Justice Ministry Investigates Virus - Related Abuses
Japan's Justice Ministry is investigating 175 complaints of suspected human rights abuses that took place last year in relation to the coronavirus outbreak.
Ministry officials said the overall number of human rights abuse complaints they investigated last year hit a record low of 9,589, nearly 40 percent less than the previous year. Officials say anti-virus measures that resulted in less human contact may have contributed to the decrease.
Of the 175 cases suspected to be related to the virus, 74, or more than 40 percent, were over discriminatory treatment. Another 41 cases were related to privacy violations and 32 involved labor relations at workplaces.
In one case, a virus patient reported being harassed by the boss and others after recuperating and returning to work. Other cases include people being falsely accused on the internet as having tested positive for the virus, or those who were rejected at clinics because their spouses are healthcare workers.
The officials said there were 1,693 complaints about human rights violations online, down by about 15 percent from the previous year. But they identified a record 578 posts as being illegal and requested that those posts should be deleted.