraries in Japan] are as follows:19
1

The most striking result is the fact that 55% of public libraries answered thatthey have no foreign

users in spite of the fact that there are no municipalities

in the country which do not have residents of foreign origin. Public libraries in
Osaka and Tokyo show the highest rate, approximately 80% awareness of foreignusers
2Less than 3% of public libraries had prepared users' guides in languages otherthan Japanese. The languages used in the guides were English, German, Chineseand French, Not a single public library offered a users' guide in Korean
3Less than 3%, again, of public libraries had signposting or notices for the user

in English in the library. No other foreign languages were found4Less than 1% of public libraries had a program of continuing education

designed to enrich the conversational ability of their staff librarians in languages

other than Japanese
5

Only 10% of public libraries answered that they would accept applications for

employment from people without Japanese nationality. However, more than 50%
of public libraries in the Osaka Prefecture may employ librarians of foreign
nationality. There are no laws or regulations which deny public libraries the rightto employ librarians with other than Japanese nationality. The questionnaire did
not ask for the actual number of librarians of foreign origin, as this was thought
to be too sensitive a question to ask. However, I estimate that few, or no, Korean
librarians are working in public libraries
6

Approximately 1% of public libraries had guidelines relating to multiculturallibrary services
7

4% of public libraries answered that they received requests from foreign users.

Among 39 responses which described the requests in detail, most were concerning
European languages, and the rest were related to Chinese
8

The analysis of library materials in languages other than Japanese showedthat 45% of public libraries had some materials in foreign languages, and that
29% of all public libraries were aware of foreign users but did not hold any
materials in foreign languages
9

An analysis on Korean language collections told us that less than 4% of public

libraries added some kind of

Korean materials to its collections in the fiscal year

1987. Korean books, 20; Korean journals, 7; Korean newspapers, 2; Korean
audio-visual materials, 11. These figures are the net number of libraries which
added these forms of materials to their collections out of 1,147 responding public
libraries
10

Throughout the responses there was none which described our indigenous

population, the Ainu, although there were several broader questions which may
include services to minorities other than foreign residents 20
11845 responses from university and college libraries, junior college libraries

and technical college libraries showed that they were aware of the presence of
foreign users (88% among university and college libraries) and obviously they had
a large number of foreign materials. Since these libraries are almost completely
separated from the general public, they are concentrated towards students fromabroad at best. Because of limited time for this paper I must abandon goingfurther into university and college libraries, though meeting the needs of students
from abroad is another subject of importance needing discussion
5

Conclusion

The majority of Korean residents in Japan usually use their Japanese names to hide
their nationality so that they can avoid the severe attacks of discrimination andprejudice which they would otherwise encounter. This is despite the fact that theycannotbedistinguishedfromJapanese

by

their

physicalappearance.21

Naturalisation is not particularly difficult for them, but most Koreans refuse tonaturalise for a variety reasons.22 They will continue to live in Japan as Koreans.
Determined Koreans have been struggling to develop their ethnic identity and trying
to encourage Koreans to use their own Korean names. After Japan's ratification of theInternational Covenants on Human Rights in 1979, which caused a series of rapidchanges in Japanese laws,23 these movements have more openly been encouraged. I
believe that the library needs of Korean residents is becoming more apparent, in linewith the development of their ethnic identity.
The impact of the resolutions of the IFLA Section of Library Services to Multicultural
Populations in 1986 has encouraged conscientious librarians to examine their workfrom the viewpoint of minorities in society, and made them aware of the lack ofmulticultural library services in the country.
The past three years have seen the dawn of multicultural librarianship in Japan, andthe following advances, in addition to the services of Ikuno Library, have been noticed:
A Japanese translation of Multicultural communities: guidelines for library service
was published by the Asian Center 21 in Osaka. Revised Japanese standards for
public libraries included services for minorities and foreign residesnts.24 Private
libraries dedicated to the needs of Korean residents and managed by Koreans havebeen introduced to librarians through the media of journals.25 The first seminar on
multicultural library services was held in Osaka in September 1989.26 And Tabunka
Service Network, a Japanese journal dedicated to multicultural library services, hasbeen founded by Professor Y Fukai of Hannan University in Osaka.27
An excellent museum on Ainu cultural heritage and a private library for children
established by the Ainu was vividly reported in The Library Journal.28 For Ainu
population, the Rekishigaku Kenkyukai [History Researchers' Association] adopted aresolution calling for the passage of a new law. "The Declaration said that since thelate 19th century the Japanese government has forcibly taken over the Ainu's
traditional territory, 'depriving them of their racial dignity'".29

