Grasping the Reality of Today's Buraku
Towards a Post-Special-Measures Solution to the Buraku Problem
- Part 2 -
IIn March 2001, the Osaka Prefectural Government released a report entitled, "A Study of the Actual Conditions of Dowa Districts: Towards a Solution to the Dowa Problem". This report was released around the time that the Law on Specific Budgetary Measures concerning the Projects designated for Area Improvement ended. The study was conducted for the purpose of collecting the most up-to-date and precise data and information concerning the Buraku problem and analyzing the collected data in the hope that it will provide the local government and other concerned bodies with a basis for developing strategies in combating Buraku discrimination in the post-Special-Measures era. Among several reports(1) on the basis of the study's findings, we will focus on a volume that deals with the living conditions of Dowa districts. As the volume is quite wide-ranging, we will pick up some of more interesting chapters to report on in this series in the hope that they will be relevant to the interest of our readers. Following the introductory part of this series, which was published in September 2002, this article focuses on the demography of Buraku communities in Osaka.
II. Households and Household Members
1. Age Spread and Family Type
As shown in the Table 1-1, the population composition of Dowa districts can be described as follows:
- Dowa district age groups below 50, except for a few, are generally proportionally smaller than the corresponding age groups for Osaka Prefecture, regardless of sex. There are higher proportions of people aged between 60-79 in Dowa districts than in the corresponding age groups for Osaka Prefecture.
- A disparity between Dowa districts and Osaka Prefecture is apparent in the age brackets of 25-29 for men and women, 20-24 for men, and 30-34 for women. This disparity may be attributed to the fact that many young unmarried people have moved to Osaka Prefecture, which is a large industrial and commercial area, to seek employment.
- The 15-19 age bracket for Dowa districts is comparable to that for Osaka Prefecture. This suggests an emerging trend over the past 10 to 15 years for young people in Dowa districts to leave their districts of residence to seek employment after graduation from high school or college.
Dowa districts in Osaka Prefecture consequently consist of comparatively smaller proportions of people aged between 15 and 64, the most productive age group, than those aged over 64.
| Table 1-2: Composition of households by family type | |||
| Family Composition | Dowa Districts | Osaka Prefecture | |
| Single family | 15.4% | 27.4% | |
| Nuclear family | 67.3% | 63.2% |
|
| Couple only | 17.7% | 17.4% | |
| Couple and child(ren) | 37.7% | 37.8% | |
| Single parent and child(ren) | 11.9% | 8.0% | |
| Family of three generations or more | 7.7% | 5.3% | |
| Other types | 9.4% | 4.1% | |
| Unknown | 0.2% | - | |
| Total Households | 7,720 | 3,270,397 | |
| Note: | Data for Osaka Prefecture is sourced from the 1995 National Census. |
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Dowa districts, for the above-mentioned reason, have a lower proportion of single families by 12 percentage points when compared with the data for Osaka Prefecture. However, as shown in the Table 1-3, the percentage of single families consisting of elderly people living alone is higher for Dowa districts than for Osaka Prefecture. The percentage of nuclear families in Dowa districts, however, is a little higher than that for Osaka Prefecture. This is due to the fact that Dowa districts have many households consisting of aged couples who live alone and single-parent families. Other household groups include households consisting of parents, children and siblings of the husband or wife, those consisting of siblings, and those consisting of grandparent(s) and grandchild(ren). The higher percentage of "Other types" in Dowa districts is attributable to the unstable economic conditions surrounding those people.
| Table 1-3: Composition of elderly and single-parent households |
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| Household Composition | Dowa Districts | Osaka Prefecture | |
| Elderly households | 16.1% | 11.3% | |
| Elderly living alone | 7.2% | 5.6% | |
| Elderly couples | 7.5% | 5.7% | |
| Other types | 1.5% | - | |
| Single-mother households | 2.4% | 1.4% | |
| Single-father households | 0.7% | 0.2% | |
| Total Households | 7,720 | 3,270,397 | |
| Note: | 1) Data for Osaka Prefecture is sourced from the 1995 National Census | ||
| 2) Elderly household proportions for Osaka Prefecture do not include families composed of aged couples and children aged below 18 | |||
Dowa districts also display a higher percentage of single-parent families in their household makeup than for the same group for Osaka Prefecture. Among single-parent families, mothers aged below 35 account for 26.2% in Dowa districts and 28.6% for Osaka Prefecture, while single fathers aged below 35 account for 11.3% in Dowa districts and 8.7% for Osaka Prefecture.
