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Voices of protest can be heard when the governor of Tokyo and other government officials make discriminatory remarks, or when violence and threats are made against Korean children resident in Japan. There are people in Japan who experience discrimination on a daily basis, such as being refused entry to certain shops. It is becoming clear that many people, thrust into these situations, are powerless to do anything about it. Japan’s laws and its system do not come to their aid.
It’s a fact that one cannot always rely on the justice system, which costs a considerable amount of time, money, and effort to achieve results. Most situations require quick support from a national human rights institution - this kind of body has yet to be established in Japan.
Since the 1990s, national human rights institutions, independent of their respective governments, have been established in many countries around the world. In 1993, the United Nations adopted the Paris Principles which created certain basic standards for national human rights institutions.
The Human Rights Protection Bill, rejected in 2005, was commendable to a certain extend because of its provisions banning discrimination, but left a lot to be desired in terms of complying with the Paris Principles. It was not an independent body that could offer effective recourse to victims, and it was much criticized domestically. Since then, there has been no concrete move towards setting up a national human rights institution.
Meanwhile, there continue to be laws and policies made that threaten the rights of minorities. Particularly after 9/11, the system has grown more and more hostile towards those considered “different,” trying to control and exclude them in the name of peace, security and the “War on Terror.”
To give an example from recent years, the Ministry of Justice Immigration Bureau, has implemented a system by which foreigners overstaying their visas can be reported anonymously through the internet. Laws concerning entry procedures into Japan have also been subject to change (in May 2006). Being a foreigner alone is grounds enough to be under the scrutiny of Japan’s crime prevention unit as a potential criminal. These laws that attempt to regulate and/or exclude foreigners in Japan seek only to justify discrimination and should be considered very dangerous. Further, the actions of minorities and movements that oppose such discriminatory laws may be rendered criminal under the Conspiracy Bill currently under consideration.
IMADR-JC works to oppose racism in government by urging the implementation of anti-discrimination and human rights protection laws and the abandonment of policies that are racist and discriminatory. Through joint actions with a broad coalition of minority individuals and groups, IMADR-JC works to give a voice to minorities on this issue both domestically and internationally.
