Muslim Surveillance in Japan: A Narrative Aimed at Trivialization

Abstract

In 2010, it came to light through leaked internal documents that the Japanese police were engaging in sweeping, blanket surveillance of all foreign national Muslims in the country. The police deemed all Muslims to be potential terrorists, surveilled mosques and other establishments, and clandestinely gathered detailed personal information on 72,000 persons. Almost immediately after the leak, a narrative was created by the media and the authorities, whereby Muslims had been subjected to harm through the malicious leaking of their personal information. This narrative recognized the responsibility of the police insofar as they had been unable to adequately secure the information; however, it served to deflect attention from the fundamental human rights issues. This narrative was eventually accepted by the Japanese judiciary, in a judgment with potentially grave consequences for human rights protection in Japan in general.