I’m going to explain about the facts of Dowa problem. A lot of schools teach about the Dowa problem in Japan, but there are big differences between the prefectures. Some people learn it from the elementary school, but some people have never been taught at school. The people who didn’t learn Dowa problems at school think that is the problem happened long time ago and they don’t know those people are still suffering from the discrimination. The government and the prefectures that include Dowa area want the school to teach that issue to the students because it is serious problem there. Although they are trying hard to teach the students about the issue, many parents who live near Dowa area try to put their children into private elementary school because they don’t want their children to go to the same school as Buraku people. Moreover, the price of the land near Dowa area is very low even it is located near a big station because people don’t want to buy the houses there.
The problem of the Dowa education is that the teachers never teach the students where the Buraku people live and how they are living. Teachers just teach us that they are discriminated and they are suffering so we shouldn’t do that. I’ve learned about Dowa problem when I was in the elementary school and the middle school, but I didn’t know that there is a Dowa area in my city and I found it out later hearing outside of the school. It is said that a large amount of money is used for the Dowa area every year, but nobody knows for real because the government is hiding the truth. Some people say that the government builds the houses in the Dowa area for free from our tax. The people who know a little about it tell other people and it is getting like a rumor. As a result, the people living outside of the Dowa area complain about them and it makes the discrimination more serious.
The things that are taught at school is so unclear that it is making the situation worse. The government should make the decision that they will tell the truth or they won’t teach anything. Otherwise, teaching the Dowa problem would be meaningless.
by Misaki Fukada
JAPANsociology 
I was not taught about Dowa problem at any schools I went. I remember that I only heard about Dora problem or Burakumin from my parents, not from my teachers. Of course I have not known much of it until get studied at Ritsumeikan University. I even have been thinking it happened long time ago and now it is not such a problems, like you said.
Although it is not a good history which is still going on for the government, they still should open it up to be known by not only children, but also adults. However, I do not think the government should hide the truth perfectly. Like me, people might be taught it by people who already know about it. That would cause miss understanding and the situation may get worse. I hope the problem will be totally solved in the future.