the hanshin education incident is part of a larger struggle for civil rights, autonomy and acceptance of koreans living in japan. the "zainichi" (koreans residing in japan) had been discriminated against based on their ethnicity during japanese imperial rule. following the defeat and allied occupation of japan, ethnic koreans were deemed to be aliens in japan by the 1947 alien registration law. this law required all those living in japan who were ethnically korean to register for alien status. in 1950, the nationality law made it so that koreans were only allowed to gain citizenship if their father was japanese. those born to japanese mothers and korean fathers were stripped of their japanese citizenship. successive anti-korean laws impeded ethnic koreans' ability to seek employment in professions that were deemed to be “japanese professions," which included the majority of public and private sector work. as a result, a large number of koreans began to work in alcohol production and scrap recycling, or engage in criminal activity. many japanese koreans graduates were not able to find work due to their korean heritage. a 1955 law forced all koreans to be fingerprinted, as they were considered to be foreigners living in japan. up to the early 1980s, koreans living in japan faced unequal treatment in regards to public services, as many japanese korean seniors were denied pensions on the basis of their korean ethnicity. these policies led to a growth in korean resentment towards the allied occupation and the post-war japanese government.