Japan
Background
Japan has divided the issue of exploitation into a number of different thematic areas each of which has a national plan.
There is the Plan for the Prevention fo Sex Crimes Against Children (2022), the Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons (2022), Guidelines on Respecting Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains (2022), National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights 2020-2025,
The formulation and undertaking of the objectives set out in the various plans involves Cabinet Secretariat, the Cabinet Office, Council for the Promotion of Measures to Combat Trafficking in Persons, National Police Agency, Children and Families Agency, Ministry of Justice, Immigration Services Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan Coast Guard, Law Enforcement Task Force against Trafficking in Persons, General Labor Consultation Service, Japan Legal Support Center (Houterasu), Japan International Cooperation Agency, Human Rights Counseling Centers for Foreigners and The Advisory Panel of Experts on the Ideal Form of Technical Intern Training Program and Specified Skilled Worker System.
There are a number of hotlines - Women's Rights Hotline, Internet Hotline Center, Anonymous-Reporting Hot Line - and there are Women's Consultation Offices, General Labor Consultation Service and the Foreign Workers Consultation Corner.
There are annual reports that are publicly available and accessible.
Data is publicly available and accessible but likely because of the range of agencies involved and areas of work it is not centralized.
Criminal enforcement against corporations benefiting from exploitation in supply chains is very limited.
The Japan Financial Intelligence Center, the FIU, mentions human trafficking in their recent national risk assessment but there is no mention in recent annual reports and no typologies.
Dedicated budgets for agency costs to undertake the activities set out in the plans are not disclosed in detail.
Other Key Factors
Japan has had a issue with so-called “black companies” which refers to exploitative workplaces. This is not an official definition, three specific aspects have been highlighted (i) very long working hours; (ii) unreasonable expectations; and (iii) non-compliance with wage and harrassment laws.
The extreme issue of “black companies” highlights the struggle wage theft, for example unpaid overtime.
Joshi kosei (JK) businesses, which can provide services to connect men with underage high school girls, are a considerable concern and in some prefectures are now banned.
The adult entertainment industry is very sophisticated and exploitation of sex workers is considered a priority in the national plans.
There is abuse of the technical intern training scheme leading to instances of forced labor. There have been recent improvements including the capacity to change workplaces.
Freedom of association and collective bargaining is lawful and active.
To understand Japan’s situation more fully, we show the percentage of the population using the internet in Japan, along with the highest usage and lowest usage countries amongst the G20 members (Saudi Arabia and India).
Japan’s remittances are also shown with the respective highest and lowest inflow remittance countries in the G20 (India/Saudi Arabia) and the highest and lowest outflow countries in the G20 (US/Philippines). Keep in mind that remittance estimates are often an under count of actual remittance volume.(Graph unit is in Billion US$)
Japan’s Role in the Global Economy and Its Supply Chains
Trade flows from The Observatory of Economic Complexity. Remittance data from the World Bank.