Three people from foreign countries will soon file a lawsuit seeking compensation from the government, claiming that they have been repeatedly questioned by police officers based on their race, skin color, nationality, etc., alleging that this constitutes discrimination and violates the Constitution. It turns out that the case will be filed in the Tokyo District Court.

Job questioning based on race or nationality has become a problem overseas, and the illegality of such acts is likely to be debated domestically as well.

According to the attorney representing the case, the suit is filed by three foreign-born men who live in Tokyo and Aichi prefectures, all of whom say they have been repeatedly questioned by police for reasons such as their appearance and have felt distressed. .



Some of the plaintiffs claim that they have become more likely to stay at home after being repeatedly questioned about their jobs for over 20 years.



The three will soon file a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court, demanding compensation of 3 million yen per person from the national government, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and Aichi Prefecture, alleging that ``this is a violation of the constitution due to discriminatory treatment based on race.'' is.



Job questioning or interrogation that selects a person based on race, skin color, nationality, etc. is called "racial profiling," and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has recommended the establishment of guidelines to prevent it. It has become an international issue.



Lawyer Taiki Taniguchi, who is representing the plaintiffs, said, ``There is no court case in Japan that has challenged the illegality of job questioning, which is called racial profiling, and this appears to be the first time. I want them to think about whether they are meeting the standards that they have."



A year ago, the National Police Agency announced the results of an investigation showing that there were six cases of inappropriate behavior during job questioning based on race or other factors across the country in 2021, and said it will provide thorough guidance.

One of the plaintiffs: “I became afraid to go out because of job inquiries.”

Matthew (53), one of the plaintiffs, has roots in India and came to Japan after marrying his Japanese wife, where he has lived for over 20 years.



Over the past 20 years, Matthew has been repeatedly stopped and questioned by police officers at stations and on the street, sometimes twice a day.



There were times when he was surrounded by four or five police officers in front of his home, and when he did not respond to questions about his duties, he was taken to a police station and questioned.



Three years ago in October, he was driving his wife to work in Tokyo when he was stopped by a police car with its siren blaring.



When Matthew asked, ``Why did you stop him? Were you speeding?'' the police officer replied, ``It's because it's rare for foreigners to drive around here.''



Regarding the incident, Matthew said, ``I didn't think it was a legitimate reason, and I felt like the police were using their power to do whatever they wanted.It was racist abuse of their position.'' I was there.



As a result of being repeatedly questioned about his work, Matthew became afraid to go out for a while and began to stay at his home.



Matthew said, ``I always felt like the police were watching me and invading my privacy.It happened so often that I started to wonder, ``Why am I the only one?'' Ta.



Regarding the reason why he decided to become a plaintiff in this lawsuit, he said, ``I think there are many people who are suffering from the same problem.I hope that this trial will help us find solutions that will allow us all to live peaceful lives.'' I want it," he said.

More than 60% of people who are foreigners or have parents with foreign nationality say they have been questioned about their job duties in the past five years.

Regarding "racial profiling," in 2020, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination recommended that each country formulate guidelines to prevent it.



Under these circumstances, the Tokyo Bar Association conducted an online survey of foreigners living in Japan and Japanese people with foreign parents, and received responses from approximately 2,100 people.



According to the survey, 1,318 people, or 62.9%, were questioned about their job duties in the past five years.

Of those who were questioned about their job duties, 50.4% said they had been questioned two to five times, 10.8% had been questioned six to nine times, and 11.5% had been questioned ten or more times.



When asked whether they thought the police officer who approached them knew from the beginning that they had foreign roots, 85.4% of those questioned answered yes.

More than 90% of respondents cited "physical characteristics" as the reason.



In addition, some people answered that they ``spoke in a language other than Japanese'' and ``had magazines or books in languages ​​other than Japanese.''



Free text included comments such as, ``As soon as they found out I was a foreigner, the police officer's attitude suddenly changed and he asked me questions about my job,'' and ``I was investigated like a criminal in front of a large group of people.'' There were various complaints that it was discriminatory, such as, ``I was suspected of having drugs just because I was alone.''