Shiga bars non-Japanese speakers from public housing

[thomas]

Shiga bars non-Japanese speakers from public housing

=> http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20020710p2a00m0fp022000c.html

[arudoudebito]

Thanks to Thomas for putting this issue up. I am having great Netscape difficulties doing this myself. Here is the press release I sent to several mailing lists on the topic:

(freely forwardable)

LANGUAGE BARRIERS:
SHIGA PREFECTURE BARS FOREIGNERS
FROM ITS PUBLIC HOUSING

Hello All. Want to try some people power? Got an issue for you that I think should not be left untouched.

Article from the Mainichi Shinbun yesterday states that Shiga Prefectural government bars foreignerswho do not speak Japanese (even those who bring along interpreters) from its public housing.

Have a look at the English translation I received from a news service. My comments and some contact information (should you wish to make your opinion known to Shiga-ken) follow the article.

===========================================
> Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 16:48:16 +0000
>
> Shiga bars non-Japanese speakers from public housing
>
> OTSU -- Foreigners who do not speak Japanese have been barred from
> applying to rent apartments owned by the Shiga Prefectural Government,
> it was learned Wednesday.
>
> Even though the law governing public housing does not require
> Japanese-language ability as a precondition for moving into public
> apartments, the prefectural government enacted its own rules to bar
> foreigners, mainly Japanese-Brazilians, from its apartments.
>
> The prefectural government defends its requirement of Japanese-language
> abilities. "Those who can't handle daily conversations in Japanese tend
> to have disputes with neighbors if they enter public apartments," an
> official of the prefectural government's housing division said.
>
> A support group for foreign residents of Shiga Prefecture criticizes the
> practice as unfair. "It's unreasonable that only foreign residents can't
> enjoy these public services even though they pay taxes."
>
> There are prefectural government-run apartments for 3,100 households in
> Shiga Prefecture. The prefectural government allows local residents to
> apply to enter low-rent public housing on condition that they have never
> failed to pay taxes and that their income is below a certain level.
>
> Currently, approximately 150 households of foreign nationals are living
> in apartments owned by the prefectural government, and about 80 of them
> are Japanese-Brazilians.
>
> Foreign nationals had been allowed to apply to rent public housing if
> they have a one-year or longer residency permit.
>
> In 1994, however, the prefectural government enforced new regulations
> stipulating that those who apply to move in public housing must have
> sufficient ability to handle daily conversations in Japanese.
>
> In accordance with the rules, officials reject applications to rent
> public apartments if they deem that the applicants do not speak
> Japanese. The prefectural government does not even allow those who do
> not understand Japanese to file applications even if accompanied by an
> interpreter.
>
> In sharp contrast to Shiga, the Shizuoka and Aichi prefectural
> governments that have a large Japanese-Brazilian population in their
> territories are actively helping non-Japanese-speaking foreigners to
> apply to rent their public housing.
>
> Aichi Prefecture, with a Brazilian population of some 51,000, holds
> seminars on public housing in Portuguese and has prepared brochures on
> such apartments in four languages, including English. Shizuoka
> Prefecture has also compiled similar brochures in five languages.
>
> The number of Japanese-Brazilians living in Japan to work has been
> rapidly increasing since the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition
> Law was amended in 1990 to grant second- and third-generation
> Japanese-Brazilians permanent residency status.
>
> Many of them desperately need public housing because they have
> difficulties in renting private apartments because their owners require
> tenants to find guarantors. (Mainichi Shimbun, July 10, 2002)
===========================================
ARTICLE ENDS

Comments:
This is a pretty silly move on the prefecture's part. As they say, foreigners are taxpayers too, so they cannot be barred from public (as opposed to private) housing simply because of a language barrier. This was dealt with in the Azumamura Swimming Pool incident (http://www.issho.org/nyujokinshi/azumamura/), where a village in Gunma-ken named Azumamura barred all foreigners from a public pool because of alleged roughhousing by some Brazilians. Once the issue was raised publicly that Azumamura could not legally bar taxpayers (following a flood of emails, telephone calls, and media attention), the pool took down its no-foreigners sign and reopened to all.

The difference is, this time it's not just a pool. It is a place for people to live--a fundamental part of people's lives. Paid for by public monies. It should not be denied like this.

