Time:
2010 Mar 03 15:00 - 16:00

Language:
The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.

Summary:
PRESS CONFERENCE
Mamoru Sonobe, Kiyoshi Nishizawa,
Choe In Tae and Om Kwang Ja

Description:
One of the important pledges the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) made in its election campaign last August was to make high school education in Japan tuition-free. The party has now submitted a bill to the Diet to fulfill that pledge. However, there is concern among some minority groups in Japan that the Japanese government, under pressure from nationalist political blocks, might exclude North Korea affiliated high schools from the tuition-free plan, though the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology made it clear that the plan would cover not only ordinary Japanese schools, but also vocational schools all over the country. North Korea affiliated schools in Japan are defined as vocational schools under Japan's School Education Act.

Many foreign residents in Japan feel that depriving only these high school children of a chance to study with less financial burden goes against the principles of International Covenants on Human Rights, and the spirit of both the Constitution and the Fundamental Act of Education of Japan. In order to increase public awareness over this issue, a support group representing North Korea affiliated school authorities, parents of children attending such schools in Japan and their Japanese supporters will speak at a press conference at the FCCJ on Wednesday, March 3, at 3 pm.

The list of speakers includes Mamoru Sonobe, Deputy leader of The Kanagawa Group for Supporting Korean School(神奈川　朝鮮学園を支援する会), Kiyoshi Nishizawa, Vice-chairman of The Japan-Korea Society for Scientific and Educational Interchange(日本朝鮮学術教育交流協会), Choe In Tae, Vice-chairman, Conference of Principals of Korean High Schools in Japan(全国朝鮮高級学校校長会), and Om Kwang Ja, mother of a child attending Tokyo Korean Junior & Senior High School(東京朝鮮中高級学校).

Members planning to attend this press conference are asked to reserve in advance, online (http://www.fccj.or.jp - please log in to reserve) or at the Front Desk (3211-3161), so that the staff can make appropriate
preparations. It's free of charge.

Professional Activities Committee