In the nineteenth century, as the Russian empire expanded eastwards and the Japanese empire expanded onto the Asian continent, the Russo-Japanese border became contested on and around the island of Sakhalin, its Russian name, or Karafuto, as it is known in Japanese. Then in the wake of the Second World War, Russia seized control of the island and the Japanese inhabitants were deported. Sakhalin’s history as a border zone makes it a lynchpin of Russo-Japanese relations, and as such it is a rich case study for exploring the key themes of this book: life in the borderlands, migration,...

This book explores the issues of education, the use of languages and the formation of self-identification of the Japanese and Korean diasporas of Sakhalin, over a hundred years period: from the time they moved to the island, until their “return” to historical homelands in Japan or South Korea. During this time, their language environment and language of education changed 4 times and Japanese and Korean of Sakhalin continued to be a linguistic and ethnic minority.

This book explores the issues of education, the use of languages and the formation of self-identification of the Japanese and Korean diasporas of Sakhalin, over a hundred years period: from the time they moved to the island, until their “return” to historical homelands in Japan or South Korea. During this time, their language environment and language of education changed 4 times and Japanese and Korean of Sakhalin continued to be a linguistic and ethnic minority.