Man charged with libel for hate speech against Koreans

pro-Pyongyang 

I do not understand how anyone can be, especially after watching that women rant and rave as the North Korean spokeswoman on TV.

People like Hitoshi Nishimura put his hate speech on the internet. I would like to put the question to him and the likes of him "why are you so hell bent on degrading Japan"?

A vile, spiteful individual. A school full of children. How sad and pathetic his life must be if this is how to chooses to vent his anger.

Prosecutors have indicted without arrest 

some real powerful justice ... NOT

Why are there even pro-Pyongyang ilk in Japan in the first place? These are enemies and so harassment is expected.

They should leave immediately as they would surely not survive if conflict broke out with NK

So, he shouted through a loudhailer, libel(?), defamation, or slander, i.e. in that the school itself did not kidnap anyone, right?

What he should have said to be safe legally is that the school supports a country (DPRK) that has kidnapped Japanese (and South Koreans).

Well, he may have broken the letter of the law, but is this all that they can charge him with?

Why are there even pro-Pyongyang ilk in Japan in the first place?

https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/japans-north-korean-diaspora/

These are enemies and so harassment is expected.

These are people who have been in Japan for generations now. In a healthy democracy, people are allowed to hold differing opinions. Harassment of course is expected - this is the real world after all - but that doesn't mean it should be accepted and thought of as OK.

How exactly is what Nishimura said hate speech?

I concur his organization is vile and previous statements against ethnic Koreans were despicable, but in this case he was simply rallying against a pro North Korean school. Imagine a North Korean school in Japan that teaches North Korean propaganda and worships photos of the dear leaders, a country that preaches hatred and destruction of Japan.

Also, I don't believe in criminalizing speech which the Japanese constitution wisely noted.

Don't exaggerate the "pro-Pyongyang" label. It just means that the school was set up by families that were from towns and cities in the north part of Korea. Remember at the time, there was only one Korea. Russia and the US divided Korea into North and South after the war. They don't have anything to do with that. According to a friend who went to one of those "pro-Pyongyang" schools, aside from pictures of the Kims on the wall and saying "we praise you Mr. Kim" each morning, it was pretty much like going to a regular Japanese school. They spoke Korean in the class but Japanese in the playground. The biggest problem for them now is that a majority of the 3rd and 4th generation are naturalizing (which is now really easy for them) to become Japanese (they have never been there), against the will of parents who say they should maintain the tradition.

Haters have gotta hate! I often see these right-wing loons around Tokyo spouting their hate speech propaganda although, the ones I usually see are spouting anti-US drivel. There is a large organisation of these loons whose sole purpose is create hate speech and anti-foreign rhetoric. If hate speech is illegal, why hasn't this organisation of black cars and loud speakers been shut down under the hate speech law?

Normally don't bother about down votes. (Got 3 for last comment)... But you gotta be one sick puppy if they think directing racist hate speech at a school full of children is OK.

These pro-North Koreans are pretty lucky Japan is quite accepting of them. The situation for them would be very, very different if this were the US or somewhere in Europe

Really? I think the US has free-speech laws as well. As do many places in Europe.

These pro-North Koreans are pretty lucky Japan is quite accepting of them.

If one or two North Korean schools in Japan, you can say Japan is quite accepting but if about 70 North Korean schools all over Japan, you can see Japan is in big trouble.

Normally don't bother about down votes. (Got 3 for last comment)... 

Never Never bother about up or down votes, brother. EVER. Just speak from the heart. We are lucky to be able to do so. I have lived in many countries where there was 0 freedom of expression. People don't know how lucky they are.

But you gotta be one sick puppy if they think directing racist hate speech at a school full of children is OK.

Most rightwingers are. Whether they are on this site, or at a korean school here in japan, or burning crosses on people's yards in the US.

Oh and forgot to add this:

Man charged with libel for hate speech against Koreans

GOOD!!

"There is a large organisation of these loons whose sole purpose is create hate speech and anti-foreign rhetoric"

"Groups like the Zaitokukai should be banned."

"Free speech does not mean you are free to say anything you want when you want."

A US black family in Japan, experienced the negative influences of the Zaitokukai too.

