４３

Vol.

from

Sakai City

Sakai City Human Rights Education
Promotion Council Newsletter FY 2021

It’s not someone else’s problem!
Let’s take the Covid-19 crisis as our own problem andovercome it based on correct understanding and information!

Frequently wash
your hands and face,and gargle.

Ventilate regularly.

Avoid crowds.

Contents
Ｐ1

What is the Sakai City Human Rights
Education Promotion Council (HREPC)?

Ｐ2Introduction ofMember Organizations

Ｐ3

This Year’s Projects

Ｐ4

Special Feature(Human Rights Related to Covid-19)

42nd Essay Contest
Ｐ5.6 “My Human Rights Message” Award-winning Entries

Ｐ7

Lending Service of DVDs/Videos on
Human Rights
Editor and Publisher (Published in March 2022)

Maintain physicaldistance from others.

Observe coughetiquette.

To help increase publicawareness of human rights,
the Sakai City Human Rights
Education Promotion Council
issues an annual newsletter,
Kokoro-no-Hibiki, to advocate
the importance of human rights.

HREPC Official Website

https://www.jinkenkyo.jp
3-1 Minamikawara-machi, Sakai-ku,

Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council
Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture
Human Rights Promotion Division, Sakai City Government TEL: 072-221-9280 FAX: 072-228-8070

What Is the Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council (HREPC)?
The Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council is a civicorganization established in July 1979, with the aim of eliminating any form of
discrimination, including buraku discrimination, and protecting human rights
of all people. With an extensive membership comprised of civil groups,
businesses and religious corporations, HREPC carries out various activities to
educate the public on human rights and contribute to a peaceful and prosperous
society where the human rights of all people are respected.

The HREPC’s symbol represents people holding hands, praying
for promotion of human rights and world peace.

Organization Chart / Directors of the Council
Chair

KANAMARU Naohiro

Vice Chair

KUBO Teruo

Vice Chair

YAMAGUCHI Noriko

Vice ChairOTA Kayo(Business Members Committeeof the Council)(Federation of Sakai City
Residents’ Associations)(Sakai City Women’s Association)(Sakai City PTA Federation)

Vice ChairSHIRAMOTO Tadashi

Vice ChairKIDO Kazutomo(Sakai City Association ofChildcare Organizations)(Sakai City Association of
Principals of Municipal Schools)

Vice Chair

TAKEDA Shin’ichi

Vice ChairYOSHIMURA Seiji

Treasurer

KOYAMA Toshimi

Treasurer

MORIUCHI Keiko(Sakai Branch, Osaka Prefectural Federationof the Buraku Liberation League)

Osaka Prefectural
Human Rights
Education Promotion
Council

KANAMARU Naohiro Chair

Sakai City Human
Rights Education
Promotion Council

Sakai City
Sakai City Boardof Education

Osaka Corporate
Human Rights Council
Sakai Public
Employment
Security Office
Sakai Labor
Standards
Inspection Office
Sakai City
Employment
Support Association

Business
Members
Committee

International
Youth Sakai

Religious
GroupsCommittee

Sakai Liaison
Committee for the
Universal Declarationof Human Rights

Memberorganizations(29 organizations)(Religious Groups Committeeof the Council)(Sakai City Women’s Groupfor Social Rehabilitation)

Osaka Council of
Religious LeadersEngaged in Dowa
IssuesOsaka Liaison
Meeting for
Universal
Declaration for
Human Rights(District Committee of the Sakai City
Human Rights Commissioners’ Association)

Member Organizations The HREPC has 29 member organizations.
• Sakai City Education Association• Sakai City Support Group for Foreign
Residents’ Education• Sakai City Women’s Association• Sakai City Liaison Council of Instructors for
Youth• Sakai City PTA Federation• NPO Sakai Federation of Private
Educational and Childcare Institutions• Sakai City Association of Principals ofMunicipal Schools• Sakai District Committee of Administrative
Counselors• Osaka Prefectural Association of Vocational
Schools• Semboku Sumai Center, West Japan
Branch, UR Community Inc.

