Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday criticized hate speech and said his government will do all it can to raise awareness of the problem.
Speaking during question and answer time before the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Abe said: "Hate speech diminishes not only the speaker and the target but also Japan itself," TBS reported.
Abe called hate speech "extremely discomforting, unpleasant and unfortunate." He said that laws alone cannot eradicate the practice and that it is important to strengthen public awareness.
A member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's coalition partner, the Komeito Party, also said in the Diet Monday that even if hate speech is directed toward one ethnic group, it is difficult to enact a law to define what is correct speech because it could lead to oppression.
Last month, 20 prefectural and local assemblies, among them Saitama, Osaka and Tottori, urged the Japanese government to make hate speech illegal. Last summer, a United Nations panel on racial discrimination strongly urged the Japanese government to make hate speech illegal.
However, Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa said that the government has no plans to introduce new legislation at this time, but will instead bolster existing laws to tackle the issue head on.
The renewed calls against hate speech come after the Osaka high court in December upheld a lower court ruling that hate speech by a Japanese group directed at a Korean school in Japan is unlawful.
The group, Zaitokukai, had appealed a ruling by the Kyoto district court in which it was ordered to pay 12 million yen in damages after its members yelled abuse outside a pro-Pyongyang Korean elementary school in Kyoto.
Members of Zaitokukai, which describes itself as a citizens’ assembly opposed to granting special rights to foreigners residing in Japan, stood outside the school on several occasions in 2009 and 2010, demanding that Korean schools be shut down and that the Korean children’s parents were spies, TBS reported. The group also posted video footage of the rallies online.
Osaka High Court Presiding Judge Hiroshi Mori said in his ruling that the rallies outside the school were clearly driven by racist ideals, and not at all in the interests of public.
He said the rallies, which disturbed classes and scared children, constitute racial discrimination defined under the United Nations’ convention on the elimination of racial discrimination, which Japan has ratified.
Officials from Zaitokukai, which boasts more than 10,000 members, say they were protesting the Kyoto school’s use of a nearby city-run park without permission. They say they are protesting alleged “special privileges” given to ethnic Koreans, and say Japan’s welfare system is abused by Korean residents.
Though attendance at such rallies has been limited to a few hundred people at most and they are far from becoming mainstream, similar demonstrations of nationalists targeting ethnic Koreans and other minorities have escalated over the past year in Tokyo and other cities, amid Japan’s chilly diplomatic relations with its Asian neighbors.
In 2013, in Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo district, dotted with Korean restaurants and shops popular among South Korean pop-culture fans, hundreds of Zaitokukai members and supporters called Koreans “cockroaches,” shouted “Kill Koreans” and threatened to “throw them into the sea.”
There are about 500,000 Koreans in Japan - the country’s largest ethnic minority group - and many are descendants of forced laborers shipped to Japan during its 1910-1945 colonial rule of Korea. They still face discrimination in education, marriage and jobs.
© Japan Today/AP
42 Comments
Login to comment
Disillusioned
The pot calling the kettle black!
whiskeysour
Sad !!! Kids shouldn't see that. But adults tend to act like kids. Very wild.
warispeace
What does the PM think about neo-nationalist rhetoric from politicians that stokes hate speech?
harvey pekar
Wow. Way to make such bold comments. The uyoku dantai kids have just hung up their hate signs... NOT!
Tahoochi
marcelito: Actually, it wasn't Abe who said that.
On a separate note,
This is where Japanese politicians and officials have it wrong. We shouldn't be fighting racism because of what the UN says, we should be fighting it because it's wrong. That's the message that these spineless people who run this country fail to send to the public, time and time again.
Amidalism
Maybe these people should be protesting against those who forced these Koreans' ancestors into slavery instead of the Koreans who have little to no choice of being in Japan.
mitoguitarman
Pot & Kettle
Wc626
Its sad how Koreans in (modern) Japan face discrimination in this society. Imagine having to conceal your real identity your whole life for fear of being ostracized. Yup, thats how it works here-
sanjigen
These hate speech only exist due to the lack of education. It's certainly easier to fool a fool and spread amongst these people.
rickyvee
They still face discrimination in education, marriage and jobs.
really? this is such a tired and lazy phrase that is thrown out when referring to ethinc koreans in japan.
