Human rights and democracy are values and systems that are fundamental to each person's individual happiness, and the sufficient development of human rights and democratic foundations is directly tied to the creation of a peaceful and prosperous society and therefore to the peace and security of international society. In the speech that Foreign Minister Aso delivered in November regarding the Arc of Freedom and Prosperity, he stressed that Japan will emphasize fundamental values such as human rights and democracy as a new pillar of its diplomacy. (*18)

   In the UN as well, movement towards “mainstreaming of human rights” is gaining speed, such as with the outcome document of the 2005 World Summit reconfirming that human rights constitute one of the three main pillars of the United Nations, as well as with the establishment in March of the United Nations Human Rights Council, intended to strengthen the United Nations Commission on Human Rights that it succeeded. The UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, whose negotiations Japan actively participated in, and their adoption demonstrated significant movement forward in the strengthening of mechanisms in the UN to protect and promote human rights.

   Furthermore, in the elections to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (June) and to the Human Rights Committee of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (*19) (September), Ambassador in charge of Human Rights Saiga Fumiko and Professor Iwasawa Yuji, Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo, were elected respectively. Japan believes that it can also continue to contribute to the international protection and promotion of human rights through the activities of these specialists.

   In the area of democracy, in October, Dr. Arima Tatsuo, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan, attended the 6th International Conference of New or Restored Democracies (held in Qatar), where, based on Japan's experiences, he emphasized the fact that democracy is indispensable in attaining peace and prosperity based on Japan's experience. Also, in order to advance Japan's diplomatic policy in which universal values are emphasized, Japan decided to contribute US$10 million to the UN Democracy Fund.

   Japan will strengthen its diplomacy for enhancing human rights and democracy by establishing mutual linkages between its efforts related to human rights and democracy in the multilateral arena, such as in the UN, and its bilateral efforts, conducted through human rights dialogues and development assistance.