SDHF Newsletter No.219 Report to Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination 4

NGO Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
NGO Report in relation to the tenth to eleventh periodic reports of Japan
Series No. 4: 3. The Circumstance of Korean Schools in Japan

Submitted by Japan NGO Coalition against Racial Discrimination

August 10, 2018

The third report of the Japan NGO Coalition is “3. The Circumstance of Korean Schools in Japan.”
In its concluding observations, the Committee stated its concern over legislative provisions and government actions that hindered the right to an education of children of Korean origin, as: (a) the exclusion of Korean schools from the High School Tuition Support Fund; and (b) the suspension or continued decrease of funding allocated by local governments to Korean schools.
However, as this NGO report points out, the Committee’s claim fails to recognize very important facts.
The Constitution of Japan stipulates in Article 89 that, “No public money or other property shall be expended or appropriated for the use, benefit or maintenance of any religious institution or association, or any charitable, educational or benevolent enterprises not under the control of public authority.”
Korean schools do not qualify as “schools” as defined by the Constitution, and it is against the Constitution, in fact, illegal, to spend public money on Korean schools. There is no discrimination against Korean Schools.
There are many international and ethnic European and Asian schools in Japan and ethnic education itself should not be prohibited. At present, there are numerous Chinese and Korean schools which meet Japanese educational standards.
The Japan NGO Coalition report urges the retraction of the Committee’s recommendation, which is based on ignorance of fundamental facts concerning ethnic schools in Japan.

3. The Circumstance of Korean Schools in Japan:
URL: 　https://www.sdh-fact.com/essay-article/1217/

PDF: 　 https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/2018-08-CERD96_Japan_JNCRD-4.pdf

Questions are welcome.

MOTEKI Hiromichi, Acting Chairman
for KASE Hideaki, Chairman
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact