Hundreds rally in Tokyo to protest racial discrimination
Hundreds of people staged a street protest in Tokyo over inflammatory remarks made against foreigners in the leadup to last month's Upper House election.
A cry of 'We will not tolerate a society where false information and discrimination are rampant' echoed through the Aug. 1 rally held in front of Shinjuku Station.
Lawyers Keiko Ota and Shoichi Ibusuki, along with Sumiko Hatakeyama of Peace Boat, music producer Kiyoshi Matsuo and writer Yuka Murayama, were among the 12 organizers of the rally.
They estimated that more than 1,000 people gathered in the square in front of the station.
'By each of us speaking out against misinformation and discrimination, society can take a step forward,' music producer Shuya Okino told the crowd.
A female office worker in her 20s from the capital's Setagaya Ward joined the rally after work. She is a member of the LGBT community and has a relative who married a foreign national.
She said statements during the Upper House election campaign that denied the rights of the LGBT minority and foreign residents made her feel uncomfortable.
'I hope society will become a place where we don't have to say the obvious, that discrimination is unacceptable,' she said.
Ota and other activists are also waging an online petition (https://chng.it/WMKhZTJmPp), urging Diet lawmakers to strive for a society where the dignity of all people, no matter their nationality, is respected
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asahi Shimbun
a day ago
- Asahi Shimbun
No message from Ishiba on 80th anniversary of end of war
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks with reporters on Aug. 1 after the start of the extraordinary Diet session. (Takeshi Iwashita) Rather than have his name associated with a historic milestone, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has apparently chosen to face political reality. He has abandoned plans to issue a personal message to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, according to several sources. Having been dealt a devastating blow in the Upper House election July 20 and facing calls from within his Liberal Democratic Party to resign, Ishiba has chosen not to rankle conservative elements in the party that would take umbrage at a fresh interpretation of Japan's role in the war. Tomiichi Murayama blazed the trail in 1995 with a statement backed by his Cabinet and issued in his name on Aug. 15 that expressed 'deep remorse' and offered a 'heartfelt apology' for Japan's 'colonial rule and aggression.' Ten years later, on the 60th anniversary, Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement as prime minister that echoed a similar sentiment. In 2015, Shinzo Abe put a special twist to the statement issued under his name. He noted that Japan has 'repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war' and that the 'position articulated by the previous Cabinets will remain unshakable into the future.' However, he added that, 'We must not let our children, grandchildren, and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize.' Conservative elements in the LDP felt the Abe statement covered all the bases and that no new message was needed. Ishiba had initially envisaged setting up a panel of experts to assess the process that led Japan to invade China and then go to war with other countries. Based on that evaluation, Ishiba had planned to issue a personal message in line with the 80th anniversary observances on Aug. 15. But with growing calls within the LDP for Ishiba to resign, sources reported little progress in choosing the members to serve on the panel. Others felt that if Ishiba, 68, went ahead and issued a message, it would only add fire to calls for him to resign and place the administration itself in jeopardy. Those close to Ishiba said now is not the right time to broach such a delicate issue as historical understanding. Ishiba has previously stated he wanted to weigh the significance of serving as prime minister on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, leaving open the possibility of a statement in the autumn or later, depending on the state of internal party dynamics.
Asahi Shimbun
2 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Hundreds rally in Tokyo to protest racial discrimination
Hundreds of people rally in front of Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Aug. 1. (Chika Yamamoto) Hundreds of people staged a street protest in Tokyo over inflammatory remarks made against foreigners in the leadup to last month's Upper House election. A cry of 'We will not tolerate a society where false information and discrimination are rampant' echoed through the Aug. 1 rally held in front of Shinjuku Station. Lawyers Keiko Ota and Shoichi Ibusuki, along with Sumiko Hatakeyama of Peace Boat, music producer Kiyoshi Matsuo and writer Yuka Murayama, were among the 12 organizers of the rally. They estimated that more than 1,000 people gathered in the square in front of the station. 'By each of us speaking out against misinformation and discrimination, society can take a step forward,' music producer Shuya Okino told the crowd. A female office worker in her 20s from the capital's Setagaya Ward joined the rally after work. She is a member of the LGBT community and has a relative who married a foreign national. She said statements during the Upper House election campaign that denied the rights of the LGBT minority and foreign residents made her feel uncomfortable. 'I hope society will become a place where we don't have to say the obvious, that discrimination is unacceptable,' she said. Ota and other activists are also waging an online petition ( urging Diet lawmakers to strive for a society where the dignity of all people, no matter their nationality, is respected
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- The Mainichi
Japan education ministry OKs plan to exclude foreign PhD students from living expenses aid
TOKYO -- The Japanese education ministry's human resources committee on July 30 broadly approved a plan to limit the recipients of living expenses aid for doctoral candidates to Japanese students only, to be implemented as early as the 2027 academic year. The aid program, known as the "SPRING" (Support for Pioneering Research Initiated by the Next Generation) initiative, was launched in academic 2021 by the ministry's Japan Science and Technology Agency. It pays doctoral candidates up to 2.9 million yen (about $19,200) annually for living and research expenses. In the 2024 academic year, of the total 10,564 recipients, about 40%, or 4,125 individuals, were international students, with Chinese nationals making up the largest number -- 3,151. This led to criticism from ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and others in the Diet. In response, the education ministry reviewed its policy, proposing at the July 30 committee meeting to limit the recipients of living expense support -- up to 2.4 million yen per year -- exclusively to Japanese students. Research funding, on the other hand, will continue to be available to international students. Additionally, the scope of research funding will be expanded to include working students with stable incomes, who were previously ineligible. Meanwhile, some 19,300 signatures collected under the statement, "Do not discriminate against students based on nationality," were presented to the ministry on the same day by people opposing the policy change, accompanied by a protest rally. A ministry official explained, "The policy change reflects the original intent to support Japanese students advancing to doctoral programs, but the ministry acknowledges the importance of supporting international students and plans to address this through other policies."
