By TARO TAMAKI/ Staff Writer
June 8, 2020 at 16:30 JST
OSAKA--The global outcry over the death of George Floyd spread to Osaka on June 7, with hundreds of Japanese and foreign nationals marching through the city center to oppose police brutality targeting minorities and racial discrimination.
Protesters clad in facial masks to protect themselves from the novel coronavirus chanted “black lives matter” in support for the continuing demonstrations in the United States that erupted after Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed May 25 while being restrained by police in Minnesota.
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka earlier shared the event on her Twitter account, a major publicity boost for the 1.5-kilometer march, organized by foreign residents and Japanese youths residing in the Kansai region.
Participants first gathered at Nakanoshima park in Kita Ward and then marched past the front of the U.S. Consulate General.
“I have a relative living in the United States, so I wanted to think about the issue of racial discrimination,” said Osaka resident Maki Matsuoka, 39, who took part in the march.
“I’m happy I got to meet so many people,” said Matsuoka’s 9-year-old daughter, Juno, holding a skateboard that bore a message she wrote supporting the protest. “I want more people to know about this.”
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Protesters march through the streets of Osaka city to speak out against racial discrimination toward black people on June 7. (Jin Nishioka)
