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TRANSCRIPT
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I1llllillMl1lllIliili IlIIIiliii ! ilM IllllllMl1llllj1i 卿
咄皿『・・,‐‐0厘一Ⅳ・・1h.’
趣円甲P
illl No82 lifKi職BURAKULIBERATIONRESEARCHINSTITUTE
1-SP12,Kuboyoshi,Naniwa-ku,OsakaCity,S5eJapan
TEL(OG)Ei6B-1300FAX(06)568-0門4
JamaryD9S
DiscussionStarted
CyP'叩αⅢB脚伽PmZ'ん川M"αH川伽RigノカMDO此蜘
勿R"肋gPtJ伽s q
Amongthemovementswhichhave beencarriedoutsincel98Sforthe
enactmentofthclFundamentalLawfor
BurakuLiberationI,thePIQjectonProblems ofHumanRightsandDiscriminationI
finallystartedunderthePolicyMiustment Conlcrencebytherulingparties・Thefirstmeetingwasheldat4PMonDecember 7,1994intheSecondCon化rencごRoomoftheHouseofCouncilors・Asthemain
purposeandohjectoftheprclect,itwas
confImedatthemeetingtodiscusshuman rightspoliciesinJapan,includinga iFundamentalLawforBurakuLiberationi,
andsomeitemsweIcaglCedtoorsettledon concerningthemanagementoftheprcject、Otheritemsdecidedatthemeetingwereas fbllows:itistobefomedbyeightmembems (SfromtheLiberalDemocraticPartyl3 fromtheSocialDemocraticPartyland2 iromtheSakigake);thechaimanistobe
chooseMiDmeachparty,takingturnsevery threemonths(LihDem.:fromDec・to
MaIch,SocialDem.:fromMarchtoMay, Sakigakke:fromJunetoAug.);meetings aretobeheldonceeveryotherweek;if
necessary,thechairmeetingmaybeheld beforetheregularmeeting;andad-hoc meetingsmaybecalledwheneverandofthe
chairsproposes.
A〃肋〃p小ctm〃がJUgMZJ〃、〃Cs伽〃脚〃、J伽伽(HR/i川、)’
OnDecember6,1994the1United
OppositionGroup,KaikakuIalsohada meeting,PrOjectonDowaMeasuresand
HumanRightsProblems1・MnMiyazaki,PresidentofDistrictMeasuresCouncil;M1:
Kikuchi,MaMgementandCoordination
Agency;MIZSumitani,ChiefofDistrict MeasuresmpOrtedandmadecommentson
contents
Pmjec/o"B"M伽PC肌伽
Zリノノ伽加gPa7伽(1)
S川伽ZMM肋g/i,「助3J態肱川e"/(。)
AMJ-PtJc肱加川"RjghLFα"〃(のDjMr伽〃/oryQuSc(5)Lj花川yWbrAィ8-ノ(刀B"rαAr"P、肱川Q&A(Jの
Sociαノル〃ノqp川e"町〃)
-
BURAKULIBERATlONNEWS
NowthatthemajorityoftheDiet
membershavesigned,approvingthe enactmentofthcFundamentalLaw,thc
utmosteffortistobeexpectedforthc enactmentofthelawduringtheOrdinary DietSessionstartinginJanuaIy,199s.
subjectsincludingthereviewoftheDowa measuresproLjectsoftwentyfiveyears,as wellasthepresentsituationandtasksbased onthe193mid-termreportofthe
Governmentlnvestigation1.
FCM川c〃e"、/W肌(j〃8M"Ⅲ"wI伽〃"g肋eme〃Omi川〃D〃SCMⅢ
Enli窪htenmentNeededThroughSettingUpHumanRightsPolicy
S"川川":Ⅳ!〃.肋eSPeecノMlWごMg五,C〃〃"肌"〃BLL
ArSMzmirMMi"gノiD7E"Jigノカ加川e"Z
TherearetwokindsofBuraku
discrimination,asindicatedintheReportof theDowaPolicyCouncil:factual discriminationandpsychological discrimination・EnlighteningactivityisanoperationaimingatsolvingBuraku problemsthrougheliminatingpsychological discriminationamongpeoploTheactivity willbecomeamoreimportanttaskforthe 11Dowai1administration・Thenationalbudgetforenlightenmentactivity,however, accountsforonly13%oftheentireamount ofthebudgetforDowaactivities,which meansl3yenperpellson
Bural、discriminationhaspersistentlybeenrootedinJapanesesocietysincethe FeudalAgefOrmorethanfourhundred yearslnordertosweepitaway,drastic measureswillberequiredinenlightening activity,amongotherthingslwouldliketo commentonbasicissuesforachievingthis goal:
ⅡReg"Z(J加川'ImZwMcMZlWJ〃肋e
lDcaJp"MCC"Zili側:
AsofNovemberll,1994,onehundred
andseventeenlocalpublicentitieshave enacted1RegulationsfortheEliminationof BurakuDiscriminationandtheProtectionof
HumanRights1,andsixhundredandseven entitieshaveenactedtheIDeclarationonthe
EliminationofBurakuDiscriminationand
theProtectionofHumanRightslsofaIZ Followingthemovementoftheselocal publicentities,thecentralGovemmentis requiredtoworkouttheenactmentofthe 1H1ndamentalLawibrBulakuLiberation'1.
