An article, “Foreigners are 5.6 times more likely to have experience with job inquiries than Japanese people.’‘ (2025/02/26 Huffington Post Japan Edition) is summarized in below.
- A survey has revealed that foreign nationals are 5.6 times more likely to be questioned by Japanese police than Japanese nationals. This survey was conducted by a private research company targeting 521 Japanese nationals and 422 foreign residents. While 12.8% of Japanese people had experienced job questioning, 71.1% of foreign residents had experienced it, and the experience rate was particularly high among people from South America.
- Job questioning is based on the Police Professionals Act, but in reality, questioning based solely on foreign-like appearance has become commonplace. The police place emphasis on questioning foreigners about their duties, and an internal Aichi Prefectural Police document even states that they can do anything against foreigners!
- Three foreign nationals who were subjected to such discriminatory job questioning have filed a lawsuit against the national government, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and Aichi Prefecture, seeking compensation for damages. The plaintiffs claim that the questioning violates the Constitution and international treaties, and are seeking compensation of 3.3 million yen per person and a finding that the discriminatory practices are illegal. On the other hand, the defendant countered that the questioning was not based on his foreign roots and was not illegal. The next oral argument will be held on February 28, 2025.
CALL4 is looking for donations
This lawsuit is introduced on CALL4, Japan’s first web platform specializing in “litigations aimed at resolving social issues (public litigation).” Lawsuit | #STOP Racial Profiling is being filed as a case and donations are being solicited.
The donations will be used to help solve social issues through litigation activities, so I made a small donation, but I will be watching the outcome of the court case closely.