ASIA: STATUS OF ETHNICAL MINORITIES IN JAPAN – August 19, 2006

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The following text is an English translation of an article by Mr. Piotr Szczepaniak, originally featured in the "International Relations" – a monthly magazine published by the International Relations Research Institute in Warsaw, Poland. Its re-publication is made possible through the courtesy of the copyright holder.

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Officially, the problem of ethnic discrimination does not exist in Japan. For years the Japanese political elite have successfully promoted the image of Japan as an ethnically and culturally homogenous country. They assume the superiority of Japanese economic and social solutions and divide the world into two basic categories: ‘us’, the Japanese and ‘them’, the rest of the world. Although ‘being Japanese’ has not been precisely defined, the image has been trendy and successful.

But despite what politicians say, statistics show that Japan is home to at least 4 million people who are considered and treated as aliens. The overall proportion of aliens in Japanese society as a whole is not large, but the problems they face deserve closer attention.

THE BURAKUMIN

The largest minority in Japan are the Burakumin, who are ethnically and biologically Japanese. Their ancestors were members of the lowest and most disrespected class in ancient Japan, consisted of butchers, fishermen, and manufacturers of leather products and pigments. Although the formal social class distinction was officially abolished in 1868, the Burakumin were forced to relocate to specific geographic areas and live in ghettos, which they still live in today.

According to official statistics, the Burakumin number approximately 2 million people. More accurate independent statistics estimate their population to be 3 million. Discrimination against the Burakumin appears in many ways and usually is concealed. Children born within the group encounter serious problems getting admitted to good schools and universities. They have difficulty marrying outside their minority caste. Parents of a bride-to-be conduct careful investigations into the past and social pedigree of a candidate for a groom. Burakumin suffer discrimination in the job market as well, though this has improved significantly over the last few years. Statistics still show that the Burakumin account for the majority of persons employed in the least skilled and worst paid jobs.

The Burakumin, aware of their disadvantaged position and unnatural segregation, have been fighting for their rights with the help of various human rights and political organizations. Continued effort has gradually brought positive results; but real equality will probably not be secured until a new generation of Japanese comes to power. As attitudes among younger Japanese toward the Burakumin gradually change there is hope that the isolation and discrimination afflicting the Burakumin may become a thing of the past.

KOREANS

The second largest minority in Japan are the 650,000 Koreans living there. Most of them are descendants of Korean workers who fled their mother country for economic reasons, or were compelled to move during the Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula. Despite the fact that they have lived in Japan for many decades, even those Koreans born in Japan cannot become naturalized Japanese citizens. Korean descended Japanese are assigned a separate immigration status, which lumps them in under the same restrictions as other aliens. Their situation is a result of the post-war legislation which deprived all non-Japanese of civil rights and influence on political life in Japan. In theory, Korean Japanese have full economic and social rights. In reality their rights and liberties are restricted. Korean children are not allowed to attend Japanese public schools, and have a lesser chance of being admitted to the best universities. If they decide to continue their education in schools for ethnic minorities, their diplomas are not officially recognized by the authorities. They are also forced to accept lower wages for their work, with no means of pursuing claims against their employer for violation of labor laws.

In 2001, human rights organizations forced Japanese decision-makers to start work on legislative proposals regulating the status of Koreans and providing for their naturalization. But even after becoming naturalized citizens, ethnic origin continues to bring discrimination. For this reason many Koreans simply try to hide their ethnicity and attempt to assimilate themselves into society by adopting the Japanese way of life.

THE AINU

The Ainu people are an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaido, the northernmost island of the Japanese homeland. Historically, the territories originally inhabited by this culturally and linguistically distinct people were invaded and colonized by the Japanese. In the Meiji Era after 1868 an attempt was made to absorb the Ainu people into the rest of the Japanese society. Ainu were forbidden the use of their own language, deprived of their land, and permitted to engage in agriculture activity only in areas specially designated for them.

After World War II, the Ainu were not considered a minority group. They were officially treated as Japanese and denied the right to maintain their own culture. This process was associated by severe economical marginalization, which over time has led to the almost complete biological disappearance of the Ainu. Present statistics estimating the number of Ainu differ considerably. Today only some 20,000 Japanese may be related to this group, while there are no more than several hundred pure-blooded Ainu families.

Since the mid-1990’s, after Japan ratified the convention on elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, some efforts have been made to recognize the Ainu people as a minority group. For the first time their culture has received public protection. But given their poverty they are still in great need of assistance if their culture is to survive.

NEW IMMIGRANTS

The dynamic growth of the Japanese economy in the 1970’s produced a huge demand for external labor. This resulted in the arrival of large number of foreign workers. This wave of employment-based immigration included upper and medium level managers but also many unskilled laborers. The first group of employment-based immigrants, who are in Japan legally, was joined by a group of illegal immigrants from poor Asian states in the 1990’s. Some efforts have also been made to inducing the Japanese who immigrated to South America in the early 20th century to return to Japan. As a result the situation and status of new immigrants varies and causes considerable difficulty for the Japanese government.

Ministry of Labor estimates show that the number of aliens working in Japan comes to approximately 700,000, but no more than 100,000 of these are skilled workers. Since legal immigration is closely supervised by local authorities and law enforcement, illegal immigration is blamed for the increase in crime rates. Illegal immigrants are accused of organizing criminal gangs as well as of committing violent crime. The problem of illegal aliens is often discussed in the media and is a popular topic with politicians. Stereotypes have been created and fed, leading to suspicion and ostracism of aliens.

OTHERS

The above issues are the ones most often discussed in debating the situation of minorities in Japan, but the problem is not limited to these groups. Japan is a highly regionalized country, divided into distinct areas where different regional dialects are used. As a consequence, each major region and their inhabitants tend to consider themselves in ethnic terms. The standard Japanese language – the Tokyo dialect – is not used outside of the greater Tokyo area. One more minority group can be distinguished from the rest: the people of Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. They number 1.3 million, including significant diasporas in Hawaii and Latin America. They speak a different dialect, have darker complexions, and distinct customs strongly influenced by Chinese culture. Though citizens of Japan they do not regard themselves as Japanese. Officially however, they are not considered a minority by the federal government.

THE TWO FACES OF THE JAPANESE PEOPLE

Aversion towards immigrants and xenophobia are common in Japan. Someone may wonder why the same Japanese, who travel so often around the world to learn from others, decide to live secluded in their own country. Sociologists explain this phenomenon as a result of a cultural dichotomy, which in Japanese is called hon’ne and tatemae. Tatemae means a façade of behavior, based on concealment of one’s true opinions and personal beliefs. Hon’ne refers to real feelings and desires. Whether this is enough of an excuse to discriminate against minorities is questionable. Younger Japanese significantly differ from their parents, and reject many of their traditional customs and values, for example, the habit of seeing the world as divided between ‘us’ and ‘others’. Over time, these changes can bring the abolition of the divisions within Japanese society and new openness to external influences.

Piotr Szczepaniak

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The Author holds Masters Degree in International Relations from Warsaw University and specializes in Asian affairs, global security issues and foreign policy of the USA and the EU.

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