Post by Admin on Mar 16, 2023 18:22:10 GMT
TOKYO -- Many people of foreign heritage in Japan have been subject to racial profiling by police because of their appearance and unconscious racial discrimination on the part of officers, according to a new survey by a group of Tokyo-based lawyers.
The group, which operates under the auspices of the Tokyo Bar Association and focuses on foreigners' rights, conducted a survey on racial profiling experiences in the country from early January to the end of February this year. It collected responses by asking concerned persons such as foreigner support groups to deliver the survey to respondents and to spread the word. All respondents submitted their answers through an online form.
The survey, published last Friday, is the first attempt in 15 years to assess the situation, according to the lawyers. They have been unable to hold constructive talks with related government agencies due to a lack of awareness of the problem.
Some 63% of 2,094 respondents polled said they had been stopped by police over the past five years. Of those with such experience, 73% had been questioned multiple times, while more than three quarters said they had no reason to be stopped other than for looking foreign or speaking a foreign language.
People with Latin American roots were questioned the most, with 84% of respondents saying they had been stopped. This was followed by people from Africa, at 83%, the Middle East at 76%, and Europe and North America, at 60%. People of Northeast Asian heritage were the least questioned, at 50%.
"The proportions are high overall, which indicates that Japanese police tend to be suspicious once they recognize someone as 'foreign,'" said Moe Miyashita, a member of the lawyers group.
The National Police Agency told Nikkei Asia that questioning based on elements such as race and nationality was "unacceptable" and it "does not have exhaustive knowledge" of the number of cases associated with racial profiling.
Abel Nakao, who has Nigerian roots and a Japanese passport, says he has been questioned by the police "well over 10 times" over the last decade. (Photo supplied by Nakao)
Abel Nakao, who has Nigerian roots and a Japanese passport, said he has been questioned by the police "well over 10 times" over the last decade. He recalls once having his bag turned inside out, receiving a full body search, including of his underwear, in front of passersby. Police officers have stopped him, he said, multiple times for his dreadlocked hair.
Nakao said he understands that to a certain extent this is inevitable. "But the officers' attitude is just very rude and offensive," he said. "They should keep in mind that most of the people they stop are innocent and treat them with respect."
From the viewpoint of the police, foreign people "are essentially surveillance targets, without meaning offense," but this "lacks the perspective of respecting human rights," said Miyashita. She argues this is wrong because the protagonists are public authorities, who should be setting an example and protecting people from wrongdoing.
Japan's Human Rights Bureau, which operates under the Ministry of Justice, does not take any explicit steps to combat racial profiling, but may consider acting if the issue becomes widely acknowledged in society as problematic, according to an official.
The group, which operates under the auspices of the Tokyo Bar Association and focuses on foreigners' rights, conducted a survey on racial profiling experiences in the country from early January to the end of February this year. It collected responses by asking concerned persons such as foreigner support groups to deliver the survey to respondents and to spread the word. All respondents submitted their answers through an online form.
The survey, published last Friday, is the first attempt in 15 years to assess the situation, according to the lawyers. They have been unable to hold constructive talks with related government agencies due to a lack of awareness of the problem.
Some 63% of 2,094 respondents polled said they had been stopped by police over the past five years. Of those with such experience, 73% had been questioned multiple times, while more than three quarters said they had no reason to be stopped other than for looking foreign or speaking a foreign language.
People with Latin American roots were questioned the most, with 84% of respondents saying they had been stopped. This was followed by people from Africa, at 83%, the Middle East at 76%, and Europe and North America, at 60%. People of Northeast Asian heritage were the least questioned, at 50%.
"The proportions are high overall, which indicates that Japanese police tend to be suspicious once they recognize someone as 'foreign,'" said Moe Miyashita, a member of the lawyers group.
The National Police Agency told Nikkei Asia that questioning based on elements such as race and nationality was "unacceptable" and it "does not have exhaustive knowledge" of the number of cases associated with racial profiling.
Abel Nakao, who has Nigerian roots and a Japanese passport, says he has been questioned by the police "well over 10 times" over the last decade. (Photo supplied by Nakao)
Abel Nakao, who has Nigerian roots and a Japanese passport, said he has been questioned by the police "well over 10 times" over the last decade. He recalls once having his bag turned inside out, receiving a full body search, including of his underwear, in front of passersby. Police officers have stopped him, he said, multiple times for his dreadlocked hair.
Nakao said he understands that to a certain extent this is inevitable. "But the officers' attitude is just very rude and offensive," he said. "They should keep in mind that most of the people they stop are innocent and treat them with respect."
From the viewpoint of the police, foreign people "are essentially surveillance targets, without meaning offense," but this "lacks the perspective of respecting human rights," said Miyashita. She argues this is wrong because the protagonists are public authorities, who should be setting an example and protecting people from wrongdoing.
Japan's Human Rights Bureau, which operates under the Ministry of Justice, does not take any explicit steps to combat racial profiling, but may consider acting if the issue becomes widely acknowledged in society as problematic, according to an official.