HongoTAFEinmate
Not an Abe fan, but I`ll give him credit for this in much the same way that King Toru down in Osaka deserves credit for his previous lambasting of the Zaitokukai.
toshiko
It sounds good but it could br because there are hate speech for Abe. By left, By right, by JT comment writers. He probably wants to stop any sort of hate soeech including hate speech toward him. and he now going to stop trying to please right wing?
NYtoday
@Wc626 and others
I am very curious to find out how some zainichi Koreans end up in Uyoku dantai. (Those who have no idea what I am talking about, please use Google and next time you see those annoying black vans, find hangul and Korean flag on them.) I get some zainichi end up in yakuza since there is always certain number of outlaws in any ethnic group, unfortunately. Any thoughts?
@rickyvee
I agree. Just by looking at list of succeful zainichi Korean rich and famous past 70 years, you can tell they play great role in Japanese society. Athletes, artists, celebrities, CEOs...Pachinko, Lotte, Yellow Cab, Reeve 21... And some cities allow them to work for the city. Technically, they are not Japanese but they can work for the government because they are 特別永住者 Koreans. (In a way, it is a discrimination against other non-Japanese permanent residents, I have to point out.)
If Japan was really to discriminate against ethnic Koreans, those kids wouldn't be allowed to worship Mr. Kim and learn how great and awesome North Korea is at their minjok school while their home country keeps shooting missels in poor sea of Japan.
GalapagosnoGairaishu
I believe Koreans are now in second place after Chinese. But millions of them have assimilated, through mixed marriage or naturalization. The number of Japanese of Korean or part-Korean descent almost certainly runs into the millions. At least three sumo grand champions -- Sadanoyama, Tamanoumi and Mienoumi -- came from Korean backgrounds. The so-called "zai-nichi" and their offspring can be found in almost every type of endeavor, sports, show business, commerce (founders of Lotte and Softbank for example) and organized crime as well.
bjohnson23
In order to be an effective leader one must set the example, but when that one fails to get his own followers to heed then its another failure. Women by far are biased and some words can even be considered as hateful. This must change first in Japan then everything else will follow, not just about the foreigners, who will be discriminated in other ways besides hate and racial profiling.
souka
so they are elected not to make laws but to carry out awareness campaigns. LDP knows well the wishes of their constituents.
Yoshimi Onishi
"Raising awareness of the problem" is not enough, and "bolstering existing laws" without actually making a new law is not much different. "It is difficult to enact a law to define what is correct speech because it could lead to oppression." is just a poor excuse for wanting to do nothing about it. The real problem here is simply that Abe and his government doesn't care enough about Korean residents.
NYtoday
@Yoshimi Onishi
I think it's true, though. Who decides "correct speech" and how? Let me take my last comment above for an example:
"I am very curious to find out how some zainichi Koreans end up in Uyoku dantai. (Those who have no idea what I am talking about, please use Google and next time you see those annoying black vans, find hangul and Korean flag on them.) I get some zainichi end up in yakuza since there is always certain number of outlaws in any ethnic group, unfortunately. Any thoughts?"
Is it a politically okay speech or am I somehow possibly insulting some zainichi Korean's reputation? Hence, "I don't care enough about Korean residents?" Do I need to come up with source and proper evidence every time I speak of a touchy subject and get ready for a lawsuit?
Considering the outstanding percentage of zainich Koreans who receive 生活保護 social welfare compared to other foreigners, I think the government do care about Koreans. Also, the Japanese government allows North Koreans in Japan to educate their kids with their ideology and political agenda in the name of "free speech," regardless of current relationship between Japan and North Korea.
If anything, all non-Japanese residents including Koreans should be cared and treated equally. Not just Korean residents.
smithinjapan
It sounds good for a minute, until you realize that ultimately it's all just lip-service. I mean, they have "no plans to implement new legislation but bolster current laws to tackle the issue head on", so they haven't been tackling the issue head on? Making hate speech illegal won't tackle it head on? This sounds like it's just going to be the usual, "We're going to raise awareness and deal with the issue" with the central government 'leaving it up to local communities on how they deal with it', then both blaming each other when there's an incident after nothing gets done.
Absolutely nothing wrong with raising awareness, and I hope they start by printing in every major news outlet about the Zaitokukai, how they were wrong, and how such speech fosters hate. A good start would be shutting down the group, as well.
But, I mean, we're dealing here mainly with a guy who says all this at the same time as he wants to change the wording of the constitution and apologies to make it more sympathetic to Japan's wartime deeds -- I find it hard to believe he would seriously act to stop any hate speech towards others.
