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Burakumini nisu smješteni u nekom posebnom području Japana, ali živi u posebnim malim naseljima ili getoima. Oni su prvobitno bili članovi izopćenih zajednica u japanskom feudalnom dobu. Te zajednice činili su ljudi koji su se bavili zanimanjima koja su smatrana nečistima ili ‘umrljana smrću’, kao što su izvršioci smrtnih kazni, grobari, radnici u klaonicama, mesari i kožari. Ova zanimanja su društveno stigmatizirana.

Naselja Burakumina najčešće su smještena u siromašnim, isušenim predjelima, ili predjelima koji nisu pogodni za život ljudi. Procjene o brojnosti Burakumina su različita jer službeni podaci o broju pripadnika Burakumina ne postoje, osim jednog popisa Agencije za opće poslove iz 1985. godine prema kojima u Japanu živi 1.163.372 zajednice Burakumin i 4.594 zajednice Buraku. Službena statistika o broju Burakumina u Japanu i dalje nije ažurirana, a procjene se kreću od jednog do tri milijuna pa sve do više od šest milijuna ljudi.

Sustav kasti je uspostavljen u Japanu tokom Edo period od 17. do 19. stoljeća. Smatralo se kako su Burakumini bili izvan sustava četiri osnovne kaste unutar japanskog društva. Kao izopćenici iz društva bili su podvrgnuti nizu zakona i običaja koji su nametali ograničenja u pogledu mjesta gdje smiju živjeti, poslova koje smiju obavljati, kao i prava na posjedovanje zemlje.

Burakumini su živjeli u izoliranim selima i općenito bili ignorirani od strane ostalih pripadnika japanskog društva. Kraj feudalnog uređenja doveo je do početka Meiji perioda i takozvanog "Edikta o emancipaciji" usvojenog 1871. godine, kojim je ukinut sistem kasti a Burakuminima je priznata jednakost pred zakonom.

Međutim, društvena i ekonomska diskriminacija Burakumina se nastavila, kao i isključivanje i nedostatak jednakih mogućnosti. Ostali Japanci nisu želeli biti u kontaktu sa Burakuminima odnosno "onečišćeni" od strane Burakumina.

Tokom posljednjeg perioda industrijskog razvoja i urbanizacije Japana, nakon Drugog svjetskog rata, mnoge zajednice Burakumina integrirane su u industrijsku radnu snagu zemlje. U nekim dijelovima Japana, naročito na zapadu zemlje, neke zajednice su ostale izolirane. Njih su karakterizirali loši životni uvjeti i loša infrastruktura, kao i općenito nizak nivo pismenosti odnosno obrazovanja.

Burakumini su još uvijek često žrtve diskriminacije kod zapošljavanja, kao i u drugim područjima. To je navelo Vladu Japana da 1969. godine Zakonom o posebnim mjerama za projekt u Dovu uvede mjere koje su bile na snazi do 2002. godine. Ove mjere poduzete su u cilju poboljšanja položaja Burakumina i bavile su se samo jednim aspektom problema s kojima se Burakumini suočavaju, a to je loša infrastruktura i stanovanje u zajednicama. Tek kasnije pažnja je usmjerena na suočavanje s problemima diskriminacije.

Nakon što je, 2002. godine, ukinut Zakon o posebnim mjerama za projekte u Dovi, japanska Vlada je relativno malo pažnje posvetila pitanjima s kojima se Burakumini suočavaju. Sukladno Zakonu o promicanju ljudskih prava, u godišnjem izvješću Parlamenta postojalo je poglavlje koje se odnosilo na pitanja vezana za Burakumini, ali ono je sadržalo malo konkretnih informacija koje bi mogle ukazati na utjecaj vladinih programa na rješavanje problema diskriminiranja Burakumina.

U posljednjim desetljećima, širenjem digitalnog prostora dovelo je do stvaranja novih problema Burakumine. Primjerice, porastao je broj pogrdnih i diskriminirajućih poruka putem društvenih mreža. Ovaj problem doveo je do opće zabrinutosti koja je u prosincu 2016. godine rezultirala  usvajanjem od strane Parlamenta Japana Zakona o promicanju eliminacije diskriminacije Burakumina.

Ovim Zakonom ustanovljena je odgovornost Vlade za borbu protiv diskriminacije Burakumina uspostavljanjem mehanizama savjetovanja, unapređivanjem obrazovanja i provođenjem istraga kada se dogode slučajevi diskriminacije. Ipak, neki kritičari tvrde kako Zakon nema mehanizme adekvatnog progona počinitelja, jer zapravo ne kriminalizira diskrimaciju Burakumina te stoga kazne Zakonom nisu predviđene.