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• Sakai City Women’s Group for Social
Rehabilitation• Federation of Sakai City Residents’
Associations• Sakai City Federation of Private
Kindergartens• Sakai City Human Rights Education andResearch Society• Sakai City Association of Childcare
Organizations• Sakai City Federation of Child Welfare
Commissioners• Sakai City Federation of Senior Residents’
Clubs• Sakai City Liaison Council of Probation
Officers• Sakai Branch, Osaka Prefectural
Headquarters of Liberal Dowa Association

Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council Newsletter Kokoro-no-Hibiki Vol. 43• Sakai Branch, Osaka Prefectural
Federation of the Buraku Liberation League• Sakai City Association for Sound Growth ofChildren• Sakai City Social Education Committee• NPO Sakai Federation of Disabled People’s
Organizations• Sakai City Agricultural Cooperative• Sakai City Welfare Association forSingle-Mother Families and Widows• Sakai Chamber of Commerce and Industry• District Committee of the Sakai City Human
Rights Commissioners’ Association• Sakai City Council of Social Welfare• Principals’ Association of Osaka Prefectural
Schools in the 8th District

Introduction of Member Organizations
Sakai City Women’s Group for Social Rehabilitation
The Women’s Group for Social Rehabilitation is a volunteer organization that conducts crime prevention activities in thecommunity and rehabilitation support for offenders and juvenile delinquents, established with the aim of contributing to
the creation of a bright community free of crime and delinquency. There are approximately 1,300 district groups nationwide
with some 170,000 active members.
The Sakai City Women’s Group for Social Rehabilitation (SWGSR) was established in April 1965. Together withprobation officers, the SWGSR conducts “activities to brighten society” and, as a social rehabilitation support group, visitsrehabilitation facilities, juvenile training schools, prisons, and other facilities to help people who have committed crimes ordelinquent acts rejoin society. It has been engaged in a wide range of practical activities firmly rooted in the community,
including crime prevention and childcare support, which are the starting point of its activities. Blessedly, the year 2020
marked the 55th anniversary of its establishment. More than 700 members in 42 school districts are currently engaged in
the activities with the spirit of charity, while widely cooperating with related local groups and organizations, based on thebasic philosophy of SWGSR: the spirit of love for humanity and for the community. In the memorable 55th anniversary year,
it published the commemorative magazine “Jiai” (meaning “charity”) under the theme of “Jiai Tsunaide 55-nen” (“55 years
connecting with charity”) and newly installed standing signboards in each school district. Each word of the motto written on
the signboard, meaning “Sakai children, smiling with the love of the community,” represents the passion of the members fortheir various activities. With over half a century of history as a foundation, the SWGSR members continue to enjoy theiractivities and dream big for a bright society.
The main activities are community activities in seven districts and subcommittee activities conducted by eightsubcommittees. In the subcommittee activities, directors representing each school district belong to one subcommittee andwork on the activities of each. Meanwhile, all members participate in community activities in each school district. The eightsubcommittees work on the following: training; promotion of regional cooperation; communication with rehabilitation
facilities; “donation of love” activities; childcare support; social contribution activities; tea ceremony experience programs;
and public relations. Each subcommittee shares their desired activities for rehabilitation volunteers and actual
achievements, leading to the great joy of the members. What supports these activities is the volunteer spirit and passion forthe community of each member, who is not under anyone’s orders or direction, and the warmth of human love at the root.
Looking back at the 55 years of history, the SWGSR has renewed its commitment to meet the demands of the times.
The SWGSR has now reviewed each of its activities based on solid awareness, with gratitude for the HREPC providing
an opportunity for contributing this article. As rehabilitation volunteers, all the members will take sure and stronger steps
forward over the footsteps of their predecessors while dreaming of brightening the town of Sakai.

