(a) Investigation and resolution of human rights violation cases
9. Human rights organs of the Ministry of Justice, not only answer various inquiries through the Human Rights Counselling Offices, regarding human rights, but also work to relieve and prevent human rights violations such as abuse of children or older persons, domestic violence, discriminatory treatment on the basis of illness, disability or sex, or defamation and invasion of privacy by taking appropriate measures: introduce public organs or other agencies concerned, give legal advices or other appropriate support, coordinate relations between victims and persons
concerned, give instructions or a warning to the persons concerned in the case the fact of the human rights violation is recognized through the investigations of the fact regarding complaint of human rights violation.
10. Approximately 21,000 human rights violations were brought to the new procedures for relief in 2006, and there were 277,000 inquiries concerning human rights.
(b) Human rights education for civil servants
11. The Ministry of Justice holds human rights workshops twice yearly for government officials, particularly targeted at those in central government ministries, in order to deepen the awareness and understanding of human rights problems among these national public officers. The Ministry also provides the Human Rights Promotion Leaders Workshop to enable officers, in charge of human rights promotion related administration in prefectural and municipal governments, to acquire the knowledge required for leaders.
12. The Legal Research and Training Institute for the training of judges and legal apprentices contain lectures relating to human rights issues in its judges’ training curriculum. The lectures are given on such themes as human rights issues in criminal proceedings, women’s and children’s rights, domestic violence, Dowa, human rights for foreigners, and issues in international human
rights laws such as human rights instruments. The training curriculum for legal apprentices also contains lectures dealing with human rights.
13. The Training and Research Institute for Court Officials provides the training of court officials other than judges, which contains lectures on guaranteeing fundamental human rights, domestic violence issues and similar themes in its training curriculum for those officials.
14. Public prosecutors and assistant officers to the public prosecutor are given human rights education in many kinds of training occasions, and also are deepening their understandings of respect for human rights through everyday advice of their superiors, so that they may accomplish their duties with full respect for fundamental human rights.
(c) Human rights education/promotion
15. To further promote policies involving human rights education and awareness raising, the Act for Promotion of Human Rights Education and Encouragement was enacted in December 2000 in order to clarify the responsibilities of the government, local public entities and the people, and the basic philosophy behind human rights education and awareness raising. Based on the above act, in March 2002 the Basic Plan for Promotion of Human Rights Education and Encouragement was approved by the cabinet with the purpose of promoting human rights education and awareness raising comprehensively and systematically; an annual report based on the act has been submitted to the Diet from 2003 onwards.
16. Based on the above, Japan is striving to raise human rights awareness through school education and social education. In school education, model regions are designated to promote comprehensive human rights education initiatives where schools, families and local communities are integrated (including the formulation of human rights education teaching plans and cooperation between related institutions and different types of schools), and model schools are designated to promote practical human rights education initiatives (including skills for teaching and practical teacher training). Practical studies on the methods for teaching human rights education are conducted by experts, and disseminated by the government. In terms of social education, model programs are being implemented on human rights issues taking into account the actual situation in various regions of the country. Practical studies are also being made on measures for ensuring full opportunities to learn about human rights, the development of practical programs to increase the motivation to learn, and training for human rights education leaders.
17. The human rights organs of the Ministry of Justice also undertake the following activities in order to raise individual awareness of human rights and increase understanding: hold symposia, public lectures, round-table talks, debates and film presentations, participation in various events, TV and radio broadcasting, articles in newspapers and magazines, distribution of pamphlets and posters on bulletin boards. In particular, the organs designate each year the period from December 4 to 10, which is a week the ending Human Rights Day, as Human Rights Week and conduct various promotion activities in line with emphasis on certain issues such as “Protection of Children’s rights,” “Elimination of Discrimination relating to Dowa issue” and “Deepen Your Understanding of the Ainu people.”
18. Furthermore, the week from December 10 to 16 each year is designated as the North Korean Human Rights Abuses Awareness Week, during which international symposia and other events are held by the central, prefectural and municipal governments with the intention of raising the awareness of a wide range of people about human rights violations by North Korea, including the abduction issue.
2. International matters (a) Basic policy
19. Japan recognizes the realization of the universal values common to the international community, such as fundamental human rights and democracy, as a major issue requiring the engagement of the international community, and has hence long kept up dialogue and cooperation with countries moving towards democracy and market economy. This has involved taking a wide range of initiatives on diverse occasions, and lobby for reform through various bilateral channels including bilateral human rights dialogue. Aid of all kind is given which includes human rights resources in fields necessary for the encouragement / protection of human rights and democracy, aid for free and fair elections and to support for a free and independent media, aid for governance and technical assistance in the legal and judicial field and aid with the purpose of guaranteeing and enhancing the capabilities of civil society and vulnerable persons within society from the
perspective of “Human Security”. Human resources fostering of in fields necessary for the encouragement/protection of human rights and democracy, aid is given to free and fair elections and to support a free and independent media, while various aid is given for governance and technical assistance in the legal and judicial field.
(b) Technical assistance in the legal and judicial field
20. The development of legal systems based on good governance is a basis for achieving national development through self-endeavor and realizing a fair and democratic society.
Developing legal systems and enhancing the rule of law will contribute to realizing “Human Security”, which aims to build the capacity of individuals as well as their nations through
protection and empowerment of individuals and communities to cope with threats they face. Japan has worked from these perspectives to provide assistance to the development of legal systems in developing countries through technical cooperation to reform their justice systems and to foster legal experts, and by contributing through aid grants from funds established in international institutions. Aid is particularly prioritized to countries actively involved in efforts towards reforming socio‐economic structures and working towards peace, democracy and protection of human rights.
(c) Human rights dialogue
21. Japan’s basic approach utilizes dialogue and cooperation. In consideration of the
importance of encouraging improvement of human rights situation through dialogue, Japan strives to find shared values through frank exchange of opinions in bilateral dialogue, as well as
implementing concrete cooperation with other countries’ governments to contribute as much as possible to improving the situation of human rights. Japan intends to continue to make effective use of opportunities for dialogue on human rights and to strive for the improvement of human rights issues.
(d) Coordination with human rights mechanisms
22. Japan actively cooperates with the various international human rights instruments and their monitoring bodies, submitting government reports to each committee and attending hearings.
Japanese committee members have joined the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the Sub-commission on the Protection and Protection of Human Rights (now the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee), thus contributing to the permeation of human rights mechanisms into the international community.
Another human rights related commission is Commission on the Status of Women is which Japan is
a Member State, and a Japanese member having been sent on an International Humanitarian Fact‐Finding Commission.
23. Japan served as a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from 1982 onwards, the predecessor to the United Nations Human Rights Council (the principle forum for human rights affairs in the United Nations), and is currently one of the first elected Members of the Human Rights Council.
B. Strengthening the judicial system