The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito earlier this month submitted a bill to the Diet aimed at curbing hate speech. Last year, the then-Democratic Party of Japan and the Social Democratic Party proposed similar legislation. Although the two bills contain differences, the goal of cracking down on hate speech should be something the ruling and opposition forces can agree on. The two blocs should look for common ground and take the first legal step toward eradication of hate speech.
In 2014, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination urged the Japanese government to regulate hate speech by law in view of a rise in racist demonstrations, especially in Tokyo's Shin Okubo and Osaka's Tsuruhashi areas, mainly targeting Korean residents. A similar recommendation had been made by the U.N. Human Rights Committee.
The former committee pointed out that hate speech and other behavior inciting racist violence and hatred during rallies and in the media, including the Internet, are "not always properly investigated and prosecuted" by Japanese authorities. It specifically urged Japan to address the problem of hate speech in street demonstrations, investigate and prosecute individuals and organizations responsible for such acts, and punish public officials and politicians who disseminate hate speech.