District Committee of the Sakai City Human Rights Commissioners’ Association
Human Rights Commissioners are consultation partners in your city.
Human Rights Commissioners are private citizens commissioned by the Minister of Justice. This system, which is
unique to Japan, was established in 1948, one year after the enforcement of the Constitution of Japan, based on the ideathat it is desirable for people from various fields to spread the idea of respecting human rights in the community, to makesure that the human rights of residents are not violated and to protect human rights.
Currently, approximately 14,000 commissioners are assigned to each municipality in Japan. Thirty-five commissioners
in Sakai City form the Sakai District Association together with commissioners in Matsubara City, Takaishi City andOsakasayama City, and they are proactively engaged in their activities (consultation, remedy, and awareness-raising).
Human Rights Commissioners provide consultation on human rights to residents at human rights consultation offices
at the Legal Affairs Bureau, as well as those temporarily opened at public facilities, such as city offices and social welfare
facilities.
If, through consultation or other opportunities, a victim reports that his/her human rights have been violated, theywork with the Legal Affairs Bureau staff to gather information, investigate and handle the human rights violation case, andthey coordinate the interests and claims of the parties involved, thus leading to smooth resolution of the case.
In addition, to raise awareness of human rights among local residents, they run human rights classes and the Human
Rights Flower Campaign for kindergarteners and elementary school students to share the importance of compassion,
provide consultation on human rights through “SOS mini-letters” for elementary and junior high school students, solicit andaward junior high school students’ human rights essays, and serve as lecturers at human rights workshops at companies
and other organizations.
Furthermore, they conduct creative educational activities in each region, such as regularly publishing and distributing
special booklets for the protection of children’s human rights and, with the cooperation of broadcasters, introducing humanrights protection activities (e.g., award ceremony for human rights essays by junior high school students).
If you have any questions about the Human Rights Commissioners in your city or have some problems, please feel free
to contact the Osaka Legal Affairs Bureau Sakai Branch. Consultations are provided free of charge.
Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council Newsletter Kokoro-no-Hibiki Vol. 43

2This Year’s Projects
General Workshop (August 24 to September 24, 2021; online distribution)
For the general workshop, a lecture by Ms. Yasuda Natsuki (photojournalist) titled “What is Living
Together? – Diversity seen in refugees’ voices and family history” was recorded and distributed.
It provided an opportunity to reconsider what it means to “live together” as she spoke about thediversity she has seen while traveling to Cambodia and working in Syria, where thecivil war continues.

Citizens’ Gathering to Protect Human Rights(December 24, 2021 to January 23, 2022; online distribution)
In line with Human Rights Week from December 4 to 10, the 42nd Citizens’ Gathering to Protect Human Rights
was held as an opportunity to think about human rights together with citizens and further expand the circle ofrespect for human rights.
The first part was the award ceremony of the essay contest “My Human Rights Message.” The ceremony
was canceled last fiscal year from the viewpoint of preventing the spread of Covid-19, but this year it was held
on December 4 at the Sakai City General Welfare Hall while taking infection control measures, such as limiting
the number of participants.
The “My Human Rights Message” contest is held to raise awareness of human rights among more citizens
by encouraging them to think about the preciousness of human rights and the importance of protecting themin everyday life. Awards were presented to specially selected works out of a total of 2,550 entries. In addition,
four award winners were invited to present their essays (introduced on pp. 5-6, “The 42nd Essay Contest ‘My
Human Rights Message’ Award-winning entries”). The essays, written by people of all ages on a variety of topics
related to human rights, were very inspiring. The first step toward solving human rights issues is for everyone
to see them as their own problems and think about what they can do to address them.
The second part was a lecture by Ms. Matano Akiko (former kindergarten/nursery teacher) titled “Alive andShining Now – The world seen on a wheelchair is quite wonderful.” It was recorded and distributed as the“42nd Citizens’ Gathering to Protect Human Rights” with the first part. Ms. Matano talked about the world she
has seen on her wheelchair after becoming disabled and what is needed to make a better society. This lecture
helped to promote understanding of disability.