| Table 1-5: Composition of households by household size |
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| Number in Household | Dowa Districts | Osaka Prefecture |
| One | 15.4% | 27.4% |
| Two | 27.5% | 23.6% |
| Three | 21.6% | 18.9% |
| Four | 20.1% | 20.2% |
| Five | 10.2% | 7.0% |
| Six | 3.7% | 2.1% |
| Seven or more | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Unknown | 0.4% | - |
| Average number per household | 2.99% | 2.65% |
| Total Households | 7,720 | 3,270,397 |
| Note: Data for Osaka Prefecture is sourced from the 1995 National Census. | ||
As shown above, there is a smaller proportion of single families in Dowa districts, while there are higher proportions of families of two, three, five, six and seven or more people than for Osaka Prefecture.
2. Flow of Household Members
| Table 1-7: Composition of household members by birthplace | |||
| Birthplace | Total | Male | Female |
| Current district of residence | 47.1% | 52.3% | 42.4% |
| Outside current district of residence | 52.7% | 47.3% | 57.5% |
| Unknown | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| Total People | 7,805 | 3,685 | 4,120 |
The percentage of total respondents who were born outside their current district of residence exceeds that for those who were born in their current district of residence. The proportion of male residents who were born in their current district, however, exceeds that for those who were born outside their current district. The higher percentage of women who were born outside their current districts is due to the fact that many women moved into their current district of residence at the time of their marriage.
| Table 1-10: Composition of population born outside their current district of residence by the year they moved |
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| Year of Move | Total | Male | Female |
| Before 1950 | 11.1% | 9.5% | 12.2% |
| 1951-60 | 12.5% | 11.8% | 13.0% |
| 1961-70 | 20.7% | 21.0% | 20.6% |
| 1971-80 | 19.5% | 19.0% | 19.8% |
| 1981-90 | 17.0% | 17.8% | 16.5% |
| After 1991 | 17.9% | 19.2% | 17.0% |
| Unknown | 1.2% | 1.7% | 0.9% |
| Total People | 4,113 | 1,744 | 2,369 |
Table 1-10 shows that the period between 1961 and 1970 saw the highest rate of movement for both men and women. However, the figures do not reflect those people who have already left certain Dowa districts after they moved there some time during the above periods, and those who moved in a long time ago and already died. Therefore, it is impossible to determine the peak period for the flow of people into their current district of residence. Taking other statistics regarding the population of Dowa districts in Osaka Prefecture into consideration, it may be safe to conclude that the flow of people into Dowa districts reached its peak during the late '50s and the '60s, which was followed by the continued in-flow of a substantial number of people who were born outside their current district of residence.
| Table 1-11: Composition of those who were born outside their current district of residence by birthplace |
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| Birthplace | Total | Male | Female |
| Born in Dowa district | 16.2% | 13.5% | 18.2% |
| Not born in Dowa district | 69.7% | 71.3% | 68.5% |
| Place of birth unknown | 14.1% | 15.2% | 13.3% |
| Total People | 4,113 | 1,744 | 2,369 |
As shown above, those who were not born in Dowa districts account for more than two thirds of the corresponding population.
| Table 1-12: Composition of those who were born outside their current district of residence by birthplace |
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| Birthplace | Total | Male | Female |
| Same municipality | 27.8% | 30.3% | 25.9% |
| Other Osaka municipality | 39.9% | 39.8% | 40.0% |
| Other prefecture | 30.7% | 28.8% | 32.1% |
| Overseas | 1.3% | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| Unknown | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Total People | 4,113 | 1,744 | 2,369 |
Among the 1,142 people who were born in a same municipality as their current district, 19.3% are from other Dowa districts, while 70.2% are not from a Dowa district (10.5% are unknown). Considering the fact that residents around Dowa districts have reportedly had a relatively strong sense of avoidance regarding Dowa districts, the flow of those people who are not from Dowa districts moving into Dowa districts can be said to represent a significant change in this consciousness.