Finally, I would like to stress, in particular, the importance of international
cooperation to develop multicultural library services in each country. The positive
impact of the professional resolutions at IFLA Tokyo General Conference on
encouragement of multicultural library services in Japan is one solid example of theefficiency of international cooperation through IFLA.
The Section of Libraries for the Blind of IFLA, the Japan Association of Libraries for
the Blind and the Japan Library Association are going to hold an Asian Seminar on
Library Service to the Visually Handicapped in Developing Countries in Tokyo in late
January 1991. The seminar will provide librarians from Asian developing countries
with a basic training course on library services to the visually handicapped byprofessional session leaders from various countries, and discussion sessions on
guidelines of assistance to developing countries, including collection development,
copyright clearance and international interlibrary loan.
The Seminar is anticipated not only by people serving the visually handicapped but
also by librarians hoping to provide minorities in society with talking books in theirheritage languages.30 In addition, people struggling for literacy in both developing
and industrialised countries have become aware of the importance of recordedmaterials during the International Literacy Year 1990.
I am confident of the new horizon which will be opened to us by the success of the
IFLA Asian Seminar, of library services to meet the needs of multicultural populations
in both Japan and other countries, including the visually handicapped or theilliterate.

REFERENCES & NOTES
1Ministry of Justice. Zairyu Gaikokujin Tokei [Statistics on alien residents]. Tokyo,

Okurasho Insatsukyoku, 1988
2

Kiryu, Hideto Zainichi Kankoku Chosenjin eno Toshokan Service [Library services

to Korean residents] in Yomu Jiyu to Toshokan Katsudo - Dokusho Shakai oMezashite [Freedom to read and library activity; for the Society of Reading] (Toshokan
to Jiyu No 11) edited by Nihon Toshokan Kyokai Toshokan no Jiyu ni Kansuru Chosa
Iinkai. Japan, Tokyo, Nihon Toshokan Kyokai, 1990 pp97 - 102
3

Lie, John The discriminated fingers: the Korean minority in Japan in Monthlyreview Jan 1987 pp17 - 23
4

One of the private libraries intended for those wanting toknow Korean or Asian

culture called Ikaino Chosen Tosho Shiryoshitsu [Ikaino Korean Materials Center]
was established on a voluntary basis by teachers and students of Osaka University ofForeign Language in 1977. Although its lending section is closed at the moment
because of administrative reasons, its Korean Language Class has been teaching
Korean language for Koreans and Japanese alike. Asia Center 21 in Osaka (General
Secretary MR. K Sakaguchi, a member of lFLA Section of Library Services toMulticultural Populations Standing Committee) has a library holding of some 20,000
titles of a collection on Asia. Kinshu Bunko in Hyogo and Seikyu Bunko in Osaka arelibraries with good collections on Korea and they are open to the public. Nevertheless,they are privately established by Koreans.
5 There are eight elementary schools providing extra-curricular Korean language
lessons in the Osaka area, according to a newspaper (The Japan times 14 May 1990)
6 See Kiryu, note 2
7 Yi, Ki-Baek A new history of Korea USA, Cambridge, Mass.,

Harvard University

Press, 1984 pp367 - 369
8Kim, Chan-Jung Ihojin wa Kimigayo-maru ni Notte - Chosenjin-gai Ikaino no

Keisei-shi [Aliens took a ship named Kimigayo-maru: the Korean town of Ikaino]
Japan, Tokyo, Iwanami, 1935 pp147 - 163
9

Shimizu, Shozo Senso to Toshokan [War and libraries] Japan, Tokyo, Shiraishi

Shoten, 1977 pp39 - 40
10

Sakota, Keiko and Hayashi, Masao Kokyo Toshokan to Gaikokugo Shiryo -Kokusaika e no Shiza: Toritsu Chuo no Chugokugo Chosengo Shiryo no Keiken karano Teigen [Public libraries and foreign language materials; a viewpoint tointernationalisation: a proposal from the experience of Chinese and Korean language
materials of Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library] in Tokyo Toritsu Chuo Toshokan
Kenkyu Kiyo No 20, March 1989 pp63 - 101
11

Iwasawa, Yuji Legal treatment of Koreans in Japan: the impact of International

Human Rights Law on Japanese Law in Human rights quarterly Vol 8 No 2, 1986
pp131 - 179

12

Byun, Hee-Jae and Chun, Chul-Nam

Ima Chosen Gakko de -Naze Minzoku

Kyoiku ka [In Korean schools: why ethnic education?] Japan, Tokyo, Chosen
Seinensha, 1988
13

