A group of Korean and Japanese Christians living in Japan have
declared that they want to work for reconciliation in marking
the 100th anniversary of Japan's colonisation of Korea - writes
Hisashi Yukimoto. Japan ruled Korea from 1910 until the end of
the Second World War on 15 August 1945. Under colonial rule,
Japan brought many Koreans to work in Japan. Many Koreans say
this was forced labour to support Japan's war actions. They
included Korean women euphemistically called "comfort women"
many of whom were in effect sex slaves for Japan's military.
Korean residents in Japan say they have often faced
discrimination by the majority Japanese. Statistics at the
Immigration Bureau of Japan show that in 2008 there were 589,239
Koreans in the country. This number excludes those who have
adopted Japanese citizenship. "We will send out our wishes for
our repentance, reconciliation and living together to the
Japanese society, Korean society, [the rest of] Asia and the
world," said participants in a statement at a two