Scrote
We can see videos of the fascists shouting "kill Koreans" whilst the police stand idly by. That kind of hate speech is tolerated. But if I were to stand outside the palace in Tokyo shouting "kill the emperor" I would be arrested in seconds. No free speech for me.
Free speech in Japan only applies to those the authorities sympathise with, i.e. the fascists. For everyone else their "rights" will be trampled upon without hesitation and with no recourse.
turbotsat
(I googled Google images a bit but could only find one van with one line of hangul, and no vans with ROK flags.)
Anyone can put hangul or Korean flags on a van. Maybe the hangul is cursing Koreans.
Also, maybe the vans were false flag, as has occurred at least once before, as indicated on wikipedia sentence about a particular group:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyoku_dantai
TakahiroDomingo
i don't get it: he incites super-nationalism; but now he criticizes the hate speech that he sows?
drakedogma
Wow, you don't even see this type of stuff done to Black kids in America, I never see a group actually protest black schools and there are over 20 Million+ blacks in that country.
That's why every minority in Japan should pro-create more and more, create a pushback against the conservatives and their racist thought until it's politically toxic to do so, and I'm glad ABE criticizes it but that's common sense
Frederic Bastiat
My guess is that Abe hopes to use this as an excuse to squelch any kind of voice of dissent, especially in his direction.
Wakarimasen
I thought that this was a misprint - "critiscises" substituted for "makes".....
itsonlyrocknroll
“Hate speech diminishes not only the speaker and the target but also Japan itself,”.....If this sentiment is heart felt and is backed up with action to slap down extremist groups like the Zaitokukai then this has to be applauded.
toshiko
Korean Japanese who are rich now maybe. But their parents could be one of majority who begged food to survive in Japan. A majority of Koreans worked as trash collectot and trash sorter, their childtrm working together. They wore clothes they found in trash. They lived in Japan where no chance to be employed. Don't think they shouldn;t come to Japan. Labor shortage in Japan and Japanese military govt shipped their ancestors to Japan. Current Koreans are their descendants.
Hope Abe will distance himself from right wing now.
Wc626
True. Point taken NYtoday. I never stopped to grasp the thought some zainichi koreans could end up yakuza.
NYtoday
@turbotsat
You might need to google in Japanese. Anyway, I found an Asahi Shimbun article (web archive) in English in which 辛淑玉, Shin Sugok, a well-known zainichi Korean activist talks about Koreans in Uyoku:
Korean activist braces for `storm of fascism' By PAUL BAYLIS, Asahi Shimbun News Service
"Asked whether she is concerned that her outspokenness will draw the ire of right-wing forces, she is defiant.
'I hope they send the sound trucks over and park them outside my window. I will set up my own loudspeakers and blast them right back!'
Most of those who appear to be right-wingers, she says, are just frustrated people feeling the same sense of isolation that minorities such as herself feel. Many, in fact, are Koreans, she said."
http://www37.tok2.com/home/koreanworld/data/archives/pseudo_chosun_right/K2001120900069.html
Also, in Japan Times:
From rackets to real estate, yakuza multifaceted BY ERIC JOHNSTON
"What’s the difference between the yakuza and the rightwing?—While cynics say “not much,” there are differences. Many yakuza are Korean or Chinese residents of Japan or hail from the “buraku” communities, Japan’s traditional, but technically former, outcasts. For this reason, they deplore the xenophobic and racist attitudes of the rightwing movement.
One such reported Yamaguchi-gumi-linked mobster of Korean descent, Hiroyuki Jo, made headlines in April 1995 in a scene reminiscent of Jack Ruby in Dallas in 1963. Jo, due to his “outrage” over Aum Shinrikyo’s sarin attack on Tokyo’s subway system, fatally stabbed the cult’s science chief, Hideo Murai, in front of a swarm of reporters. Tabloids reported that Jo actually wanted to silence Murai before he could reveal how the sect had been making narcotics and guns for the mob."
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/02/14/reference/from-rackets-to-real-estate-yakuza-multifaceted/#.VOyWE4E8KrU
I personally despise those black vans. When I was little, I used to see them in front of train station and my mother often jokingly said, "if you don't behave, they will take you away!" looking at little me terrified by their loud noise and ugly decals...LOL.
Those who bash and trash Uyokus and voice discrimination against minorities, though, need to think deeper. The story isn't black and white. Some minorities are them.
