The legislative assembly of Kawasaki, a Japanese city located in the Greater Tokyo Area, passed a law introducing heavy fines for manifestations of xenophobia towards persons of non-Japanese origin in public places and became the first city in the country to do so, Japanese media reported on Thursday
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2019) The legislative assembly of Kawasaki, a Japanese city located in the Greater Tokyo Area, passed a law introducing heavy fines for manifestations of xenophobia towards persons of non-Japanese origin in public places and became the first city in the country to do so, Japanese media reported on Thursday.
In 2016, Japan enacted the Anti-Discriminatory Speech Act in an effort to eliminate unfair behavior against foreigners. Since the document stipulated no punitive measures, Kawasaki lawmakers decided to introduce their own legislation that would delegate punishments for violating the act.
The law is set to enter into force on July 1, 2020, and will imply a fine of up to 500,000 Yen ($4,600) for those found guilty of discriminatory and offensive behavior toward non-Japanese citizens, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported.
First-time offenders will receive a notice and, in case of a repeated offense, their Names and addresses will be made public, and the authorities will initiate legal proceedings against them.
