Japan has a universal healthcare system that allows individuals the right to choose their own doctor and treatment and only charges a nominal fee for services. With most residents having access to quality services, there should be no signs of discrimination in the system. Discrimination in Japan is subtle and deep-rooted stemming from the historic identity of “pure blood”. The Burakumin or “people of the hamlet” are a social class in Japan, remnants of the feudal caste system. Although the caste system was abolished with the Emancipation Edict of 1871, the stigmatization of the Buraku has lingered. The Burakumin still suffer discrimination in education, infrastructure, and health services. The Burakumin …show more content…
A conservative mind set provides little room for the acceptance of differing lifestyles. People with gender dysphoria, (still referred to as gender identity disorder in Japan), face challenges in getting healthcare free of discrimination. Japan has yet to adopt the guidelines presented in the Paris Principles, (1991), and do not include provisions for sexual orientation or gender identity in their anti-discrimination laws (Gay Japan News, March). If the gender on an individual’s identification and the gender they present themselves do not coincide, they often face discrimination in the job place, housing, and health …show more content…
Stripped of their possessions and their identities, patients were referred to not by their names but by numbers. The homes of sufferers were disinfected and families were shunned by neighbors. Patients were forced to have abortions and sterilization because the system was not equipped to accommodate children. Bearing the physical scars of their affliction, primarily on the hands and face, over 1500 recovered patients continue to live at the sanatorium facilities. Most in their eighties and having spent the majority of their lives institutionalized feel there is no where they can go (McCurry, 2016, April