PRESS CONFERENCE
Atsuko Nishiyama, Attorney at Law
Hirokatsu Nakajima, Attorney at Law
Junko Hayashi, Attorney at Law
10:00-11:00 Monday, December 13, 2021
The speech will be in English and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.
Suspected Racial Profiling by Police -- Case of a Muslim Mother and Child
In an unusual tweet last week, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo warned foreigners of an increase in suspected cases of racial profiling by the Japanese police. These incidents include foreigners being stopped and searched by the police, as well as being detained and interrogated under questionable circumstances. Top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno denied that Japan's police question people on the basis of race or nationality. Although police officers around the world are allowed to question those they reasonably suspect of criminal activity, a recent incident involving a Muslim mother and her 3-year-old daughter raises the concern that factors like ethnicity, nationality or religion may be playing a part in these decisions.
The mother in question says police allowed a Japanese man to verbally assault her and her toddler with hate speech in a Tokyo park on June 1st after the man alleged that the daughter kicked the man's son – something the mother denies. She says they were then detained for 90 minutes before being taken to the nearest police station, where they were questioned together for three hours straight in a small room with five officers, and then separately. According to the mother, the police gave her name, address, and phone number to her accuser without her permission. The man then posted pictures of the woman and her daughter on social media with the caption "Attempted Murderers". In September, the mother decided to file a lawsuit against the police for damages. She says her child has been diagnosed with suspected PTSD following the incident and that they both live in constant fear. The woman’s lawyers will come to the FCCJ to speak about the case and what they believe is the larger issue of xenophobia and racial profiling in Japan.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/WjeGP1wNBNFYq21A8
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event.
Professional Activities Committee