Ri Kwang Sang, chairman of the Nagano Prefectural Headquarters of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), and Ri Song Gil, principal of Nagano Korean Junior Middle School, together with members of the Nagano Prefectural People's Council for Supporting the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of Korea visited the Social-Democratic Party and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan on July 27 to demand that the tuition-free program be applied to the Korean schools without discrimination.

They charged that the exclusion of Korean schools from the tuition-free program for senior high schools is a continuation of the Japanese government's unjust policy of discriminating against the Korean residents in Japan and stamping out their national education.

Officials of the Hokkaido Headquarters of Chongryon and teachers of Hokkaido Korean Junior and Senior High School, together with members of the Hokkaido Citizens' Council for Japan-Korea Solidarity, handed to the SDP and the Ministry of Education of Japan a written request and a signature paper signed by at least 15,000 people on July 28.

They stated that the Japanese government should immediately renounce its wrong policy toward the issue of aiding Korean schools and ensure the right of Korean students in Japan to learn their national culture and history.

Teachers and parents of students of Fukushima Korean Junior Middle School and representatives of the Japanese Society for Supporting Fukushima Korean Junior Middle School, too, called at the Ministry of Education on July 29 to present a signature paper endorsed by over 12,000 people and a written request addressed to the Japanese prime minister.

Earlier on July 20, the Aichi Branch of the Free Judiciary Group, a Japanese organization of lawyers, released a statement.