E/CN.4/2002/24 page 28 9. In the area of housing, thanks to economic and social development and the increase in public investment, the situation of Tibetans has considerably improved. According to the statistics of the old Tibetan local authorities, in 1950 about 90 per cent of Tibetans did not own their own home. At present, with the exception of families living in a small number of farming areas, all families have their own home. Between 1990 and 1995, the size of the homes of Tibetans living in the countryside and the towns increased from 18.9 to 20 m2 and from 11 to 14 m2 respectively. In some areas, far-reaching measures have been taken for the benefit of 90 per cent of farmers’ households in order to enable them to renovate their homes and build new dwellings. 10. As is apparent from the facts outlined above, the development and progress achieved by the Tibetans are indisputable; the Tibetan question originates not from racial discrimination, but from the ethnic separatism of the Dalai Lama clique. The various accusations levelled in the above-mentioned letter are in stark contrast to the actual situation and constitute a malevolent attack furthering covert political designs. It is to be hoped that, given its devotion to facts and the cause of justice, the United Nations human rights system and the persons and organizations forming part of it will not allow themselves to be misled.” 60. The Chinese appended to its reply a “white book” on the question of Tibet, which is available for consultation in the secretariat. 3. Comments by the Special Rapporteur 61. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Chinese Government for its cooperation and will continue to follow carefully the effective implementation of the measures intended to promote and protect all the human rights of Tibetans. B. Japan 1. Communication dated 26 July containing allegations of racism and racial discrimination against Buraku people 62. It has been reported that Buraku communities in many cities in Japan suffer from various forms of systematic and institutional discrimination in the judicial system, employment, education, housing, public policies and social assimilation: (a) Judicial system: Requests for retrials by Burakumin have often been denied by the judicial authorities. Moreover, governmental institutions in charge of defending Buraku people against discrimination often employ underqualified personnel; (b) Employment: Most Burakumin perform hard manual work and have unstable employments. When selecting candidates, many companies carry out background investigations to trace the origin of people presumed to be Burakumin; (c) Education: The scholarship level of Buraku people scholarship level is under the national average;