Situated in Naniwa-ku, a ward in south Osaka City, Liberty Osaka (Osaka Human Rights Museum) was originally founded in December 1985 to document the history of the Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

 human rights movement and was relaunched in December 1995 as the Osaka Jinken Hakubutsu-kan (Human Rights Museum). As the first general museum dedicated to human rights in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, the focus of its permanent exhibits is the history of the struggle against discrimination experienced by the nation's minority ethnic groups; the burakumin

Burakumin

are a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and Japanese residents of Korean and Chinese descent....

, the Ainu

Ainu people

The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...

 of Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, the Ryukyuans

Ryukyuans

The are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyūshū and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture...

 of Okinawa and Japan's communities of Korean

Korean people

The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...

 and Chinese

Chinese people

The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....

 descent. There are also exhibits dedicated to discrimination issues affecting women, gays and lesbians, the physically challenged and the survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (the Hibakusha

Hibakusha

The surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are called , a Japanese word that literally translates to "explosion-affected people"...

).
Entrance is ¥250 and ¥150 for college and high school students and ¥500 and ¥300 respectively for special exhibits. Entrance is free for elementary and middle school students, senior citizens aged 65 and over, and physically challenged individuals. Audio guides are available in both Japanese and English.

The museum is open from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Last entrance is at 4:30 p.m. It is closed every Monday (except on public holidays), days following a public holiday, the 4th Friday of the month and New Year's Day. The nearest train stations are Ashiharabashi and Imamiya (Osaka Loop Line

Osaka Loop Line

The is a railway line in Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company . It encircles central Osaka.The second loop line, the Osaka Higashi Line, from Hanaten to Kyuhoji was opened on March 15, 2008, and the line from Shigino to Shin-Ōsaka is planned to open in 2020.-Outline:This loop line consists...

).