日本示威活动呼吁灭了韩国

日本示威活动呼吁灭了韩国  

As Japanese nationalism is fueled by friction with neighbors
hostile demonstrations against the country's Korean residents are gathering steam
raising concerns among leaders and setting off soul-searching among Japan's largely homogeneous population.
While attendance at the rallies is small and such extreme actions are far from entering the mainstream of Japanese politics
the demonstrations of nationalist activists using hate speech and intimidation have grown in size and frequency in recent months. One target has been the central Tokyo neighborhood of Shin-Okubo
known for Korean restaurants and shops selling South Korean pop-culture goods. Starting in February
groups of 200 or so demonstrators have descended on its busy weekend streets
waving Japanese flags and carrying signs that read 'Roaches' and 'Go Back to Korea.' They shouted in unison: 'Let's Kill Koreans
' language that passersby told local television they found shocking.
Similar
though smaller
rallies have been held every weekend across Japan. While the demonstrations have raised tensions
there have been no reports of violence.
日本各地每周末都举行类似的但规模更小的集会。尽管示威活动令局势紧张，但一直没有有关使用暴力的报道。
Alarmed
some lawmakers have started calling for new regulation to ban hate speech
a term unfamiliar to most in Japan where immigration is tightly controlled and racial and ethnic minorities -- mostly descendants of Koreans brought to Japan before and during World War II -- account for less than 1% of the population.
'When they started shouting 'Kill Koreans' on the streets early this year
I knew they had crossed the line
' said Yoshifu Arita
an opposition lawmaker leading a debate in parliament along with a dozen colleagues.
The emergence of openly racist sentiments e as Japan finds itself mired in thorny disagreements with China and South Korea over territories and Japan's role in World War II. A poll jointly released this month by Japan's Genron NPO and South Korea's East Asia Institute showed that 37% of respondents in Japan and 77% in South Korea said they had negative images of the other nation.
To be sure
rallies in Japan touting extreme racism are small and free of physical violence. By parison
antinuclear rallies in Japan after the 2011 accident in Fukushima drew tens of thousands of protesters. In China
as tensions heightened over disputed islands last year
anti-Japan sentiment led to the burning of Japanese-owned businesses and the harassing of Japanese tourists. In South Korea
protesters recently burned Japanese flags and an effigy of Mr. Abe.
In 2010
the United Nations urged Japan to ban hate speech. Tokyo responded by citing a possible conflict with the freedom of expression guaranteed by its constitution. (The U.S. takes a similar position.) It added
'The government of Japan does not believe that in present-day Japan racist thoughts are disseminated
and racial discrimination are fanned to the extent that would warrant' such a new law.
Some 50 protesters -- largely men in their 30s and 40s -- were at the rally in front of a shopping mall. One man held a sign warning of a 'murder date' for ethnic Korean city employees.
Separated from them by 100 or so police officers were a group of 'counteraction' protesters
shouting 'Racists' and 'Shame on you.'