Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a news conference after his Cabinet reshuffle on Sept. 13. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dropped the post of special adviser for international human rights issues during the recent Cabinet reshuffle, a move that critics say may send the wrong message to the world.

Kishida promised to create the post during the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election in September 2021 to “take a firm stand” on human rights issues, such as those concerning Hong Kong and the minority Uighur population in China.

The prime minister appointed Gen Nakatani, a former defense minister, to the post when he formed his Cabinet in November 2021 after the LDP’s victory in a Lower House election.

But the post was scrapped when Kishida shuffled his Cabinet two weeks ago.

Under the Cabinet Law, the prime minister can appoint up to five special advisers on priority policy issues.

At a news conference on Sept. 21, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno was asked why the post was discontinued.

“The prime minister makes decisions on special advisers, such as areas of responsibilities, personnel selection and timing of appointments, depending on his needs,” he said.

New policy issues--revitalization of farming, forestry and fishing communities and wages and employment--have been assigned to two of Kishida’s five special advisers.

Lawyer Shiori Kanno, who worked on international human rights issues as an opposition lawmaker, said Kishida’s decision could send the wrong message internationally.

She said Japan should work more closely with the international community on human rights issues, from Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine and China’s suppression of human rights to the sexual abuse at entertainment agency Johnny & Associates Inc.

“The abolishment of the post (at such a crucial time) signifies Kishida’s shallow attachment (to human rights issues),” Kanno told The Asahi Shimbun.

Akira Igata, a project lecturer at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, said Japan lags far behind Western countries on tackling human rights issues, such as forced labor.

In the United States, a law was enacted in 2022 to ban, in principle, imports of products made in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, where forced labor of Uighurs is suspected.

The European Union is also expected to ban imports of products made with forced labor.

Igata, an expert on economic security, said Japan has not even started discussions on the issue.

“Japan has been left behind although it should take the lead in addressing human rights issues in coordination with countries that share democratic values,” he said.

Matsuno said Japan’s stance on international human rights issues remains unchanged.

“We want to pursue our brand of human rights diplomacy based on dialogue and cooperation while raising our voice against grave infringements of human rights,” he said.

Under Nakatani’s leadership, the government in September 2022 established guidelines on “human rights due diligence,” under which companies are expected to check for human rights violations by their suppliers and make improvements.

The government also adopted a policy in April 2023 to urge bidders in government procurement projects to respect human rights.

Both measures are not legally binding.

Western countries, meanwhile, are moving to write human rights due diligence into law.

Japan is also the only member of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies that does not have a law to impose sanctions, such as asset freeze and entry ban, on individuals and organizations involved in human rights violations in foreign countries.

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