SONGS 4 and 5
Two songs on discrimination against Korean residents of Japan
A. BALLAD OF CHONG GYAN-YONG
(Melody by Tom Paxton-Rambling Boy)
B. THE REVSION
(Melody by Phil Ochs- The Crucifixion
Background
I wrote the both songs in tribute to an anti-fingerprinting activist. As Japan does not automatically confer citizenship at birth if neither parent is Japanese, many descendants of Korean colonial subjects are to this day not Japanese citizens.
What adds insult to injury is that colonial subjects including Taiwanese were once regarded as Japanese nationals, but they lost it after the war and were arbitrarily labelled as foreigners. At the time I wrote the two songs in the late 80s, although there was an option to apply for citizenship, many refused on the grounds that they were looked down upon by the state, and so CHONG, a third generation Korean resident, was prosecuted for fingerprint refusal. Fingerprinting ended for all permanent residents around 1993 and for all “foreigners” around 2000.
The melody is Tom Paxton’s Rambling Boy.
The second song is a tribute to three other fingerprint refusers. CHOE Son-ae, born in Japan, refused to be fingerprinted, left Japan to study music in the United States without getting a reentry permit and had her permanent residence subsequently revoked. More than 10 years later, after the Supreme Court upheld this decision as reasonable, and the Diet finally addressed this savage attack on her dignity by voting to restore her permanent residence status.
Until 2000, the system of control which allowed the state to abuse her right to live freely in the land of her birth was still in place. Like HAN Jong-souk, whose right to a livelihood was stolen from him because his refusal resulted in him being denied the right to travel between South Korea and Japan (he worked with an educational exchange program I understand), Choi and many others were considered to be second class by virtue of their ethnic heritage and their refusal to obey discriminatory laws.
Their struggle is no different than the struggles waged by Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela or Gandhi in their respective countries for justice and human dignity.
The man known as Hayashida in the second song was the Justice Minister at the time the song was written. I am mistakenly credited as the author of the music, which was written by Phil Ochs (The Crucifixion).
BALLAD OF CHONG GYAN-YONG
Umareta tsuchi kara dete ike to iu no ha
Sore ha totemo fushugi no koto da
(To tell someone who was born here that they have to get out is incomprehensible.)
Chorus
Where will you go, oh Chong Gyan-Yong
This land’s the only one you’ve known
Doko ni ike you (where can you even go?)
It’s your home, your only one
And Constant Louis when his mother died
He couldn’t leave to say goodbye
Moshi ittara kaerenai, hazubeki koto da
(And the Catholic priest, Constant Louis, who refused fingerprinting outof solidarity, was prohibited by leaving (his visa would have been cancelled) and thus returning if he attended his mother’s funeral in France. Such a shameful response from the government.)
Bokura ni oshiete, naze Kyohi ha hanzai
Jinshu sabetsu ha seifu no tsumi da
Dochi no hou ga okii no ka
(Please tell me, why is fingerprinting refusal a crime. The government’s racism is the greater crime.)
THE REVISION
You can come back now, Hayashida Homu Daijin (Justice Minister) said
For in the past you gave your fingerprint – ‘and one time is enough’ now he said
But there is just one thing you’ve got to understand,
though you were born and brought up here in this land
You broke the law and the guilty they must pay
So we’ve taken your permanent residence – away
You say you deserve to stay here, Choi (1), just like a Japanese
But you’re only a Korean so get down upon your knees
How long you can stay here is a matter we’ll decide
For foreigners who make trouble are the ones we most despise
So obey the law and don’t make waves and we might just let you stay
But raise your voice and you’ll soon be on your way..
I sing a song of people struggling to be free
I sing a song of justice, its day is coming..
Five years in waiting, nine times he tried
But Han Jong-souk’s request to leave the country was denied each time
Hayashida houmu-daijin smiles, says “You’re rights have been restored:
You’re free to travel and to work since you gave your print before”
Maybe he should pay him for the job he holds no more
Houmusho destroyer of lives..
Not so fast Hayashida, you’ve not yet won your war
For you cannot force obedience to your racist little laws
And in our place our children will refuse just like before
And the world will see the real criminals are the ones who make the law
And we’ll continue our resistance ’til there’s justice in this land
And you, its would-be killers are safely gone
I sing a song of people struggling to be free
I sing a song of justice, its day is coming..
Music (song 9)
https://www.soundclick.com/artist/default.cfm?bandID=538684&content=songs
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