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Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council Newsletter Kokoro-no-Hibiki Vol. 43

Special Feature (Human Rights Related to Covid-19)

Do Not Let Covid-19 Affect Your Mental Health.
“It’s not someone else’s problem”– The reality of discrimination amid the Covid-19 crisis
Many cases of discrimination against healthcare workers, their families, and those involved in duties
essential to the maintenance of social life have occurred throughout the country. There are also new typesof discrimination and prejudice, such as excessive avoidance and blaming of infected people and close
contacts. Other cases include asserting someone to be infected simply because he/she has certain
symptoms, or even discrimination and prejudice against students at the same university or residents inthe same neighborhood as an infected person. Furthermore, the damage caused by inappropriate online
postings to these people is becoming more serious.
Cases of unfair treatment of non-infected persons have also been observed. Everyone needs to put
themselves in the shoes of the parties involved.

How would you feel? Just imagine!
Do not blame infected persons,their families or foreign residents.
You should not try to identify the names oraddresses of infected persons or their families.
There should be no discrimination, prejudiceor bullying.
Do not be prejudiced, be compassionate.

It is up to each person to decide
whether or not to get vaccinated.
No discrimination, no harassment.
Whether or not to get vaccinated should bebased on the person's own will, and the decision
should be made independently, consideringvarious circumstances, such as healthcondition, advantages and disadvantages.
Do not force others to get vaccinated or
discriminate against those who have not been
vaccinated.

Do not be misled by uncertain information, be compassionate!
Remember everyone
lives in anxiety.

Express your gratitude andsend messages of support.

Some people are anxious about their jobs,
while others are fearful of becoming infected
or worried about their families.
Keep in mind that everyone is anxious
about something.

Always be thankful and respectful to all thepeople who support our society.
By facilitating mutual assistance andcompassion with others, we can overcome
the Covid-19 crisis together.

Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council Newsletter Kokoro-no-Hibiki Vol. 43

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42nd
Essay Contest“My Human Rights
Message”
Award-winning Entries

The following website contains award-winning
essays specially selected from 2,550 entries andpermitted to be posted by the authors. (In Japanese)Collection of award-winning essays:

https://www.jinkenkyo.jp/
past-message/

Human Rights of People with Disabilities (Fifth-year elementary school student)
Human rights are the rights of people (to live a healthy
life, to learn a lot, to engage in activities freely, and to beprotected and supported by the country); they are rightsthat all people have at birth to live as human beings.
Human rights are important to everyone and must be
protected through compassion in everyday life.
For example, some people mock or bully a person forbeing a woman or a child. I think this is an incorrect
notion because women and children are human beings,
just like everyone else. When considering the feelings ofothers, it is not good to mock children or women justbecause they are children or women.
I have a younger brother with a disability. He cannot
speak, stand or walk. So, in addition to my father andmother, I also help him with various things. By doing so,
my brother will be happy and so will my parents. To me,that is a matter of course. But when we walk outside,
there are people who stare at my brother in hiswheelchair or little children who say, “He is so big but ina stroller!” or “Why doesn't he just walk?” I wondered
why they would stare at my brother in his wheelchair.
For me, that is a natural and normal thing. If they did
not understand, they could have asked me or mymother.
I used to wonder why some people stare at thosewith disabilities but do not speak to them when they are
in need, but recently I have come to realize that it takes
courage to speak to them, and some people just can’t dothat. When my mother pushes my brother’s wheelchair
to get on the train, she always seems to have difficultywith the steps. Whenever someone calls out to help her
at such times, she repeatedly says, “Thank you for all
the help.” Then my mother and I smile at each other andsay, "He is such a kind man,” and “How helpful.” So,wishing that life will be easier for people withdisabilities and that compassion and willingness to help
will become the norm, I would like to speak to suchpeople and help them if they are in need.

