TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Japan court: Anti-Korea 'hate speech' illegal

A Japanese court ordered a group of anti-Korean activiststo pay a Korean school in Kyoto 12 million yen (US$120,000) in compensationMonday for disturbing classes and scaring children by holding âhate speechârallies outside the school

The Jakarta Post

Japan

Tue, October 8, 2013 Published on Oct. 8, 2013 Published on 2013-10-08T07:15:49+07:00

A

Japanese court ordered a group of anti-Korean activiststo pay a Korean school in Kyoto 12 million yen (US$120,000) in compensationMonday for disturbing classes and scaring children by holding 'hate speech'rallies outside the school.

The landmark ruling acknowledged for the first time the explicit insults used in the rallies constituted racial discrimination, human rights experts said, and it could prompt a move to exempt hate speech from Japan's constitutional right to free speech.

In the Kyoto District Court ruling, judge Hitoshi Hashizume said hateful language the members of the anti-Korea group Zaitokukai and their supporters shouted and printed on banners during the rallies around the school were illegal and disturbed classes and scared off school children. The judge said the video footage of the racist rallies posted by the group on the web was illegal.

The court said the rallies 'constitute racial discrimination' defined under the United Nations' convention on the elimination of racial discrimination, which Japan has ratified