Inspiteofthelactthatvanoustypesof discriminationhaveexistedinJapanese society,includingBurakudiscrimination, governmentpoliciesforeliminating
nack川〃ん《Zge伽JwM"加川的〃
肌MWi"、伽川"mJpoi伽〃加川s
(M加川'抑〃伽の
ノMJJjcio伽伽Sc〃加川〃Ⅳi川jZHe"jMDm'@伽〃伽〃:(5mⅢ":yⅢ伽の
2
-
趣BURAKULlBERATlONNEWS
discriminationandprotectinghumanrights leavemuchtobedesired、Thisisreflected
inthelowlewlofawaIcnessofhuman
rightsproblems,includingtheBuraku problem,amongtheJapanesepeople.
andthePIotectionofHumanRights1andset upadministrativeinstitutionsforthe enlightenmentofhumanrights・Furtherdevelopmentandexpansionisexpectedinto anation-widemovement・Also,areleif
institutionwillbeneededlbrthesupportof thediscriminated,andthe1Committeefor
EliminatingDiscriminationand EstablishmentofHumanRightsvshouldbe lbmedinthenationalandlocalassemblies、
Thesecondissueistobuildupthe systemtoeducatepeoplewithregardto Buralmandhumanrightsproblems・Asysteminwhich1DowaiandhuInanrights cducationisconsistentlyprovide。,starting withpreschoolersandcontinuingthrough thecollegelevelshouldbesetupAlsothe conditionslbrliMongeducationshouldbe arrangedsothatanybodycanlearnanytime andanywhere・Inthisrespect,weproposCthatsuchiacilitiesasaHumanRights DepartmentinUniversities,aNational
MorgueofHumanRights,andaLiMong LearningCenterofHumanRightsare foundedAstotheexistingoRegionalCenter forImprovementandEnlightenment1,these ftlcilitiesaIctobeoperateddemocratically throughintroducingthedistrict representativesastheirexecutivemanagers andstair,andfnrtherdevelopmentistobe desired
ThethildissueistoIcquesteconomic circlestoworkonBulalmproblemsmore seliously6TWentyyearshavealreadypassed sincethe1BurakuListslwe1℃disclosedYet
very化wcompanieshaveworkcdontheproblemssoltl正WeproposethateconomicbodiessuchasKei-dan-Ren(FMerationof EconomicOrganizations)andNikkei-ren (theJapanFederationofEmployersi Associations)setupadepartmcntdealing withBurakuandhumanlightsproblemsso thattheseproblemsmaybeinvolvedatthe basisofbusinessadministrationThefourth
issueisto1℃questthemassmediaformoIC activeinvolvementonBurakuandhuman
rightsproblems・Weproposeasummit
〃、鮒H川棚R妙MMZ伽iMbeUU伽伽''1M川rlI
Inthisinternationalizedsocietylwe shouldrecognizeamongusadiverse dilTelcnceofrace,nation,language,Icligion andcultureandweshouldhavethevision
oflivingtogetheronthisglobeasequal citizens・Yetculturalandracialfrictions
haveoccurredhereandthere、Weare
concernedaboutdiscriminationbeing enlargedandenforcedUnderthese cilcumstances,itisanessentialtaskforthe
Govemmenttosetuphumanrightspolicies topromotelntureenlightenmentactivity・
Thefirstissueistoratiiyurgentlyand completelytheHumanRightsTreaties enactedbytheUnitedNations,includingthe 1InternationalConventiononthe
EliminationofallFormsofRacial
DiscriminationI・Inordertoeliminate
discriminationandsetuphumanrights,itis alsoessentialtolegislatelawssuchasthe 1FilndamentalLawforBurakuLiberation1, thelnewlawfbrtheAinuiandtheILawon
theWarReparationsandProtectionof HumanRightMbrtheNativesofthe]Pbmer ColoniesandtheirDescendantsResidingin Japani・ReoIganizationofadministrativesystemisalsoessential、WCproposethatthe govemmentestablishaMinistryofHuman Rightsasitsnationaladministrative oIganizationfortheenbodymentofthis idea.
Irisrw"10'y肌測smceB"剛上〃LiFなw〃dliScjbsM
Aconsiderablenumberoflocalpublic entitieshaveenactedthelRegulationsfor theE1iminationofBurakuDiscrimination
3
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一心BURAKULlBERATIONNEWS
DowaMcasuresCouncilintheCabinet
reportedtotheGovernmentasfbllows:I1Itis anationalresponsibilityaswellasataskof allofusJapanesetosolvetheDowa problemVThesolutionoftheproblemisa matterofuIgency、 Takingthis commemorativeoccasio、,theJapanese GovernmentandtheDietshouldissuea
StatementorDeclarationtotheSolutionof
BurakuandHumanRightsproblemsand startanationalcampaigninordertosolve theproblems、WiththispropoMllwillconcludemyspeech
meetingforenlightenmentbymcdialeaders topromotetheissue.
