The Black Lives Matter movement found a foothold in Tokyo as thousands of protesters marched in the capital on Sunday to protest racism and police brutality, and spread awareness of racial discrimination in Japan amid a wave of demonstrations worldwide following the killing of George Floyd in the United States.
Organizers said more than 3,500 protesters marched from Yoyogi Park, down Omotesando and through Shibuya's scramble crossing, while holding signs written in Japanese and English that said "Racism is the real pandemic" and "Black pride, enough is enough!"
“First and foremost, we want to stand in solidarity with the people who are protesting in the United States right now,” said Sierra Todd, 19, the main organizer and founder of Black Lives Matter Tokyo. “The other goal of the march is to start paving the way to introduce conversations about racism here in Japan.”