Background data about Shiga, in case you don't know:
===========================================
Shiga-ken is the prefecture next to Kyoto, surrounding Lake Biwako.
Prefectural seat, Otsu-shi, population 1.3 million.
Contact details:
SHIGA PREFECTURAL GOVERNMENT
(Information and Statistics Division)
4-1-1 Kyomachi, Otsu, SHIGA　520-8577　JAPAN
Tel.077-528-3382　Fax.077-528-4835
Website http://www.pref.shiga.jp (Japanese and English)
E-Mail: webmaster@pref.shiga.jp
===========================================

I say feel free to make your discontentment known. This is one way people power can work. It worked in the Azumamura Case. It might work here too.

Arudou Debito
Sapporo
Being proposed as a Community Project
http://www.debito.org/TheCommunity

(To ensure this is not a hoax, original article in Japanese from Mainichi website follows:)
================================================
http://www12.mainichi.co.jp/news/search-news/855286/8ea089ea8ca7-0-1.html

県営住宅：入居に「日本語条件」　酸賀県が外国人を拒 否　
2002.07.10

　酸賀県が「日本語が話せない」という理由だけで、日 系ブラジル人ら
外国人を県営住宅の募集対象から除外していることが分 かった。公営住
宅の運営などを定めた公営住宅法は日本語能力を入居基 準にしていない
が、県は独自の要領を設けて申し込みを拒否。支援グル ープは「同じよ
うに税金を払っているのに、公共サービスが受けられないのはおかし
い」と批判している。

　県内には約３１００戸の県営住宅が�_り、税金未滞納や、収入が一定
額未満で�_ることを条件に入居を受け付けている。外国 人でも在留資格
１年以上なら入居でき、県住宅供給公社によると、現在 の外国人の入居
は約１５０世帯、うち日系ブラジル人は約８０世帯。

　ところが、県は９４年に設けた取り扱い要領で、「日 本語を日常会話
に支障がない程度に使えること」という条件を追加。窓 口で職員が日本
語を話せないと判断した場合は申し込みを受け付けず、 通訳同席での申
し込みも認めていない。県住宅課は「日本語が出来ない と、入居後に近
隣住民とトラブルになる可能性が高いから」と説明して いる。

　国土交通省は「各県の判断で、実態は把握していない 」としている
が、酸賀同様に日系ブラジル人が多い愛知、静岡両県な どでは日本語の
条件はない。約５万１０００人のブラジル人がいる愛知 では、ポルトガ
ル語で入居説明会をしたり、英語など４カ国語のパンフ レットを作成。
静岡も５カ国語のパンフレットを作るなど、日本語がで きな�_ても申請
できる仕組みになっている。

　９０年の出入国管理法改正で日系２、３世とその家族 に定住資格が認
められ、就労目的で来日する日系人が急増。製造業が盛 んな酸賀でも近
畿最多の約１万人の日系ブラジル人が点いている。

　しかし、連帯保証人が必要な民間の賃貸住宅に入るの は難し�_、従業
員寮などで生活。リストラ対象になりやす�_、仕事とと もに住居も失う
など生活は不安定で、公営住宅へのニーズは高い。

　同県で日系ブラジル人を支援しているＮＰＯ（非営利 組織）「日本ブ
ラジルゆー�_いネット」によると、窓口で応対すらしてもらえない ケー
スが後を絶たず、相談に来て入居を拒否された状況を話 しながら泣き出
した女性もいたという。代表の松井高さん（３５）は「 来日したブラジ
ル人が日本語を学ぶのは当然だが、その前に日本人社会 が拒絶してい
る」と批判している。　【平野光芳】

［毎日新聞７月１０日］ ( 2002-07-10-15:01 )
================================================
ENDS

[arudoudebito]

Sorry that the Japanese didn't come out! Take my word for it that the Mainichi article is legit (smile). Arudou Debito in Sapporo

[thomas]

You just have to change the encoding in your browser to view the Japanese text.

[deborah gormley]

This is outrageious!! maybe some one should take the shiga prefecture goverment to court on grounds of "abuse of local powers and discrimination against tax paying persons" and everything else that they can think of, this would obviouly be too big a case for the average person but some form of goverment body such as "legal rights or equal rights" should step forward and take this case all the way to the high courts. ( I'm unfamilar with japanese goverments or goverment bodies, but there must be some form of action that must be taken before this is accepted as part of life in this fore mentioned prefecture)

just my thoughts on the subject:bow:

[arudoudebito]

Hello All. Got some pretty good news.

