Japan Press Weekly

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2015 December 16 - 22 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Antiracism civil groups protest discriminatory book targeting refugees

A group of people opposing hate speech and antiforeignism along with an antiracism international network on December 21 held a joint press conference in the Diet building in protest against the publication of a book promoting discrimination against refugees.

The book in question titled “Soda, nanmin shiyo!” or “Yes, let’s become a refugee!” has recently been published by Seirindo. The author of the book is manga artist Hasumi Toshiko. She has become known for the frequent use of discriminatory expressions and for her animosity toward refugees in general and Korean residents living in Japan.

Iwashita Yu of the antiforeignism publishers’ and editors’ group criticized Seirindo for contributing to discrimination by consistently publishing xenophobic books.

Some media, including Sankei Shimbun, have carried advertisements for this book. Iwashita said, “Freedom of expression is, of course, very important but this doesn’t automatically mean we can say whatever we want.”

Shin Sugok, a co-representative of the international network, said, “Whether we allow this book to continue to be sold at bookstores without question or we search for another answer, our common sense is being called into question.”