Grasping the Reality of Today's Buraku
Towards a Post-Special-Measures Solution to the Buraku Problem

- Part 4 -

In March 2001, around the time when the Law on Specific Budgetary Measures concerning Projects designated for Area Improvement became invalid, the local government of Osaka Prefecture released a report entitled, "Study of Actual Conditions of Dowa districts towards a Solution of Dowa Problem." 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. Here we will focus on a report that examines living conditions in Dowa districts. The report is one of several reports(1) that were produced on the basis of the study's findings. It is a broad-based report, so we will pick up some of more interesting chapters in this series(2) in the hope that they will be relevant to the interest of our readers. Part 4 of this series focuses on information, especially literacy and use of the Internet.

IV. Information

1. The Literacy Problem

(1) Illiteracy Rates in Dowa Districts

10.3% of Dowa district residents cannot read and 14.3% cannot write. The issue of literacy therefore remains as an important challenge for Dowa districts in the education field.

The illiteracy rate for women in Dowa districts is higher than that for men by 5.6 points and 5.3 points in terms of reading and writing respectively.

Illiteracy rates for both men and women have fallen in comparison to the 1990 Survey. This can be attributed to natural decrease due to the high concentration of illiteracy in the aged and literacy campaigns in Dowa districts.



(2) Effects of Illiteracy

Illiteracy does not simply mean that people cannot freely read and write. It also has serious adverse effects on people's daily lives and psychology. One of these effects relates to the issue of "work-generated income". To clarify the effects of illiteracy on income-generating activities, a group of people who are free from other sources of influence was surveyed and the following comparisons were made. The results show that illiteracy affects work-generated income.

Notes:

    1. Respondents are all male aged between 50-59 and without disability. "Difficulty with writing" includes those who can only write kana and those who cannot write at all.
    2. Percentages represent proportions of the "total number". For example, 5.0% can write with ease and earn less than 1 million yen annually. This figure is a proportion of the total number of those who can easily write (477).



Literacy problems also affect elderly people when they use welfare services. The percentages of people who have difficulty reading and who have experienced difficulties in receiving health/welfare services is higher than that for people who can read and write without difficulty by 16.5 percentage points. Similarly, the percentage of people who have difficulty writing and have experienced difficulties in receiving health/welfare services is also higher than that for people who can read and write without difficulty by 13.6 percentage points.

Illiteracy causes serious problems in the current information-based society where reading and writing ability is taken for granted. Lack of communication tools cause serious problems in income and daily life.

Notes:

      1. The "number of people who fall under this category" represents those respondents aged above 60 who answered "have had difficulty" and "have not had difficulty" to the question regarding health/welfare services.
      2. "Difficulty with reading" includes those who can read only kana and those who cannot read at all.
      3. Similarly, "difficulty with writing" includes those who can write only kana and those who cannot write at all.
      4. "Unknown" responses were excluded from both reading and writing ability questions.

<to be continued>

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: http://www.pref.osaka.jp/jinken/measure/tyosa/index.html
  2. Previous articles in this series can be found at http://blhrri.org/index_e.htm