Buraku Problem Q&A
Many journalists, researchers and students from abroad come to visit us at the BLHRRI. Although they come from different parts of the world, they come to us to learn more about Buraku problems and ask for much information. Among the many questions asked us, we picked out those most frequently asked in these occasions, and will try to answer them as a new series of"Q&A"in this news letter. We hope this will be a help in understanding Buraku problems.
Q It has been almost 120 years since the Emancipation Edict was established in the Meiji Era, and it has been more than 40 years since the new Constitution was established after World War II. Why , then does discrimination still exist?
A In 1871(the 4th year of Meiji), marriage among peerage , Samurai descendants and commoners(farmers, craftmen and merchants) become legalezed. The four social classes became eaual, and the social status system was abolished. In August of the same year, the Meiji government enacted the Emancipation Edict, Which abolished the titles, 'Eta'(extreme filth) and 'Hi-nin'(non-human) for Buraku people , and their social status and their choice of occupations were equalized with commoners.
But the edict did not acutually liberate Buraku people from discrimination. In farming villages, lands were never geven to Buraku people, who had nothave their own lands. Buraku people living in cities for example were never guaranteed the right to become civil servants. Those who had their own businesses were not able to get loans. In the name of free competition, Buraku people were deprived of their rights which they had exclusively obtained before.
On the contracy, the Samurai descendants enjoyed some spacial treatment. They could receive public bonds to start new businesses, and were geven the priority to become civil servants if they wanted to. Under the Emperor who had absolute power, the court nobles and the ex-feudal lords were given the titles of peerage, and they became the new governing class to support the imperial family. The Samurai descendants and commoners were placed under them.
The Buraku people were put in the lewest class in the new society. They were called 'hi-nin'(new commoner). They still experienced discrimination. Tenant farmers of Buraku had to pay excessively high rents imposed on them. Laborers were never hired by major corporations, and had to work for low wages, no better than being out of work.
Since the Meiji Era and before World WarII, The Japanese government had adopted a policy for building up a rich country with a strong army. The government had taken adbantage of discrimination and invaded neighboring country in Asia. The peerage system was abolished by the democratic reforms after the War. But no reforms had been taken for the Buraku and no social education was done to eliminate discrimination. That is why discrimination is still deeply rooted today.
Our sociaty still has the base which creares discrimination against Buraku people. In 1965, the Dowa Policy Coundil submitted a report about the dual structure of the industrial economy in Japan. It says: there is a big gap and difference in quality between the major corporations and minor enterprises or small farmers.The Japanese economy depends on low wages, long working hours and poor working conditions.
Nowadays, people are controlled by sophisticated means; not only in labor and productivity, but also in mental aspects so that people in power can easily take greater adbantage. In order to maintain this situation in which some people are forced to work with lower wages and a low standard of living, they make use of discrimination against the Buraku and create more ways to discriminate rather than to eliminate it.