| Table 1-13: Reason for moving into Dowa district |
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| Reason | Total | Male | Female | Korean |
| For parents | 20.7% | 26.3% | 16.5% | 28.0% |
| Seeking help from relatives living there | 8.8% | 9.5% | 8.3% | 8.6% |
| Seeking help from friends living there | 5.7% | 6.6% | 5.0% | 7.4% |
| Business reasons | 12.0% | 18.9% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| Marriage | 33.1% | 17.7% | 44.4% | 24.4% |
| Purchase of new house | 6.6% | 7.5% | 6.0% | 7.7% |
| Renting a public apartment room | 3.7% | 4.4% | 3.2% | 5.4% |
| Wanted to take advantage of Dowa projects | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Other reason | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.7% | 7.4% |
| Unknown | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Total People | 4,113 | 1,744 | 2,369 | 336 |
As shown in the above table, marriage is the most common reason for moving among women, while moving for reasons related to parents is the most common among men. In this survey, 336 Korean people are identified as being born outside their current districts of residence. Their most common reasons, in descending order, for moving to their respective current districts are 'for parents', 'for marriage' and 'for business reasons'.
Looking at the time of their move, the reason 'for marriage' is the most common in every period. The proportion of people moving for 'purchase of a new house' and 'renting a public apartment room' has been increasing since 1985.
| Table 1-14: Reasons for coming home among those who were born in their current districts of residence, but have lived outside it | |||
|
Reason |
Total | Male | Female |
| For parents | 21.3% | 22.5% | 20.1% |
| Aging of parents | 10.5% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| To succeed parents in the family business | 2.8% | 4.5% | 1.2% |
| To rent a room in a public apartment | 15.5% | 13.9% | 17.1% |
| To receive assistance provided under Dowa measures projects | 2.0% | 1.4% | 2.5% |
| Business reasons | 18.6% | 25.9% | 11.4% |
| Relatives live there | 7.0% | 5.0% | 8.9% |
| Other reason | 21.0% | 14.8% | 27.2% |
| Unknown | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.2% |
| Total People | 1,179 | 583 | 596 |
The relatively high percentage of women moving in order to rent a room in a public apartment is attributable to the fact that there are many cases where single mothers return home after having left their districts for marriage, and cases where they returned home with their husbands and children to live in public apartments located in the districts after facing unstable financial conditions in their previous district of residence.
3. Identity as Dowa Residents and Family Income
| Table 1-16: Identity as Dowa Residents | ||||||
| Identity | Total | Born in their current district of residence | Born outside their current district of residence | Korean nationality | ||
| Dowa district | Not Dowa | Unknown | ||||
| I consider that I am from a Dowa district | 49.7% | 75.6% | 70.7% | 16.5% | 24.9% | 21.7% |
| I consider that I am not from a Dowa district | 38.1% | 14.3% | 21.4% | 71.9% | 42.5% | 61.4% |
| I do not know | 11.5% | 9.6% | 7.9% | 10.8% | 32.2% | 16.5% |
| Unknown | 0.7% | 0.5% | - | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Total | 7,805 | 3,675 | 668 | 2,866 | 562 | 484 |
| Note: The subdivision under those who were born outside their current district of residence is based on their previous district of residence |
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Almost half of the 7,805 respondents in Dowa districts consider themselves to be a person from a Dowa district, while nearly 40% do not. This trend is also seen amongst those who were born in a Dowa district other than the one where they currently reside. In contrast to this, 16.5% of those whose previous places of residence were not Dowa districts answered, "I consider that I am from a Dowa district", while 71.9% of them answered, "I consider that I am not from a Dowa district".
