If you haven’t heard the name Danny Jin, it’s time to get acquainted. A Japanese-Palestinian rapper, the grandson of a Nakba survivor is turning his music into a platform for protest. His message is clear: the silence surrounding the plight of Palestinians, particularly in Japan, must be shattered.
“I went to a protest and met a producer who gave me a beat,” Danny recalls in an interview with AJ+. “I was like, ‘let’s talk about boycotts.’ It’s simple. A boycott is accessible. In Japan, protest culture doesn’t exist the way it does elsewhere, so it’s a harder task to take to the streets. But if the sound is good, people will listen—and then they’ll start paying attention to the lyrics. If I make good music, little by little, people will learn about Palestine.”
At just 19, Jin boldly criticizes Japan’s connection to Israel in his track, Boycott. He recognizes how little awareness there is in Japan about the occupation of Palestine. Although the Free Palestine movement is gaining traction in the East Asian country, with several awareness campaigns, including Tears For Palestine— an alternative protest organized by Palestinians of Japan (POF)–the rapper notes more could be done.
“The majority of Japanese people don’t even engage with their own political landscape, let alone Palestine’s,” Jin explains. “That’s part of the problem. The media doesn’t explain what’s happening, and most people just don’t know.”
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The Tokyo-based artist, who launched his music career last year, has been an advocate for human rights issues since he was 14. As part of the Palestinian diaspora, unable to return to the homeland because, in 1948, Zionist militias forcibly displaced over 750,000 Palestinians, he is a regular presence at protests and marches advocating for Palestinian freedom.
“I’m half Palestinian, half Japanese. My father is Palestinian. My grandparents were made refugees by the Nakba. After that, we became part of the Palestinian diaspora. I was born and raised in Japan, but I’ll never feel fully Japanese. Even as a child, I always felt tied to Palestine. When people ask me, ‘What is Palestine? Where are the Palestinians?’—I’m not surprised,” he shares.
Japan is one of several countries that offer political asylum to Palestinians, and has a history of actively providing assistance to those under occupation. However, Jin feels that a lot of Japanese people still have ways to go when it comes to fully understanding the Palestinian struggle. The artist is confident that his music can help raise awareness and build a more nuanced perspective on the realities faced by those living under occupation.
”Some people are starting to learn about Palestine through my music,” says Jin. “I’ve even had people tell me they joined protests after hearing my songs.”
