TOKYO/OSAKA >> Protesters took to the streets of Tokyo and Osaka over the weekend to speak out against racial prejudice and the violent treatment by police of foreign residents in Japan.

In Osaka Sunday, a peace march sponsored by the Kansai chapter of Black Lives Matter drew nearly 1,000 people, according to local reports.

The Osaka march took place during a weekend of protests globally in response to the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in Minneapolis two weeks ago after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

“A lot of friends in the U.S., and their families, are participating in the Washington, D.C., protests. Their power to come together gave those of us in Japan the power to come together as well,” said Alyse Sugahara, a 33-year-old African American woman who attended the demonstration. “This march drew not only local African Americans, but whites and Asians as well as a large number of Japanese, which was quite inspiring.”

On Saturday in Tokyo, two demonstrations were held near Shibuya Station. One, a march against police brutality, made its way through the streets of the famed shopping district. More than 500 demonstrators denounced the treatment of a Kurdish man who was reportedly shoved to the ground May 22 by Tokyo police officers.

In a video filmed by the man’s friend, police could be seen shoving him to the ground after he declined to give them permission to search his car. One officer can later be seen kicking his leg and then, while the man is crouching on the ground, wrapping his arm around his neck.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the man overtook a patrol car then when stopped, declined to present his driver’s license and began to drive off. The police stopped the car, removed him from the vehicle and ordered him to kneel to avoid traffic. A police statement said he was sent home with a warning.

The incident occurred just three days before Floyd’s death triggered worldwide protests.

“I want people to know that racism in Japan is everyone’s problem,” said Hana Kurokawa, 22, on Saturday at a Black Lives Matter rally near the statue of Hachiko.

“We all know what’s happening in the U.S.,” said Nami Nana- mi, 28. “The same thing is happening in Japan, but nobody is talking about it.”

Kazuo Russell, 26, from Albany, N.Y., said many people in Japan are “worried about their peers and coworkers judging them, so they voice their opinion from behind a computer screen. And (the Japanese media) don’t like to focus on hard topics.”