I wrote you a couple of days ago about Shiga Prefecture (the one around Lake Biwako, near Kyoto), and its rule that only people with Japanese language ability may apply for prefecturally-run housing. This despite the fact that foreign residents pay prefectural taxes too. (Background at
http://www.debito.org/TheCommunity/shigakendiscrim.html)

Well, according to the Mainichi Shinbun, Osaka Branch, July 11, morning edition, page 28, the Governor of Shiga-ken has officially ordered a revision to this policy.

Got the text of the article from the Mainichi Osaka Honbu this morning. News this good should be widely distributed, not buried in a local choukan. The article in Japanese follows, with my translation below it:

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
(if this comes out garbled, see
http://www.debito.org/TheCommunity/shigakendiscrim.html#art2)

【掲載日】 2002 年 07 月 11 日 【紙誌名】N 大阪朝刊 28頁
【記事番号】 090
【面種】 41 社会 【分類】
【写図】 無
【著作契】 有
【見出し】
酸賀・県営住宅募集対象から日系人排除　知事が見直し を指示
−−−本 文−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−− −−−−−−−−
　日本語が出来ないという理由で、酸賀県が県営住宅の 入居募集対象から日系ブラジル
人らを除外していた問題で、国松善次知事は１０日午後 、日本語能力を受け付け基準と
している県の取り扱い要領を見直すと表明した。リスト ラにおびえながら従業員寮で暮
らす日系ブラジル人たちが、安定した生活の場を確保で きる道が開かれた。
　国松知事は定例会見で「（毎日新聞の１０日夕刊の報道を見て）担当者に確認したら
、『近隣住民との問題が�_るから』ということだったが 、見直しを指示した」と述べた
。
　同県彦根市でボランティアで語学教室を開き、県内在 住外国人の支援活動をしている
日系２世のブラジル人、ルシア奥村さん（４１）は「見 直しは当然で、遅い�_らい。実
態を把握し、外国人を含めた街づ�_りを進めてほしい」 と要望している。　
【平野光芳】

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
BRIEF TRANSLATION (any errors are those of Arudou Debito)

SHIGA-KEN GOV ORDERS REVISION OF PREF HOUSING APPLICATION
PROCEDURES WHICH EXCLUDE NIKKEIJIN
(Mainichi Shinbun, July 11, 2002, Osaka Morning Edition, page 28)

Addressing the problem of Shiga Prefecture excluding Nikkei Brazilian applicants for prefecturally-run housing because of their lack of Japanese, Governor KUNIMATSU Yoshitsugu announced on the afternoon of July 10 that there would be a review of prefectural standards vis-a-vis Japanese language ability and applications.

This will open a path for Nikkei Brazilian workers, who live in fear of corporate restructuring when residing in company dormitories, to secure more stable lives.

At a regular press conference, Governor Kunimatsu stated, "(Having seen the Mainichi article, July 10 evening edition), I have confirmed this situation with the people in charge. They said that 'there are problems with neighboring residents', but I ordered them to review (mi naosu) this situation again."

At Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, Lucia Okumura (42), a nisei Nikkei Brazilian who opens volunteer language classes and other support activities for foreign prefectural residents, said, "A review is obvious, and it's about time. I hope that they will grasp the real situation and create an environment which will include non-Japanese."
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

COMMENT:
Now that's what I call a fast turnaround--within hours of the press releasing this information, the Governor issues a directive to remedy this situation. And I'm sure all the letters and emails sent by people like us to the Prefectural Office helped too.

Bravo for the Mainichi Shinbun for exposing this silly system, which had been in place since 1994, and forcing its revision not even overnight!

Who says activism and getting social problems out in the public eye does nothing to correct social wrongs?

Arudou Debito
Elated in Sapporo

(Some additional materials at
http://www.debito.org/TheCommunity/shigakendiscrim.html#activists)

[thomas]

Resistance isn't futile...
:)

[shintemaster]

"Resistance isn't futile"

God, It DOES feel like it sometimes doesn't it though?!!!!

:)

[arudoudebito]

Hi All. Japan Times did an extensive article on the whole Shiga shebang on Saturday, June 20.

http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20020720b4.htm

Talks about how arbitrary the rules are and how foreign taxpayers are often denied access to public facilities such as housing. Have a look!