Present there were dietmen and citizens of Japan, students of Korean schools and their parents and officials concerned.

The meeting heard reports by representatives of the Forum Peace, Human Rights and Environment of Japan, the Japan-Korea Society for Scientific and Educational Interchange and the Liaison Society Opposing Exclusion of Korean Schools from Tuition-free Program for Senior High Schools.

They recalled that the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on Feb. 4 expressed its intention not to start the procedure for applying tuition-free program to Korean schools, talking about the Yonphyong Island shelling again.

Querying why children are to blame for such political and diplomatic issue, they accused the Japanese government of insisting on the discrimination policy under an absurd excuse.

Then followed speeches.

The speakers held that Korean students, who are granted national education, should no longer be made to suffer from the unwarranted discrimination policy.

They said they would continue activities for the settlement of the issue of supporting Korean schools against national chauvinism remaining deep in the Japanese society.