2nd Quarterly, 2005 No.136
Recent Phenomena of Discrimination Against Buraku
Spate of Discriminatory Graffiti
In Yao City's Nishigori District, malicious discriminatory graffiti such as "Eta" (an old discriminatory term for Burakumin meaning "extreme filth"), "freeloaders" and "fraudsters," has been regularly discovered over the past year. The graffiti was found on a sign for raising human rights awareness posted by the city, a sign posted in a playground, a traffic safety sign posted by the PTA of a primary school, and the billboard of Nishigori Branch of the Osaka Association of the BLL. The words "freeloaders" and "fraudsters" do not seem to be intended to directly discriminate against Buraku. Careful examination has led to the conclusion that this graffiti was generated by jealousy over the improvements to housing conditions made under the "Special Measures" legislation, thereby constituting defamation against the BLL. Because this is a community problem, a number of groups including human rights case workers, the Yao City Human Rights Association, Yao City, various district public facilities, and the Nishigori Branch of the Osaka Association of the BLL have responded by jointly creating the "Congress to Address Discriminatory Events in the Community." The Congress has taken action to oppose the graffiti by appealing against the condoning of discrimination, holding an anti-discrimination rally in Nishigori, and posting anti-discrimination signs in the affected playground.
Discriminatory Graffiti Naming a Nagano City Primary School Student
Discriminatory graffiti was discovered on a glass door in a Nagano City primary school on February 27. The graffiti stated that one of the students "is a Burakumin," and was followed by the threat, "I'm gonna get you in junior high." The Nagano City Conference and the Nagano City Board of Education plan to protest against the graffiti.
Discriminatory Message Posted during the National Election Campaign
At the end of August, a discriminatory poster was discovered in five separate areas within Fukuroi City's Okazaki district in Shizuoka Prefecture under the name of one of the LDP candidates running for election to the House of Representatives in September. The poster stated, "Thank you for your usual support. In this election, the LDP and I do not want the votes of the people in Okazaki whose blood is bad and contaminated. The people of Okazaki are despicable Burakumin who gang up when anything bad happens to them." The message was highly prejudiced against Buraku people and used the name of the LDP candidate without his knowledge. The Shizuoka Association of the BLL reported this as a malicious discriminatory event to municipal and prefectural authorities.
Discriminatory Graffiti on Hiking Course
In July, malicious discriminatory graffiti was discovered at 27 different spots on a hiking course in Sennan City, Osaka Prefecture, including a roadside fence, a public toilet, a monument, trees and billboards. The graffiti included phrases such as "Eta out!" and "Etta, I'll kill you!" A total of 385 people including Sennan City administrators and officials from the board of education and local BLL branch have been to investigate the graffiti, which has been reported to the police.