189: A lawsuit puts alleged racial profiling by police on trial in Japan

Three residents with foreign roots have filed a lawsuit claiming Japanese police officers routinely target visible minorities with searches. In this week’s episode, we speak with the lawyer and one plaintiff about what prompted them to bring the case forward and what they hope to achieve with it. 

Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez.

On this episode:
Shaun McKenna: Articles | X 

Read more: 

• Lawsuit filed in Tokyo over alleged racial profiling by police (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times)
• Making Japanese history by being Black history (Baye McNeil, The Japan Times)
• Brazilian files discrimination suit (Toshi Maeda, The Japan Times)
• Racial profiling in Japan is prevalent but unseen, some residents say (Victoria Kim and Hisako Ueno, The New York Times)
• Lawsuit to end racially discriminatory police questioning (CALL4.jp)
• Stop racially discriminatory police questioning (change.org)
• How Shohei Ohtani mastered the media (Jason Coskrey, The Japan Times)
• How to be an all-star sports parent (Mai Yoshikawa, The Japan Times)
• Ohtani is taken. It’s enough to make you cry. (Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times

Get in touch: Send us feedback at [email protected]. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on X!  

Motoki Taniguchi (left) and one of his clients, Maurice Shelton, hope their lawsuit can change alleged police practices involving stop-and-search. | LOUISE CLAIRE WAGNER