Korean Musicians in Japan
Contents
Introduction
The relationship between Koreans and Japanese has been precarious throughout the last two millennia. With a history of invasions, annexation, abductions, comfort women, Liancourt Rocks issues, the Sea of Japan naming dispute, cultural bans, textbook revisions, and Yasukuni Shrine controversies between them, many Koreans and Japanese have harbored negative feelings toward each other, both in active violence and passive prejudice. As a result of the Japanese annexation of Korea, many Koreans live in Japan today, and make up the largest ethnic minority group in Japan . Zainichi (Japanese resident) Koreans have endured a low status, often being regarded as “violent,” “ignorant,” or “subversive.”
Korean Musicians in Japan
Korean musicians often hid their ethnic roots to succeed on Japan’s public stage. The first successful Korean musicians were Zainchi Koreans who adopted Japanese aliases to escape the prejudice against Koreans. Among these artists, there are some who have made public declarations of their Korean descents, and many more who were rumored to be Korean but have never made formal confirmations. Those who do divulge their heritage often do so after they have attained a relatively stable level of popularity. The act of revealing one’s Korean ethnicity is called “coming out.”
Zainichi Korean Singers
Akiko Wada (Japanese: 和田アキ子Korean: 김복자1949~)
Born Bok Ja Kim, Wada was given the nickname “Akko” as her popularity soared. She is known for her tall figure, big feet, strong voice and humor. Akko has induced shock across the Japanese media when she “came out” thirty years after her debut. However, because she was such a big star in Japan, it is said that she transcended the prejudice.
As relations between Koreans and Japanese improved throughout the past few decades, Korean artists from South Korea were able to successfully penetrate the Japanese music industry, the world’s biggest music market after the United States, which controls 20% of worldwide sales. The co-hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup by Japan and Korea and the Korean Wave may have triggered initial interest in Korean pop culture, and many Japanese consumers are attracted by the “clean and wholesome” of the South Korean musicians. The most successful Korean artist in Japan is BoA, with total record sales surpassing the ten million mark.