Burakumin
Burakumin are a historically marginalized group in Japan, often regarded as "outcasts" due to their association with the lowest caste in the traditional social hierarchy. This discrimination dates back centuries, originating in the medieval era when the Eta caste was relegated to undesirable professions deemed "unclean" by societal norms, such as butchery and execution. Although the caste system was officially abolished in 1871, deep-rooted prejudices persist, particularly in smaller communities where individuals from buraku—ghetto-like neighborhoods—face challenges in employment and social acceptance.
Despite legal protections and government initiatives aimed at improving living conditions in buraku areas, many Burakumin continue to experience social stigma and discrimination, including barriers to job opportunities and personal relationships. The association with the yakuza, or Japanese mafia, further complicates their societal perception. While attitudes towards the Burakumin have gradually evolved, overt discrimination has diminished, yet subtle biases remain entrenched in some aspects of Japanese society.
Legislative efforts, such as the 2016 Act on the Promotion of the Elimination of Buraku Discrimination, aim to combat these injustices, but ongoing challenges suggest a long road ahead for the Burakumin in achieving full societal acceptance.
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Burakumin
The Burakumin are part of a community once considered outcasts in Japan. The prejudice against them goes back centuries. Although such discrimination has been outlawed in Japan since the nineteenth century, the Burakumin are still subject to prejudice in many ways. This is especially prevalent in smaller communities, where those from the buraku, or ghetto-like communities where many of the Burakumin live, find it difficult to find employment or even date people from outside the community. The Burakumin are also associated with the yakuza, the Japanese mob. The term is also used in an insulting way toward people who take jobs that are traditionally associated with the Burakumin.
Background
During medieval times in Japan, people were divided into castes, or classes. The lowest caste was the Eta, and they had few, if any, rights. They worked the least desirable jobs, serving as butchers, tanners, undertakers, and executioners. Under the Buddhist faith practiced in much of Japan, these professions are considered unclean. The word Eta means "abundance of filth," and it was used as a defamatory title for the people who held these occupations.
Locked into the caste system, the Eta could not improve their lot in life. They were considered worthless and could be killed by a samurai if they were even suspected of having committed a crime. This continued until 1871 when Japan abolished the feudal system and the caste system that went with it.
The word buraku means "hamlet," and the Burakumin were the people who lived in these hamlets. The Eta were forced to live in these separate communities and were referred to by these names. Even after the feudal system was abolished, the terms were still applied to people who held certain jobs and to the former feudal towns where they lived.
In contemporary Japan, buraku is still used to describe these areas, often slums with poor-quality housing. Often, people who live in these areas are effectively blocked from many jobs and cannot improve their finances, further perpetuating the cycle of poverty. The Japanese government has taken some steps to improve this, but problems persist along with discrimination.
Overview
For more than a century after the abolishment of the feudal and caste systems, the discrimination against the Burakumin continued in many areas. While large segments of the Japanese population have never heard of them and neither know nor care if they are working or living alongside the Burakumin, some people hold onto old stereotypes and prejudices.
In the 1970s, a group working in support of the Burakumin discovered that employers were purchasing and sharing a handwritten list of more than three hundred pages containing the names and addresses of people who lived in buraku areas. This list was being used to screen job applicants. Eventually, laws were passed to prevent this. In contemporary Japan, most large companies have stopped asking where a person lives during the hiring process. Many smaller companies, however, will look into a person's background and refuse to hire anyone who has lived in a buraku.
While it has become easier for the Burakumin to find jobs, some still face personal discrimination. In certain communities, parents will hire private companies to search the background of their children's potential mates to look for any evidence that they are Burakumin. Some parents will then try to prevent the relationship from going forward.
While other groups often experience discrimination, the Burakumin's situation is different because they are of the same ethnicity as the people who are persecuting them. The only way to tell whether someone is Burakumin is by searching their background for past residences. The prejudice is based solely on where they live and, in some cases, the job they hold. According to some Japanese, those who work in slaughterhouses, funeral homes, and the like are still unclean and considered Burakumin, regardless of where they live.
In addition to outlawing the caste system and passing laws against the discrimination leveled at the Burakumin, the Japanese government has taken other steps to help alleviate the problem. The government has invested money in buraku areas, building new modern apartment buildings, and providing facilities such as schools, playgrounds, and senior living complexes.
Slowly, the stigma has started to disappear, but some Burakumin still receive threats, both oral and written. Some people discriminate against their own family members if they find out they have a Burakumin past or if they change jobs and work in one of the detested fields.
The problem is perpetuated somewhat by the tendency for the Burakumin to be associated with the yakuza, the Japanese mafia. Around the world, poverty and the sense of hopelessness that comes with it led some to participate in criminal organizations, such as gangs and the mob. This is the case with some Burakumin. Blocked from legitimate employment opportunities, some Burakumin turn to illegal activities to make a living.
The Japanese government and outside groups such as the United Nations continue to try to address this issue. It has been noted that the discrimination against the Burakumin is greatest in areas closest to the buraku, while people living in distant locations are less likely to know or care about a person's past connections with the community. Efforts are underway to conduct education campaigns in the hope that they will help minimize prejudice and discrimination against the Burakumin in the future.
In the twenty-first century, Japan's approximately six million Burakumin continued to face a complex existence. While overt discrimination decreased, they still faced employment, housing, and education discrimination. The Burakumin faced social discrimination and were the victims of attacks on social media. In 2016, the Japanese Diet passed the Act on the Promotion of the Elimination of Buraku Discrimination, which was comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Ongoing challenges to overcoming the prejudice against the Burakumin people existed.
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