Buraku Liberation News, January 1998 issue (No.100)
3.More than 500 Local Governments Enacted Ordinances to Promote Human Rights.
According to a survey of the Central Executive Committee for the National Movement to Demand Legislation of the Fundamental Law for Buraku Liberation, ordinances aimed at eliminating discrimination, such as Buraku discrimination, have been enacted by more than 500 local governments as of November 1997.
The enactment of such ordinances increased in number in the past three years. While there were only 66 ordinances adopted throughout the country as of March 1994, 529 local governments have enacted by November 1997 as a result of the successive campaign of the Committee, led by the BLL.
Out of 529 ordinances, 8 were adopted by prefectural governments, such as Osaka, Tottori, Fukuoka. On the other hand, the rest were enacted either in city, town or village, 15 % of the existing 3,232 local governments, excluding the number of prefectural governments, in Japan. In Tokushima and Tottori Prefectures, all the cities and towns are covered by the ordinances.
Ordinances for promoting human rights are classified into 5 categories :
- elimination of Buraku discrimination (Iga Town, Mie Prefecture),
- elimination of all forms of discrimination (Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture),
- elimination of Buraku discrimination and human rights protection (Anan City, Tokushima Prefecture),
- prohibiting inquiry that leads to Buraku discrimination (Osaka Prefecture),
- aiming at creating a society where human rights are respected (Tottori Prefecture).
While category @ is relatively few, category A is increasing recently, that expresses elimination of discrimination against all types of people, such as foreign residents, persons with disabilities and women. Category B covers not only Buraku discrimination but also human rights in general, including the protection of a person's privacy.
Category C was initiated by Osaka Prefecture that regulates the business ethics of detective agencies with a provision of sanction imposed on violators. Similar ordinances enacted in Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Kagawa and Toskusima Prefectures prohibit corporations from conducting discriminatory investigation in recruiting employees.
With respect to category D, Tottori Prefecture enacted in August 1996 the Ordinance for Creating a Society where Human Rights are Respected. This ordinance is comprehensive in promoting human rights, compared to ordinances classified into other categories. A similar one took effect in Mie Prefecture in October 1997. Osaka Prefecture is in the process of drafting such an ordinance.
While those ordinances are enacted mostly in the western part of Japan, there are just a few ordinances and declarations adopted in the eastern part of the country partly because of the weaker campaign by the people. Anyhow, those ordinances should be implemented.