Changing Ethnic Relations and Diversifying Lives of Zainichi Koreans

This paper discusses the diversifying lives of Zainichi Koreans in order to understand their identities in transition. Along with the improved legal and social status of Zainichi Koreans and subsequently their living conditions, a large number of Zainichi Koreans have been leaving ethnic institutions, and in some cases, the Zainichi community. The ethnic relations surrounding Zainichi Koreans also partly reflect the diplomatic relations between Japan and the two Koreas. The difference in the images of the two Koreas is a significant factor in their ethnic identities. This paper also examines how Zainichi Korean civil rights movements after the 1970s have encouraged many Zainichi Koreans to assert and maintain their ethnic pride

The post-war social and legal contexts of Zainichi Koreans

This paper discusses the complexity and the transition of the legal and social status of ethnic Koreans (Zainichi Koreans) after the Second World War. It outlines how the legal status of Zainichi Koreans without Japanese nationality remained precarious for four decades after the war. After numerous reforms in Japanese nationality law over the years, in 1991 finally the status of all the Zainichi Koreans with South Korean/Chōsen nationality was categorised into ‘special permanent residents.’ This paper also looks at two main ethnic organisations: pro-North Korea Chongryun and pro-South Korea Mindan. It examines how some Zainichi Koreans were split according to the organisations in which they participated, which led to the division of Korean communities in Japan

EXPERIENCES IN EDUCATION AND IDENTITIES OF JAPANESE-SCHOOLED ZAINICHI KOREANS

This paper explores the experiences of Japanese-schooled Zainichi Koreans. It analyses the differences and commonalities in terms of their education, family structure, and ethnicity. It also examines how some Japanese-schooled Koreans (re)gained their ethnic identity through their activities in the Chongryun youth group, as well as why they were attracted to the group and how their activities affected their lives and identities. The author conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with thirty-seven Zainichi Koreans, including eighteen Japanese-schooled Zainichi Koreans, from 2007 and 2010. This research shows differences in schools and education are the major source of divisions in the Zainichi population and the subsequent formations of their identities

ZAINICHI KOREANS’ ETHNIC IDENTITIES AND ROLES OF ETHNIC ORGANISATION AND COMMUNITY

This paper discusses how Zainichi Koreans developed their identities both within and outside the realm of the ethnic community and ethnic organisations. This study uses qualitative multimethods research based on interviews with members and non-members of Zainichi Koirean organisations and field observations. The examination on Zainichi Koirean organisation members mainly concentrates on lived experiences of members from one of the ethnic organisations of Zainichi Koreans, Chongryun. This study finds that although some young Koreans separate themselves from the organisation and the homeland, they remain in the community. Many Chongryun Koreans share a collective ethnic consciousness, which was based on members’ love for the Chongryun schools. While there is an internal division within the community in terms of political views, many members still have a strong sense of group solidarity. On the other hand, the identities of non-member respondents are remarkably diverse. While some of them are assimilated into Japanese society, others retain strong ethnic identities. Their identities are less affected by any ethnic organisations and they rarely share collective memories with other Zainichi Koreans. This study shows that social networks and experiences of ethnic community individuals have a key role in determining their identities and the ways in which they live their lives

Korean Migration and Japanese Colonialism

This paper outlines the historical background to Korean migration and Japanese colonialism in order to understand the birth and formation of the Korean population in Japan (Zainichi Koreans). Through this exploration, this paper shows how Japan attempted to assimilate the Koreans into the bottom of Japanese society and to destroy their ethnic identity as Koreans. It also examines how the racial discourse of the Japanese ‘superior race’ had been developed and played an integral part in justifying its socio-economic and subjugation of East Asian people including Koreans during the colonial period

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Transposon Mutagenesis in Chlamydia trachomatis Identifies CT339 as a ComEC Homolog Important for DNA Uptake and Lateral Gene Transfer

Transposon mutagenesis is a widely applied and powerful genetic tool for the discovery of genes associated with selected phenotypes. Chlamydia trachomatis is a clinically significant, obligate intracellular bacterium for which many conventional genetic tools and capabilities have been developed only recently. This report describes the successful development and application of a Himar transposon mutagenesis system for generating single-insertion mutant clones of C. trachomatis. This system was used to generate a pool of 105 transposon mutant clones that included insertions in genes encoding flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent monooxygenase (C. trachomatis 148 [ct148]), deubiquitinase (ct868), and competence-associated (ct339) proteins. A subset of Tn mutant clones was evaluated for growth differences under cell culture conditions, revealing that most phenocopied the parental strain; however, some strains displayed subtle and yet significant differences in infectious progeny production and inclusion sizes. Bacterial burden studies in mice also supported the idea that a FAD-dependent monooxygenase (ct148) and a deubiquitinase (ct868) were important for these infections. The ct339 gene encodes a hypothetical protein with limited sequence similarity to the DNA-uptake protein ComEC. A transposon insertion in ct339 rendered the mutant incapable of DNA acquisition during recombination experiments. This observation, along with in situ structural analysis, supports the idea that this protein is playing a role in the fundamental process of lateral gene transfer similar to that of ComEC. In all, the development of the Himar transposon system for Chlamydia provides an effective genetic tool for further discovery of genes that are important for basic biology and pathogenesis aspects.S.D.L., Z.E.D., K.S.H., S.B., R.J.S., and P.S.H. were funded by NIH (AI126785)J.W. and P.S.H. were supported by NIH AI125929. P.S.H. was also supported by P20GM113117Support for genomic sequencing was supplemented by P20GM10363

Chlamydia trachomatis protein CT009 is a structural and functional homolog to the key morphogenesis component RodZ and interacts with division septal plane localized MreB

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Kemege, K. E., Hickey, J. M., Barta, M. L., Wickstrum, J., Balwalli, N., Lovell, S., Battaile, K. P. and Hefty, P. S. (2015), Chlamydia trachomatis protein CT009 is a structural and functional homolog to the key morphogenesis component RodZ and interacts with division septal plane localized MreB. Molecular Microbiology, 95: 365–382. doi:10.1111/mmi.12855, which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.12855. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.Cell division in Chlamydiae is poorly understood as apparent homologs to most conserved bacterial cell division proteins are lacking and presence of elongation (rod shape) associated proteins indicate non-canonical mechanisms may be employed. The rod-shape determining protein MreB has been proposed as playing a unique role in chlamydial cell division. In other organisms, MreB is part of an elongation complex that requires RodZ for proper function. A recent study reported that the protein encoded by ORF CT009 interacts with MreB despite low sequence similarity to RodZ. The studies herein expand on those observations through protein structure, mutagenesis, and cellular localization analyses. Structural analysis indicated that CT009 shares high level of structural similarity to RodZ, revealing the conserved orientation of two residues critical for MreB interaction. Substitutions eliminated MreB protein interaction and partial complementation provided by CT009 in RodZ deficient E. coli. Cellular localization analysis of CT009 showed uniform membrane staining in Chlamydia. This was in contrast to the localization of MreB, which was restricted to predicted septal planes. MreB localization to septal planes provides direct experimental observation for the role of MreB in cell division and supports the hypothesis that it serves as a functional replacement for FtsZ in Chlamydia