Press Releases

1. On July 11 (same day local time), Japan deposited the instruments of acceptance of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UNTOC, the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the UNTOC, and the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), with the Secretary-General of the UN at the UN Headquarters in New York. As a result, the above four treaties will enter into force for Japan on August 10 this year. 
2. The UNTOC and the two protocols supplementing it aim to prevent more effectively transnational organized crime such as terrorism, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, and to build an international framework to promote cooperation in combating transnational organized crime. The UNCAC aims to prevent corruption involving public officials and others.
3. Taking the opportunity of concluding these treaties, Japan will strive to further strengthen measures to combat transnational organized crime such as terrorism, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, and corruption involving public officials and others, which is an international problem, in close coordination with the international community.    

(Reference 1) The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC)
 1 Adopted at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in November 2000 and entered into force on September 29, 2003. Japan signed the Convention in December 2000, and it was approved by the Diet in May 2003.
 2 As of the end of June 2017, 187 countries and regions are parties to the Convention.

(Reference 2) The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UNTOC)
 1 Adopted at the UNGA in November 2000 and entered into force on December 25, 2003. Japan signed the Protocol in December 2002, and it was approved by the Diet in June 2005.
 2 As of the end of June 2017, 170 countries and regions are parties to the Protocol.

(Reference 3) The Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants (the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the UNTOC)
 1 Adopted at the UNGA in November 2000 and entered into force on January 28, 2004. Japan signed the Protocol in December 2002, and it was approved by the Diet in June 2005.
 2 As of the end of June 2017, 144 countries and regions are parties to the Protocol.

(Reference 4) The UN Convention against Corruption
 1 Adopted at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in October 2003 and entered into force on December 14, 2005. Japan signed the Convention in December 2003, and it was approved by the Diet in June 2006.
 2 As of the end of June 2017, 181 countries and regions are parties to the Convention.