North Korean Residents Association of Japan

The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Zainippon Chosenjin Sorengokai, or "Chongryon" in Korean) is an organization for ethnic Koreans living in Japan, which has close ties to North Korea. It was established on May 25, 1955 by Han Deok Su, who was an activist of leftist labor movements in Japan. For South Korean residents in Japan, there is Mindan, the Korean Residents Union In Japan. Currently, among 610,000 Korean residents in Japan, 65 percent are members of Mindan, and 35 percent are members of Chongryon. The main headquarters is in Tokyo, and there are also prefectural and regional head offices and branches. As there is no official diplomatic relationship between Japan and North Korea, Chongryon has been the defacto North Korean embassy in Japan. It also operates Korean schools from kindergarten to university, Korean banks, and other facilities in Japan. (from Wikipedia).