
Japan
Japan is a liberal democracy with a record of upholding civil and political rights, but its laws and systems to protect rights are weak. Japan has no laws prohibiting racial, ethnic, or religious discrimination, or discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Japan has a law prohibiting sexual discrimination in the workplace only. Civil society groups have long called for a national human rights institution. Serious human rights issues include an asylum and refugee determination system that rarely grants refugee status, a “hostage” justice system that detains criminal suspects for long periods to coerce confessions, use of the death penalty, and a huge psychiatric industry that uses arbitrary detention and use of physical restraints. The Japanese government continues to actively support the expansion of fossil fuels both domestically and abroad, contributing to the global climate crisis.

Videos
VideosNews
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Japan Supreme Court Ruling a Victory for Transgender Employees
Employers Should End Workplace Bathroom Restrictions
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Japan Passes Law to ‘Promote Understanding’ of LGBT People
Fight Continues for Comprehensive Nondiscrimination Legislation
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Japan Should Push Back on Hong Kong’s Rights Violations
Politically Motivated Visa Denials Highlight Growing Range of Abuses
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Ending Japan’s ‘Hostage Justice’ System
Government Needs to Act Against Abuses in Pretrial Detention
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Japan Should Recognize Nonconsensual Intercourse as Rape
Listen to Survivors; Adhere to International Standards
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Japan Immigration Law Creates New Obstacles for Asylum Seekers
Heightened Risk of Refugee Applicants Being Returned Home to Harm
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Tokyo Confirms Myanmar Military Misused Japan-Funded Ships
Japan Should Suspend Non-Humanitarian Aid to Junta
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Hong Kong Arrest Encroaches on Free Expression in Japan
Japanese Government Should Resist Beijing’s Transnational Repression