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---------- > From: Arudou Debito <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > (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: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > =========================================== > > 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 --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