And for those who keeps up with "Koreans are still discriminated against...look at Zaitokukai." I don't like "Zaitokukai." But when I listen to their counterpart former Shibakitai or current C.R.A.C formed by zainichis, they are equally awful in hate-speech field. They openly show their hate towards certain Japanese on their Twitter and offline gatherings. Put one side on a pedestal and critisize the other is dangerous. The world is more complicated than heroes and villans.
toshiko
Try to use Jaoanese English or /english Japanese dictionary instead f google when you want to research any Japanese culture. Google use Japanese blooded American who were not born in Japan and who did not grew in Japan.
Uyoku (right wing) people do not like any foreigners. That is their tradition way before WW II time. You become friends with U/SA people you (if you are Japanese) you will be classified as traiter by uyoku. They keep their ideology of Taisei Yokusan Kai. Japanese, including so called yakuza organizations are discriminatory. Koreans are not included in Japanese society.
NYtoday
@toshiko
This part, I agree. If one wants to deepen knowledge in certain area, for instance, Japan, you better know the language.
Well, this does not apply to today's uyokus (here I am particularly referring to 街宣右翼—the ones with black vans.) http://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/街宣右翼 Sorry for my laziness to give you a wikipedia link but I am sure it'll be a good start if you want to research further.
Also, let me provide an interesting blog archive in English. It's just that the fact zainich Koreans are involved with uyoku really fascinates me.
Heavy Zainichi Korean Presence in Japanese Uyoku
"Obviously not all the Uyoku groups are Zainichi, but Koreans are less than 1% of the population and with Korean leaders of at least 5 out of 25 extreme right wing groups, that makes about 20% of the leadership Korean, if the sources quoted by that blogger is correct. If Koreans are as represented in the rank and file of the Uyoku as much as they are in the Yakuza, that means that they are hugely over represented. One wonders about the motivations of Zainichi Koreans joining these groups."
http://www.occidentalism.org/heavy-zainichi-korean-presence-in-japanese-uyoku/
Notice the van mentioned in the link use the term "韓日友好 (Korea-Japan Friendship)" which is a nice thing for uyokus to say, however, you know you wouldn't say 韓日 if you are Japanese. Just like we never say 米日 but 日米.
CH3CHO
It is amazing that this hate propaganda against Japan is still there. According to government visa statistics, as of 1959, of the 611, 085 Koreans in Japan, only 245 were former forced laborers. In addition, forced labor took place for just 1 year between September 1944 and August 1945 not between 1910-1945.
Furthermore, forced labor in question was for public purposes, is distinguished from slave labor and is permitted in light of Slavery Convention of 1926. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/SlaveryConvention.aspx
toshiko
1@NYtodayFEB. 25, 2015 - 01:20PM JST @toshiko
Uyoku (right wing) people do not like any foreigners. That is their tradition way before WW II time. You become friends with U/SA people you (if you are Japanese) you will be classified as traiter by uyoku. Well, this does not apply to today's uyokus (here I am particularly referring to 街宣右翼—the ones with black vans.) http://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/街宣右翼 Sorry for my laziness to give you a wikipedia link but I am sure it'll be a good start if you want to research further. Also, let me provide an interesting blog archive in English. It's just that the fact zainich Koreans are involved with uyoku really fascinates me.
===================================================================
Have you visited uyku honbe and tinterviewed them? Didn't they asj you why you dio not 'keibetsu' Chosenjin> Don;t they ask yiy ti stio /america kabure? i mean current uyoku I am writing, I am old so they are very polite.
NYtoday
@toshiko
As articles I provided in my past comments suggests, there are many zainichi Koreans in today's uyoku (and that statement came from pro-Korean zainichi activist!), therefore, they have no reason to personally discriminate against Koreans (whether South or North.) My link also shows black vans with a slogan "Korea-Japan Friendship." PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU COMMENT.
I don't think you are in denial but please widen your knowledge by at least considering different opinions and new studies. You may have this solid, concrete idea of your old uyoku from 70 years ago (!) but their own people, power/money source, ideologies and strategies have changed as Japan and her politics has changed.
Asking me if my statements were based on my own interview with uyoku is bit too much! Do I have to talk to ISIS folks in person before I criticise their act?!
turbotsat
@NYToday
So far you are are claiming a contradiction in uyoku being headed by Koreans but haven't demonstrated any contradiction. Or I am misunderstanding what you are trying to say.