Nije teško napraviti usporedbu između položaja Burakumina u Japanu i Roma u Europi. Obje zajednice su kontinuirano stigmatizirane što rezultira manjkom životnih prilika. Povijest Burakumina pokazuje kako ponekad fizički izgled, jezik, vjeroispovijest i ono što nazivamo nacionalnom pripadnošću nisu od suštinske važnosti za društvene nejednakosti. Siromaštvo ne dolazi s genima ili kulturom već je rezultat odnosa moći i pristupa bogatstvu.

The Burakumin people in Japan are not an ethnic minority, but rather a caste- or descent-based group. They share with the other Japanese the same customs, religion, language, and physical appearance, but live in isolated localities and experience discrimination and marginalization. The term Burakumin literally translates as village people, from the words buraku, meaning community or village and min, meaning people.

The Burakumin are not located in any particular region in Japan, but rather live in specific hamlets or ghettos. They were originally members of outcast communities in the Japanese feudal era, composed of those with occupations considered impure or tainted by death (such as executioners, undertakers, workers in slaughterhouses, butchers, or tanners), which have severe social stigmas of kegare, i.e. "defilement", attached to them.

The buraku settlements are generally located in poorly drained areas or locations not well suited for human habitation. Estimates of the size of this group vary wildly as no official figures on the Burakumin population have been produced, except for a census by the General Affairs Agency in 1985 which reported that there were 1,163,372 Burakumin and 4,594 buraku communities in Japan.  There are still no updated official statistics of Burakumin, but estimates range between one and three million to over six million people.

The caste system became well established in Japan during the Edo period in the XVII to XIX century. The Burakumin were considered to be external to the four main caste divisions of Japanese society. As social outcasts, they were subjected to a series of laws and customs which restricted where they might live, the type of work they could work, their rights to own land, etc.

The Burakumin lived in segregated villages and were generally avoided by the rest of Japanese. The end of the feudal system led at the beginning of the Meiji period and to the so-called “Emancipation Edict” adopted in 1871, which abolished the caste system and granted equal status before the law to the Burakumin.

However, social and economic discrimination of Burakumin continued and the exclusion and lack of equal opportunities was perpetuated. Other Japanese did not want to be in contact with the buraku or “contaminated” by them.

During the fast industrial development and urbanization of Japan after Second World War, many buraku communities integrated into the country’s industrial labor force. In other parts of Japan, especially in the West, other communities remained isolated. They were characterized by poor living conditions and infrastructure, as well as overall low educational and literacy levels of their inhabitants.

The existence of these Buraku communities still discriminated against in employment and other areas, led the government to introduce measures under the “Law on Special Measures for Dowa Projects” in 1969, which were maintained until 2002. These improvements only addressed one aspect of the disadvantages facing the Burakumin, namely the poor infrastructure and housing in their communities. Only later was attention directed towards tackling the problems of discrimination which Burakumin continued to experience.

Following the termination in 2002 of the Law on Special Measures for Dowa Projects, the Japanese government has paid relatively little attention to issues facing the Burakumin. There has been a chapter on Buraku issues in annual reports to the Parliament under the Human Rights Promotion Law, but these have included little concrete information that could indicate the impact of government programmes to address discriminatory attitudes towards Burakumin.

In recent decades, the digital space has opened new problems for Burakumin, such as an increase in derogatory and discriminatory messaging via social media. Concerns surrounding these issues have contributed to a regeneration of political momentum which in December 2016 resulted in the Parliament finally adopting the Act on the Promotion of the Elimination of Buraku Discrimination.

This landmark legislation asserted the government’s responsibility to fight discrimination against Burakumin through establishing consultation mechanisms, improving education and investigating instances of discrimination when they occur. Yet, some critics have argued that the law lacks ability for adequate prosecution, as it does not actually criminalize discrimination against Burakumin and therefore penalties are not envisaged.

It is not hard to draw a parallel between the fate of the Burakumin in Japan and the Roma in Europe. Both communities suffer continuous stigmatization which results in discrimination and lesser life opportunities. The history of the Buraku, however, demonstrates that sometimes physical appearance, language, religion, and what we call “ethnicity” are not essential for social inequalities. Poverty does not come with genes or culture, but is rather a result of power relations and access to wealth.