MATSUYAMA, Japan - Disclosing a person's nationality or family background without their consent is drawing increasing attention in Japan, where experts warn that exposing someone's roots against their will can cause psychological harm and leave them vulnerable to discrimination and exclusion.
The practice is being likened to "outing" -- the disclosure of a person's gender identity or sexual orientation without permission. Researchers argue that revealing a person's ethnic or national origins without consent can be equally damaging, while some municipalities have begun introducing ordinances aimed at preventing it.
A 2024 survey led by Lawrence Yoshitaka Taguchi, a Tokai University lecturer specializing in multicultural coexistence, highlighted the experiences of people with roots in multiple countries or regions, including those born to Japanese and foreign parents, who had lived in Japan for a total of at least one year.
Some respondents described being identified by others in ways that made them uncomfortable and having aspects of their identity exposed that they would have preferred to keep private.
"It makes me uncomfortable when people introduce me to others by saying, 'This person is half-Japanese,'" one participant wrote.
Taguchi said the issue remains widely overlooked despite its potential consequences.
"People whose roots are disclosed without their consent may suffer psychological harm, but the issue is still not widely recognized as sensitive," he said.
For a woman in her 30s from Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture, the risks became apparent when her boyfriend disclosed that her father was a so-called zainichi Korean in front of other people while she was in her 20s.
Zainichi Koreans are ethnic Koreans who have long lived in Japan, including descendants of people who migrated or were brought over during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
"I despaired, thinking it was all over," the woman recalled. "At the time, I had mixed feelings, fearing that people would start looking at me through prejudiced eyes."
Her experience reflects concerns that revealing a person's background without consent can expose them to bias or alter the way they are perceived.
Choi Kang Ija, director of the Kawasaki City Fureaikan multicultural exchange center and herself a third-generation zainichi Korean, said she concealed her own origins for many years because she feared discrimination.
After visiting the center as a high school student, however, she came to believe in the importance of living authentically and decided to use her Korean name.
Even so, Choi said some zainichi Korean women have told her they intend to "take their roots to their graves," illustrating the lasting anxiety that prejudice can create.
Legal experts say such disclosures can infringe on an individual's rights.
Naozo Kobayashi, a professor of constitutional law at Osaka University of Economics, said revealing another person's roots violates personal rights, including the right to privacy, and could constitute a tort under civil law.
That principle has been reflected in the courts. In a lawsuit brought by a Korean resident of Japan who sought damages after his employer required him to use his real name instead of an alias, a court found that disclosing the man's previously undisclosed nationality to a third party amounted to a violation of his privacy.
Local governments have also begun responding. Mitaka in Tokyo and Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture enacted ordinances in 2024 and 2025, respectively, prohibiting the public disclosure of personal information such as nationality against a person's will.
Kobayashi said preventing such incidents ultimately requires more than legal protections. Eliminating discrimination and prejudice based on a person's roots or origin is essential, he said, adding that education and awareness campaigns are needed to foster lasting change.
