The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommends that Japan effectively apply its legislation to protect Burakumin and provide information and indicators on concrete measures to uplift hteir living conditions and position in society.

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The CERD Committee also recommended that Japan provide information and indicators on concrete measures taken, in particular on living conditions of the Buraku*.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has recently released its Concluding Observations on the review of Japan (20-21 August 2014). The Committee highlights the situation of the Burakumin and makes the following recommendations: 

22. The Committee regrets the position of the State party which excludes the Burakumin from the application of the Convention on the grounds of descent. It is concerned that the State party has not yet adopted a uniform definition of Burakumin, as raised by the Committee in its previous concluding observations. The Committee is concerned about the lack of information and indicators to assess the impact of concrete measures implemented by the State party upon the termination of the Dowa Special Measures in 2002, including measures to counter discrimination against the Burakumin. The Committee is also concerned about the persistent socio-economic gaps between the Burakumin and the rest of the population. The Committee is further concerned at reported abuses of the illegal access to the family registration system, which may be used for discriminatory purposes against Burakumin (art. 5). 

Bearing in mind its general recommendation No. 29 (2002) on descent, the Committee recalls that discrimination on the ground of descent is fully covered by the Convention. The Committee recommends that the State revise its position and adopt a clear definition of Burakumin in consultation with Buraku people. The Committee also recommends that the State party provide information and indicators on concrete measures taken upon the termination of the Dowa Special Measures in 2002, in particular on living conditions of Burakumin. The Committee further recommends that the State party effectively apply its legislation to protect Burakumin against illegal access to their family data which may expose them to discriminatory acts, investigate all incidents relating to illegal abuses of the family registration and punish those responsible.

For more information, please find a more extensive note on the review

*Buraku people are a Japanese social minority group, ethnically and linguistically indistinguishable from other Japanese people. They face discrimination in Japan because of an association with work once considered impure, such as butchering animals or tanning leather and their place in the Japanese caste system. In particular, they often have trouble finding marriage partners or employment. Read more here