safer Work in our country Japan!
Incident Summary
In April 2023, the Japanese civil society organization Human Rights Now published a draft bill calling for mandatory human rights due diligence (HRDD) for corporations operating in Japan. The proposal requires companies to identify, prevent, and address human rights risks in their supply chains, particularly in industries where abuses such as forced labor, unsafe working conditions, and environmental harm are prevalent. The draft legislation was introduced in response to growing international pressure for stronger corporate accountability and to align Japan with global standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.
Why This Matters
This reform matters because it highlights how corporate responsibility is directly tied to human rights protection. Multinational supply chains often conceal exploitation, and voluntary guidelines have proven insufficient. By moving toward mandatory HRDD, Japan is recognizing that businesses must not profit from abuse and that legal frameworks are essential to safeguard workers, communities, and the environment. It underscores the principle that economic activity should never come at the expense of human dignity.
Putting It in Perspective
Japan’s draft bill reflects a global trend toward binding corporate accountability. Countries such as France and Germany have already made similar laws, and the European Union is advancing its own directive. If adopted, Japan’s legislation would strengthen Asia’s role in the international human rights movement and pressure other governments in the region to follow suit. Critics argue that mandatory HRDD could burden businesses with compliance costs, but supporters emphasize that preventing human rights abuses is not optional—it is a moral and legal obligation. I think that this initiative demonstrates how human rights law is evolving beyond state actions to include corporate actors, ensuring that globalization does not perpetuate exploitation.
APA Citation
Human Rights Now. (2023, April 22). Draft legislation on mandatory human rights due diligence in Japan. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved from https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/japan-human-rights-now-publishes-draft-legislation-on-mhredd
I have a regular guest speaker in my enshu who represents the organization Not For Sale Japan, which tries to address the problem of human trafficking. One of the things it does is to rate companies on how much they can remove labor abuses and trafficking in labor from the supply chains of Japanese companies. They produce an annual green and black list of companies that do better or worse in those areas. You can access their facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/notforsalejapan/ and website here: https://notforsalejapan.org/en/ .
ReplyDeleteI noticed that I already told you about Not for Sale Japan in another blog entry. I was feeling deja vu. You might want to check out the home page of the American NPO Not for Sale: https://wearenotforsale.org/ .
ReplyDelete