A 14-year-old Korean boy and his family became victims of physical violence in Japan.
The young boy, named as Shin, was on holiday with his family in Osaka, Japan. Along with his mother and sister, Shin was walking across a bridge whilst conversing in Korean. A Japanese man in his 20’s approached Shin and kicked him in the stomach before proceeding to verbally and physically assault the 14-year-old, demanding that he should fight back. Shin’s mother also suffered a blow to the arms whilst trying to protect her son.
Speaking about the incident, Shin’s mother said, “there were about 20 people around us but none to help. I think our family became victims of a hate crime, similar to the recent wasabi terror in Japanese restaurants.”
Earlier this month, a Japanese sushi chain was called out for intentionally overloading their sushi with wasabi and giving it to unsuspecting tourists, especially Koreans.
The Consulate General of The Republic of Korea in Osaka has issued a safety warning for South Korean tourists in Japan, stating, “recently, many incidents have been reported regarding harm against Korean citizens in Osaka. The incidents tend to be more frequent during evening hours, so we advise travelers to be more cautious.”
Bus tickets circulating around Japan with slang terms derogating Koreans have also been reported.