"The Osaka Chosen Kokyu School is a senior high school with students who areNorth Koreans residing in Japan. The volleyball team of this school was permitted
participation for the first time in the spring sports meeting of the National SeniorHigh School Athletic League (Kotairen). Partway, however, the school was told to dropout. The notice banning the team from further participation was received by theschool immediately after its team had won the first elimination match. It must havebeen a big blow to the students, who had had their long-cherished participation
approved and who had been so happy... Only those schools designated as 'schools'
under Article 1 of the School Education Law can become Kotairen members, and the
Chosen Kyoku School is not a regular 'school' but a 'miscellaneous school'... It is most
regretable that they must, tell students, who were born and grew up in Japan, and
who are engaged in the same sport, that they cannot, play against Japanese students.
The question of the teachers - 'Why can't they participate?' - is simple and healthy." inAsahi evening news 27 June 1990
14

Kinbara, Samon etc. Nihon no Nakano Kankoku Chosenjin, Chugokujin -Kanagawa Kennai Zaiju Gaikokujin Jittai Chosa Yori [Koreans and Chinese in Japan:
results of a survey on foreign residents in Kanagawa Prefecture] Japan, Tokyo, Akashi
Shoten, 1986 pp.173 - 217
15

Kim, Yang-Kee Kankokujin ka Nihonjin ka, Imakoso Zainichi Doho no Bunka no

Sozo o [Korean or Japanese?; let's create our own culture of Korean residents inJapan] Japan, Tokyo, Saimaru Shuppankai, 1986
16 For the full text of the resolutions and a comment by MR. M Foster on the
background of the resolutions, see Journal of multicultural librarianship Vol 1 No 2,
Nov 1986 pp45 - 48
17 Journal of multicultural librarianship Vol 2 No 2, March 1988 pp41 - 42
18 Extracted from the introduction of the Questionnaire on multicultural libraryservices of the Japan Library Association
19 Kawamura, Hiroshi Tabunka Service Jittai Chosa (1988) no Bunseki [An analysisof the result of a survey on multicultural library services in Japan] in Gendai no
Toshokan [Libraries today] Vol 27 No 2, June 1989 pp118 - 125 and Vol 27 No 4, Dec

1989 pp254 - 258
20 MR. Shigeru Kayano, the founder of Ainu Minzoku Shiryokan [Nibutani Ainu
Heritage Museum] has been hoping to have a complete archive on the Ainu population,
published throughout the world, within his museum. He has been threatened by the
local government with deportation from his homeland, where the largest Ainu village
exists, for the sake of building a new dam across the river near the village. He claiMs.
that no other country in the world denies the right of its indigenous populations tofish from the river near their home
21

See Kinbara etc, note 14

22 Kim, Hong-Nack The Korean minority in Japan in Korea and world affairs: aquarterly review Vol 14 No 1, Spring 1990 pp111 - 136
23 For detailed analysis of the impact on Japanese Laws see Iwasawa, note 11
24 Nihon Toshokan Kyokai Toshokan Seisaku Tokubetsu Iinkai Koritsu Toshokan no
Ninmu to Mokuhyo: Kaisetsu [The role and purpose of public libraries: annotation]
Japan, Tokyo, Nihon Toshokan Kyokai, 1989
25 In Toshokan Zasshi [Library journal]; Gendai no Toshokan [Libraries today];Toshokan-Kai [Library world]; and Minna no Toshokan [Everyone's library], several
collections for Korean residents are reported
26

Zainichi Gaikokujin Ryugakusei no Tameno Toshokan Service - Tabunka Shakai

Toshokan Service o Mezashite [Library services to foreign residents and students fromabroad: towards multicultural library services] in Toshokan-Kai [Library world] Vol 41
Mo 5, Jan 1990 pp217 - 219
27 For subscriptions please contact
Professor Yoko Fukai
Hannan University
5 Amami Higashi
Matsubara shi 580
Osaka, Japan
28 Tsuzuki, Hanimasa Ainu-go Shiryo Shushu no Kinkyusei to Ethnic Library no
Hisuyosei ni Tsuite - Hokkaido Biratori-machi Nibutani de Mananda Koto [On theurgent need to make an archive in the Ainu language, and the demand for ethniclibraries: what I have learnt in Hokkaido Biratori-machi Nibutani] in Toshokan
Zasshi [Library journal] Vol 82 No 3, March 1988 pp155 - 157
29 The Japan times 27 May 1990
30 Hebert, Francoise etc Multilingual talking books in Ontario public libraries: aproject conducted for the Toronto Public Library in collaboration with the Ontario
Ministry of Culture and Communications Canada, Toronto, The Ministry, 1989