〃is仇”W〃s城〃伽叩o〃〃tノbeDo1MCoMcil
Tノ、CGⅡ〃""U肌加川〃jFMe肋C
M蛇"肥〃o〃BJ"Ⅶz伽αJDC〃i〃〃〃'9'0町pob陀川s
Theyearl99SistheSOthyearafterthe endofWorldWarII,aswellasthe
anniversaryofthefoundationoftheUnited Nations、Itisalsothe30thyearsincethe
OpeningEventsHeld
AtAsia-PacificHumanRightsInhmlationCenterOfYice
TheAsiaPacificHumanRights
InfomationCenteropenedofficiallyaftera
ten-yeareffortsoftheBurakuLiberation
Movement、OnDecember7,anopening
ceremonyandasymposiumto commemoratetheoccasionwereheldatthe
office,whichislocatedinfrontofthe
BentenchorailwaytationinOsaka.M正
KinhideMushakcji,PIcsidentoftheCenter addressedtheseremarks,I1toshare
infomationanddothebestfordeveloping humanrightsintheAsiaandPacificareasi1,
andexpressedhisgratitudefbrallthe
supportgiventotheCente正Itwasdecided
thattheoiricebecallediHunlanRights
Osakai、GuestsspeechesweregivenbyM正
ThomasMcCarthyl SeniorAdvisertoUN
HighCommissioner
forHuma、Rights;MIz
Nakagawa,Governor ofOsaka;andMr・
NishiqMayorof Osaka.
刷取Eu冨計的澱
Tel:O6-S77-3S77
Fax:O6-S77-3S83
4
-
。BURAKULIBERATlONNEWS
ImestigationonNe窪lected1UndesignatedDistrict1DiscriminatorySCreeningfmJobApplicantsinIshilKawaPref
〃p〃MDz〃肋e〔Z〃肋α加川〃川柳舵α加川伽〃c〃i例c1/:/iz川jbwgis伽加"・GoMm陀川jo"Q/U"嫉edM〃JiM"o"F〃川DeCdI)M:
〃"e,19卯/ノjeBLLノooAEa化ααj"8mノBi〃j川peclj"gα"αli川esjjgaZj"91"加乞sjg"αZea
伽"j伽(B〃α〃〃oMesjg"αMM9川加此川"'i"gPm/e川口/DOWα〃Zea川川),α"αj〃
"egot〃"gwjIノ!〃ノeM"M伽i"帥α、'e川/jo7伽皿)MF鰍awaP(!/i2cZ川,伽BLLj"91MMノ
αZ’0川ノieルcLnwe伽ajMz側〃wygMM?W/jeDowam川jjoMsMjα'jo〃cWWlnwa
P蛾α川(MjAuawajIueルDoK))o火川em7iMj〃α"α川s伽〃ZノjeノW/i2a川p〃伽c「加川toⅣ9脚'jomjo〃ewgma川esi加川ノノIigノノSc/Zooノα/e〃ん川e"川c川"j"9〃〃Views.
inspectionteamtoseeadiscriminated
districLAdmittingtheneglectfulattitudeof
theadministration,theydeclared,'IWehave moresuchdistricts・Thisconditionhereis
nottheworst11.
1,1973,theMinistriesofLaborand
Educationsetupaunifiedapplicationibm
forhighschoolgraduatesalloverthe
country,inplaceoftheapplicationfoms
providedbyenterprises,Itwasalong waitedactionfromtherelevantstate
administrationagainstfrequentlyoccumng
incidentsofdiscriminationinemployment・
Aftertwentyyearsnow,however,avoiceis
heardthatthegoodintentionofthesystem hasbeenlost・
Respondingtotheproposalbythe NationalDowaEducationAssociation(Zen-
Do-Kyo),IshikawaKen-Do-Kyo(President:
NobuhisaSakumoto,organizedinJulW91)
conCluctedasurvey,iFactsabout
EmploymentExaminationoofhighschool
studentswhoappliedforemploymentin l993・TWothousandsevenhundredand
thirtyfourstudentsoutofthe3,819who
answereClsaidthattheywererequiredto
submitcopiesofeithertheirfamily registrationortheir肥sidentcarClsor,that
Theinvestigationof1undesignated
districtsiintheHokurikuregionwascarried
outforthreedaysstartingJunezO,1994,
followedbynegotiationswithrelevant
administrations(reportedonNo、1676).In
lshikawaPrefecturetheproblemofunfair
screeningofnewgraduatesfromhigh
schoolwithdiscriminatoryquestionsfrom
employerswasputbeforetheprefectural
govemment.