Residents with Korean nationality who consider themselves to be a person from a Dowa district may do so based on the fact that they were born in Dowa districts, rather than the fact that they currently live in Dowa districts.
| Table 1-17: Source of Income | ||
| Income Source | Dowa districts | National |
| Salaried (head of household) | 56.8% | 76.1% |
| Salaried (spouse of the head of household) | 19.8% | |
| Salaried (other members of household) | 19.1% | |
| Agriculture/forestry business | 0.5% | 5.4% |
| Businesses other than the above | 3.7% | 11.4% |
| Side work | 1.4% | 1.6% |
| Pension | 28.9% | 39.6% |
| Money sent by family members | 1.5% | 4.5% |
| Rent-derived (apartment/land) | 2.0% | 5.8% |
| Interest and dividends | 0.4% | 5.2% |
| Welfare | 8.9% | 5.0% |
| Child-rearing allowance | 1.9% | |
| Special child-rearing allowance | 0.4% | |
| Child-rearing cost | 0.1% | n/a |
| Other sources of income | 4.0% | 6.5% |
| Unknown | 1.4% | - |
| Total Households | 7,720 | 10,000 |
| Note: National data is sourced from the 1998 "Basic Survey of National Livelihoods" | ||
In both surveys, respondents gave multiple answers to the above question. There are some differences between the two surveys in classification of income. Salaries in this survey are divided into three groups as shown in Table 1-17, whereas salaries in the national survey are combined under the name of 'income from employment'. Welfare relief, child-rearing allowance and special child-rearing allowance categories in this survey were combined under the name of 'social welfare subsidies other than pensions'. There was no item entitled 'child-rearing cost' in the national survey.
A simple comparison between the two surveys is difficult because of the differences between them in classification of income source, but some conclusions can be drawn from the figure of 69.2% for salaries as income sources in Dowa districts regarding the employment situation for residents of Dowa districts in comparison with those included in the national survey. The figure for pensions in Dowa districts is lower than that of the national survey by 10.7 percentage points. The figure of 8.9% for income assistance in Dowa districts also exceeds that of the national survey (5.0%). This suggests that there is a relatively high proportion of Dowa district households that receive some form of income assistance from the government.
| Table 1-18: Income Levels | ||||
| Dowa Districts | National | |||
| Income (yen) Year | 2000 | 1990 | 1998 | 1989 |
| Less than 1 mil | 12.5% | 14.8% | 4.6% | 4.9% |
| 1 mil to 2 mil | 19.4% | 19.5% | 10.4% | 11.5% |
| 2 mil to 3 mil | 14.7% | 15.4% | 10.0% | 12.7% |
| 3 mil to 4 mil | 11.0% | 12.8% | 10.7% | 13.6% |
| 4 mil to 5 mil | 9.0% | 10.5% | 10.3% | 12.3% |
| 5 mil to 6 mil | 7.8% | 7.3% | 9.1% | 11.1% |
| 6 mil to 7 mil | 5.0% | 4.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| 7 mil to 8 mil | 4.2% | 3.2% | 7.0% | 6.8% |
| 8 mil to 9 mil | 3.2% | 2.2% | 6.1% | 4.9% |
| 9 mil and over | 8.9% | 4.7% | 23.4% | 13.5% |
| Unknown | 4.2% | 5.1% | - | - |
| Total Households | 7,720 | 30,308 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Note: National data is sourced from the 1998 and 1989 "Basic Survey of National Livelihoods". |
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In comparison with the national survey, the percentage of people with lower levels of income in Dowa districts is relatively high.
Compared to the 1990 survey, the 2000 survey of Dowa districts shows an increase in the proportion of people with incomes of 9 million yen or more by 4.2 percentage points. There was only a small decrease in the proportion of those with incomes of less than one million yen. The annual income per household in Dowa districts has not significantly improved over the past decade in comparison with improvements seen during the period of 1989-1998 at the national level.
<to be continued>
The numbers of figures above are identical to those in original Japanese reports.
Buraku Liberation News is fully responsible for summarizing the Reports in this series.
Note (1) Some of the reports are available (Japanese version only) on the website of the Osaka Prefectural Government.