ABSTRACT
The Japanese annexation of Korea was completed in 1910. The Korean population in Japan roughly tripled in 1917 and from there on until Second World War increased yearly without exception, despite fluctuations in policy and changing economic factors. Korean migration was somewhat restricted from the time of the March First Movement in 1919. There were no changes in the Korean community’s legal status up to Second World War which proved to be a disaster for the Koreans. In 1950, a Nationality Law was enacted under which nationality was automatically acquired only by birth to parents of Japanese nationality. The most demeaning aspect of the Alien Registration Law and one which provoked many years of confrontation was the fingerprinting requirement. Fingerprinting was associated with criminal proceedings. Substantial legislative improvements occurred in 1981 when Japan ratified the Treaty on the Status of Refugees. This became a major international issue because of the mass exodus of Boat People from Vietnam.
