Woman in Hanbok Called "Cosplay Ajumma" Criticized
Right-Wing Tendencies Spark Numerous Controversies in Japan
A Japanese politician who mocked traditional attire such as Hanbok as lacking dignity was warned by Japanese authorities for human rights violations.
According to a report by Mainichi Shimbun on the 21st, Mio Sugita (56), a member of the House of Representatives from the Liberal Democratic Party, posted on her blog and X (formerly Twitter) in 2016, when she participated in the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, a message and photo about women wearing Hanbok, saying, "In the conference room appeared shabby-looking women in Chima Jeogori and even an Ainu ethnic costume cosplay auntie, a complete matter of dignity."
In particular, in the post, Representative Sugita also wrote, "Just breathing the same air makes me feel bad," inviting controversy.
Ryoko Tahara, a member of the Sapporo Ainu Association who attended the committee at the time, learned of this fact belatedly and requested relief for human rights violations from the Sapporo Legal Affairs Bureau in March this year, calling it "insulting."
The Ainu are indigenous people who lived in Hokkaido and other areas of Japan in the past. Korean residents in Japan who also attended the committee reported Representative Sugita to the Osaka Legal Affairs Bureau, claiming the remarks were human rights violations.
The Legal Affairs Bureau is an organization under the Japanese Ministry of Justice, established in various regions to handle tasks such as relief for human rights violations.
Recently, the Sapporo and Osaka Legal Affairs Bureaus notified Ms. Tahara and others who filed complaints that they concluded it was a human rights violation and issued a warning to Representative Sugita.
Regarding this, Ms. Tahara expressed her thoughts, saying, "Discrimination will not be tolerated. I hope this will be a step toward realizing such a natural society."
Sugita, who entered politics recommended by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is a female lawmaker known for her right-wing tendencies, including her activities in the "Association to Create a New History Textbook." [Photo by Mio Sugita Facebook]
Meanwhile, Representative Sugita, who entered politics recommended by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is known as a right-wing female politician active in groups such as the "Society for the Creation of New History Textbooks."
Representative Sugita has been a controversial politician in Japan due to her provocative remarks. Some of her controversial statements include: "Gender equality is absolutely impossible. In Japan, women should be protected by men, so there is no such thing as discrimination against women" (2014 House of Representatives plenary session), "Homosexuals, whether men or women, are unproductive because they cannot have children. They are disqualified as citizens" (2018 support group), and "There was no such thing as the comfort women issue. Korea and China are lying" (2018), among others.
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