Zainichi Koreans and the Pachinko Industry
Pachinko was launched in Japan during the 1920s only to disappear during WWII and suddenly reappear again in 1946. Zainichi Koreans started to join the pachinko industry around 1947.
In 1954, pachinko machines with auto-loading functions (called the renpatsu-shiki, or successive shot) were outlawed and the pachinko boom ended as a result, with the number of stores decreasing from 50,000 to 9,000. Japanese store owners had the option of switching to new occupations but Zainichi Koreans, who could not easily find other jobs due to ethnic discrimination, had little choice but to continue pachinko. As a result, the percentage of Zainichi Koreans in the pachinko industry rose. Today, pachinko is one of the core industries for Zainichi Koreans – a reflection of the ceaseless efforts of past generations in overcoming numerous adversities.
Pachinko (1960s)