September 3, 1959

GIST OF TALKS SIXTEENTH SESSION
COMMITTEE ON LEGAL STATUS OF KOREAN RESIDENTS IN JAPAN
1. Time and Place: 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. August 31, 1959, at Room 211, Foreign Ministry, Japanese Government
2, Conferees:
Korean side: Dr. YU Chin-O
Mr. CHOI Kyu Hah
Mr. CHIN Pil Shik
Mr. HAN Kibong
Mr. ROH Jae Won
Mr. LEE Chang Soo
Mr. KWON Tae Woong
Japanese side: Mr. KATSUNO Yasusuke
Mr. HIRAGA Kenta
Mr. MIYAKE Kijiro
Mr. HASEGAWA Shinzo
Mr. MORI Junzo
Mr. HIRATSUKA Nenoichi
Mr. NAKAGAWA Toyokichi
Mr. NAKAJIMA Toshijiro
Mr. IKEBE Ken
3. Gist of Talks
Dr. Yu
(introduced the members of our delegation to this Committee.)
Mr. Katsuno
(introduced the members of the Japanese delegation to this Committee.)
Besides, Mr. Iseki, Director of Asian Affairs Bureau, Foreign Ministry, or Mr. Miyake, Councillor of Foreign Ministry, will attend this Committee as observer at any time.
Dr. Yu
For our side, Mr. Chang Kyung Keun and Mr. Lee Ho will attend this Committee as observer at any time.
If the Japanese side has anything to make mention of at today's meeting, I would listen to it first.
Mr. Katsuno
The Committee on Legal Status of Korean Residents in Japan has long been at recess since last December 15th.
The fourth Japan-ROK talks has recently been reopened, and its plenary meeting decided that three problems concerning Korean residents in Japan be discussed at this Committee. Pursuant to the decision, we are having the sixteenth session --counted from last year-- of this Committee. Last year, former delegates exchanged their views on legal status problems of Korean residents in Japan. I hope that discussions on legal status problems of Korean residents in Japan will be conducted in the spirit of mutual concession and understanding, and that our discussions be kept pace with works of the other committees dealing with various issues pending between the two countries
Dr. Yu
I am pleased by the fact that the Japanese side has agreed to the Korean side's proposal that three problems on legal status of Korean residents in Japan be adopted as agenda items, and that this Committee has started its works today.
The current political tension between the Republic of Korea and Japan was caused by absence of a settlement an legal status of Korean residents in Japan. Therefore, the solution to this problem through discussions would set a favorable starting point towards the settlement of the other complicated issues pending between the two countries.
Your government's nailsteual decision, in February of this year, to send part of Korean residents in Japan to the northern part of Korea made the situation far more complicated and intensified tension between the two countries. The Korean aide proposed, with a view to seeking a settlement of the tense situation by reciprocal and peaceful means, to discuss the three problems for a solution at this Committee.
The Korean residents in Japan, whose number amounts to as many as 600,000 have indescribably suffered hardships, tangible or intangible, due to the unsettlement of their legal status in Japan. Prompt settlement of this problem would mean more than a settlement of one of the issues pending between the two countries. From the humanitarian point of view, it is also a matter of great urgency.
In discussing these problems, our contention will only be based on reasonable and humanitarian grounds. If any dispute continues to take place between the two countries, the communists alone would be benefited. I hope that the Japanese side comes into discussion on these problems with sincerity and broad point of view.
The Korean side also hopes that the settlement of the other over-all issues pending between the two countries would be made at these overall talks now under way.
Dr. Yu
I would like to fix the date of next meeting, if the Japanese side does not have anything to mention further. Substantial matters will be discussed at nest meeting.
Mr. Katsuno
It is desirable not to fix the data of next meeting now. I think, hr. Sawada will meet Ambassador Yiu who recently returned from Seoul, and they may have talks over this problem. So it would be butter to fix the date of next meeting after their talks.
Dr. Yu
think it would be better to fix the date of next meeting tentatively on coming Wednesday or Thueadey in order to expedite our discussions at this Committee.
Mr. Katsuno
It is desirable, as I told, to fix the date of next meeting later on.
Dr. Yu
hope that next meeting would be held as soon as possible.
Mr. Katsuno
I have no objection.

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