Privilege for Korean Residents in Japan (3/15) -The dark side of Japanese villages

 Privileges for Korean Residents in Japan (3/15)

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October 14, 2025 edition

As of that date, there are no pages in languages ​​other than Japanese and Korean.

Regarding the reduction and exemption of income tax, corporate tax, and fixed asset tax for the Korean Federation of Commerce and Industry in Japan

 On November 29, 1998, the Sankei Shimbun reported on the "Agreement" between the Korean Federation of Commerce and Industry in Japan and the National Tax Agency. This agreement was published in the "Chongryon" handbook published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan in 1991, and is commonly referred to as the "Five Articles of the Oath" because it consists of the following five points:

 All tax issues for Korean merchants and industrialists will be resolved in consultation with the Korean Chamber of Commerce.

 Regular, fixed-rate membership fees for commercial associations will be recognized as deductible expenses.

School operating expenses will be resolved proactively.

Expenses for travel to third countries for economic activities will be recognized as deductible expenses.

All ongoing court cases will be resolved through consultation.

 This agreement was reached on August 6, 1976, through the mediation of Japan Socialist Party member of the House of Representatives, Takazawa Torao (later the party's vice chairman). Based on this agreement, the Korean Federation of Commerce and Industry (Chongryon) claimed that it had established collective bargaining rights, which were not recognized for ordinary taxpayers. It has called on merchants and industrialists affiliated with the Chongryon to, in principle, not file tax returns or respond to tax audits individually, but to use the Chongryon-affiliated Chamber of Commerce as the contact point.[16]

 According to "The Truth About Anti-Korean Wave! The Privileges of Koreans in Japan: From the Roots of Taboos on Koreans to Pressure from Ethnic Groups and the Social Life of Korean Intellectuals in Japan!", the "Shoko Shimbun," published by the Korean Chamber of Commerce, claims that there was an "agreement" regarding taxes between the Korean Chamber of Commerce and the national tax authorities. Furthermore, the Korean-language pamphlet "Chongryon," published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan in February 1991, states, "Chongryon fought tenaciously to correct the unjust tax offensive by the Japanese authorities and to fairly resolve tax issues. As a result of these efforts, a five-point "agreement" regarding the resolution of tax issues was reached in 1976 between the Korean Residents in Japan Federation of Commerce and Industry and the Japanese National Tax Agency. The basic content of the agreement is that all tax issues of Korean merchants and industrialists in Japan will be fairly handled through an agreement between the Korean Chamber of Commerce and the Japanese tax authorities."[17][18] Since around 2007, Korean Chamber of Commerce officials have been repeatedly arrested for violating the Tax Accountant Act.[18][19][20][21][22] In 2014, a National Tax Agency investigator who had been entertained by Chamber of Commerce officials, including dining in Gion, Kyoto, and taking a trip to South Korea, was arrested on suspicion of violating the National Public Service Act (confidentiality obligation) for leaking the schedule of a tax investigation in advance.[18]

 Until 2012, Osaka City had granted tax exemptions, including property tax, to facilities associated with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon). However, in the same year, Osaka City's audit committee recommended that the exemption be an overreach of discretion. As a result, Osaka City abolished the exemption for Chongryon-related facilities from the following fiscal year, 2013, and imposed tax only for the fiscal years 2009 to 2012. However, Chongryon filed a lawsuit against the revocation of the exemption. 

 In 2018, the Osaka District Court dismissed the case, ruling that the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan is a "political organization supported only by a small portion of Korean residents in Japan, and the facility cannot be considered a community center-like facility for foreign residents in Japan," thereby supporting the Osaka City government's argument.[14]