Making Use of My Experience (Second-year junior high school student)
My particular concern about human rights is women’shuman rights and gender discrimination. In the past,
only women could become nurses, but now men can too.
There are many such professions. Despite that, there isgender discrimination in workplaces. I have heard thatsome supervisors discriminate against female workers on
the basis of gender, saying, “Because you are a woman, I
cannot entrust you with this kind of work.” This is ofcourse ridiculous. There may not be so many such cases
now, but I heard that there were many in the past. It istrue that men and women are physically different. But tosay that “women are supposed to have babies” or “womenare supposed to cook” is discriminatory. I don’t think it’sa good idea to make such an assertion; some men might
like to cook.
Next, let me talk about women’s human rights,
based on what I have experienced. I loved cute thingsfrom the time I was in kindergarten until the fifth
grade. I enjoyed myself by wearing big bows and pinkskirts and collecting trendy items and cute dolls. But
suddenly I began to feel uncomfortable and changed

5

myself. I stopped wearing pink skirts and bright-coloredclothes and started wearing pants and dark-coloredclothes only. My mother did not notice such changes inme and would buy me skirts.
When I entered junior high school, I naturally began
to refer to myself as boku (Japanese first-person
pronoun used by men). Some of my school friends haveasked me why. I am glad most of them did not care aboutthat and did not mind being friends with me.
When I move up to the second grade at junior highschool, my mother asked me why I called myself boku. I
replied, “It was a natural change for me.” From that dayon, my mother stopped talking about that, and now shetells me to go buy my own clothes. I am more myself now
than when I was in the sixth grade at elementary
school.
Then, in May in the second grade, I had my hair cut
really short and became the way I wanted to be. Somesay, “Oh, you looked better with long hair,” while otherssay, “It looks good on you.” I like who I am now. I willcontinue to live my life as myself.

Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council Newsletter Kokoro-no-Hibiki Vol. 43

Your Commitment Can Save Lives (First-year high school student)
Recently, I saw an article about a person who committed
suicide due to bullying. Reading that reminded me that
I too had been bullied before.
My friends, including my best friend, bullied me. At
first it was just for fun, but it escalated and developed intobullying. Every day they ran away from me. They treatedme as invisible and slandered me about my appearance.
The worst was when they told me, “You are not myfriend.” I do not know how many times I cried alone, howmany times I thought I wanted to die. Such days
continued.
Reading this, you might have thought, “Why not justtell your teacher or parents?” Well, I thought that if did
that, they would say I tipped them off and the bullying
would get worse. My thinking was: “I don’t want to botherpeople around me. I just have to endure it by myself. I am
miserable and ashamed to be bullied.” So I did not consult
anyone.
One day, my mother said to me: “Are some of yourfriends doing something you don’t like at school? Don’thide it, tell me the truth.” I tearfully confided everythingthat had happened to me. When my mother heard this,she also cried and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”
Some days later, I consulted the teacher in charge ofmy school club. The next day, those who had bullied me
were called in for a discussion. One of them denied thefact in tears, and the teacher believed that. I despaired.
Then I had trust issues and was unable to attend
school. However, my parents supported me when I was
thinking about committing suicide every day, and they
helped me recover to this point. I am still grateful to them.
Bullying is a violation of human rights and a crime. I
wonder why the perpetrators are not punished. It is thetraumatized victims who should be protected.
Many people are still being bullied today. Bullying will
never be eliminated, but it can be prevented.
My point is this: if there is one person who can berelied on, one life can be saved. I strongly hope that, in the
future, more people will have the courage and hope tomove forward by having someone to rely on.

Just Recognizing the Difference (Adult)
I believe it is important to “just strongly recognize” thateveryone is different in order to better understandinvisible differences. This is because, although we canrecognize each other’s differences to some extent, it is very
difficult to understand each other correctly from thestandpoint of the other, and unwanted misunderstandings
and frictions can arise from unintentional words andactions.
I have been able to live without concealing the factthat I am a Zainichi Korean (ethnic Korean who has
permanent residency status in Japan) for the past
twenty-odd years. This is probably because the history
and culture I learned through ethnic education fromelementary school to high school, as well as the ethnic
food I naturally had and the language I used at home,nurtured my identity as a Zainichi Korean. Therefore,
even after graduating from high school and joining
Japanese society, I have always used my real nameinstead of my common name and have revealed to manyof my friends and colleagues that I am a Zainichi
Korean.
There is a word that shocked me after I entered theworkforce. It is the word “Japanese,” used casually torefer to a large number of people, including myself, as awhole, or to me personally.
One day, during an internal meeting, we discussed
the need to improve the technical level of our overseas

