Government Calls for Public Comments: Draft Guidelines on Respect for Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains
A call for public comments on the draft “Guidelines on Respect for Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains” began on 8 August 2022. Since March 2022, the ILO Office for Japan has contributed to the discussion at a study group organized by The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
The study group drew up the guidelines to promote companies’ efforts to respect human rights in line with the international standards set out by organisations such as the ILO. It states that Japanese companies are required to maximize their effort to respect human rights at their head offices and overseas sites as well as their suppliers and related companies in their supply chains.
In the study group, the ILO has provided its knowledge and findings to develop guidelines in agreement with the Declaration on Multinational Enterprises and international labour standards. Shinichi Takasaki, Director of ILO Office for Japan, said, “Businesses that respect human rights are the backbone of the ILO’s focus on business and human rights. Sustainable corporate activities are impossible without respect for human rights. We hope that the call for public comments will further raise the interest of Japanese society as a whole.”
On the issue of business and human rights, in July the Japan Textile Federation (JTF) published the Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct for the Japanese Textile and Clothing Industry, which were prepared with the full cooperation of the ILO Office in Japan. Since April this year, the ILO Office in Japan has also been implementing a project supported by METI in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam to provide compliance assessments and advice on improving human rights and the working environment to suppliers of Japanese companies and others.
The study group drew up the guidelines to promote companies’ efforts to respect human rights in line with the international standards set out by organisations such as the ILO. It states that Japanese companies are required to maximize their effort to respect human rights at their head offices and overseas sites as well as their suppliers and related companies in their supply chains.
In the study group, the ILO has provided its knowledge and findings to develop guidelines in agreement with the Declaration on Multinational Enterprises and international labour standards. Shinichi Takasaki, Director of ILO Office for Japan, said, “Businesses that respect human rights are the backbone of the ILO’s focus on business and human rights. Sustainable corporate activities are impossible without respect for human rights. We hope that the call for public comments will further raise the interest of Japanese society as a whole.”
On the issue of business and human rights, in July the Japan Textile Federation (JTF) published the Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct for the Japanese Textile and Clothing Industry, which were prepared with the full cooperation of the ILO Office in Japan. Since April this year, the ILO Office in Japan has also been implementing a project supported by METI in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam to provide compliance assessments and advice on improving human rights and the working environment to suppliers of Japanese companies and others.