'Attach the evidence and wait for your day in court,' says Turkish plaintiff after Osaka victory

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‘Attach the evidence and wait for your day in court,’ says Turkish plaintiff after Osaka victory

Enough was enough: Nearly a year after being refused service for being foreign, Ibrahim Yener won his case against a used car dealership at the Osaka District Court on Aug. 25. The case was notable because Yener did not retain a lawyer. | COURTESY OF IBRAHIM YENER

By Debito Arudou
Contributing Writer

Oct 11, 2017

On Aug. 25, the Osaka District Court handed down a landmark ruling in a discrimination lawsuit.

Ibrahim Yener, a Turkish national and 14-year resident of Japan, was refused service last October by an Osaka used car dealer, which stated in an email (text at ) that they would not serve foreign customers. The car company also stipulated that even if the customer legally holds Japanese citizenship, they would only sell to people who could “hold their own (sonshoku ga nai) against native speakers” in terms of Japanese language ability (as determined solely by the car company).

Yener felt this was discriminatory, filed suit and won. The presiding judge said that it “was based on prejudice that a foreigner would cause trouble and does not justify the discriminatory treatment.”