ReuWMjJL/M友"αj"98〃WDy
ISノi伽wjtUル、MOU
TheBLLinterviewedGovernor,
EmimotooflshikawaPrefectureandhad
negotiationswiththeHatanaka,Chiefofthe
GeneralAffairsDepartment,aswellas
negotiationswiththe・Kanazawacity
administration・Thisadministrationrepeated
thesameanswerthattheyoncegavetothe stateauthoritiesofDowadistrictsinthe
pre化cturealthoughtheyhavediscardedtheinformationandthedata・Theyadded,
however,'1Itmaybeinevitabletodesignate
Dowadistrictifwegetaresponseliomany
discriminatedBuraku11・Thenextdaytwoof「icialsfromthecityjoinedtheBLL
5
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○BURAKULlBERATlONNEWS
receivedofficialnoticesofacceptancc Furthermore,somehadtoanswersuch
questionsas:I1Inwhichreligionor
denominationdoyoubelieve?'';IIWhatis
yourfavoritepoliticalparty?Ⅱ;I1Whatdo youthinkofPKO,andnuclearpower
plants?Ⅱ,andsoonThosequestionswerc
nothingbutaninvestigationintothe
applicantsithoughtsandideologies
Manystudentswerequestionedabout
theirhomeemvironment,theoccupationsof theirparcntsandotherfamilyInembers・I1Ifeltuncomfortablewhenlwasaskedsuch
questionslike,i1whatismyfatherdoing,
howoldishe,howmanyfamilymembers
dolhaveandwhataretheydoingThey
especiallypesteredmewithquestionsabout
mymother1I;’1Theyaskedmeaboutmy
parentsIoccupationsandtooknotesin
detail、Thatannoyedme1i・Somewereeven
asked,IIHowmanybrothersandsistersdo
yourparentshave?Ⅱ;’1Whydoyoulive
separatedfromyourparents?Ⅱor,i1Whatare
thegoodpointsandbadpointsofyour
parents?Includedwasthecauseofdeathor
thereasonfordivorveoftheirparents、1,7Sl studentsoutof3,819welcforcedtoanswer
suchquestions、EvensuchrumorsciIculated
as・iIYOuwillneverbeemployedbythat
companyunlessyoulivewithyourfathcr andmotheri1、Othersmetsuchquestionsas:
i1Whatbloodtypedoyouhave?Ⅱ;IIDoyou
smoke,sniffglue,orgooutplayingat
night?IlTogirls:I1Tellusyourbreast,waist
andhipsizes11;I1Doyouhaveaboyfriend?Ⅱ;
I1Doyouintendtocontinueworkingafter
yougetmaried?11;
Inl989,theLaborRegulationson
SafetyandHygienewerepartiallyreviseCL
Sincethen,thenumberofenterprisesgiving bloodtestsandurmeteststoscreen
applicantshasremarkableincreasedZen‐
occupaton,thecauseofdeathorthereason fordivorceoftheirparents・Takingit
seriouslythat72.6%ofthosesurveyedhad
experienceddiscriminatoryscreeningtests
inapplyingfOremployment,theKen-Do-
Kyoaretakingstrongeractons:filinga protcsttoadministrativeauthorities,sending writteninquiriestoenterprises,and
followinguptheresultofscreeningtests・
TheKen-Do-Kyocompiledareport
lFactsonJobApplicantScreeningi、IshikawaPrefecture1basedonthesurvey,
andpointedoutthattheadministrations haveneglectcdandoverlookedthose
discriminatoryfacts・Thereportsaid,
IInegligencehasallowedsuchunfair proceduresasdisregardforhuma、rights,whichalsohappenedtorevealthelevelof
humanrightsawarenessoflshikawa
prefecture1I、This,inturn,wasshownintheattitudesofexaminers:forexample,iIThey
weresmokingcigarettes,orscatedwith
their化etproppeduponthedesks1i;'IOneoftheintelviewerswasasleepwithhisarms crossed11・Suchattitudesofexaminerswere
certainlynotexcusable,whileapplicants
wereworkinghardonthetestpaperltwas alsodisclosedthataconsiderablenumberof
enterprisesdemandedapplicantstosubmit documentsotherthantheunifiedapplication
fomwhichwassupposedtobesubmitted
throughhighschoolsResidentcardswere
requiredof27students,copiesofabstracts
offamilyregisterofl4andcopiesof
familyregisterof6students、Among3B19
surveyed,1,342studentswereaskedwhere
theylived,and216wereaskedtheirplaces oflegaldomicile・Sevenstudentswere
requestedtosubmitthecopiesoftheir
familyregisterandl7wereaskedforeither
theirfamilyregisteroritsabstracts,even
beforetheywereinterviewedorhad
6
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戯BURAKULlBERATlONNEWS
Do-Kyoadvocatedstoppingsuchhealth
checksonthegroundsthatitisagainstthe goodintentionofsettinga1unified applicationform1andisaviolationof humanrightSResPondingtotheprotest,the
LaborMinistrysentanotification1On
HealthCheckinScreCningJobApplicantsi
toeachpreiCcturedatedonMayl,199s, askingforcarefulconsiderationsbefore introducingsuchtestswhichhaverisks leadingtodiscriminationinemployment・Accordingtothesurveyinlshikawa
Prefecture,463outofthetotal3819
studentsweregivenbloodtestsandSS7
weregivenurinetcstsatthetimeofthe
screening・Moststudentsexpresseddiscomfortaboutthetests、Onestudentsaid,
I1Theyshouldnotgivesuchtestssincewe
applicantsnevergetinlbmedaboutthe
results・Iwouldlikemylostbloodretumed1I.
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○BURAKULlBERATlONNEWS
BUMKUPROBLEMS:Q&A側
回ⅢuMmpeOpIMMImmmMagaim`…MhW,MOgem,MMFOwⅡcommⅢities,arenItthey?IthinktheywOuldnItberecognizzediftheyliveal〕artin
di仇rentplMes.
