"Korean Feels Bad"... Anti-Korean Posts After Kyoto International High Wins at Japanese Koshien

SNS Posts with "Kyoto's Shame" and Other Anti-Korean Content
Kyoto Prefectural Governor Urges Restraint from Discriminatory Expressions

On social media in Japan, anti-Korean posts have been continuously appearing regarding Kyoto International High School, a Korean ethnic school in Japan that won its first championship at the All-Japan High School Baseball Championship, known as the "Summer Koshien."

After Kyoto International High School's victory, posts on X (formerly Twitter) included comments such as "The Korean school song is unpleasant" and "The shame of Kyoto." There were also demands for the high school baseball federation to expel Kyoto International High School.

The predecessor of Kyoto International High School is Kyoto Chosen Middle School, established in 1947 by Korean residents in Japan who voluntarily raised funds for ethnic education. The school song is in Korean, beginning with "Across the Sea of East Sea, Yamato land is the sacred dreamland of our ancestors."

Students of Kyoto Kokusai High School are celebrating at the Japan National High School Baseball Championship (Koshien). [Image source=Yonhap News]

During the final match, the scene of Kyoto International High School players singing the Korean school song was broadcast live nationwide on NHK, Japan's public broadcaster.

Japanese right-wing groups have pointed to this and launched attacks. When Kyoto International High School first reached the semifinals of the Summer Koshien main tournament in 2021, the school received threatening phone calls, and many anti-Korean posts appeared on social media.

In response, the governor of Kyoto Prefecture has called for restraint.

Kyodo News reported on the 23rd that Takatoshi Nishiwaki, governor of Kyoto Prefecture where Kyoto International High School is located, said at a regular press conference that "discriminatory posts should not be tolerated."

Governor Nishiwaki added, "We have already requested the social media operators to delete four posts containing discriminatory content," and "the responsible department continues to monitor the situation."