Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2013 March 27 - April 2 [CIVIL RIGHTS]

Lawyers request that police control violent behavior toward foreign residents

Concerning anti-foreign demonstrations taking place in Tokyo, a group of lawyers made representations on March 29 to the Metropolitan Police Department, urging the police to ensure the safety of local residents.

In the Shin-Okubo district in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, which is known as “Korean Town” and is crowded with Korean restaurants and shops, a demonstration organized by hate groups has been staged four times since February. With the “Hinomaru” (Rising Sun) flags in their hands, demonstrators chanted slogans inciting violence against Korean residents in Japan and walked into Korean stores to threaten the owners.

The lawyers pointed out that the policemen at the scene failed to issue warnings and restrain those demonstrators from acting violently. They demanded that law enforcement personnel put a stop to actions threatening the lives and property of foreign residents in Japan.

After the representations, former president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations Utsunomiya Kenji said at a press conference, “In a democratic society, it is unforgivable to hold demonstrations fueling racial discrimination by the use of intimidating words and deeds.”

Lawyer Azusawa Kazuyuki said, “If these actions are allowed, Japan’s politics will go in the wrong direction. We must learn a lesson from the tragedy caused by Hitler and Nazism.”