回WMMOnMMBuMmp…。mOLm。.`。,uMiMmOmmⅢ加川・verycommonfDrlmmanbeingstoliveincommⅢities・ForeMmple,inIsMtalm1
(housingbuiltbycorlDorationsfOrtheiremployees),peopleofthesametradelive
togetlm8HousingbuiltbyadevelolDerattrMtspeolDlewhohaveasimilarincome,age,
aMmmilystmcture,becⅢseacertainamomtofimomeisrequiredtolivethere・But
welmveneverhMMaboutdiscriminationagainstthosewholiveinSⅢl1housing
communities・Therefbre,IivingincollectivecommⅢitiesisnotalwusonnrBuralm
lDeolDletobediscrimimtedagainst・Whylthen,didBuralmpeoplestMtlivingintlHeircommunities?
lntheEdoeIa,thelnovementofBurakupeoplewasrestIictedandtheyweIcnotallowed
tochoosetheplaceswheretheywantedtolive,duetothediscriminationpolicyofthe
Shogunate・Theywereforcedtoliveininconvenient,mountainousareasorswampsnearthe
nversSincetheMeijiela,everybodyhashadthef1℃edomtochoosewheretolive,butthe
situationoftheBurakuhasnotchangedltispartlybecausetheyhavebeendeprivedofthe
rightofaccesstojobsandeducation,whichresultedinalackofopportunitiestoliveoutside
theBurakucommunities・Theyhavemanagedtosurviveinthecommunitybyhelpingeach
otherandbyattendingtoltmilies,relativesandneighboms・IfsomeonehaddaICdtomoveout
oftheBurakuwherehecamefrom,wouldhavebeendiscoveredbyhisneighborsandhe
wouldhavebeenexpelledItwasalsohardforaniexiledBurakupemsonIto1keepupwiththe
JoneseslinhisnewneighborhoodHecouldnothelpbutgobacktohisoldcommunity, Inthefirstplace,oneshouldbefreetodecidewheretolive・NooneshouldfoIceBuralm
peopletoInoveoutoftheircommunities・TheJapaneseConstitutionstateswEveIyonehasthe
freedomtoreside,moveandchooseone1soccupation・MItshouldbebytheirfreechoicetodecidewhethertomoveoutornot,andwhelctolive・
JustaseveryboClyhashisownhometown,Burakucommunitiesarethehometownsfor
10
雲臺塞臺lUI
溌蓬I
ウ。
●●
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心BURAKUUBERAT10NNEWS
Burakupcople・Noonecandeprivethemoftheirhometownswhichtheyloveverymuchltis
mostessentialthatwemakeoursociet〕/onewheIcBurakupeople,nomatterwheretheylive,
arefrcefrombothpsychologicalandmaterialdiscriminationDiscriminationitselfshouldalso beeliminated
lnl941beforethewar,aBurakucommunityinGifuPrefecturewascompulsorily
dissolvedAfterseveralyearsmostoftheresidentscamebackanyway・SolneBuraku
communitiesinbigcitieswerecompletelyburntdownbyair-Iaidsorbytheatomicbombings・
ManypeoplereturnedtotheirBurakucommunitiesaftertheywerereconstructedBecausea
discriminationagainsttheBurakustillremains,theywouldhaveharderoppressionifthey
livedisolatedfromtheircommunities,andcouldnotobtainjobstheIc・
Bytheway,howwouldyou化elifastrangeraskedyou,IIWhydonityoumoveout,
becauseyourplaceisnotgoo.?IIYouprobablywouldnotfeelcomfortableaboutit・Onthe
basisofyouropinionthatBurakucommunitiesshouldbebrokenup,youmayhavethenotion
thatsomethinguglyandfilthyhadbetterbeshattereddownButsomethingwereallyshould
shatterdownisourattitudetodiscriminateagainsttheBuraku
T〃eEJj"zj"αZio〃〃B"〃〃Djsc伽iMZjo"MaSocjaJDeM〃川"'
KenzoTomonaga Director,BurakuLiberationResearchlnstitute
1.Introduction
InMarchl99S,theWOrldSummitforSocialDevelopmentwillbeheldin
Copenhagen,DenmarkunderaninitiativetakenbytheUnitedNations、ThisSummithas
quiteanimportantsignificancefortheessentialissuesofpeace,globalenvironment, developmentandhumanrights,whichconcernthewholehumanracetowardthe21st
century;theirsuccessdependseventuallyonwhetherisocialdevelopment1willbe satisfactoryornot・
Inthispaper,therefore,Iwouldliketo1℃nectontheimportanceofsocialdevelopment andwhatformitshouldtakebyintroducingthehistoryandthecurrentsituationofthe
Burakuproblem,whichisoneoftheseriousminorityissuesinJapan
11
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趣BURAKULlBERATlONNEWS
Z・WlmtistheBuralKuProblem?
