List of Koreans in Japan
Appearance
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This is a list of notable Zainichi Koreans or notable Japanese people of Korean descent.
Korean Royal Family
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Crown_Prince_of_Korea_Yi_Un.jpg/100px-Crown_Prince_of_Korea_Yi_Un.jpg)
- Yi Un, the last crown prince of Joseon Korea.
Politics and law
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Sebasti%C3%A1n_Pi%C3%B1era_-_Lee_Myung-bak_%28cropped%29.jpg/100px-Sebasti%C3%A1n_Pi%C3%B1era_-_Lee_Myung-bak_%28cropped%29.jpg)
- Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea
- Arai Shoukei, politician, House of Representatives
- Haku Shinkun, politician, House of Councillors
- Kim Ch'on-hae, leading official of the Japanese Communist Party
- So Man-sul, North Korean politician, Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, chairman of Chongryon
- Togo Shigenori, Minister of Foreign Affairs(in 1941), Minister of Greater East Asia(in 1945)
Business and economics
- Takeo Shigemitsu, Founder of the Lotte group.
- Akio Shigemitsu, the son of Takeo Shigemitsu and Executive Vice President of Lotte
- Hiroyuki Shigemitsu, the son of Takeo Shigemitsu and Vice President of Lotte USA
- Yoshitaka Fukuda, President and CEO of Japanese consumer finance companies Aiful[1]
- Masahiro Miki, Founder and CEO of ABC-Mart, Japanese footwear company
- Han Chang-Woo, CEO of Maruhan (Japan's largest pachinko operator)
- Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank
Crime
- Jo Hiroyuki, uyoku assassin [2]
- Mun Segwang, failed assassin of Park Chung-hee
- Joji Obara, serial rapist and murderer[3]
- Kwon Hyi-ro, murderer who brought public attention to discrimination against the Zainichi
- Sin Gwang-su, North Korean spy, involved in North Korean abductions of Japanese
- Hayashi Yasuo, of the member in the Aum Shinrikyo. He was to carry out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
Yakuza
- Machii Hisayuki, godfather and founder of the Toa-kai yakuza syndicate[4]
- Makino Kuniyasu, Yakuza leader of the Matsuba-kai[5]
- Takayama Tokutaro, godfather of the Aizukotetsu-kai yakuza syndicate [2]
- Kiyota Jiro, godfather of the Inagawa-kai [6]
- Hashimoto Hirofumi, godfather of the Kyokushin-Rengo-Kai[7]
- Yanagawa Jiro, godfather of the Yanagawa-Gumi
Academia
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Woo_Jang-chun_as_an_adult_man_in_his_40s%2C_taken_when_he_was_in_Japan.jpg/100px-Woo_Jang-chun_as_an_adult_man_in_his_40s%2C_taken_when_he_was_in_Japan.jpg)
- Kang Sang-jung, political scientist, professor at the Seigakuin University
- Woo Jang-choon, agricultural scientist and botanist
Science and technology
- Kim Chung Un, developer of tamiflu
Literature and poetry
- Kaneshiro Kazuki, novelist
- Lee Hoesung, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist
- Lee Yangji, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist
- Tachihara Masaaki, novelist
- Yamanoue no Okura, Man'yō poet[8]
- Yang Sok-il, novelist
- Yu Miri, Akutagawa Prize-winning novelist
Entertainment
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Miyavi_at_Irving_Plaza_on_October_31%2C_2011%28cropped%29.jpg/100px-Miyavi_at_Irving_Plaza_on_October_31%2C_2011%28cropped%29.jpg)
- Hirofumi Arai, actor, third-generation Zainichi North Korean
- Tomoyasu Hotei, rock guitarist and actor
- Tsuyoshi Ihara, actor (Letters from Iwo Jima)
- Yuna Ito, singer, Japanese father and Korean-American mother
- Jyongri, singer
- Crystal Kay, singer
- Hong-Jae Kim, conductor
- Kim Seikyo, conductor
- Kim Su-gil, film director and producer
