Local and National policies regarding minorities in Japan and China Essay Example

However, there are also fifty-five distinct cultural minority groups in China.

China's diverse cultural groups, nestled on its vast frontiers, each maintain their own rich traditions and customs, which collectively form the tapestry of Chinese culture. These groups coexist within the expansive territories of China.

Others reside in small countries or concentrated communities, typically populated mostly by the Han people. This distribution has existed since ancient times in China's history, as different cultural groups mixed and migrated.

China's minority groups are spread throughout the country, but their population is small. They can be found in each municipality, state, and independent region under the Chinese Central Government.

Multiple cultural groups coexist in certain county-level units, with Chinese minority groups presently residing in particular regions like Ningxia, Xinjiang, and Tibet.

Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Sichuan are all regions.

Liaoning, Hainan, Hunan and Jilin provinces.

China has implemented official measures to tackle the rights of minorities in various regions including Gansu, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Taiwan.

The assistance provided to minorities in acquiring their own language is one of the most apparent objectives. Additionally, there is a recognition and celebration of the legendary heroes of these minorities through the collection of their historical accounts. Efforts are made to restore and improve medical practices within minority communities. Support is also provided to aid in the development of literature, as well as the creation of music and opera. These policies towards minorities date back to before the establishment of the Chinese Republic in 1949.

There was a widespread lack of stability among cultural minorities who were deprived of societal and economic progress. Many minority societies were subjected to various oppressive systems such as slavery, feudalism, and the helot system.

The majority of these minority populations were enslaved under feudal rulers.

Temples, lords, and slave proprietors: these were the entities that held power and control. Unfortunately, minority groups did not enjoy personal freedom, being treated as commodities bought and sold.

Many people would obtain slaves and even give them as gifts according to their own desire. The reason for the significant oppression of minority groups was due to the formulation of the Sixteen-Point Law and the Thirteenth-Point Laws in the 17th century (China UN 1999. par.

11) The initial policy in China that safeguards the rights of minorities is "All cultural groups participate in State Affairs Administration on an equal footing." The Chinese Government guarantees the involvement of both the Han people and minority groups in local and provincial governance. Additionally, the authorities emphasizes the complete protection of minority cultural groups' rights, allowing them to actively participate in state affairs management.

The National People's Congress (NPC) and the Local People's Congresses (LPC) in China have demonstrated strong support for the rights of cultural minorities. They both have regulations related to election laws.

The regulations in China grant minority groups the right to elect their own representatives in the National People's Congress (NPC). Additionally, cultural groups with a population below the minimum requirement for electing one representative are also permitted to select one representative. These guidelines pertain to concentrated communities of cultural minorities, ensuring that each community has its own representative.

The deputies elected sit in the LPC. Moreover, residents of large countries can also elect their deputies in their respective LPCs. However, the number of people represented by these deputies is smaller than in more densely populated areas.

The province has made

significant efforts to ensure proportional representation of minority groups in the cell training program. This helps them contribute effectively to the government. Additionally, both national and local province offices have a large number of minority personnel.

This is in the procuratorial, administrative, judicial, and direction variety meats. From twelvemonth 2000, the per centum of the minorities in the Standing Committee was twenty one per centum.

This figure has been on the rise among the elderly since China transitioned into a democracy. It is important for China to consistently employ the policy of "Identification of Ethnic Minorities" (China UN 1999, par. 17). In the past, this policy was already in place.

Before independence, there was no comprehensive representation of minority groups in China. This began with a directive to promote equality among all cultural groups. Subsequently, large-scale investigations were conducted starting in 1953 to identify these various cultural groups. As a result,

Regardless of the degree of societal development and the countries they have inhabited, all cultural groups are regarded as equal. The alteration in old China recognized several minority groups that were previously unrecognized. As a result, these groups now have the privilege of enjoying equal rights with other cultural groups in China (China UN 1999).

17) Prior to 1951, China's minority cultural communities were not assigned official names. The Chinese authorities viewed this practice as a form of oppression and cultural bias.

Many of the names given to minority groups showed a bias towards certain cultures. As a result, the Central People's Government issued an order to promote memorials and inscriptions.

The names of topographic places, as well as tablets and denominations, were modified to remove discriminatory content. Additionally, certain cultural

denominations were also altered to better suit the needs of specific cultural groups.

The conversion of the Tong cultural group to Zhuang, for instance, was deemed a misdemeanor under the law if any actions or statements were made to encourage bias and animosity towards cultural groups, or to undermine fairness and equality among individuals.

Every cultural group that faced oppression, mistreatment, or discrimination had the chance to seek justice using their own legal systems. This ensured that all grievances would be resolved. Furthermore, China actively engaged in different global treaties that aimed to protect the rights of racial communities, such as the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide have greatly influenced China's national and local equality policies. These organizations have also worked towards fostering cultural unity by incorporating relevant provisions into China's constitution. Furthermore, the Chinese constitution stresses the eradication of group chauvinism, particularly focusing on Han chauvinism.

The Government has made efforts to protect local cultural pride and prevent the media, literature, and publishing organizations from disseminating content that undermines cultural integrity within the Chinese communities. Additionally, China comprises a variety of religions.

The main spiritual groups consist of Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and Taoism. Most cultural groups have their own spiritual beliefs. The Chinese government has established specific policies to ensure the protection of the freedom of all cultural groups.

China (1999, par. 22) ensures that all cultural minorities have the right to engage in regular spiritual activities. Furthermore, they are granted the freedom to use and enhance

their own spoken and written languages.

Specialists have been designated to conduct investigations on written and spoken languages of cultural minorities. Moreover, specific organizations have been established to support language research and provide training for specialists in these languages (China UN 1999, par.

