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Government Action Plans

Action Plan Overview

There is currently no national action plan that addresses human trafficking. However, since many of the persons trafficked into Japan are women for the sex industry, it is significant that the government enacted a Basic Law for a Gender-equal Society in June 1999. Although the law does not address trafficking or the sex industry it is considered an important part of the efforts to eradicate violence against and sexual harassment of women related to trafficking. Japan is also a financial contributor to the Trust Fund for Eradication of Violence against Women established in 1996 under UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women).¹

The Japanese government takes pride in it's adoption of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In Japan, the Law for Punishing Acts Related to Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Protecting Children was enacted in November 1999 and action is being taken to enforce it. Japan also hosted the Second World Congress Against Commercial and Other Forms of Sexual Exploitation of Children in Yokohama in December 2001, in cooperation with UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) and ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking in Children for Sexual Purposes).

Japan was the host of the G8 Summit of 2000 in Okinawa. During the Summit proceedings, Japan confirmed its support for the adoption of the UN Transnational Organized Crime Convention and three related Protocols on firearms, smuggling of migrants (i.e., human trafficking) and drug trafficking. It also supported the establishment of an effective legal framework against transnational organized crimes including human trafficking by the end of 2000.

¹Statement by Dr. Sumiko Iwao, Head of the Japanese delegation. 3rd special session of the UN General assembly: Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century.