assimilation district; burakumin area; area targeted for antidiscrimination measures
Refers to areas historically associated with burakumin communities, designated for government assimilation and anti-discrimination projects. The term is closely tied to Japan's Dōwa policy and carries social and historical weight.
Education is being conducted to eliminate prejudice against burakumin areas.
In this town, there is an area that was once called a dōwa district.
同和地区 is a euphemistic, more formal term often used in place of 部落 when referring to historically discriminated communities, to soften the sensitivity of the topic.
From 同和 (dōwa, 'assimilation') + 地区 (chiku, 'district'). The term was coined as part of the post-war Dōwa policy aimed at improving conditions and eliminating discrimination against burakumin communities.