IMADR | The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism

Inside Japan: A Snapshot of Racial Discrimination and Human Rights Challenges

December 3, 2025

Human rights are under threat all over the world, and Japan is no exception.  The following panels offer a glimpse into the realities of racial discrimination and the ongoing struggle for justice in Japanese society. (*For more details, please click each panel.)


*Sayama Case refers to the false conviction of Kazuo Ishikawa, then 24 years old, for the murder of a high school girl in 1963. It was fabricated by the police believing that Burak people can do it. Further information about the rally in the centre of Tokyo in May 2025 can be found here.

* One of the key factors behind this impunity is the Status of Forces Agreement between Japan and the U.S., which places Japan at a disadvantage in exercising its jurisdiction.


*Ainu Indigenous Peoples have inhabited the far north island of Japan, Hokkaido, and its surrounding areas for centuries. The Ainu are officially recognised as Indigenous Peoples of Japan.

*Post-colonialism has to-date affected those Korean residents in Japan who are now third to fifth generations of their parents/grandparents forcibly brought to Japan during the period. Symbolic is with the Korean students who are excluded from the educational support program of the Government for no specific reasons, but as students of Korean Schools.

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