How the BLHRRI Sees the Budget Plans

prepared by the Osaka Governor Tohru Hashimoto

June 11, 2008
Nobuaki Teraki, Executive Director
Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute

On June 5 2008, Mr. Tohru Hashimoto as the Governor of Osaka has announced the "Draft Osaka Revitalization Program" that includes the finance reconstruction plan to achieve the 110 billion yen's balance improvement (cutback of the expenditures in an amount of 66.5 billion yen, while securing additional incomes in an amount of 43.5 billion yen) for the fiscal year of 2008. The Tentative Plan was prepared by his Reform Project Team and announced in April with drastic cutback of expenditures in the areas of security, social welfares and medical service, to which the strong opposition was raised. While the finance reconstruction plan in the Draft Osaka Revitalization Program basically retains the target amounts for curtailing expenditures outlined in the Tentative Plan, the Draft Program reduces the amount of cutback for the ordinary expenditures raised in the Tentative Plan by 8.5 billion yen (from 33 billion yen to 24.5 billion yen). The lost 8.5 billion yen is to be procured by issuing retirement allowance bonds, according to the Draft Program. The Draft Program is to be examined by the July Extraordinary Session of Osaka Prefecture Council.

The Draft Program also proposes the cutback in salaries for regular employees of Osaka Prefecture by 12% on an average.

The Draft Program proposes very severe budgetary plans for human rights related services and programs. For example, Osaka Prefecture will stop sending its regular employees to the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (our partner organization) and stop providing subsidies for the operation in 2009. For the Osaka Prefecture Human Rights Association (also our partner organization), it will no more send its regular employees to the Association from 2009, and gradually stop the provision of financial assistance for other regular staff by 2010. Financial assistance for the operation of the Association will also be drastically reviewed. As a result of these plans, it is very much afraid if Osaka may give up its historical and highly-evaluated initiatives for the improvement of human rights, peace and culture.

For the BLHRRI, the Draft Program proposes: 1) 10% cut for the edition and publication of "Osaka Buraku History" which is actually in its last year, and 2) a cutback of budget for our library service "Libra." However, these are only for 2008, and will be terminated in the next year.

When considering that the Tentative Plan proposed no financial allocations to these two programs of BLHRRI, the Draft Program has shown a little improvement, thanks to the efforts we have made by visiting the Osaka Prefecture for negotiations over several times with the Executive Director and Director as the head, and appeal letters sent by our members and supporters inside/outside Japan. As far as we have been informed, at least 94 letters from Japan (77 individuals and 17 groups) and 15 letters from abroad (14 individuals and one group) have been sent to the Governor Hashimoto calling for his attention. We sincerely thank all the people and groups who sent the letter to the Governor urging the continued support to the BLHRRI.

As a result, for the fiscal year 2008 (April 2008 to March 2009), the BLHRRI is able to operate its existing projects/programs with no significant changes, by acquiring incomes including donations and revising the budgets that reduce expenditures including personnel cost.

However, according to the budgetary plan in the Draft Programs, the Osaka Prefecture will not provide any subsidies to the BLHRRI from the year 2009 on. Being fully aware of the very difficult financial position of Osaka Prefecture, the BLHRRI is willing to secure our own sources of income and to curtail our expenditures, and in fact we have been doing so for the past years. However, we can never accept the decision of Osaka Prefecture to provide no project subsidies to the BLHRRI from 2009, as it constitutes the abdication of its public responsibilities.

Osaka Prefecture has established the ordinance for building society with respect of human rights, and accepted the report made by its advisory body based on the ordinance. It has also accepted the report made by its Dowa Measures Advisory Body, and the proposal raised by its Advisory Body to Promote the Solution of Dowa Problem. In the March session of Osaka Prefecture Council, Governor Hashimoto articulated that Buraku discrimination has still existed showing very serious aspects of the reality. Taking these facts into consideration, we believe that Governor Hashimoto is accountable to clearly indicate how Osaka Prefecture is going to solve Buraku problem. Also, the Osaka Prefecture Council will have to review the budgetary plan to be proposed by Governor Hashimoto, in reference with these ordinances and reports.

Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute was founded in the joint efforts among local governments of Osaka including Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City, civil organizations including Osaka Association of Buraku Liberation League and the Osaka Council for the Promotion of Dowa Projects, and researchers of Buraku problem and other human rights problems in August 1968. The BLHRRI celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. We are determined to go back to the starting points with the five objectives: 1) to promote researches and investigations for advocacy, 2) to help develop human resources through various human rights workshops and training programs, 3) to disseminate information on Buraku problem and human rights issues through our publication, 4) to collect books and materials for lending at our library, and 5) to build international solidarity with human rights organizations abroad; and to improve our future by strengthening our partnerships with our membership, researchers, related organizations and local governments.