Overshadowed by the 11th-hour furor over casino legalization and other legislation forced through the Diet by the ruling bloc last week was the enactment of a lesser-known law that has significant implications for Japan's minority burakumin.

The law enacted Dec. 9 marks a turning point in efforts to eradicate centuries-long discrimination against descendants of this former outcast group by acknowledging that bias still exists and by requiring governmental efforts to eliminate it. But critics fear the law doesn't go far enough.

Here are some basic questions and answers about the burakumin and the new law.