Japanese

2022 - 9 - 20

Japan: Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee (Human Rights Watch)

This submission aims to contribute to the Human Rights Committee's (“the Committee”) upcoming review of Japan's compliance with the International Covenant ...

[[4]](#_ftnref4) Human Rights Watch, “Privacy Snapshot: Global: Cisco Webex,” https://features.hrw.org/features/StudentsNotProducts/files/privacy_snapshots/Privacy%20Snapshot%20-%20Global%20Cisco%20WebEx.pdf; “Privacy Snapshot: Japan: schoolTakt,” https://features.hrw.org/features/StudentsNotProducts/files/privacy_snapshots/Privacy%20Snapshot%20-%20Japan%20schoolTakt.pdf; “Privacy Snapshot: Japan: Study Sapuri,” https://features.hrw.org/features/StudentsNotProducts/files/privacy_snapshots/Privacy%20Snapshot%20-%20Japan%20Study%20Sapuri.pdf. Human Rights Watch has documented the persistent and discriminatory barriers transgender people face to change their legally recognized gender under the Gender Identity Disorder (GID) Special Cases Act. [[27]](#_ftn27) “The suffering that [transgender people] face in terms of gender is also of concern to society that is supposed to embrace diversity in gender identity,” they wrote. [[13]](#_ftn13) In March 2021, the groups submitted a petition with 106,250 signatures from Japan and abroad to all Japanese political parties, including the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), [[14]](#_ftn14) calling for the introduction of the Equality Act in the Diet. - Adopt child-specific data protection laws that address the significant child rights impacts of the collection, processing, and use of children’s personal data. In most instances, it was impossible for children to opt out of such surveillance and data collection without opting out of compulsory education and giving up on formal learning during the pandemic. Neither the government, nor the nine EdTech companies, informed children and their parents of the data practices that risked or infringed on children’s rights. Human Rights Watch did not find evidence that MEXT took measures to prevent or mitigate children’s rights abuses by companies, or that MEXT checked whether the EdTech products they were rapidly endorsing were safe for children to use. This submission aims to contribute to the Human Rights Committee’s (“the Committee”) upcoming review of Japan’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR or “the Covenant”). Nine out of the ten government-authorized EdTech products reviewed by Human Rights Watch engaged in data practices that unreasonably infringed on children’s rights or risked doing so. It is submitted to the Human Rights Committee in advance of its review of Japan at the Committee’s 136th session. For contacts, the right to privacy is affected by the “mere collection of personal data” in which they lose control over information, in addition to the risk of experiencing potential misuse of their personal data.

Post cover — Image courtesy of "East Asia Forum"

Supply and demand issues hinder Japanese digital transformation ... (East Asia Forum)

While Japan still maintains technological competitiveness in some areas, among wealthy countries it is seriously lagging digitally.

The Japanese government launched the Digital Agency in 2021 in the hope of accelerating digitalisation. Conducting business as usual in Japan is inefficient and incurs significant transaction costs — it is dependent on the physical availability of people and the duplication, transportation and storage of records. Japan must understand that the opportunity costs of not going digital are already too expensive. Digital transformation in the workplace can be problematic because the prevailing norm is that formal transactions must take place in person, on paper and with a stamp of approval (hanko). [white paper](https://www.soumu.go.jp/johotsusintokei/whitepaper/eng/WP2021/2021-index.html) by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC) highlighted personnel shortages in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector as a key factor behind the lag in digital transformation advancement. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) estimates that the [shortage will worsen](https://www.meti.go.jp/policy/it_policy/jinzai/gaiyou.pdf) and increase to 450,000 workers by 2030. After the asset price bubble burst in the 1990s, businesses took a more cautious approach that Once known as a technological powerhouse, Japan has lagged in the global wave of digital transformation. In a high-context culture like Japan, where telework use remains low, online meetings cannot replace the authenticity of in-person meetings. The [delay in digital transformation](https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/09/25/covid-19-and-japans-long-awaited-digital-transformation/) has been felt acutely during COVID-19 because much of Japan’s public health administration still relies on outdated record keeping methods that could not keep up with cases. The companies that succeed in recruiting ICT professionals are foreign firms, such as Google Japan, which offer more competitive merit-based salaries. He has every intention of transferring payments to the residents.

