The government introduced measures to prevent harassment of LGBTI people at work, but no law was passed to protect them from overall discrimination. Domestic violence against women increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authorities’ responses to the pandemic excluded certain ethnic minorities.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

In response to today’s court ruling in Japan that upheld the government ban on same-sex marriage, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said: “The court’s endorsement of the Japanese government’s discriminatory ban on same-sex marriage is a deeply damaging setback to equal rights...

In response to the news that three people were hanged in Japan today, Chiara Sangiorgio, Death Penalty Advisor at Amnesty International, said: “The recent appointment of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was a chance for progress on human rights in Japan. But today’s abhorrent resumption of executions...

Responding to an announcement today that G7 countries are expected to commit to providing one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses through dose sharing and financing, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said: “Pledging to provide one billion doses is a drop in the ocean and...

Ahead of the Japanese parliament’s discussion on a cross-party bill to promote public awareness of sexual orientation and gender identity, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director Yamini Mishra said: “This is a historic opportunity for Japan to send a message to the world that discrimination...

In response to the announcement by the US government of its support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard said: “Today the United States has taken a bold step for global solidarity. By supporting the waiving...

Responding to today’s South Korean court ruling that dismissed claims against the Japanese government to pay damages to women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by Japan’s military before and during World War II, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Arnold Fang said: “Today’s...

In response to today’s district court ruling in Japan that the government’s failure to recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional — the country’s first-ever judicial ruling on marriage equality — Suki Chung, Regional Campaigner at Amnesty International said:  “The court’s decision...