Japan 's new government should make the promotion of human rights central to its foreign policy, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on November 6, 2025. The Japanese government should affirm its commitment to human rights by taking the lead in promoting civilian democratic rule and the rule of law across Asia and around the world.
Prime Minister Takaichi, Japan's first female prime minister, took office on October 21. Japan, as the only Asian member of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies, has a significant role in promoting fundamental rights and freedoms abroad, including in Cambodia, China, Myanmar, and North Korea. Japan's longstanding official policy "puts effort into improving the global human rights situation through bilateral dialogues, proactive participation in multilateral forums such as the UN, and constructive dialogues with the UN human rights mechanisms."
"Japan has long claimed to pursue human rights diplomacy, but it has yet to take meaningful steps needed to make that a reality," said Kanae Doi, Japan director at Human Rights Watch. "Prime Minister Takaichi should swiftly enact necessary measures to promote rights-respecting governance crucial for the security and well-being of people throughout Asia and elsewhere."
The new Japanese government has the opportunity to adopt a number of important measures to promote human rights, Human Rights Watch said. The government should adopt a global Magnitsky-style sanctions law, which will allow Japan to impose targeted sanctions on serious human rights abusers abroad. Japan is currently the only G7 country without such a law.
The government should introduce legally binding human rights and environmental due diligence for Japanese companies to address forced labor, child labor, sexual harassment, exposure to toxic substances, retaliation for organizing, and low wages in global value chains. In addition, the government should legislate import and export bans on goods produced through means involving forced labor and deforestation.
The Japanese government should also show its support and commitment to international justice and the rule of law by acceding to the Genocide Convention. It should publicly express strong support for the International Criminal Court, including by denouncing and taking measures against US government sanctions on the court and providing the court with the resources it needs to carry out its work.
Other priorities for Japanese human rights diplomacy include publicly denouncing cases of transnational repression by China and other governments; increasing assistance for refugees and other vulnerable groups; and establishing a program to support human rights defenders and open civic space abroad.
The Japanese government should also take up key human rights issues in specific countries, particularly in Asia. It should press the Chinese government to end its growing repression, including crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, forced assimilation in Tibet, and the erasure of freedoms in Hong Kong. Japan should also continue to raise concerns with other governments about the Myanmar junta's proposed elections; and press the Cambodian government to lift the severe restrictions on freedom of expression, the media, peaceful assembly, and association.
"As Japan's new leader, Prime Minister Takaichi has the power to transform Japan into a global leader on human rights, both at home and abroad," Doi said. "Despite a turbulent geopolitical climate, Prime Minister Takaichi should embrace this opportunity to adopt new laws, policies, and practices that will allow Japan to reach its human rights potential."
