U.S.-born Japanese protests police questioning targeting 'foreigners'

Sapporo, June 26 Kyodo - A U.S.-born Japanese citizen living in Sapporo has lodged a protest with Hokkaido prefectural police, alleging police officers are discriminating against foreigners by targeting them in questioning suspicious people ahead of the Group of Eight summit in the prefecture in early July.

Debito Arudo, an associate professor at Hokkaido Information University, said
at a press conference Wednesday that he has submitted a letter of protest to
the prefectural police. The prefectural police said they are questioning people
when necessary, regardless of whether they are Japanese or foreigners.

In the letter, Arudo said he was among those targeted by police in questioning
last Thursday at New Chitose Airport that serves Sapporo, adding that similar
security steps are being taken at such places as other airports and ferry
landings.

''I value police officers' duties and it is necessary to be wary of terrorism,
but police questioning conducted in the form of discrimination by appearances
and races is excessive security,'' the letter said.

Japan is hosting this year's summit of major powers on July 7 to 9 in the Lake
Toya resort of Hokkaido and police nationwide are tightening security.
==Kyodo