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Japan

  • Japan: Press Burma’s Foreign Minister on Rights
    Oct 20, 2011
    Japanese officials should press Burma’s visiting foreign minister on the need for genuine reforms to improve human rights in Burma.
  • Statement: Dialogue between Japanese civil society and Ugandan Embassy on LGBT issues
    Jul 10, 2011
    On June 27, three organizations concerned with human rights - Tokyo Pride, Human Rights Watch Tokyo, and African Japan Forum - met with representatives of the Embassy of Uganda to express concerns about recent violations of rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) persons in that country.
  • Malaysia: Lawsuit Against Rights Defender Impedes Public Debate
    Jun 22, 2011
    A defamation lawsuit against a human rights defender who blogged against violations of migrant worker rights threatens to chill debate on matters of public interest in Malaysia.
  • Japan: Raise Rights as China Crackdown Escalates
    May 18, 2011
    Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan should call on China to release the large number of peaceful critics it has rounded up in recent months during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Japan.
  • Japan: Governor Should Retract Homophobic Comments
    Feb 1, 2011
    The governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, should immediately retract his recent statements denigrating lesbians and gay men, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • A Plea for Bilateral Plain Talk
    Nov 12, 2010
    Philippine President Benigno Aquino III visits Japan this week for the first time since he took office on June 30, to attend his first Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Yokohama. As human rights are a pillar of Japan's foreign policy, Prime Minister Naoto Kan should express Japan's concern about the ongoing extrajudicial killings in the Philippines carried out with near complete impunity, and make clear that failure to address the killings seriously will jeopardize the bilateral relationship.
  • Rights and Health, Right Now, for Migrants
    Oct 27, 2010
    The South African health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, took the stage recently in Vienna to address the nearly 20,000 attendees at the 2010 International AIDS Conference. His presence was a testament to the progress South Africa has recently made in controlling the HIV epidemic after years of deadly denial, and his speech was received with hearty, generous applause.
  • Human Rights Should Be Kan's Foreign Policy Priority
    Aug 2, 2010
    Now that the Upper House elections are over, Prime Minister Kan Naoto can at last concentrate on governing and making good on his pledge to build a "society with the minimum level of unhappiness." One way Prime Minister Kan could carry out this pledge would be to declare a commitment to "human rights diplomacy" and begin by formulating a vision for eliminating "unhappiness" not just in Japan, but also elsewhere in Asia and around the world.
  • UNESCO: Controversy Surrounding "Dictator" Prize
    Jun 24, 2010
    UNESCO, well known for deciding world heritages, is in the middle of a controversy surrounding a "dictator" prize. Japan should step in urgently to defend UN principles and to protect UNESCO's reputation.
  • Japan: Urge Rights Reforms in Turkmenistan
    Dec 15, 2009
    Japan’s leaders should use the upcoming state visit by the Turkmen president to raise concerns about the appalling human rights situation in Turkmenistan and to press for concrete improvements.
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