- Ayumi Lee, as also known as Iconiq, singer, Korean father and second-generation Zainichi Korean mother
- Sang-il Lee, Japan Academy Prize-winning film director
- Yusaku Matsuda, actor, Japanese father and third-generation Zainichi Korean[9]
- Ryuhei Matsuda, actor, He is the son of Yusaku Matsuda. His mother is Japanese.[9]
- Shota Matsuda, actor, He is the son of Yusaku Matsuda. His mother is Japanese.[9]
- Kaho Minami, actress
- Harumi Miyako, singer
- Miyavi, musician, Korean father and Japanese mother
- Kiko Mizuhara, model and actress
- Romi Park, voice actor
- Sohee Park, actor
- Park Pushim, reggae artist
- Kunihiko Ryo, composer
- Yoichi Sai, Japan Academy Prize-winning film director
- Shion, singer
- Sonim, singer, third-generation Zainichi Korean
- Tetsuji Tamayama, actor
- Towa Tei, DJ
- Gong Teyu, actor
- Verbal, rapper of M-Flo
- Akiko Wada, singer,
Sports
- Akiyama Yoshihiro, judoka and mixed martial artist
- Ahn Young-Hak, North Korean football player
- Arai Takahiro, professional baseball player
- Hayakawa Ren, archer and bronze medalist at 2012 Summer Olympics
- Hayakawa Nami, archer at 2008 Summer Olympics
- Morimoto Hichori, professional baseball player
- Harimoto Isao, professional baseball player
- Hiyama Shinjiro, professional baseball player
- Jong Tae-Se, North Korean football player
- Kaneda Masaichi, professional baseball player
- Kinjoh Tatsuhiko, professional baseball player
- Kanemoto Tomoaki, professional baseball player
- Kanemoto Koji, pro-wrestler
- Kanemura Kouhiro, pro-wrestler
- Kim Chae-Hwa, South Korean figure skater
- Kim Jong-Song, North Korean football player
- Kim Yong-Gwi, North Korean football player
- Kim Seong-Yong, North Korean football player
- Kin Taiei, mixed martial artist
- Kunimoto Keisuke, race car driver
- Lee Tadanari, professional football player
- Maeda Akira, pro-wrestler
- Maenoyama Taro, sumo wrestler
- Masutatsu Oyama, karate master who founded Kyokushinkai, also known as Choi Bae-dal
- Matsui Akiyoshi, President of Kyokushin kaikan
- Momota Mitsuhiro, pro-wrestler, also known as Rikidozan
- Momota Mitsuo, pro-wrestler
- Okayama Kazunari, professional football player
- Ōyama Masutatsu, martial arts expert, founder of Kyokushin kaikan
- Shokei Matsui, current president of Kyokshin kaikan
- Ri Han-Jae, North Korean football player
- Rikidōzan, wrestler
- Ryang Gyu-Sa, North Korean football player
- Ryang Yong-Gi, North Korean football player
- Ryouji Sai, pro-wrestler
- Tamarikidō Hideki, sumo wrestler
- Tokuyama Masamori, professional boxer, former WBC super flyweight champion
- Tatsuhito Takaiwa, pro-wrestler
- Yoshida Mitsu, pro-wrestler, also known as Riki Choshu
References
- ^ "在日韓商(Korean entrepreneurs)の起業家精神 - 李洙任 (SOO IM LEE)" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-08-25.
- ^ a b "FYI YAKUZA IN JAPAN From rackets to real estate, yakuza multifaceted". The Japan Times. Feb 14, 2007.
- ^ Summers, Chris The 'beast with a human face' BBC News - Tuesday, 24 April 2007
- ^ Romero, Frances Top 10 Real-Life Mob Bosses: Hisayuki Machii Time Magazine - Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011
- ^ [1]
- ^ Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ Historically not considered Korean, but recent scholarship has reached a consensus that he was probably a refugee from the (recently overthrown) Baekje. (Keene, Donald 1999. Seeds in the Heart: A History of Japanese Literature, volume 1. New York: Columbia University Press.)
- ^ a b c The Person Who Crosses The Border - Yusaku Matsuda (越境者 - 松田優作, Ekkyousha - Matsuda Yusaku) by Michiko Matsuda, published 2008