TheBurakuproblemisoneoftheminorityquestionsexistinginJapan,which
originatedindiscriminationbascdonsocialstatusinthefeudalera・InAugustl96S,TheDowa(Integration)PolicyCouncilissuedareport,inwhichtheBurakuproblemis describedaslbllows:
Theso-calledDowa(Integration)problemisthemostsenouMndthemostsignificant
socialissueinJapan;itisbasedonstatusdiscriminationformedintheprocessofthe
historicaldevelopmentofJapanesesociety;apartofJapanesecitizenshavebeenforcedto alowerpositioneconomically,Sociallyandculturally,andeveninmodernsocietytheir basichumanrightsarestillbeinginfringedupon,especiallycivilrightsandthefreedoms
whichshouldbeguaranteedtoeachcitizenasabasicprincipleofmodernsociety、
IthasbeenassumedbyresearchemsoftheBurakuproblemandbythecampaignersfbr theliberationmovementthattheICare6000discriminated-againstBurakusinwhichthree
millioninhabitantsaresettledFromJunetoNovemberinl993,aninvestigationwas
conductedonthecurrentstatusofBurakucommunitiesbythecentralgovernment・
Accordingtotheresult,thereare44Bcommunitieswhichareofficiallydesignatedand aresubjecttothegovemmentIsimprovementprcjects,withapopulationof2,159,105.
Amongthem892,7S1areofBurakuoriginHowever,thesefiguresdonotincludethe
communitiesofaboutlOOOBurakuswhichhavenotbeendesignatedandthepopulation
livingthere,orthepeopleofBulaku-originnowlivingoutsideBwakucommunities.
3.TheHistoryofBurakuinModemTimes
lnlM8Japanexpenencedalwolutioncalled'theMeijiRestoIation1Asaresu1t,the
Tokugawa-ShogunateRegimewasdefeatedandvariouscustomsoffeudalismwere
repudiatedThe化udal-statusdiscriminationundertheShogunateRegime,whichwas
againsttheIEta(inChinesecharactersmeaningextremelyfilthy1)IandIHinin(literally
Inon-human1)iwasdoneawaywithbytheEmancipationEdictissuedbytheCouncilof StateinlWL
Yetthis1revolutioniwasimperfectinthattheabolishmentofthediscriminationagainst the1lowly1peoplewasameredenialofthepaststatussystem,anddidnoteffectively eliminatethesegregationforalongtime、Onthecontrary,thenewgoverningclassmade themostuseofeverythingtoachieveindustrializationandmilitarismontheonehand,and suppressedthosewhoopposedsuchpoliciesontheothenConsequently,discrimination wasnoteliminated,andthenamefortheilowly1peoplewasmerelychangedto1Shin-heimini(newcommoner),becausetheywereadmittedtothecommonclassonlya化wmonthslaterthantheothers)orTokushu-BurakuminI(peopleoftheSpecialBuIaku).This processwastheothersideofthesamecoinofthenewaristoclatism,inwhichtheEmperor
wasonthetop
lnmodernJapanesesocietyaftertheRestoration,manyoftheBurakumininrural
12
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○BURAKUUBERATlONNEWS
areaswerepeasantsundertheworstconditions,andinurbanregionstheywereworkers whohadtosuilCrfromsemi-unemploymentconditionsandlowwages・Avoluntary
movementarosehomamongtheBmakucommunitiesasanecessalyprocesstoovercome suchmhumansituations・ThisresultedinthefoundationoftheNationalLevellersI
AssociationonMarch3,1922.TheLevellerslDeclarationiadoptedatthelnauguration
Ceremonyisstillhighlyevaluated,andisregardedastheveryfirsthumanrights
proclamationinJapan
TheAssociationhadbravelyfoughtagainstalllKindsofdiscrimination,claimingthe
dignityofthehumanbeingfortheBurakupeopleandrevealingtheunjustnatureof BurakudiscriminationtothewholeofsocietyPressuredbytheAssociation1sbrave
strugglewhichspreadlikewildfire,thecentralgovernmentimplementedpoliciesto improvethein化riorsurroundingsoftheBurakucommunitieslntheend,itdecidedto
caITyouttheilO-yearPlanfortheCompletionofIntegration1beginninginl9S6、Theplan hadbeenstandstillbecauseofthelS-YearWaiwhichbeganinl兜landthePacificWaH
4TheBumlmPrOblemnday
Japanwasde化atedinAugustl94S,havingdamagedneighboringnationstoanextent
beyonddescriptionandsuflCringfromtheatomicbombsdroppedonHiroshimaand
Nagasaki・AsearlyasFebruaryl9妬,shortlyaftertheendingofthewar,theBurakuliberationmovementwasrestartedastheBurakuLiberationNationalCommittee・The
Committeemadeagreatefforttomakethegovernmentincludeanarticlewhichwould
helpeliminateBurakudiscriminationandsucceededinhavingArticlel4ofthe
ConstitutionofJapanwritten,whichsays1iAllofthepeopleareequalunderthelawand
thereshallbenodiscriminationinpolitical,economicorsocialldationsbecauseofrace,
cIced,sex,socialstatusoffamilyorigin.ⅡIthadalsostruggledtopointouttheillogical
natureoftheEmperorsysteIn
Thema]orconcernoftheJapanesegovernmentinthepost-warperiodwas
concentIatedoneconomicdevelopmenttocatchupwithandsurpasstheUnitedStatesand
theEuropeannations・Forthatpurpose,Burakudiscriminationwasnotabolishedbut
ratherstrengthenedinthatsurroundingconditionsandemploymentandbusinesssituations
mtherworsened、ManyBurakuchildrencouldnotfinishtheircompulsoryeducation
Inordertoimprovesuchserioussituations,theCommitteesincel9S1developed
strugglesagainstlocalgovernme、tMlarifyingthefactthattheactualconditionswerethe causeofthediscriminationunderwhichtheBurakucommunitiesandtheBuralmmin
sufにredConsequently,budgetswelcattainedfromthegovemmentsandthuscommencedtheDowa(Integration)PrQjects・AsthePrQjectsdeveloped,molcandmoreBuraku
peopleparIjcipatedintheliberationmovement・Inl9SS,thenameoftheCommitteewas
changedtothepresentBurakuLibrationLeague・
Sincethen,ourLeaguehasbeenengagedinthenationalmovementinvoMnglocal
govemments,laborunions,andthemassmedia・EventuallytheDowa(Integration)Policy
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CBURAKUUBERATlONNEWS
CouncilissueditsreportinAugustofl96S,asmentionedbefore・Inthisreportitwas
pointedoutthattheBurakuissuewasquiteanimportantproblemandthatthisissuewasa nationalonelbrwhichthegovernmenthadaresponsibilitylbreallyresolution・AftertheissueoftheReport,thenationalmovementwasdevelopedaskingibrathorough enlbrcementandtheLawonSpecialMeasuresforDowaPmject(henceforthlC化rredtoas
ItheSpecialLawI)wasenactedinJulyofl96QItsnamehasbeenchangedseveraltimes andthemeasureshavebeenexecuteduntiltoday.
