TOKYO (AP) — A civil lawsuit accusing Japanese police of racial profiling opened Monday, with emotional testimony from plaintiffs who said they were constantly stopped and questioned without good reason.
The lawsuit, filed in January by three Japanese residents with foreign ancestry, including an American, alleges that their treatment constitutes discrimination and violates their human rights.
Japan has no anti-discrimination law, no laws or policies to prevent racial profiling, but the government and police deny they discriminate and say they are just doing their jobs. They still have to set out the details of their arguments, which are expected at the next court session in July. A verdict is expected in about a year.
“We share our feelings, our experiences and our views,” plaintiff Syed Zain, a Japanese citizen of Pakistani descent, told reporters after appearing in the Tokyo District Court.
Zain said he was treated like a criminal even though he had lived in Japan for two decades, attended Japanese schools as a child and spoke the language fluently. He said he wants to be recognized as a Japanese and help make Japan a better place.
He and his two co-plaintiffs are suing the national government and the police, as well as the prefectural police of Tokyo and Aichi prefectures.
The case, which could prove to be a landmark for Japan, has drawn widespread support and attention in a country known for its friendly “community policing” and relatively low crime rates.
It also shows how a culture proud of its insularity is struggling with the recent influx of people from abroad. The number of non-citizens living in Japan recently reached a record high of more than 3.2 million people.
The lawsuit seeks 3 million yen (about $20,000) in punitive damages per plaintiff as compensation for “unconstitutional and illegal” treatment, as well as 300,000 yen (about $2,000) in legal fees per plaintiff.
Motoki Taniguchi, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, said police often detain or interrogate people based on their race, color or ethnic origin rather than objective evidence.
A 2022 Tokyo Bar Association survey of more than 2,000 people of foreign descent living in Japan found that 62.9% of respondents had been questioned by police in the past five years. Some said police made comments about “suspicious” hairstyles or clothing.
Current government data shows no difference in crime rates between Japanese and foreigners.
Maurice Shelton, the American plaintiff, said he was stopped by police about 17 times during his 10-year stay in Japan, despite being a permanent resident and having Japanese family.
“As a black American coming here … it’s pretty disappointing to know that I’ve had to deal with the same struggles and battles,” he said. “But I think that the potential of Japanese society to face this challenge is very high.” And I didn’t come here to be disappointed.
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Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama