Hate speech masquerading as Anti-Hate speech by privileged
Korean Residents in Japan
1. Introduction
1.1 More than 500,000 Korean permanent residents live as live as permanent
residents forming one of the largest ethnic minority groups in Japan. Most of them
are descendants of Koreans who were willing to live in Japan in the early twentieth
century when Korea was annexed to Japan such as United Kingdom (Scotland and
Ireland are annexed to England) by the Treaty on the base of mutual and peaceful
agreement. Contrary to the recognition on the current situation of Korean residents
in Japan as well as on the historical truth above-mentioned, in the previous
concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (hereinafter “CERD”) , Korean residents in Japan have enjoyed
their privileges compared to other foreign residents and even to Japanese
nationality.
1.2 Recently many Japanese citizens feel adverse-discrimination to these privileged
Koran residents. A civil group, Zaitokukai of which the name means an association
protesting privileges of Korean residents has gained more and more approbation of
Japanese citizens as well as of other foreign residents.
Zaitokukai demands Japanese government to take measures for correction of
adverse-discrimination to Japanese and other foreign residents.
However the Government has taken no measure till now.
Zaitokukai demonstrates in public or private places, demanding for correction, or
submits its petitions to the Japanese governments and local governments. The way
of demonstration is sometimes radical due to its strong sense of crisis on
adverse-discrimination, shared by many Japanese. The very important thing is that
radical or not, the legal demonstration under permission of the authorities is the
right of liberty of expression or of freedom of assembly, the basic human rights,
guaranteed by the Constitution.
Some groups, which defend their privileges, attack these legal demonstrations
under the pretext of “Hate speech”, obstructing with a kind of violence and violating
the right of liberty of expression. It’s these groups which do hate speeches
masquerading as anti-hate speech.
2. Current situation of “Hate speech masquerading as Anti-Hate speech” by
privileged Korean residents in Japan
2.1 Among groups obstructing the right of liberty of expression and of freedom of
assembly, Shibakitai is the largest and one of the most violent. The members of
Shibakitai, showing off their tattoos, attack legal demonstrations in the way of
violence. One of the purposes of these legal demonstrations attacked is just try to
spread the historical truth that ancestors of present Korean residents were willing
to come to Japan due to economic interest and willing to stay in Japan after WW2,
and that it is a fabricated propaganda that they were forced to come to Japan for
labor.
2.2 In May 2014, a high school student posted a protesting tweet in a rather radical
expression against the privileged Korean residents. Against his tweet, amazingly. a
member of Council of the Japanese Diet , Mr. Arita, a member of Democratic Party
and a former member of Communist Party of Japan, disclosed the real name of the
student who is a minor, and gave him a hate speech which is almost intimidation.
As well, a chief member of Shibakitai did the same tweet in a same hate speech.
2.3 According to a free journalist who seems to take sides with Shibakitai,
interrogated by the police, a leader of Shibakitai replied that the total combatants
were 500 with 5 shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapons, 80 automatic
rifles and more than 20 swords.
2.4 Shibakitai protests against Zaitokukai or targeted demonstrators as racist. But
which is racist? It is a very racist who defends the racial privilege which has already
lost its rationality.
2.5 In June 2014, a racial crime by a Korean resident in Osaka occurred. He injured
several pedestrians with a knife asking them whether they are Japanese. After
having been arrested in the act, he testified in the police that he wanted to kill
Japanese as many as possible.
2.6 It should be noted that recently several local governments expressed that the
assertion that Korean ancestors were forced to come to Japan for labor should be
verified.
3. Essential factor of the Issue
The Issue should be treated as a racial privilege rather than as hate speech.
The racial privileges given to the Korean residents in Japan is a kind of racism
guaranteed by the State.
4. Recommendation
Nadeshiko Action suggests that the Committee make the following
recommendations to the Japanese government in its concluding observations:
-Take measures to prevent violence against legal demonstrations or assembly
guaranteed by the Constitution;
-Review the privilege given to Korean residents in Japan considering it as a kind of
racism.