2003 Volume 19 Issue 2 Pages 79-93
This study discussed, theoretically and empirically, the intention to acquire voting rights and citizenship for the Korean Residents in Japan. First, their intentions were categorized as either purposeful or expedient, and either differential or assimilative. With basic analyses, the validity of the categorization was supported. Causal factors explaining intention were examined through hierarchical logistic regression models. The intension to acquire local voting right increased through differential factors, while it decreased through factors that pointed toward resistance against assimilation. The intention to acquire voting rights increased through general attitudes and attributions independent of individual factors, and these variables had little to do with assimilation. The intention to naturalize increased through affection toward Japan, and decreased through ethnic self-esteem as 9 Korean. This suggests that the intent to naturalize is assimilative. These analyses indicate the necessity of an active role on the part of the social environment for purposeful naturalization which preserves the ethnic identity of the Koreans.