Yes, it would be a contradiction of anti-zainichi uyoku groups were headed by zainichi Koreans. And false flag operations of uyoku pretending to be anti-Korean while actually headed by Koreans would be bad.
So where is the evidence of either of these? A couple of items of random speculation on blog posts but no evidence shown, so far. And what use would a false flag anti-Korean operation be, if the operators are stupid enough to put a person with a Korean name at the top?
Yes, there are yakuza groups headed by Koreans. Is yakuza equivalent to anti-Korean?
The occidentalism.org post is actually a repost referring to someone else's post on blogspot. The repost significantly changes some of the text in the original post to exclude mention of the term yakuza, but shows only yakuza organizations in the list of five orgs it retains from the original list.
occidentalism.org (repost): "... without exception unless those letters are written by Korean sided people. *The number of Uyoku groups designated by police is 25. Five groups out of the 25 have obvious Korean leaders as below: group・・・・・・・・・・・・family Name given name ..." [a shorter list than the original post] "... You don’t know how to read Kanji? No problem. Usually ..."
yellowpeep blogspot (original post): "... without exception unless those letters are written by Korean sided people. Here I listed information on bosses of fake Uyoku or Yakuza who are also Korean. Surprisingly, many Korean bosses were found: group・・・・・・・・・・・・family Name given name" [a list of orgs and bosses' names] "... You don’t know how to read Kanji? No problem. Usually ..."
Even the original post shows mostly or all yakuza orgs, I gave up pasting org names into google before finding any non-yakuza groups listed.
As far as the black 'Korea/Japan friendship' van with juxtaposed South Korean http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7506/1454/320/b0015171.jpg, it is a 'friendship' van. How does that make it anti-Korean?
And from the comments to the blogspot article:
toshiko
@NY Today: I met Uyoku by their invitation last year. Was last year 70 years ago? then I must be more than 100 years old.
NYtoday
@toshiko
WHAT?! I am thrilled!! Would you mind sharing the story with us? Anyway, considering the numbers of uyoku organizations in Japan, I am sure they are all different in their own way. You see different slogans and ideologies on their vans.
@turbotsat
I am still learning a lot about this "zainichi in uyoku" thing and having a hard time fulling understanding the picture. After all, it's underground matter and I've lived far from it.
I guess my point was that "even though zainichi Koreans tend to criticize Japan and its political direction under Abe (including this hate-speech issue) often times using label such as 'right-wingers' and 'nationalists,' they need to know there are some Koreans in that very black van." Hence, they need to avoid portraying zainich Koreans as 'victims' of Japan as a whole.
I think he is a good example of zainichi Korean uyoku who was publicly recognized: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroyuki_Jo
Also, some zainichi themselves openly admits zainichi uyoku: "街宣右翼の中の在日韓国・朝鮮人の存在に関する証言記録 元公安調査官の菅沼光弘は、外国特派員協会での記者会見で「在日韓国・朝鮮人や被差別部落出身者が暴力団員の9割を占め、右翼活動によって収益を上げている」と語っている。但し、菅沼自身、朝鮮総連との深い関わりがあり事の真相は解っていない。また現在、右翼活動で資金を獲るのは困難だと右翼団体関係者の談もある。[9]。 辛淑玉が英語版アサヒコムの「Korean activist braces for `storm of fascism'」[10]で、右翼の中に多数の在日韓国・朝鮮人がいる事に触れている[11]。" http://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/街宣右翼
That was my point. With this slogan, our perception of "uyoku=anti-Korean" fails.
Again, this is an deep issue and I have more research to do. And it is extremely hard to find ariticles in English on this matter. I am ordering bunch of books to study further...
toshiko
@NYToday: They wanted me to donate big money. Don't they invite you? They did not know I am a cheap skate.
NYtoday
@toshiko
OMG! You are funny! I hardly encounter those black vans and when I do, I don't get too close. If they want their ideas to be heard, they need to come up with a different approach. Perhaps a marketing campaign with Hello Kitty with pink van or something.
toshiko
@NYTimes: You are writing like uyoku behaves like 70 years ago. Why you are scared? I thought you are from Japan. Didn;t you learn shinai and yari in Japan? Actually uyokus are cowards. They don't know how to discuss alone. Take advamtage. Don't be scared.
Abe might be trying distant from right wingers. Now panels trying to his speech acceptable to right wing. Hate speech includes Abe bashing speech. It is time Japanese right wing lose position in LDP There is a big reason Abe is scared of right wing.