India, Pak, US-Born Residents Sue Japan Government Over Alleged Racial Profiling

Three foreign-born residents in Japan have sued the country's government over alleged racial profiling, BBC reported. The three men, who are from India, Pakistan, and the US filed the lawsuit in the Tokyo National Court and held a news conference with their lawyers on Monday. 

The trio said they have suffered distress from repeated police questioning based on their appearance and ethnicity, which they say is a violation of the constitution. They are seeking three million yen (about $20,355) in compensation per person from the national government, the Tokyo metropolitan government, and the Aichi prefectural government.

“Racial profiling is nothing but discrimination based on race, nationality and colour,” their claim alleges.

"There's a very strong image that 'foreigner' equals 'criminal'," Pakistan-born Syed Zain told reporters. Notably, Mr Zain is a Pakistan-born Japanese citizen who has lived in Japan for two decades, went to school there, and is fluent in Japanese. 

''I have been cooperating with (police) because I thought it was important for maintaining public safety, but when it happened not once but more than 10 times, I began to have doubts indeed,” he added.

Another plaintiff is Matthew, a man of Indian heritage who has lived in Japan for more than 20 years and holds permanent residency. He said he has been repeatedly stopped and questioned by police officers on the street and is afraid to go out.

''I never knew what social withdrawal was until recently. I feel like every time I finish work, I'm hiding in my house,'' he said. 

A third plaintiff is an American-born man who has faced the same type of questioning from Japanese people. He said he hoped to raise awareness of the issue among the Japanese population, according to Reuters.

"Even if we lose... I want people to understand that this is an everyday occurrence, an everyday thing and that we have to do something to prevent that for the future generations," he told reporters.

It is the first such lawsuit in Japan, according to their lawyers.

The UN defines racial profiling as "the process by which law enforcement relies on generalisations based on one's race, skin colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, rather than objective evidence or individual behaviour, to subject people to stops, detailed searches, identity checks, and investigations, or for deciding that an individual was engaged in criminal activity".

Despite rising immigration, foreign-born residents account for only 2.3 per cent of Japan's population, one of the lowest shares in the OECD.