offices. At that time, my boss said, “Let us Japanese go
there and give them good guidance.” On another day, at
a company party, a person I had just spoken to for the
first time said to me, “Since you were born and raised inJapan and can speak Japanese so fluently, you are nodifferent from a Japanese person.”
I could sense that they did not mean to reject me or
imply something else. However, I felt as if my existence
had been somewhat denied, and all sorts of questions
started to arise in my head.
(How should I react if they really think I am
Japanese? How can they say such a thing without
knowing the feelings that I have lived with so far? In thefirst place, what do they look for in a person todetermine his or her nationality?)
For me, the very act of using my real name is proof
and pride of having lived as a Zainichi Korean. Actually,
however, such a thing is not really perceived by people
around me. I thought that how I looked, how I spoke,and how I acted left a strong impression on them aboutme.
We naturally have invisible differences in identityand values. It will be very difficult to understand themcorrectly. So, I believe that if we can strongly recognize
just that “everyone is different,” instead of approachingothers without much thought, we will be able to naturally
see the differences.

Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council Newsletter Kokoro-no-Hibiki Vol. 43

6

Lending Service of DVDs/Videos on Human Rights * The DVDs are in Japanese only, without foreign-language subtitles or dubbing.
The Human Rights Promotion Division of the Sakai City Government lends out

DVDs and videos on human rights for free.
A list of available
DVDs/videos:Inquiries:

堺市人権啓発DVD・ビデオソフトの貸出

TEL 072-228-7420

DVD: Human rights amid
the Covid-19 crisis

Approx. 26 min.

Watashitachi Hitorihitori ga Dekirukoto: Tojisha
Ishiki wo Motte Kangaeru Korona Sabetsu (Whateach of us can do: Covid-19 discrimination with aview to the parties involved)

This drama-style human rights awareness material
allows viewers to learn about the characteristics of
discrimination related to Covid-19, why discriminationand prejudice occur, and how we can address them.

SearchFAX072-228-8070
DVD: Information ethics

Approx. 21 min.

Minna no Joho Moraru III: Animeshon de Manabu
SNS ni Hisomu Risuku (Information ethics foreveryone III: Learn by animation about thepotential risks of social media)

This video material on information ethics, showing the potential
risks of social media, enables viewers to see the problems
through a drama and obtain knowledge and attitudes for safe
and secure use through easy-to-understand explanations.
* Volume VI on the impact and responsibility for
information dissemination is also available.

Ｓustainable Ｄevelopment Ｇoalｓ

The motto of the SDGs is “Leave no one behind.”
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.
The SDGs are intended to achieve a better future for the world by finding solutions to various global challenges, such as poverty,
inequality, disparity, climate change, depletion of resources and destruction of nature, in a 15-year period from 2016 to 2030.
The Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council (HREPC) has
been working to increase public awareness of the SDGs by producing SDGs
panels and stickers. The HREPC is committed to working toward the SDGs
in partnership with Sakai City and other organizations by expanding
human rights education and conducting awareness-raising activities.

Sakai City was designated as an SDGs Future City in June2018 by the Japanese government and has since beenworking toward the SDGs based on the Sakai City SDGs
Future City Plan.

Sakai City has been promoting the Safe City Sakai program to create a safe and comfortable living environment
for women, children, and all other people.
The program includes support for victims of sexual violence. The city has been improving its consultation andsupport system to help them recover physically and mentally and conducting awareness-raising activities toeliminate social prejudice against victims of sexual crimes and promote understanding.
The city will continue its efforts to eradicate violence against women and children.
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Sakai City Human Rights Education Promotion Council Newsletter Kokoro-no-Hibiki Vol.43

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