As promised, in March the Justice Ministry released the results of a survey of Japan's foreign residents (gaikokujin jūmin chōsa) conducted last year (see "Government, Survey Thyself," JBC, March 5). Compiled by the Center for Human Rights Education and Training public-interest foundation, it surveyed the types and degrees of discrimination that foreign residents face here. (The report in Japanese is at www.moj.go.jp/content/001221782.pdf.)

And, as promised, here's JBC's synopsis of those results:

The report opens with a statement of purpose, talking about the pressures to "live together" (kyōsei) with non-Japanese due to internationalization and globalization, not to mention the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Record numbers of foreign nationals are crossing Japan's borders, bringing with them different languages and customs, and "so-called" hate speech demos are also causing "numerous human rights problems."