Continuity in Japanese educational politics : MEXT and the Chongryon operated North Korean schools : Between exclusion and assimilation?

Since the end of the Second World War North Korean ethnic schools in Japan and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) have been in a strained relationship. Since 2010 the North Korean ethnic schools – unlike South Korean schools – have been excluded from the high school free tuition program called Koukoumushouka. This has left the schools with even less money to maintain the school building, equipment, and less money to pay their staff. However, the main victims of this tense relationship are the children attending those schools. This article based on primary and secondary literature ascertains how historical institutionalism explains the conflict between MEXT and the North Korean schools in Japan operated by the Chongryon. The results of this research show that post-war antipathy towards the Zainichi Korean community coupled to the Cold War resulted in trust issues from MEXT towards North Korean ethnic schools due to a fear of communism. The fact that North Korean ethnic schools refused to adapt to the Japanese curriculum, led to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology excluding the schools from various programs. These aspects have led to path dependency that still influence the North Korean school’s everyday life today. Understanding the dynamics between MEXT and the North Korean ethnic schools in Japan, may help provide a deeper understanding of how the relationship between both actors has evolved since 1945.