In response to today’s Tokyo High Court ruling recognizing the unconstitutionality of Japan’s ban on same-sex marriage, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “This decision marks a critical step towards marriage equality in Japan and offers renewed hope to same-sex couples across the country. “This case is also a reminder of the lengthy…
Responding to the acquittal of Japanese man Iwao Hakamada, who spent nearly five decades on death row, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “We are overjoyed by the court’s decision to exonerate Iwao Hakamada. After enduring almost half a century of wrongful imprisonment and a further 10 years waiting for his retrial, this…
Responding to an agreement reached by G7 member states today to phase out all unabated coal-fired electricity generation in the first half of the 2030s, Candy Ofime, Amnesty International’s Climate Justice Researcher, said: “This is not the goal for coal we need and it will not deliver climate justice. Commitments put forward by G7 members…
In response to today’s Sapporo High Court and Tokyo District Court rulings that highlighted the Japanese government’s ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “The court decisions today mark a significant step towards achieving marriage equality in Japan. The ruling in Sapporo, the first High Court decision on…
By Boram Jang, East Asia Researcher at Amnesty International When Wishma Sandamali travelled from her native Sri Lanka to Japan shortly before her 30th birthday, she arrived with a dream of a new life teaching English. Less than four years later, on March 6, 2021, Wishma died in an immigration detention centre in Nagoya, where…
Responding to a Japanese court finding three former soldiers guilty of sexually assaulting a female colleague, Rina Gonoi, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “Rina Gonoi dared to speak out to break the cycle of impunity for gender-based violence in Japan. This is a rare victory not just for her, but for all…
Responding to the Supreme Court of Japan’s ruling on Wednesday that a law requiring people who want to legally change gender to undergo reproductive surgery is unconstitutional, Amnesty International East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “This is a landmark decision for transgender rights in Japan, and the latest encouraging sign that countries in the…
In response to today’s Fukuoka District Court ruling that upheld the Japanese government ban on same-sex marriage, Amnesty International Japan’s Campaigns Manager Shinya Takeda said: “While this ruling is not the victory the LGBTI community in Japan was hoping for, it does nevertheless show that progress is being made on LGBTI rights and momentum for…
Responding to a Tokyo High Court ruling that 87-year-old Hakamada Iwao, whose 45 year-stretch on death row is believed to be the world’s longest, should be granted a retrial, Hideaki Nakagawa, Director of Amnesty International Japan, said: “This ruling presents a long-overdue chance to deliver some justice to Hakamada Iwao, who has spent more than…
Aviation fuel shipments to Myanmar have continued despite the military’s ongoing war crimes, Amnesty International and Global Witness said today, after they identified more companies involved in the supply chain. “We have traced new shipments of aviation fuel that have likely ended up in the hands of Myanmar’s military, which has consistently conducted unlawful air…
In response to today’s Tokyo District Court ruling that upheld the Japanese government ban on same-sex marriage, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “While the court today endorsed the government’s discriminatory ban on same-sex marriage, it also acknowledged that the absence of any legal system for same-sex couples to have families was an…
Responding to the news that Japan has carried out its first execution of the year by hanging Tomohiro Kato, a man who was convicted of stabbing seven people to death in 2008, Hideaki Nakagawa, director of Amnesty International Japan said: “The hanging of Tomohiro Kato is a callous attack on the right to life. Regardless…