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= Burakumin People of Japan: History and Discrimination = A historically oppressed group in Japan, the Burakumin are mostly descended from communities of outcasts that were established during the feudal era. The prejudice experienced by the Burakumin has a long history and is still present in some form in modern Japanese culture.

Origins & Identity
Burakumin, meaning "Community People '' in Japanese, are a group of Japanese people. The Tokugawa shogunate enforced a strict caste system as part of its objectives to maintain social order throughout the Edo period (1603–1868). The Buraku people came out of two social classes from the Middle Age, the eta (full of filth) and the hinin (non-human). These people were and still are associated with occupations perceived as lowly. Specifically, the eta were associated with butchers and leather craftsmen, trades that are seen as filthy by both Buddhism and Shinto religions because they deal with death and the killing of animals. The hinin were either the homeless or ex-convicts. It was also illegal for Burakumin and non-Burakumin people to be married.

Modern Discrimination
The main grounds for Buraku prejudice in the modern era are a person's residence in a former Buraku area or the neighborhood of their parents. This implies that Burakus may be labeled and subjected to anti-Buraku prejudice even if they have no link to the Tokugawa outcast status. Even if a family moves into a traditionally Buraku neighborhood without realizing it, they could still end up being seen as a part of Buraku. The stigmatized Buraku category, which is mostly determined by a person's employment and family history, has expanded to include a person's family address.

There are an estimated 6 million Buraku people in the country, according to the Buraku Liberation League (BLL), the largest Buraku political organization. The Buraku Liberation League generates yearly reports that monitor the hundreds of discriminatory incidents that occur in Japan each year, including cases of harassment and rejection for marriage or job offers. The efforts of the political movement have led to significant improvements in the standard of living in Buraku communities, elimination of physical violence against Buraku individuals, and a persistent decline in other forms of prejudice. Still, prejudice against Burakumin is still pervasive across the nation, and discrimination is still a major problem.

Buraku discrimination is recognized by the United Nations as a persistent issue. In 2003, the UN reaffirmed that discrimination based on labor and descent is illegal under international human rights law, thanks to the efforts of the Buraku Liberation League and partner groups in other parts of Asia. Currently, two impartial special rapporteurs are looking into the global origins of this type of prejudice and potential solutions. In addition, in his most recent report to the Japanese government, UN Special Rapporteur on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related forms of intolerance Doudou Diene made suggestions for ending Buraku prejudice.

Activism and Legal Reforms
The 'Emancipation Edict' of 1871, which ended the caste system and gave the Burakumin equal legal standing, was a result of the end of the feudal system and the beginning of the Meiji period. Due to ongoing prejudice in both the social and economic areas, other Japanese people avoided interacting with or being associated with Burakumin, which resulted in their continuous exclusion and disadvantage. The Japanese government has given the problems affecting Burakumin little consideration since the Law on Special Measures for Dowa Projects, an initiative launched in 1969 to improve Burakumin's standing in mainstream society, was terminated in 2002. Under the Human Rights Promotion Law, annual reports to the Diet have included a chapter on Buraku problems; however, this chapter has not contained any specific data that could show the effectiveness of government initiatives to address discriminatory attitudes against Burakumin.

Between 1969 and 2002, the Japanese government implemented several positive discrimination policies aimed at eradicating inequality and discrimination in the fields of employment and education. As a result, the buraku that these policies targeted were labeled as assimilation areas by the government. This designation does not apply to some locations because some buraku decision-makers did not want to embrace this status. So, it is necessary to distinguish between places that have undergone development and those that have not. Based on data from the 1993 census, there were approximately 4,442 assimilation regions with an estimated population of 892,751 people in Japan. According to sociologist Ishimoto Kiyohide, there are an estimated 6,000 buraku who have not been officially recognized, indicating that the population of Burakumin is probably far greater than that which was included in the census.

Internet technology has brought about specific issues for Burakumin in the last several years, including a rise in discriminating and derogatory social media messages and online efforts to track down and reveal the location of Burakumin communities. The Act on the Promotion of the Elimination of Buraku Discrimination was finally adopted by the Diet in December 2016 as a result of renewed political motivation sparked by these concerns.

Cultural Representation
The Ikari drumming ensemble was founded in 1987 in the Burakumin neighborhood of Naniwa, Osaka. No taiko group in all of Japan identified as Burakumin, even though the majority of taiko drum makers were Burakumin from Naniwa. In the history of taiko, the act of performing the taiko—which is frequently connected to "purifying" religious rites—is purposefully separated from the process of making the taiko, because handling leather is regarded as "spiritually impure." Ikari's performances revealed this past. It is not intended for Ikari's use of music and performance to be considered an "authentic" cultural practice. Instead, Ikari politicizes the Japanese taiko by imitating it. They call attention to anti-Burakumin discrimination, which was previously unnoticed, while they play. This is an example of how a non-Burakumin Japanese instrument gets appropriated, changed, and made available to the public. It is possible to locally rewrite ideas like identity, nation, and culture to strengthen the Burakumin community and the Japanese people who are not Burakumin. In Japan, minorities are frequently portrayed as helpless targets of prejudice. Ikari, on the other hand, offers the Burakumin a different way to identify as a protagonist in their own narrative. Burakumin gain agency to alter their own situation through performances that speak to the minds and hearts of the audience; they are no longer dependent on the government or other Burakumin activists to effect change. When the non-Burakumin audience is made to reflect on their own place in society, they too become engaged members of the community.

