Japan Press Weekly

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2017 July 19 - 25 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Intellectuals express concern over DP leader’s making public her family register

Democratic Party leader Renho, whose father is Taiwanese, at the DP head office on July 18 made public her family register to show that she has a Japanese citizenship.

Before the press, she stated, “All people should be equal under the law and there should be no discrimination based on race, sex, and social status. I will try hard to establish a society where nobody forces anyone to prove that he/she is a Japanese national.

Over this issue, a group of legal professionals and academics on the same day expressed concern by informing the DP that there is no legal obligation or need to disclose her private information.

The group’s written statement points out that during the history of Japan’s modernization, confrontation always took place between advocates of respect for human rights and those who supported the right of discrimination and removal.

The statement points out that to force the DP head to release her family registration records is an absolutely outrageous act and is the same as going back to the undemocratic past.

Lawyer Kanbara Hajime is a legal professional worried about the possibility of the spread of discrimination. He said at a press conference, “The accusations against Renho’s suspected dual nationality may have a strong impact on society, accelerating discrimination against those who hold dual citizenship.”

Rikkyo University Professor Nishitani Osamu also said, “This incident will help foster a climate of hate speech which is frequently supportive of the Abe government.”