Japan’s Dalits

An old article I dug out of the archives today. They have Dalits in Japan too. What are Dalits after all? Ones who are made to clean up society’s shit. And Japan is no different from BIMARU Bihar.

Plight and struggle of Japan’s Burakus

Buraku discrimination traces its roots to Japan's feudal era about 400 years ago. In those days, discriminated-against people were assigned jobs that others abhorred, such as disposing of dead cattle, producing leather, and being low-ranking security guards.
The modernization revolution in 1868 and the Emancipation Edict in 1871 were supposed to have put that oppressive system to an end. But it only gave birth to a new class system with the Emperor at the top and the Buraku people at the bottom.
A new constitution with provisions banning any form of ethnic discrimination was later enforced in May 1947. However, discrimination against the Burakus has persisted.
Today, there are about three million Burakus spread in 6,000 districts all over Japan, according to the Buraku Liberation League and the Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute.
The conditions of the Burakus have improved, to a certain extent, largely due to the efforts of groups such as the Buraku Liberation League. In August 1965, for instance, the group lobbied for the passage by the Cabinet Dowa Policy Council of a proposal urging the Japanese government to tackle the plight of the Burakus. In July 1969, the Law on Special Measures was enacted for the purpose of improving the conditions of Buraku such as housing.
But the Burakus continue to be discriminated in many aspects of social life, including marriage and employment. Even the Internet has become an instrument for Buraku bashing. Studies have also indicated that the standard of living, education and employment for the Burakus still fall below the national average.
Below is an initial list of measures that human rights advocates believe will help alleviate the plight of Burakus:
1. Promote education and awareness against Buraku discrimination.
2. Enact legislation prohibiting Buraku discrimination.
3. Establish an independent national human rights institution that will document human rights violations against the Burakus, monitor compliance of state and non-state actors with national legislation and international instruments criminalizing all forms of discrimination against Burakus, and facilitate redress for the victims of Buraku discrimination.
4. Prepare measures to effectively resolve current Buraku problems before the existing Special Measures Law expire in March 2002.
Below are recent positive developments regarding the elimination of Buraku discrimination:
The Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), in its final observation on the First and Second periodical government of Japan for 2001, has stated that Buraku discrimination falls under discrimination based on descent in the first provision of the International Covenant onthe Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). It also said that the Japanese government has the obligation to solve Buraku discrimination.
In August 2000, the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights passed a resolution recognising that discrimination based on work and descent exists in Japan, South Asia and West Africa. It noted that these are forms of discrimination prohibited by international human rights laws and called on all concerned governments to take effective measures to address them.
The Buraku issue was, however, sidelined during the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) held in Durban, South Africa in September this year. It remains to be seen if the WCAR will recognize Buraku discrimination in its final documents.

More information about Buraku discrimination may be obtained by contacting these organisations:

Buraku Liberation League (BLL)3-5-11 Roppongi,Minato-kuTokyo, Japan 106-0032Phone: +81-3-3586-7007, Fax: +81-3-3585-8966Website: http://www.bll.gr.jp/E-mail: honbu@bll.gr.jp

Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute (BLHRRI)1-6-12 Kuboyoshi,Naniwa-kuOsaka City, Japan 556-0028Tel: +81-6-6568-0905, Fax: +81-6-6568-0714Website: http://blhrri.org/E-mail: webmaster@blhrri.org

Written by Kazuhiro Kawamoto and Kenzo Tomonaga, director of the Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute (BLHRRI).