Japanese man sets himself on fire near PM Kishida's office (TRT World)

Man sets himself alight in Tokyo after telling police he is opposed to plans for a state funeral for assassinated ex-PM Shinzo Abe, local media report.

TV Asahi said the man set himself alight after telling police he was opposed to plans for a state funeral for assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe. Kyodo news agency and other outlets said police were called to the scene after reports a man was "engulfed in flames". Man sets himself alight in Tokyo after telling police he is opposed to plans for a state funeral for assassinated ex-PM Shinzo Abe, local media report.

Japanese man sets himself on fire in apparent protest at former PM's ... (Reuters)

A man set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister's office on Wednesday in an apparent protest at the government's decision to hold a state funeral ...

Numerous polls show a majority of Japanese now oppose the ceremony, helping to send Kishida's support plummeting. Links to the Unification Church, founded in South Korea in the 1950s, have grown into a huge problem for current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the LDP since they emerged following Abe's killing. The suspect in Abe's death has said the church bankrupted his mother and he felt the former prime minister supported it. 27, with some 6,000 people from Japan and overseas set to take part. His state funeral is set for Sept. The man, in his 70s, was unconscious when first found but later told police that he had deliberately doused himself in oil, media said.

Japanese man sets himself on fire over Abe's state funeral (Aljazeera.com)

Shinzo Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister, but polls show more than half of the public opposes the ceremony.

The suspect in Abe’s death has said the organisation bankrupted his mother and he felt the former prime minister supported it. But state funerals are rare in Japan, and the decision has been controversial. A police officer who tried to extinguish the flames was also injured.

Japanese man sets himself on fire near PM's office to oppose ... (India Today)

A man set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister's office on Wednesday after expressing opposition to a state funeral for assassinated ex-premier ...

But state funerals are rare in Japan, and the decision has been controversial. While Abe was not a member of the church, he addressed affiliated groups, and his death caused renewed scrutiny of the sect and its ties to politicians in Japan. He was campaigning for ruling-party candidates in upper-house elections in the Nara region, when he was shot by a man who allegedly believed the former leader had ties to the Unification Church. The agency said a note was found near the man, expressing his opposition to the funeral. The television station said a police officer who tried to extinguish the fire was injured in the process. Police, the prime minister's office and the cabinet office all declined to comment on the reports.

Japanese man sets himself on fire in apparent protest at former PM Shinzo Abe's state funeral (Economic Times)

The LDP has said nearly half its lawmakers have ties to the church. A state funeral is a rare event in Japan, but Kishida has said Abe deserves the honor as Japan's longest-serving post-World War II ...

He gave a speech Tuesday expressing disappointment over the [Security Council](/topic/security-council)'s failure to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine because of Russia's permanent veto and called for reforms that would allow the UN to better defend global peace and order. The LDP has said nearly half its lawmakers have ties to the church. They say Kishida aimed to please Abe's party faction and buttress his own power. The man was taken to a hospital. Tokyo police refused to comment, including on a report that a police officer was caught in the fire. A Tokyo Fire Department official confirmed a man set himself afire on the street in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki government district but declined to give further details, including the man's identity, motive or condition, citing the sensitivity of what was a police matter.

Japan: Man set himself on fire near PM's office to oppose Shinzo ... (The News Mill)

Tokyo , September 21 (ANI): A man set himself on fire on the street near Japan Prime Minister's office in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo to oppose the state funeral ...

He was Prime Minister of Japan twice, from 2006-07 and again from 2012-20. Abe was shot on July 8 in the Japanese city of Nara during his campaign speech. Doctors attempted a blood transfusion after they were unable to stop the bleeding, Dr Fukushima said.

Japanese man sets himself on fire in apparent protest at former PM ... (swissinfo.ch)

A letter opposing Abe's state funeral was found nearby, media added. Abe, Japan's longest-serving premier, was gunned down at a campaign rally on July 8. His ...

