Chōsen-seki
Chōsen-seki
Legal status for Koreans in Japan
Chōsen-seki (朝鮮籍, lit. 'Korean domicile') is a legal status assigned by the Japanese government to ethnic Koreans in Japan who do not have Japanese nationality and who have not registered as South Korean nationals. The status arose following the end of World War II, when many Koreans lost Japanese nationality. Most people with this status technically have both North Korean nationality and South Korean nationality under those countries' respective nationality laws, but since they do not have South Korean documents, and Japan does not recognize North Korea as a state, they are treated in some respects as being stateless.[1]
As of 2023 there were around 24,000 people with this status, compared to over 410,000 registered South Korean nationals in Japan.[2]