NGOs welcome U.N. report expressing concern about human rights in Japan

Saturday 01st November, 04:36 AM JST

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10 Comments

some14some at 07:47 AM JST - 1st November

NGO welcome is ok but UN report is for the government and as such readers would like to know govt response. Hope, that news thread will follow soon.
rjd_jr at 08:30 AM JST - 1st November

This shows yet again that many Japanese citizens are concerned about world and national political issues and the right and dignities of their fellow human beings. Defies the conventional and oft repeated notion that many Jp people are ignorant and self centered. Great for these people and hopefully the report will lead to something, though I hardly give any credence or relevance to the U.N. advising or expressing concern about anything.
Freakenese at 09:50 AM JST - 1st November

If opinions like General Tamogami's are the held by Japan's Political and Military leadership, then this U.N. report expressing concern about human rights in Japan is very important.
Statistician at 10:26 AM JST - 1st November

@ boxcar

Once the UN gets the human rights problems ironed out in Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde ...

Depressingly predictable response. Do you want the rest of the world to go on forever regarding Japan as being no better than 'states' like Cameroon when it comes to human rights? Get wise.
bebert at 10:46 AM JST - 1st November

This is what the U.N. spends its resources on - Japan's use of the death penalty and the possible ill treatment of he-she's?

When the U.N. peace keeping troops can actually keep the peace in the Congo, rather than sitting by observing as civilians get raped and murdered, then the U.N. can start pestering the civilized nations that pay their bills over such trivial issues like gay marriage and capital punishment.

Moderator: Readers, please keep your comments focused on what the report says about Japan, rather than references to other countries.
ptolemy at 11:41 AM JST - 1st November

Any UN report has as much teeth as a bacteria, and as much seriousness as an Adam Sandler movie.
Spanishwoman at 11:51 AM JST - 1st November

Very good, but they forgot to talk about the institutional discrimination against foreigners and women!!
timorborder at 03:19 PM JST - 1st November

This report will be buried. Don't look for it to be widely discussed in the local press. Wouldn't want to disturb the "wa" would we? There are so many forms of discrimination in this country that the report would have to match a series of the encyclopedia brittancia to cover everything. Foreigners, women, children, age-based discrimation, discrimination against indigenous minorities, disabled folks, freedom of speech...... The list is literally endless. Also seems that the UN is soft-peddling this report. The only reason such stories are released on weekends is if the people releasing them want to whole matter buried.
adm_kenshin at 07:54 PM JST - 1st November

timorborder: I understand that there is discrimination in Japan, particularly against foreign residents of asian origin, but children, age-based discrimination? Are you upset about that the 10 year olds cannot vote? That a worker of 30 years in a company get higher wages than a 2 year junior, despite doing much the same job?

The only really troublesome discrimination that is government-based in Japan, that the UN and NGO's should focus on, are freedom of speech restrictions, and the police force (some of them, by no means all). The rest's cultural discrimination, that no amount of legislation could change. Here we need campaigns by NGO's to increase understanding. Focus on the positive side of minorities rather than the discrimination, and the problem might solve itself.
Bessie at 10:08 AM JST - 2nd November

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