S、TheImlDrovedAspectsofDiscrimination
Becauseofthemeasurespracticedforthe2SyearssincetheenactmentoftheSpecial
Law,theactualsituationofBurakudiscriminationhasimprovedtoacertainextent;living
conditionssuchashouses,roads,ditchesandcommunicationcentershaveespeciallybeen
improvedInaddition,therateofentrancetOseniorhighschoolshasimprovedInl9B,
only3096oftheBurakuyouthsoftherequiredageenteredhighschool,whilethenational
avelagewas㈹8%・However,asthespecialscholamshipsystemforthestudentsofBuraku
originwasputintopractice,inp7Stheratewaslaisedto87.5%comparedtothenational
averageof91、9%、Further,moreandmoreBurakupeoplehavebeenemployedbylocal govemments,postolTiceandotherpublicinstitutionsinthesepast2Syears・Becauseof
ourmovementinthisperiod,thosewhoparticipatedhaveincreased;lbrinstance,more
than300universitiesandcollegesoutofthellOOtotalinJapandeliverlectu1℃sonBulaku problems、Thus,itcanbeconcludedthatthesituationoftheBurakucommunitiesandthe
li化ofBurakuminhasimprovedtoacertaindeg肥ecomparedtothesenousconditionsofthepast.
⑰.ProMemstlnatRemain
However,itshouldbeemphasizedthatseveralproblemsarestillleltunsolvedfrom
theviewpointoftheessentialgoalofcompleteliberationAmongthemistheproblemof theso-called1undesignatedareas1ofaboutlOOOcommunitiesthatarescattered
nationwide、Inthesedistrictsin化riorhousingisstillleftuntouchedandinsomeofthem
andtherateofadvancementtoseniorhighschoolsisbelow60妬・Eveninthecommunities
withimprovedhousingprcIjects,20%ofthewholeworkhasbeenMundone・
WhenlookingatthelivingconditionsoftheBurakucommunities,itmustbepointed outthattheIateofthehouseholdsonwelfare,non-taxedorminimum-taxedasresidents,is
stillhighcompa肥dtothenationalaverageBehindthissituationisunstableemploymentorsmall-sCaleagricultulaland/orindustrialenterpnses・Asforemployment,fbrinstance,
unstablefomsoftempomlyemployment,daylabororpart-timeworkalCtwiceashighas
thenationalaverage;mostoftheemployersofBurakupeoplealcsmall-ormiddle-scale
enterpnsesand化wofthema1℃large-scale、83.s%ofsmall-scaleenterpnsesarerunbyoneperson,70%ofthembeingenterpnseswhoseannualsalesarelessthan30million
yen、Asforagriculture,41.8%ofthefamersownlessthan3Oacresofland;⑬妬ofthe
l4
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鐙BURAKULlBERAT10NNEWS
farmersdonotselltheirproducts、Behindtheseproblemsarethefactthatequal
opportunitiesforeducationhavenotbcenguaranteeduntilnow・Therateofthosewho
completedhighereducationis7C兜inBurakucomparedto212%nationalaverage,showingagreatgapTherestillexistseveralgapsintherateofadvancementtoasenior
highschoolsasmentionedbefore,andtherateofadvancementtocollegeoruniversityin Burakucommunitiesisonly60妬ofthenationalaverage・
Thediscriminationcasesarestillserious,especiallyontheoccasionsofmamageand
employment・InOctoberl992,afemalestudentofaseniorhighschoolinHiroshimaPre化cturecommittedsuicidebecausethejuniorhighschoolteacherTeinsedtolnaITyher・
InAprill989,itwasrevcaledthatacompanynamed1Blue-tipStampLimitedihada
companyruleprohibitingtheemploymentofapplicantsofBurakuorigin・Further,vicious
graffitiwerefoundoneafteranothersaying1killalltheBurakumin,I1makeanatomicbomb
siteintheBuraku1andsoonManydiscriminatorylettersandtelecommunicationswere
alsofoundHowever,wecannotlegallyregulatesuchdiscriminatolyactionsinJapan,nor
dowehaverelieforganizations、OurLeagueandothcrmovementgroupscanonlyactwith denouncelnentasameansofprotests・
Withthesedenouncementactions,theself-consciousnessofBurakuoriginwasraised
amongthepeopleandco-operationforthemovementwascommencedinprivatesectors
andbyreligiousgroups、AwarenessabouttheBurakuissueamongcitizensbecomes
obviousontheoccasionoftheirchildmaITyingsomeoneofBurakuorigin,S・O96ofthe
parentswoulddefinitelyoppose,7.7%wouldopposewiththereliMloffamilymembers ofrelatives,and410%wouldfinallyagreetorespectthechildisintentionsthoughthey
themsclvesareopposed(thefiguresarefmmaofficialinvestigationconductedinl993).
