Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance,Refugees

On July 26, the first meeting of the Roundtable for Promoting the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP) was held online.

1. In October 2020, the Government of Japan launched the NAP with the aim of promoting respect for human rights in business activities. To promote relevant measures listed in the NAP, the Government of Japan organized a Roundtable for Promoting the NAP as a framework for dialogue with stakeholders and held the first meeting on this matter. Various stakeholders, including business associations, experts, civil society, international organizations and other relevant organizations, as well as relevant government ministries and agencies, participated in the meeting and exchanged views.
2. At the meeting, the relevant ministries and agencies explained the objectives of holding the roundtable and how to proceed with future discussions, and they introduced their recent efforts. The stakeholders also expressed views concerning their recognition of the current situation and issues, as well as their expectations and requests for future measures encouraging business enterprises to respect human rights and for methods to follow up on the implementation of the NAP.
3. Taking into consideration the views expressed at the meeting, the Government will continue to implement the NAP steadily and promote the introduction of human rights due diligence by businesses.

• In 2016, the Government of Japan announced its intention to formulate a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. The Government further reiterated this intention in various policy documents such as “Growth Strategy 2018” and the “SDGs Implementation Guiding Principles Revised Edition.”
• In 2018, as the initial step of developing the NAP, the Government of Japan undertook a Government-led baseline study with the aim of assessing the current landscape surrounding legislation and policies and the extent to which they provide for the protection of human rights in the context of business activities. The Government of Japan then established an Advisory Committee for the NAP on Business and Human Rights (hereinafter the Advisory Committee) and a Working Group on the NAP on Business and Human Rights (hereinafter the Working Group). Taking into account the views from the Advisory Committee meetings and the Working Group meetings as well as comments received in the “public comment” procedure, in October 2020, the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Japan’s NAP on Business and Human Rights formulated the NAP with the aim of promoting respect for human rights in the context of business activities.
• The NAP lists a series of measures related to business and human rights to be implemented by the Government. It also sets out expectations for business enterprises to promote the implementation of human rights due diligence in the context of their business activities.

In accordance with the NAP, the Roundtable is organized as a framework for continued dialogue among relevant government ministries, experts, and stakeholders from different fields. It aims to promote efforts on the implementation and review of the NAP with the cooperation of a wide range of stakeholders.

Stakeholders

AIHARA Yasunobu

General Secretary, JTUC-Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation)

ARAI Masaru

Chair, Japan Sustainable Investment Forum; Senior Engagement Consultant, Hermes EOS

ARIMA Toshio

Chairman of the Board, Global Compact Network Japan

OMURA Emi

Former Chair, Committee on International Human Rights, Japan Federation of Bar Associations

KONO Yasuko

Director, Japan Consumers’ Association

TAKASAKI Shinichi

Director, International Labour Organization Office for Japan

FUTAMIYA Masaya

Chair, Committee on Responsible Business Conduct & SDGs Promotion, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation)
Director-Chairman, Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.

HAMAMOTO Shotaro

Professor, Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University

HIROHAMA Yasuhisa

CEO, National Conference of Association of Small Business Entrepreneurs

WAKABAYASHI Hideki

Chair, Business and Human Rights Civil Society Platform

Government Ministries and Agencies

AKAHORI Takeshi, Deputy Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ambassador in charge of UN Affairs) (Chair), Director-level officials from the following ministries and agencies: Cabinet Office, National Police Agency, Financial Services Agency, Consumer Affairs Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Ministry of the Environment, and Ministry of Defense