NEWS News

The United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights conducted a country visit to Japan (July 24-August 4, 2023) and issued its "End of Mission Statement" on August 4, 2023. The Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER) was mentioned in the statement as a good practice for non-judicial grievance mechanism in Japan.

“The Working Group reiterates that businesses should provide effective grievance mechanisms for rights holders, in accordance with the UNGPs (Principle 31). Some good practices we observed include establishing grievance mechanisms open to all stakeholders, or setting up dedicated grievance mechanisms for the value chain. The Engagement and Remedy Platform by the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER) is a notable example, fostering “know-how” accumulation and offering a non-judicial platform for its members to achieve grievance redress based on the UNGPs”.

During the visit to Japan, JaCER participated in an exchange of views with the UNWG mission members held in Tokyo on July 26, and reported on our activities and challenges.

In the mission's statement, it was pointed out that there are challenges in the grievance mechanisms of non-state actors in Japan in the area of business and human rights. JaCER will continue to support the dissemination and improvement of grievance mechanisms in the private sector in Japan, and to contribute to remedies for rights holders who have been negatively affected by human rights violations.

UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Country Visit to Japan, 24 July to 4 August 2023
End of Mission Statement
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/development/wg/statement/20230804-eom-japan-wg-development-en.pdf