7.FutureProblems
AcertainpartoftheproblemhasbeensettledsincetheestablishmentoftheNational
LevellersiAssociationmorethan70yearsagoNowadrasticresolutionisdemanded・In
ordertoachievethisgoal,housingconditionsshouldbeimproved,includingtheso-called
undesignatedareas,educationallevelsmustberaised,stableemploymentand
industry/agriculturehavetobeguaranteed,andallthediscriminatorycasesshouldbe abolished,togetherwiththeviciousconsciousness・
Toattaintheabovementionedgoal,iTheSpecialLaws1thatfbcusedonlylbr
environmentalaspectsareevidentlynotenough;sinceMayl98S,theenactmentof1The
FuMamentallawfortheBurakuLiberation1hasbeenrequiredsinceitisusefulfora drasticandearlyresolutionoftheproblemThisLawaimsattheconstructionofa
discrimination-free,democraticsocietybytherealizationofanearlylcsolutionThe fCllowingspiritisincludedintheLaw:
(i)toimproveinferiorenvironmentsbyactiveconstructions,
(ii)toeliminateprejudiceandtoestablishaproperunderstandingoftheBurakuissue througheducationandawareness-raisingactivities,
(iii)tolegallyprohibittheinvestigationofoneIsbirthandparentagebyprivate
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-感BURAKUUBERATlONNEWS
detectivesandcompanies,andtoestablishaneffectiveldieforganizationforthevictims・ThespiritofthisLawisbasedontheReportofTheDowa(Integration)Policy
Councilandatthesametimeisconsistentwiththeinternationalmovementtoeliminate
variousformsofdiscriminationasrepresentedbytheInternationalCovenantsonHuman
RightsandthelnternationalConventionontheEliminationofAllPbrmsofRacial Discrimination
Next,whenlookingatthesituationthatBuralmdiscriminationisconnectedwithan in化riorenvironmentaroundthecommunitiesandinferiorlivingconditions,and,further,inconnectionwiththediscriminationagainsttheAinuPeople,theKoreanresidentsin
Japan,womenanddisabledpersons,etc.,themovementsmustinteglatethestrugglesofall whoalcdiscriminated-againstFromsuchaviewpoint,ourmovementrecentlystartedto developwide-rangeanti-discriminationactivities・Inaddition,thewolldtodayisinsuchasituationthatdiscriminationorviolationofhumanrightsinonecCu、trycannotbe consideredsepamtely・Consequently,unlessourmovementintensifiesitsinternational
linkage,itisnotpossibleforustoeffectivelyfightthediscriminationthatexists domestically・
Inrecognizingsuchamotion,thelnternationalMovementAgainstAllPbmsof DiscriminationandRacism(IMADR)wasfoundedinJanuaryofl988byaproposalofthe BurakuLiberationLeagueasaconsequenceofthedevelopmentoftheinternational solidaritymovementsuptothenltsgoalistoeliminateallfonnsofdiscriminationfrom
allovertheworldlMADRisheadquarteredinTbkyo,andithasbeenacceptedasan internationalNGO,entitledtonegotiatewiththeUN,sinceMarchl99B.
8.Summary
Asasummaryofthisbriefpaper,Iwouldliketopointoutthelbllowingsevenlessons thatweshouldkeepinmindlbrtheIsocialdevelopmentItoestablishhumanrights:
(i)NoprogresscanbeachievedunlessthevictimsthemselveswhohavesuffCred
flDmdiscriminationandhumanrightsviolationriseinprotest. (ii)Insuchoccasionsastheabove,notonlythevictimsthemselvesbutalsoother
peopleandgroupsshouldparticipateinthestruggle. (iii)Itisnecessarytodemandtheenactmentoflawsbythecentralandlocal
governmentstodIasticallyimprovethesituationstowhichdiscriminated-againstpeople aresuhject,andtoimplementthemeflCctively
(iv)InprQjectssuchastheabove,themostimportantaMheimprovementofliving sulToundings,elevationoftheeducationlevel,andagualanteeofstabilityinemployment andinindustry
(v)EducationandenlightenmentareimportanttoremovethepreLjudiceagainst discriminated-againstpeople.
(vi)Inadditiontolegallyregulatingviciousdiscriminatoryactions,itisalsonecessary toorganizeldiefinstitutionsforthevictims.
(vii)Intemationalsolidarityisnecessarytoeliminatediscriminationandtoestablish
humanrightsinmodemsocietyinwhichinternationalizationisrapidlyprogressing.
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