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人種差別問題に及び腰の日本
南アフリカのダーバンで8月31日から開かれた「人種差別反対世界会議」に、筆者も参加した。各国の政府や NGO 代表が人種差別について活発に意見を交わす中、日本政府は及び腰の姿勢が目立ったが、この会議での収穫をもとに、日本の差別問題が改善されることを願う。
Japan comes upshort on racism
In Durban, South Africa, 170 nations and about 950 NGOs participated in WCAR, the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (Aug. 31 - Sept. 7).
On Sept. 1, the second day of WCAR, I had the distinct honor of chairing a round-table session at which the Japanese government delegation and NGOs from Japan and other countries were present. The NGOs did a good job in highlighting some of Japan's chief racial discrimination issues, as pointed out recently by the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The issues included absence of legislation, which explicitly outlaws racial discrimination, insufficient recognition of ethnic diversity, unchecked incitement of racism by high-level public officials and ethnic- or race-based violence directed against foreigners.
NGOs based in the Philippines and others made a particularly impassioned and effective plea regarding the plight of children of migrant workers. These children are often not recognized as Japanese nationals despite having a Japanese parent, and are too often found in horrid child labor situations, rather than in Japan's elementary schools along with their peers.
To its credit, the Japanese government reacted on the fly in response to this input. In the Sept. 2 address to WCAR, the Japanese government specifically mentioned the need to address reported violations of foreigners' rights.
On another front, Japan took a wishy-washy position by which they would not oppose the inclusion of "work and descent" discrimination in the WCAR joint declaration — but would not propose it, either. If Japan's stance on the issue had only been a bit clearer, a very important line addressing the dowa problem in Japan and discrimination against the Dalit of India would have probably made it into the document.
I would have also liked to have seen Japan doing more to protect and promote the rights of the Ainu, considering the fact that their existence was publicly denied by two high-ranking Diet members in separate speeches in July. Japan, unfortunately, did not take the opportunity to insist that the Ainu and other similar people around the world be clearly recognized as indigenous people.
International controversy over the word "indigenous" notwithstanding, Japan's stance on this issue is a bit of a mind-boggler for me: yes, the Ainu were living in Hokkaido before the wajin got there, but it is not necessarily appropriate to refer to them as indigenous. What else do you call native people who were living there first?
We won't know the full impact of this conference until we see how governments and NGOs build upon the discussions that have taken place and the agreements made. However, it is already evident that this South Africa-hosted U.N. conference will long shine as a beacon, guiding the world's societies in their efforts to ensure human dignity for all.
Note: the writer attended WCAR as director of ISSHO (www.issho.org) and as a joint representative of the Japanese NGO caucus to WCAR.
Shukan ST: Sept. 28, 2001
(C) All rights reserved
- comes up short on 〜
- 〜に関して期待に及ばない
- World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
- 人種主義、人種差別、排外主義および関連の不寛容に反対する世界会議」(国連主催の「人種差別反対世界会議」のこと)
- distinct honor of〜
- 〜というめったにない名誉
- chairing
- 司会を務める
- round-table
- 円卓会議式の
- delegation
- 代表団
- U. N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- 国連人種差別撤廃委員会
- absence
- 欠如
- legislation
- 法律
- explicitly outlaws
- 明確に禁止する
- insufficient recognition
- 認識不足
- ethnic diversity
- 人種の多様性
- unchecked incitement
- 野放しの教唆
- high-level public officials
- 高官
- 〜directed against〜
- 〜に向けられた〜
- impassioned
- 熱の込もった
- plea
- 訴え
- plight
- 窮状
- migrant workers
- 移住労働者
- 〜nationals
- 〜国民
- horrid
- ひどい
- child labor
- 年少者労働
- peers
- 同年代の子供たち
- To its credit
- 日本の名誉のために言っておくと
- reacted on the fly in response to〜
- 〜にすぐに対応した
- input
- 情報提供
- address
- 演説
- On another front
- 一方で
- wishy-washy
- 優柔不断の
- inclusion of 〜
- 〜を入れること
- work and descent
- 仕事と血統(家系)
- joint declaration
- 共同宣言
- propose
- 提案する
- dowa problem
- 同和問題
- Dalit
- インドのカースト制度最下層のダリト(ダリトは抑圧される人々、の意)
- would have probably made it into〜
- 〜に含まれただろう
- Ainu
- アイヌ民族
- Diet members
- 議員(鈴木宗男、平沼赳夫両衆院議員のこと)
- insist
- 主張する
- indigenous people
- 先住民
- International controversy over 〜notwithstanding
- 〜という言葉についての国際的な論議はさておき
- mind-boggler
- 仰天させるもの
- wajin
- 倭人(中国人などが日本人を呼んだ古称)
- build upon 〜
- 〜を基盤にする
- have taken place
- 行なわれた
- will long shine as a beacon
- 標識として輝き続ける
- ensure
- 保証する
- dignity
- 尊厳
- ISSHO
- 筆者の運営する ISSHO 企画のこと(プロフィール参照)
- joint representative
- 合同代表
- caucus
- 会