abstract:is an outcaste group at the bottom of the Japanese social order that has historically been the victim of severe discrimination and ostracism. They were originally members of outcaste 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 ( or "defilement") attached to them.
Some lower-ranking companies may have ties to the yakuza, Japan's mafia, and among the lowest-paid recruits are members of the burakumin minority, who have long been discriminated against.