OTARU ONSENS LAWSUIT
MEDIA UPDATE FEB 15 2002

(click on the headings below to page down)

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1) BURAKUMIN LIBERATION LEAGUE on Otaru Onsens, AIR-DO, and Fuji TV

2) KYODO on friendship between an excluding onsen and an excluded former foreigner

3) ASAHI SHINBUN on Hamamatsu City's "Hamamatsu Sengen", demanding administrative reforms to make life easier for non-Japanese residents

4) OTARU ONSEN LAWSUIT UPDATE: Otaru Doshin reflections on the lawsuit's first year, final submission of documents, and dates for oral cross examinations of Plaintiffs and Defendants Mar and Apr 2002
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1) ARTICLES WITH THE BURAKUMIN LIBERATION LEAGUE

Who are the Burakumin? Although legally and physically indistinguishable from any Japanese, the Burakumin have been the "untouchables" in Japan's historical caste system. Status determined from birth or relation to particular city enclaves, those deemed "Eta", "Hinin", or "Buraku" were relegated to nasty jobs like leather tanning and night-soil removal. To this day, the Burakumin are discriminated against in employment and matrimonial opportunities. However, having long since formed a league, the Buraku Kaihou Doumei are one of the foremost combatters of discrimination in Japan, having regular regional and national meetings, raising awaredness, and issuing regular publications on social problems. We have been working towards recognizing communalities between people (regardless of citizenship) who are systematically discriminated against by smaller-minded elements in Japanese society. Here are a few articles we have produced:

a) Buraku Kaihou Shinbun report of a speech on the Onsen problem, given at their 45th National Youth Summit (Zenkoku Seinen Shuukai), Gunma, August 25, 2001 (Japanese--with awful photo of speaker)
http://www.debito.org/kaihoushinbun090101.html

Writeup of the proceedings courtesy Buraku Kaihou Shinbun (Saitama)
#643, Sept 1, 2001
http://www.debito.org/kaihoushinbun091001.html

b) Buraku Kaihou Shinbun (Saitama) articles on the Onsen problem (Japanese)
#647, Nov 1, 2001
http://www.debito.org/kaihoushinbun110101.html
#648, Nov 15, 2001
http://www.debito.org/kaihoushinbun111501.html
#649, Dec 1, 2001
http://www.debito.org/kaihoushinbun120101.html

c) Buraku Kaihou (Osaka) JINKEN BOOK NEWS articles (Japanese)
(http://kaihou-s.com/mail_magazine/meilmaga_index.html)

1) Disparate treatment of "foreign" passengers on Hokkaido International Airlines (AIR-DO),
2) Letter of protest to Fuji-TV re their unnecessary treatment of naturalized sumo wrestlers as "foreigners" on their Jan 8, 2002 JUNK SPORTS program.

Both at http://backno.mag2.com/reader/Back?id=0000071489

(referential page for AIR-DO issue at http://www.debito.org/airdomondai.html in English and Japanese)



2) KYODO TSUSHIN ON FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN ONSEN EXCLUDER AND EXCLUDED

Published in over 40 regional Japanese papers (none in Hokkaido, alas), here is an article on how a former excluder of "foreigners" (Mr Ohkoshi of Otaru onsen "Osupa") could become fast friends with one of the people he formerly excluded. I sent you the text of the article before, but the color photo of a naked Ohkoshi and myself in a hot bath is one to write your mailing lists about. This version appeared in the Kumamoto Nichi Nichi Shinbun Jan 21, 2002.
http://www.debito.org/kumanichi012102.html

English translation text at
http://www.debito.org/kyodo011202etrans.html



3) "HAMAMATSU SENGEN"

Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, is similar to Otaru in that it also had businesses which excluded "foreigners" from entry (particularly Ana Bortz, who filed a suit for racial discrimination and won). Unlike Otaru, however, the Hamamatsu city government did something to make life easier for its non-Japanese residents--by officially declaring the need for administrative reforms, getting several other cities with foreign populations to sign a petition of sorts, and filing their demands at the highest levels in Tokyo (the first time a city mayor has ever officially done this on behalf of his non-Japanese residents).

We drew attention to this in a Dec 26, 2001 press conference with the Otaru City government, as a model of how a municipality (despite Otaru City's claims in court) can show some activism. Unfortunately, only one newspaper article came out of this (Asahi Shinbun in Shiribeshi region), and once I get my hands on a copy of it next week I'll put it up at the link below.

Meanwhile, full information in English and Japanese at
http://www.debito.org/hamamatsukanrenkiji.html



4) OTARU ONSEN LAWSUIT UPDATE

It has already been one full year (Feb 1, 2001) since Plaintiffs Karthaus, Sutherland, and Arudou filed suit against Yunohana Onsen and Otaru City. This was noted by an Otaru Doshin full-page special on February 2, 2002 (in Japanese at http://www.debito.org/otardoshin020202.html)

Now the case is in the home stretch. The sixth hearing was held on Nov 26, 2001, where the Plaintiffs submitted their final rebuttals (in Japanese at http://www.debito.org/junbishomen112601.html), then adjourned for a few months. Now there are two more hearings scheduled, with each side taking the stand and being grilled by lawyers. Open to the public at the Sapporo District Courthouse on the following dates:

PLAINTIFFS' CROSS EXAMINATION:
Monday, March 11, 2002, 1:30 PM-4:30 PM
(This is literally our day in court.)

DEFENDANTS' CROSS EXAMINATION:
Monday, April 15, 2002, 1:30 PM-4PM

(I went to Kumamoto to see a cross-examination first-hand of Plaintiff Cynthia Worthington against the Prefectural University of Kumamoto for job dismissal on the basis of race. Very instructive. Report to follow.)

Verdict on Onsens Case due Summer 2002.



All for now. Thanks for reading!
Arudou Debito
Sapporo

MEDIA UPDATE FEB 15 2002 ENDS
(GO TO THE OTARU LAWSUIT WEBSITE)