Japan NGOs warn against hate speech during upper house election campaign
An increasing number of political parties have been promoting exclusionary policies ahead of the upper house election, raising concerns candidates may exploit the election for hate speech.
In joint news conference in Tokyo on July 8, the group declared, "Lies and discrimination cannot be tolerated during the election period," and called for municipalities in the country to follow the city of Kawasaki's lead in warning against discriminatory speech during elections.
In 2020, the Kawasaki Municipal Government implemented an ordinance imposing criminal penalties for hate speech against citizens with foreign roots. However, nationwide, there continue to be cases of candidates using speeches, street campaigns and social media to repeatedly make baseless criticisms and hateful remarks about foreigners.
On July 7, Kawasaki shared the contents of the ordinance on social media and warned, "While freedom of election campaigning and political activity is fundamental to democracy ... unjust discriminatory words and actions are prohibited by ordinance."
Yasuko Morooka, a lawyer and secretary general of the Japan Network towards Human Rights Legislation for Non-Japanese Nationals & Ethnic Minorities, emphasized the importance of Kawasaki's efforts during the election period, stating, "Other local governments as well as the national government should also make such statements."
On July 3, the official start of the upper house election campaign, a candidate in the Kanagawa constituency stated during a stump speech that it was wrong that many foreigners were receiving welfare benefits while Japanese people were struggling.
According to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare statistics, as of April, foreigners accounted for about 3.2% of all welfare recipients, and the rate among foreign households was about 2.9%.
Yuma Osawa of the Tsukuroi Tokyo Fund, a general incorporated association, pointed out that claims such as "foreigners easily receive welfare" are unfounded and incorrect. He added, "We must not engage in discussions based on false information. Please calmly focus on the facts."
According to the Immigration Services Agency, as of the end of 2024, there were 3,768,977 foreign residents in Japan, a 10.5% increase from the end of the previous year and a record high. In the upcoming upper house election, multiple parties have pledged to restrict or tighten the acceptance of foreigners.
At the press conference, Morooka stated, "Antiforeignism is being stirred up in many campaign speeches, and I hear from foreigners that they are living in fear every day." She added, "We, as voters, must take responsibility and work to change the current situation."
(Japanese original by Daiki Yano, Yokohama Bureau)
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