Many people of foreign roots subjected to police questioning in Japan: survey

TOKYO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Many people of foreign roots in Japan have been subject to racial profiling by the police because of their appearance over the past five years, Kyodo News reported on Saturday citing a recently released report.

Around 63 percent of more than 2,000 people with foreign heritage surveyed earlier this year have been questioned by Japanese police over the past five years, with the treatment more frequent among those of African or Latin American backgrounds, according to a report released by the Tokyo Bar Association on Sept. 9.

"Guidelines need to be established to end discrimination based on how one looks," the association said in the report on social profiling.

Most of the respondents questioned by police, at 77 percent, said they thought police had no reason to do so, the report said.

The survey also found that the frequency of questioning was not reduced regardless of their Japanese language ability or how long they had lived in the country.

"In light of common sense, the percentage is high," said Yoichi Arizono, a lawyer from the bar association, adding that to question someone who should not be subjected to it based on their looks is not effective as a criminal policy.

The online survey, conducted from January to February this year, received valid responses from 2,094 people living in Japan who have a foreign background.