More than two years after the anti-Korean group Zaitokukai made international headlines with racial slurs and threats of violence, local governments around Japan are making it far more difficult for any group attacking minorities to operate.
As of last month, over 100 prefectural, city, town and village assemblies had released statements condemning hate speech. While not legally binding, they send a clear message to their local bureaucrats, who have discretion over approving requests to use public meeting facilities and granting permits for street demonstrations.
The hoped-for result, therefore, is that hate groups will find it more difficult to secure space to shout racist comments and go on threatening public tirades than was the case a couple years ago.