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 Please explain the "Dowa Administration" and the "Dowa measure project"
A The Dowa Administration is a public administration in order to eliminate discrimination from Japanese sociaty, and the Dowa measure projects are various projects are for the same purpose.
The Dowa Policy Council reported that the Dowa Administration is an administration which should be done according to the Constitution under the responsibility of the government and it should be promoted as long as discrimination against Buraku remains in the society.
Discrimination against Buraku is seen everywhere deep-rooted in the daily livesof Buraku people. We should try to eliminate discrimination in various aspects of the environment, social welfare, industry, jobs, education, culture and any other fields. It is necessary to coordinate among all these different fields and to develop plans for this purpose.
It is also necessaty to make persistint efforts to educate all of the citizens for understanding the situation, because deep-rooted prejudice and discrimination against Buraku still exist in our sociaty. The Dowa administration has the great responsibility in leading Japanese sociaty to take the problems seriously.
In this way, the Dowa administration aims at establishing human rights for the Buraku people who are discrimination against. Through this process, it has played the major role for fellfelment of social security and the establishment of human right fot everyone in Japanese sociaty. The achievements of the Dowa administration have influenced the social security of other various people in the same situation.
The Dowa administration existed before the World War K. The Interior Ministry implemented the Buraku Improvement Project. But the project sought the cause of discrimination in the emvironment, public morals and the condition of life of Buraku, and left the Buraku people to be sucrificed.
The National Leveller's Association was established in 1922. The Government started the project to reorganeze the area assigned to be improved and made a fund for scholarship. The Government also dicided to work to eliminate discrimination against Buraku.
Along with these projects, the Ten-Year Yuwa (conciliation) Project was planned.The conciliating organizations requested the government to budget 50,000,000 yenin 10 years for their industrial economic facilities and environmental improvement facilities. But the Japan-China war started the following year and those projects faded away into war promoting plans.
In the confusion after World War K, the Government and the occupying G.H.Q. could not restart any project until 1953, when the Public Welfare Ministry budgeted to construct 'Rinpo-Kan'(comminity centers).
On the other hand, the administrators of prefectures and major cities organized the National Dowa Measure Council in 1951. The organization joined to work with the Buraku Liberation National Committee to establish the Dowa administration.