Japan to Create Post to Tackle Global Human Rights Issues

Tokyo, Dec. 3 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday a new post of senior coordinator in charge of global human rights issues will be created at the Foreign Ministry in fiscal 2022, which starts next April. The move comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his administration have been placing emphasis on human rights issues, in the light of China's alleged human rights abuses in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region. The new post will be created at the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Division of the ministry's Foreign Policy Bureau. The senior coordinator will oversee tasks related to human rights and deal with global issues. Attention will also be paid to corporate supply chains after the use of cotton made in the Uighur region faced criticism. "Human rights diplomacy is becoming increasingly important," Hayashi told a press conference. Kishida has appointed former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani as his adviser for human rights issues. Nakatani has been pushing for a law that would allow the Japanese government to impose sanctions on foreign government officials found to have been engaged in human rights abuse. Some others in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are also calling for the legislation. So far, the ministry has taken a stance of improving human rights situations through dialogue and cooperation. At the press conference, Hayashi pledged to keep promoting this Japanese-style human rights diplomacy proactively. END