OSAKA -- A nonprofit Korean organization here has sent a letter of protest to minor opposition party Sanseito after its leader Sohei Kamiya used a slur against Koreans during a stump speech for the House of Councillors election.

The Korea NGO Center, an Osaka-based incorporated nonprofit organization working to ensure the rights of foreign nationals in Japan and bring about an inclusive society, filed the protest July 18 following Kamiya's use of "chon," a pejorative term for people from the Korean Peninsula. The center is demanding that the party announce how it perceives the case and issue an apology.

During a street speech in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, on July 18, Kamiya refuted criticism against Sanseito's proposal for a new Constitution, saying, "We are being derided, being called idiots, stupid and chon." Immediately afterward, he said, "You can cut that," and stated, "I'm sorry. I amend that."

In its letter of protest, the center pointed out, "It is obvious that (Kamiya) made the remark while understanding that it is a discriminatory word." The letter denounced Sanseito for repeatedly "making clearly factually inaccurate claims that foreigners are treated more favorably than Japanese," adding, "It has been campaigning in a way that leads voters who harbor a sense of anxiety about society today to support Sanseito while inciting public opinion that discriminates against and excludes foreigners as a consequence."

Regarding Kamiya's remark that he was amending what he said shortly afterward, the letter stated, "Words spoken by a politician representing a political party bear significant influence and cannot be easily dismissed as if they were never uttered."

(Japanese original by Takumi Fujikawa, Osaka City News Department)