Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance,Refugees

Mr President,
Madam High Commissioner,
Distinguished Ministers, Excellencies,

This is NAKATANI Gen, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan for international human rights issues. It is my great honour to have this opportunity to make a statement as the very first Special Advisor dedicated to human rights issues under the Kishida administration, which emphasizes the protection of universal values such as human rights.

Mr President，

First of all, I must refer to the situation of Ukraine. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine infringes upon Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, constitutes a serious violation of international law prohibiting use of force, and is a grave breach of the United Nations Charter. Japan condemns the actions in the strongest terms. Recalling also that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”, Japan strongly demands that the obligations under international law including international humanitarian law are fulfilled.

Mr President,

Japan believes that universal values, such as human rights, freedom, democracy, and the rule of law should be respected in every country, and that the protection of human rights is the basic responsibility of all countries.

Based on this belief, Japan has been speaking out firmly against serious violations of human rights, as well as promoting the voluntary efforts of each country through “dialogue” and “cooperation”, while taking into consideration their specific circumstances.

Mr President,

Improvements to human rights situations cannot be achieved overnight, and there are still challenges to be overcome around the world. As a member of the Human Rights Council from the Asia-Pacific, Japan is determined to continue to contribute to improving the human rights situation in the countries of the region and beyond.

For example, the resolution on the situation of human rights in Cambodia submitted by Japan was unanimously adopted at the Human Rights Council last year. Japan hopes that this will encourage the promotion of Cambodia’s efforts and the improvement of the human rights situation in Cambodia.

Japan expresses its concern that no action has been taken to improve the situation in Myanmar for one year after the coup d’état. Japan once again strongly urges the Myanmar military to take concrete actions to immediately stop the violence, release those who are detained, and swiftly restore Myanmar’s democratic political system. Japan will continue to work closely with the international community, including ASEAN, and do its utmost effort to improve the situation in Myanmar.

Universal values such as freedom, respect for human rights, and the rule of law, must also be protected in China, including Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Japan is deeply concerned about the recent situation, and again strongly urges China to take positive concrete actions including transparent explanations.

The issue of abductions by North Korea is Japan’s top priority. As the families of the victims continue to age, there is no time to lose on this issue. “The resolutions on the situation of human rights in the DPRK”, consecutively adopted in the past, reflect the strong concerns of the international community regarding the serious human rights violation in North Korea, including the issue of abductions. Japan, in close cooperation with the international community, will continue to strongly urge North Korea to take concrete and positive actions towards the immediate resolution of the abductions issue.

Mr President,

Today, we see a growing need for respect for human rights in various arenas. Accordingly, it is increasingly important to expand related efforts at all levels of socioeconomic activity.

In this regard, the Government of Japan has established an Inter-Ministerial Committee under my leadership to promote further efforts taken under Japan’s “National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights”, launched in 2020.

Japan will actively encourage the efforts of business enterprises to respect human rights by ensuring predictability through international coordination. We have also commenced work on developing guidelines for business enterprises by this summer.

Mr President,

Let me introduce some other recent Japanese initiatives.

Japan is promoting efforts to end violence against children at home and abroad, and formulated a national action plan to address this issue last August.

Japan will continue to lead international discussions on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy, and to support the activities of the Special Rapporteur on this issue.

Japan is working towards a society in which the pride of the indigenous Ainu people is respected. Last year, we had a performance of a traditional Ainu dance to promote Ainu culture at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. We were delighted to show the world that Japan aims to realize a harmonious and inclusive society where the human rights and dignity of each person are fully respected.

Protection of women’s rights is also crucially important. This year, Japan will contribute approximately 6.2 million USD in total to UN Women and other organizations for addressing the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable women.

Mr President,

The head of the Republic of Korea delegation mentioned the issue of comfort women. Japan has been sincerely addressing this issue for a long period of time, including the agreement between Japan and the ROK in 2015, which confirmed that the issue of comfort women is “resolved finally and irreversibly”. And the projects based on the agreement have been received positively by many former comfort women. Therefore, the statement made by the ROK is unacceptable.

Mr President,

Let me conclude my statement by underlining Japan’s determination to contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights, hand in hand with the international community, based on the principle of human security and “leaving no one behind”.

Thank you for your kind attention.