Human Rights Now has submitted our information report to the Human Rights Committee in advance of its review of Japan\u2019s Sixth Periodic Report on the implementation of the obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).The 111th session of the United Nations Human Rights Committee will be held from the 7th until 25th of July 2014 in Geneva.<\/p>\n
Since the last concluding observation by the Committee in 2008, little progress has been made to improve the human rights situation in Japan, and the Japanese government has failed to sufficiently implement the Committee\u2019s recommendations. Most of the recommendations, including those on the death penalty, lengthy pretrial detention and custodial interrogation, other infringements of defendant rights, women\u2019s rights, minority rights, rights of foreigners, and sexual slavery issues, have not at all been properly addressed by the Japanese authorities. There has been no serious discussion about the establishment of the National Human Rights Institution, despite the Committee\u2019s insistence on forming such a body. There has also been no progress in ratifying the first and second optional protocols.<\/p>\n
The following serious human rights problems have been observed since the last observation made by the Committee in 2008 and these are the topics discussed in the report with detailed information and HRN\u2019s recommendations: <\/p>\n
1)\tHate speech targeting ethnic minorities, especially Korean Residents, in Japan
\n2)\tCriminal Justice System
\n3)\tJapan\u2019s Military Sexual Slavery
\n4)\tOn-going Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
\n5)\tThe Newly Enacted Secrecy Act
\n6)\tProposed Amendments to the Japanese Constitution<\/p>\n