23). Culture refers to the way of life that a particular group of people have. Destroying the culture of a specific cultural community would mean destroying the future generations of that community. In order to safeguard the culture of the ethnic minorities in China, the Chinese government has developed plans aimed at preserving and improving it.

These studies help translate and publish elements of civilization. They are greatly beneficial as they give cultural minorities the right to consume their preferred food, perform various rituals and ceremonies without discrimination. Moreover,

The Chinese government has established universities and research institutions to support the cultural Chinese communities that practice traditional medicine, ensuring they can continue at a higher level. Additionally, the government has implemented a policy to promote all forms of Chinese music and literature.

Thus, binding them together as minority cultural communities while ensuring no favoritism is allowed in educational circles, as mandated by the fundamental law. All children are entitled to receive a good education (China UN).

Paragraphs 40-50 are dedicated to discussing the treatment of minorities in Chinese society. While the Chinese fundamental law acknowledges the rights of cultural minorities, there is significant discontent among these groups.

They have consistently expressed concerns to local and national authorities about this treatment, resulting in frequent disregard for the law.

Functionaries' neglect of the concerns of cultural minorities frequently results in protests. Notably, recent protests like the Uighurs demonstrations have attracted global attention

and exposed the treatment of cultural minorities in China.

Despite Chinese law explicitly outlining the rights of the Uighurs and other cultural minorities, they have been deprived of these rights. The mishandling of the situation in East Turkestan and Urumqi by Chinese authorities has resulted in widespread unrest in these regions (Kadeer, 2009, par.).

Due to the protests, a large number of Uighurs lost their lives, with over 400 fatalities recorded. Additionally, many others suffered severe injuries, resulting in a significant loss of life.

In the residential area of Sinkiang state, security measures were heightened with the implementation of a curfew.

It has become a common practice in China for every house to be heavily guarded by the police, as stated by Kadeer (2009, par. 5-6). The protests were sparked by the Chinese authorities reverting back to their pre-independence practices and promoting a national campaign to replace the failed communist ideology they had previously endorsed (Kadeer 2009).

Par. 10: The main reason behind the Uighur people's protest was the destruction of a significant Uighur cultural site known as 'The Old City of Kashgar,' despite the government's pledge to preserve minority cultures.

Despite their civilization being illustrated through this old metropolis for many years, they failed to demonstrate this through their actions. (Times on Line 2009, par. 7).

Japan's National and Local policies on minorities reveal that there are fewer minorities in Japan compared to China, despite both being provinces in East Asia. Minorities in Japan make up only four percent of the total population (Faqs 2008, par. 1). These Japanese minorities have long experienced oppression due to cultural and psychological factors.

Japan is host to a range of cultural minority groups, such as

Koreans, Ainu, Burakumin, and Okinawans. The estimated population of Burakumin in Japan ranges from 3 to 4 million individuals.

Lower castes in India often face discrimination, while the Korean community in Japan's Kinki region is a significant minority group. It is important to recognize that the term Burakumin is considered derogatory.

The discrimination against the Burakumins, a cultural minority in Japan, has its roots in ancient Buddhist teachings that forbade killing living beings. Those who committed this act were called Burakumins and considered impure, leading society to shun them. This discrimination has endured throughout Japan's history and still impacts the Burakumin community today (Karan, 2005).

184) The policies in Japan and China are similar. The Japanese government has made efforts to engage minorities in the region. The attitudes of the Japanese government towards minorities are influenced more by societal attitudes rather than official state policies. Japan has a human rights and liberal constitution that is comparable to the Chinese constitution.

The Constitution values and promotes civilization and its different aspects, such as faith, literature, art, and music.

The Japanese government advocates for the education of minority children and proper representation of cultural minorities as well. However, despite having a human rights constitution, Japan maintains strong and regressive attitudes towards some minority citizens (Faqs 2008, par. 10).

The racist attitudes towards the intervention of Koreans and other minority groups (Faqs 2008. par. 10) clearly demonstrate this. According to Article 14 of the Nipponese fundamental law, all people are subject to the law.

Japan is a member of the International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights (ICESCR), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). These bodies are involved in the

prohibition of discrimination on cultural or racist grounds (HRDC 2002, par. 1).

Treatment of minorities by Japanese society is similar to that in China, as both countries have a history of discrimination against cultural minorities. Regardless of government policies, minority groups in Japan have always faced mistreatment. One prominent example is the discrimination faced by Koreans.

In 2006, a large number of Osaka police officers and women were deployed to search Korean-owned stores in Japan. The objective of this operation was to ensure safety in the region. Furthermore, this activity also focused on the Central Hall, which is the main gathering place for Korean residents in Tokyo.

The hall in Korea was another cause for disagreement (Korea 2006, par. 3). This is because, contrary to previous promises made by the governments, there was a requirement to pay for revenue enhancement for the hall (Korea 2006, par.).

1) The Chongryon motion was suppressed, which contradicted how Japan had been characterized as a "constitutional state" (Korea 2006. par.).

Chongryon, an organization established by the Korean people, aims to support the democratic rights of Koreans. The government intends to dissolve the group, accusing it of targeting the Japanese government (Korea, 2006).

Paragraph 3. There are several individuals who have opposed the racism and favoritism experienced by the Nipponese minorities. In response to the severe level of discrimination, UN experts have emphasized the importance of implementing new laws to combat racism, as the situation has become uncontrollable.

The authorities has completely overlooked the seriousness of discrimination and racism in the region. Consequently, despite existing laws to protect them, minority groups have been isolated from other tribes. These minorities have been abandoned to endure poverty in Japan's

most destitute living areas, such as slums.

Politicians in Japan have exploited patriotic or racist issues in order to incite public sentiments. The only solution to address the discrimination issue lies in the collaboration among the government, non-governmental organizations, and the public.