UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The United Nations has urgedthe Japanese government to combat racism, discrimination and xenophobia in the country by promulgating comprehensive anti-racism legislation and building a multicultural society.

    The call was contained in a report to the UN General Assembly, which was prepared by Doudou Diene, UN Human Rights Commission's special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism and racial discrimination. The report was made available to the press on Tuesday.

    Diene, who visited Japan in July to study the impact of racism in a highly technologically and intellectually advanced society, said in the report that racism, discrimination and xenophobia are a reality in Japanese society.

    This discrimination affects national minorities, including the people of Okinawa, as well as the Korean and Chinese communities, and immigrants from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, the report said.

    The report noted that there is a lack of awareness in Japan about the deep historical and cultural roots of this discrimination.

    Such a lack of awareness is illustrated by "the recurring controversy surrounding the way in which certain episodes of Japan's history are written, particularly vis-a-vis its historical relations with neighbors such as the Korean Peninsula and China," the report pointed out.

    It is also illustrated by "the recurrence of the xenophobic andracist discourse of certain political figures, for example the governor of Tokyo (Shintaro Ishihara)" and by "the lack of comprehensive national legislation against racism, discrimination and xenophobia," the report said.

    The report called on Japan to bring its internal social, human and cultural structures into line with its global dimension and build a multicultural society.

    Briefing a committee of the General Assembly on the report on Monday, Diene said he would present a new report to the Human Rights Commission in March making specific recommendations on the fight against racism in Japan.

    During the briefing, he urged Japanese authorities to show stronger political will to combat racism, including stating their position on the xenophobic speeches of Ishihara and identifying history's role in Japan and how in fact history is being taught. Enditem