Yelling anything into a load speaker is pretty pathetic actually, and to a school full of children the guy is obviously deranged. Serious mental and anger issues. Having said that, beware of making laws against certain types of speech no matter how diabolical. It has to be out there to be faced and condemned by society rather than forcing it underground . Arrest the guy as a public disturbance in a school zone.  Compelled speech ;  we are seeing the confusion and divisions it has brought to the west. A moment for pause. Be very careful you don't actually make things worse!

Hate speech is wrong.

Threatening school kids is very wrong. They are not responsible but its school is.

Chyousen gakkkou,

north Korean school, they still teaches Kim family as a heroic leader in class.

 http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/life-at-a-north-korean-school-in-japan

Chyousen gakkkou sued

the Japanese government saying that it is discrimination against them because

only north korean school doesn’t get financial support while other

international schools get, when their country is responsible for its poverty,

terrorist acts such as Korean air bomb, and kidnapping Japanese people.

See the list of below, Japan gives financial support to international school, which is unprecedented in other countries. (J-goverment official web)

http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/mushouka/1307345.htm

If you were American,

how would you feel ? if there was Islamic school in US where they teach Osama bin

ladin as a hero, and materials not matching US standard, and they claim that it

is discrimination for not being entitled

to receive money from US tax payers as education fund?

They misunderstood the difference between privilage and human rights!

mangokai_wo_manku:

Shouldn't they have pictures of the late Emperor Sunjong on the walls, if it is the united Korea they left, rather than the North's Kims?

Zichi:

I'm sure if the German schools had pictures of Mr Moustache-holocaust on the walls and praised him, there would be a similar situation.

The Chinese might have Mao still on the walls, unless Taiwanese. In that case, I scratch my head.

Hachikou:

Though reprehensible, an Islamic school that taught Bin Laden was righteous, etc would be allowed under free speech, however separation of church and state would deny the school of any public funding.

Its easy to protect the speech we agree with, much harder to protect the speech that turns out stomach.

It is said that japan is becoming like England with their free speech laws.

Will they prosecute the right wingers who drive around in Black vehicles flying Japanese flags (old and new) and which between the blaring of loud music, and hunting horns, rant about Chinese, Russian, and Koreans... I doubt it, as it's well known these guys pay the Police. I guess this civic group didnt, hence the arrest.

@dcog9065

Why are there even pro-Pyongyang ilk in Japan in the first place?

There wouldn't be one if Japanese war cabinet decided to surrender after the Battle of Okinawa.Instead, The war cabinet's decision to fight to the last man standing delayed the inevitable surrender long enough for the Soviet Union to enter the war.

So blame the creation of Kim regime to the Imperial Japanese war cabinet.

They should leave immediately

No can do. They have special green cards that guarantees they could not be deported even for murder. This was in place of the Japanese citizenship that they were stripped of following the surrender.

@Strangerland

In a healthy democracy, people are allowed to hold differing opinions.

Of course, but one has no rights to spread confirmed lies, that's a libel.

For example, I can say Donald Trump is acting like a Nazi against undocumented immigrants in the US, but I cannot say Donald Trump's father was a Nazi, because Fred Trump wasn't.

@oldman_13

How exactly is what Nishimura said hate speech?

He said the said school kidnapped Japanese, which clearly isn't true and is a legally qualified libel.

Imagine a North Korean school in Japan that teaches North Korean propaganda and worships photos of the dear leaders, a country that preaches hatred and destruction of Japan.

There wouldn't be a North Korean school in Japan today if Imperial Japanese leaders had a common sense and not invaded Korea, or at least surrender after the Battle of Okinawa.

@zichi

"The Zaitokukai are an extreme rightwing group which hates all foreigners not just Koreans."

thanks for heads up.....

Surprised that Japanese court charged the man Hitoshi Nishimura with a libel charge considering the fact that the hate speech against Koreans in Japan would never seem to end since there is no law that actually bans the hate speech against the Koreans in Japan but nonetheless it's quite a small milestone for a conservative Japanese society that continues to keep itself quite a distance from all foreigners living in Japan!

No matter what your political beliefs - targeting children outside of schools is just out of bounds.

@zichi Apr. 24 12:50 pm JST

Free speech should not be curtailed whether we like what is said or not but advocating someone to commit a crime like "murder the Koreans" should be arrested and detained for that.

Free speech should not be curtailed but let's curtail free speech?

Making up excuses to classify things as outside the realm of free speech is the first step to losing said "free speech".