Shinzo Abe: man sets himself alight in protest at state funeral for ... (The Guardian)

Protester sustains widespread burns as Japan wrestles with legacy of leader whose death revealed scale of politicians' links to Unification church.

[at least ¥1.7bn ($12m)](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/06/japan-state-funeral-shinzo-abe-opposition), with most of the money going on a huge security operation. In all, about 6,000 people are expected to attend. A Mainichi Shimbun poll conducted at the weekend showed support for Kishida at 29%, down six percentage points from late August. Media reports said the protester, who is in his 70s, regained consciousness and told police that he had doused himself in oil before setting it alight. [fierce criticism](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/12/shinzo-abe-controversial-vision-japan-constitution). More than 75% said the government was spending “too much” on the funeral. [first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/27/barack-obama-first-us-president-to-visit-hiroshima-japan). [damaged](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/23/japan-pm-fumio-kishida-popularity-dives-unification-church) the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, who announced his support for a state funeral within days of Abe’s death. [state funeral](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/22/shinzo-abe-state-funeral-growing-opposition-japan) for the country’s former prime minister, [Shinzo Abe](https://www.theguardian.com/world/shinzo-abe). [Sun Myung Moon](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/01/revelations-shinzo-abe-death-unification-church-moonies-political-influence-japan), was encouraged to establish a presence in [Japan](https://www.theguardian.com/world/japan) by Abe’s grandfather and postwar prime minister, Nobusuke Kishi, as a counter to communism and trade unionism. [shot dead](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/08/shinzo-abe-japans-former-prime-minister-dies-after-being-shot) in July. [plunged into poverty](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/11/mother-of-shinzo-abe-killing-suspect-member-of-moonies-church) 20 years ago when his mother, a church member, donated large sums of money to the organisation.

Man sets himself on fire to oppose Shinzo Abes state funeral in Japan (Business Standard)

A man set himself on fire on the street near Japan Prime Minister's office in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo to oppose the state funeral for the former PM Shinzo Abe, ...

More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. Abe was shot on July 8 in the Japanese city of Nara during his campaign speech. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida.

Man sets himself on fire outside Japanese prime minister's office in ... (ABC News)

A man sets himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister's office in Tokyo in an apparent protest against the state funeral planned next week for former ...

The funeral plan, announced a week after Mr Abe's death, has become increasingly unpopular as more details of his apparent link to a controversial South Korean church have surfaced. - Shinzo Abe's state funeral has become more unpopular since his ties to a controversial South Korean church were revealed A man has set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister's office in Tokyo in an apparent protest against the state funeral planned next week for former leader Shinzo Abe, according to media reports.

Japan weighs plan for ban on hotel guests without masks -media (Reuters)

Japan's government is considering allowing hotels to refuse entry to guests who do not wear masks and follow other measures to control infection during an ...

Japanese man 'sets himself on fire' to protest Shinzo Abe's state ... (CNN)

A Japanese man in his 70s has been taken to hospital in Tokyo after setting himself on fire near the prime minister's office, according to Japan's public ...

Despite his wins at the ballot box, Abe was no stranger to controversy. [reverberated across](https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/20/asia/shinzo-abe-legacy-china-japan-indo-pacific-intl-hnk/index.html) the world and [huge crowds gathered](https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/09/photos/gallery/shinzo-abe-react-070922/index.html) on the streets of Tokyo to pay their respects. [died](https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/asia/japan-shinzo-abe-dies-shooting-intl-hnk/index.html) from excessive bleeding in July at the age of 67 after being shot while giving a public campaign speech. [longest-serving prime minister](https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/asia/shinzo-abe-former-japan-pm-death-intl-hnk/index.html), holding office from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020 before resigning due to health reasons. [state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe](https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/asia/shinzo-abe-former-japan-pm-death-intl-hnk/index.html) later this month, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported. A Japanese man in his 70s has been taken to hospital in Tokyo after setting himself on fire near the prime minister’s office, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.