Korean Registration Certificate Issued by Osaka Prefecture
In November 1946, Osaka Prefecture set a national precedent by enacting the Osaka Registration Ordinance for Koreans, designed to control and manage Korean residents. The ordinance included restrictions on residence, travel, and commerce.
The carrying of this “Korean Registration Certificate” was made mandatory at all times. The card, which was seen as “the return of the Kyōwakai Membership Card,” gave rise to major protest and resistance. However, the protest movements were ultimately suppressed by Japanese authorities with the backing of the U.S. military.
Why was Osaka early to adopt this policy? The “ordinance” enacted in the Osaka region, where many Koreans lived, embodied the exclusionary intent of the Japanese authorities to continue their constant surveillance over the everyday lives and actions of Zainichi Koreans even after liberation.
This “Korean Registration Certificate” issued by Osaka is a valuable and historically significant artifact for thinking about the Alien Registration Act, which continues to this day.
