Hundreds rally in Tokyo to protest racial discrimination
Hundreds of people staged a street protest in Tokyo over inflammatory remarks made against foreigners in the leadup to last month's Upper House election.
A cry of 'We will not tolerate a society where false information and discrimination are rampant' echoed through the Aug. 1 rally held in front of Shinjuku Station.
Lawyers Keiko Ota and Shoichi Ibusuki, along with Sumiko Hatakeyama of Peace Boat, music producer Kiyoshi Matsuo and writer Yuka Murayama, were among the 12 organizers of the rally.
They estimated that more than 1,000 people gathered in the square in front of the station.
'By each of us speaking out against misinformation and discrimination, society can take a step forward,' music producer Shuya Okino told the crowd.
A female office worker in her 20s from the capital's Setagaya Ward joined the rally after work. She is a member of the LGBT community and has a relative who married a foreign national.
She said statements during the Upper House election campaign that denied the rights of the LGBT minority and foreign residents made her feel uncomfortable.
'I hope society will become a place where we don't have to say the obvious, that discrimination is unacceptable,' she said.
Ota and other activists are also waging an online petition (https://chng.it/WMKhZTJmPp), urging Diet lawmakers to strive for a society where the dignity of all people, no matter their nationality, is respected
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