Recognition and Reconciliation
Several ministries carried out the dōwa taisaku, or assimilation procedures, in 1969. The measures are numerous and comprehensive, including the conversion of former hamlets into social housing, the establishment of public baths and the assurance of improved access to doctors, the growth of industries and businesses that employ burakumin, financial assistance for obtaining licenses such as a heavy goods vehicle license, scholarships and general improved access to education, the pledge to host events aimed at transforming attitudes, and ultimately the establishment of a service within the prime minister’s cabinet that is dedicated to the coordination and implementation of all those measures. All these steps, along with Japan's quick economic expansion, made it easier to rebuild new homes and integrate the Buraku residents into society. A ten-year plan at first, the Dōwa was continuously extended until 2002. The Bureau of Kokumin Keibatsu did note a drawback to these actions, though: assistance was limited to hamlets that were formally registered and their residents. The second issue was that the burakumin's living conditions were so terrible that the budget and accompanying initiatives were insufficient to close the gap.

International Perspective
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1983, the BLL planned several events. In Tokyo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Osaka, three UN human rights officers spoke at symposia. They discussed Japan's potential contributions to the UN human rights system as well as its history and current state of operation. Speaking at a UN human rights meeting, one speaker praised Japan's increasing involvement in UN human rights treaties in recent years, citing the government and NGOs' efforts to be more visible and louder. All these events were held in Japan over a period known as Human Rights Week, honoring the previously mentioned Human Rights Day on December 10 in support of global human rights actors. Through widespread media coverage, these events enhanced the BLL's negotiating power with government representatives and brought Burakumin issues to the attention of a worldwide audience as symposium attendees brought back to their home countries and the UN what they had learned in Japan. Recognizing the value of global alliances and networks of human rights advocates, BLL leaders persisted in organizing international participation for Human Rights Day events, such as conferences endorsing international human rights documents or protests calling for the ratification of human rights treaties. Internationally well-known human rights advocates like Jesse Jackson and Desmond Tutu frequently appeared on their events, along with representatives from important UN human rights organizations like the CERD Committee, Commission on the Status of Women, Human Rights Center, International Labor Organization, and Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.

The Human Rights Committee's review of Japan's initial report in 1981 was the first time Buraku issues were discussed officially in UN human rights forums. Committee members asked pointed questions about Burakumin discrimination, citing discrimination in marriage and education and questioning the government's responsibilities, even though the latter was not addressed in the government's report. The committee members were partially informed by materials circulated by BLL activists during and after their 1979 trip. Since then, Burakumin discrimination has been brought up frequently while discussing Japan's human rights practices at the UN, and representatives of BLL have started to regularly attend UN human rights meetings.

Sources and Works Cited
1. Neary, Ian. “Burakumin in contemporary Japan.” Japan’s Minorities, 19 Nov. 2008, pp. 81–105, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203884997-10.

2. Martin, Alex. “Embracing a buraku heritage: Examining changing attitudes toward a social minority.” The Japan Times, 16 Feb. 2019.

3. Tai, Eika. “Rethinking culture, national culture, and Japanese culture.” Japanese Language and Literature, vol. 37, no. 1, Apr. 2003, p. 1, https://doi.org/10.2307/3594873.

4. Tsutsui, Kiyoteru, 'Burakumin: From a Japanese Minority Group to an International Human Rights Organization', Rights Make Might: Global Human Rights and Minority Social Movements in Japan (New York, 2018; online edn, Oxford Academic, 23 Aug. 2018),

5. Small, Andrew. “Drumming out Resistance in Japan: Writing Back Burakumin Identity through Music.” LSE Human Rights, 4 Mar. 2015, blogs.lse.ac.uk/humanrights/2015/03/04/drumming-out-resistance-in-japan-writing-back-burakumin-identity-through-music/.

6. Taïeb, Caroline. “Discrimination against Japan’s Burakumin Community.” La Vie Des Idées, Books & ideas, 9 Jan. 2020, laviedesidees.fr/Discrimination-Against-Japan-s-Burakumin-Community.

7. Szczepanski, Kallie. “Who Are the Untouchables of Japan?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 22 Jan. 2018, www.thoughtco.com/the-buraku-untouchables-of-japan-3981251.

8. “Burakumin (Buraku People) in Japan.” Minority Rights Group, 29 Jan. 2024, minorityrights.org/communities/burakumin-buraku-people/.

9. Cognacq, Amael. “[Uni Series] the Burakumin Issue.” Medium, Medium, 10 Apr. 2020, amaelcognacq.medium.com/uni-series-the-burakumin-issue-48c69343ed63.

10. “Burakumin.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/topic/burakumin. Accessed 2 Apr. 2024.

11. Limited, Alamy. “Young People at a Drum Workshop in Naniwa, Japan. They Are Part of a Buraku Cultural Group Stock Photo.” Alamy, www.alamy.com/young-people-at-a-drum-workshop-in-naniwa-japan-they-are-part-of-a-image6134200.html. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

12. “Buraku Liberation League.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buraku_Liberation_League.

13. “Human Rights Committee Considers Report of Japan | OHCHR.” The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 16 July 2014, www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2014/07/human-rights-committee-considers-report-japan.