Test for Ethnic Relevance

Fight against discrimination is one of the methods to determine progress of a society. Japan is now tested. House of Councillors is starting discussion over a bill prohibiting hate speech against foreigners in Japan. Having worried about growing discrimination against Korean-Japanese, multi-partisan lawmakers submitted the bill without bureaucratic support. Success of the legislature may lead to improvement in sentiment against ethnic minority.

The bill was submitted to the House by Democratic Party of Japan and Social Democratic Party. The bill requires no discriminative measures or speeches on specific people based on ethnic reason. It also demands national and every local government to take measures for preventing discrimination. National government is responsible for reporting about related measures to the Diet every year and has to run survey about actual discriminations among people. It also requests Cabinet Office to establish Policy Council for Preventing Ethnic Discrimination, consisted by experts on the issue.

Ethnic discrimination namely against Korean-Japanese is prevalent in Japan. The haters require abolishment of legislatures privileging Japanese-Koreans. However, their demonstration in the streets is filled with antagonism against Japanese-Koreans, chanting messages to exclude or even kill them. In Kyoto, hate speakers were indicted with penalty of ¥12 million on their demonstration in front of an elementary school for Korean-Japanese.

New legislature is expected not only to prohibit such kind of demonstration apparently emerged in society, but also to eliminate fundamental sentiment of discrimination before it emerges. One difficulty is that governmental power may oppress speeches against government in the name of preventing discrimination. Clear definition of discrimination, which is a complicated job, is needed.

Although Komeito is positive on the legislature, Liberal Democratic Party is still negative as a whole. Among LDP legislators are some more frustrated with anti-government demonstration around Prime Minister’s Residence or the Diet than hate speech.

United Nations Human Rights Council required Japan last year to legislate new law for prohibiting speeches agitating ethnic superiority or and hates such as discrimination, adversary or violence. But, Shinzo Abe administration has taken no measures to implement it. It is inevitable for the Japanese to be recognized by world society as ethnic barbarians, as long as its prime minister is such an incompetent figure on the issue.