Overshadowed by the 11th-hour furor over casino legalization and other legislation forced through the Diet by the ruling bloc last week was the enactment of a lesser-known law that has significant implications for Japan¡¯s minority burakumin.
The law enacted Dec. 9 marks a turning point in efforts to eradicate centuries-long discrimination against descendants of this former outcast group by acknowledging that bias still exists and by requiring governmental efforts to eliminate it. But critics fear the law doesn¡¯t go far enough.
Here are some basic questions and answers about the burakumin and the new law.
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