A citizens' network aiming to enact an ordinance banning hate speech has been launched in the city of Hiroshima, amid the recent rise in online discriminatory speech on the basis of one's country of origin, region or ethnicity.
The network, which consists of 30 organizations and 72 individuals seeking to empower foreign residents in Japan, is calling for municipalities to adopt the ordinance, which would include penalties against hate speech. But some experts are cautious about the legal restrictions because of potential conflict with the right to freedom of expression as stipulated in the Constitution.
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