The International Labour Organization (ILO) is helping Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) put human rights into practice through two new collections of case studies.
Developed with the Japan Federation of Labour and Social Security Attorney's Associations (Japan Sharoushi Federation) and the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), the guides showcase real-world examples of responsible business conduct (RBC) and the role of Labour and Social Security Attorneys (Sharoushi) in supporting enterprises.
To mark the launch, the ILO hosted a webinar on 24 March bringing together SMEs, industry representatives, and Sharoushi to share practical approaches. The webinar highlighted how enterprises can integrate human rights into their operations and value chains.
While expectations for enterprises to respect human rights across supply chains have grown glob-ally, many SMEs still lack guidance on how to begin. The two practical guides-Responsible business conduct in small and medium-sized enterprises: Examples of Collaborative practice with BHR promotion labour and social security attorneys and Sustainable Procurement Partnership: An industry-wide initiative and case studies of SMEs on responsible business conduct-introduce practical examples from SMEs that have successfully integrated human rights into their business practices.
Yuki Kobayashi, ILO Programme Coordinator, highlighted that "by sharing practical examples from enterprises-particularly concrete, workplace-based approaches and lessons learned-we hope this will serve as a starting point for each company, as well as for broader efforts across sup-ply chains."
Masakiyo Wakabayashi, President of the Japan Sharoushi Federation, noted that the case studies "demonstrate the practical efforts of Sharoushi in addressing field-level challenges alongside enterprises," and expressed hope that these resources would guide SMEs in implementing human rights practices on the ground.
Taira Akiyama, Project Leader of the Sustainable Procurement Partnership (SPP), Concept Study Task Force under the JEITA CSR Committee (NEC Corporation), emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between large enterprises and SMEs through the SPP to address common challenges and enhance sustainability across the industry.
Kazuo Yamanaka, President of Nikko Denki Tsushin Co., Ltd. (NDTC), shared cross-departmental initiatives, engaging the younger generation and visualizing internal issues through staff surveys. He emphasized that "human rights initiatives are not special activities. There is no need to aim for perfection, it is important to start with what is possible."
Makoto Sakaguchi, Vice-President and Director of Motomura Confectionery Co., Ltd, presented examples of internal system improvements, such as revising employment regulations and establishing hotlines. He outlined plans to further integrate human rights considerations into the company's corporate culture.
Kenji Tanaka, COO of Withceed Hospitality Management Inc., described how the company's ef-fort began with LGBTQ-friendly initiatives to support inbound tourism, and later expanded to broader human rights measures, including support for foreign workers. Based on this experience, he addressed the importance of taking action in line with each enterprise's capacity and circum-stances.
The webinar highlighted practical tips for SMEs to advance respect for human rights and labour rights. It also showed how initiatives such as SPP, together with support from Sharoushi, are helping to create an enabling environment for RBC and human rights due diligence (HRDD).
The webinar was organized as part of the ILO project, "Building Responsible Value Chains in Asia through the Promotion of Decent Work in Business Operations (Phase II)," funded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan. The project aims to promote inclusive, responsible and sustainable enterprises and decent work in supply chains through capacity-building pro-grammes for enterprises and ILO's constituents-government, employers' and workers' organizations-in four Asian countries.
