<span class="gmail_quote"></span>J@pan Inc Newsletter<br><br>The 'JIN' Japan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>in Japan.<br>Issue No. 434 Wednesday October 3, 2007, Tokyo
<br><br>Human Rights in Japan
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www.innosoft.co.jp</a><br>or contact Andrew Larson at 050-6860-3194<br><br>-----------------------------------------------------------<br><br><br>The concept of 'universal human rights' is problematic to say <br>
the least. Each word is liable to a variety of interpretations
<br>and, the 1948 UN Declaration that has become the baseline for <br>most global human rights education, is also a troubled text upon <br>which to build morality. Does it matter that the UN declaration <br>was written in the aftermath of a war? Does it matter that
<br>although theoretically applicable to all, it was written by a <br>relatively small group of people with strong similarities in <br>terms of their racial heritage, religion, intellectual tradition <br>and cultural experiences? Does it matter that the document was
<br>written almost 60 years ago? Most probably it does. Indeed, it <br>might explain why there are academics and activists in one <br>country, with horrific human rights abuses going on around the <br>corner, who instead look 4,000 miles across the globe to point
<br>the finger at an incompetent government who they know very <br>little about. <br><br>On the other hand, without that UN document and rights activists, <br>would innocent prisoners with no hope be receiving letters<br>
of comfort or media attention? Would there be any coherent <br>resistance against governments that have apparently no concern <br>for the well-being of their citizens? It is hard to damn the <br>whole human rights project entirely. It is much harder to figure
<br>out how--with a general acceptance that the tenets of the <br>philosophy could help the world along the path to becoming a <br>happier place (like most religions)--human rights should be a part<br>of government policy. The US for example has struggled with this.
<br>During the height of the Cultural Revolution in China, the Nixon <br>administration made moves towards normalizing relations and <br>welcoming China into the UN. On the other hand, when <br>comparatively speaking, China had made great strides in terms of
<br>improving the lives of its citizens in the 1990s, Clinton and <br>others started to make noise about Beijing's human rights <br>violations. Realists might point to the play of politics and <br>power behind human rights diplomacy but this also perhaps a
<br>manifestation of the complexity of the key philosophical problem:<br>how far does one go to ensure the protection of rights? Or on a <br>practical level, how do governments successfully practice human <br>rights diplomacy?
<br><br>Japan is often criticized for not taking more of a lead on human <br>rights issues. For instance, Sophie Richardson, Deputy Asia <br>Director for Human Rights Watch, published an article last year <br>(<a href="http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/01/08/japan15098.htm" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/01/08/japan15098.htm</a>) in which <br>she argues that 'Japan can and must do more to promote human <br>rights in North Korea--and elsewhere' if its commitments are to <br>be meaningful rather than merely theoretical. She refers to
<br>grandiose statements made by the government going alongside what <br>she perceives as a lack of action on such issues as political <br>asylum for North Koreans. Richardson goes on to attack Japan's <br>deepening of relations with Uzbekistan and of course, its soft
<br>approach concerning Myanmar. Makoto Teranaka, Secretary General <br>of Amnesty International Japan (AIJ) told us that Japan also <br>fails internally on a number of human rights issues; AIJ run <br>campaigns concerning the death penalty, treatment of the buraku
<br>('untouchables') and protection of women from domestic violence. <br>Teranaka claims that many problems arise from the attitude of <br>Japanese society towards the concept of human rights--sometimes <br>viewed as a Western credential or something that doesn't concern
<br>Japan. He argues that by allowing regimes such as the military <br>junta in Myanmar to continue, Japan is not fulfilling its <br>international moral obligations, and that through their <br>consumerist tendencies, ordinary Japanese citizens are giving
<br>passive support to the diamond trade--which Teranaka sees the <br>root of major human rights violations in Africa.(For Amnesty's<br>Japan campaigns see <a href="http://secure.amnesty.or.jp/index_e.html" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
http://secure.amnesty.or.jp/index_e.html
</a>)<br><br>The current debate over whether to impose sanctions on Myanmar <br>is symptomatic of the contradictory and volatile nature of the
<br>concept of universal human rights and its relationship to <br>international diplomacy (for different Japanese scholarly <br>opinions see <a href="http://search.japantimes.co.jp/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/</a><br>
cgi-bin/nn20070929a2.html). Many are urging Japan to <br>withdraw its ambassador and impose sanctions, while others <br>are concerned that this might irrevocably reduce Japanese <br>influence and make them appear no different from the US in the
<br>eyes of not only the military junta, but also Myanmar's <br>citizens. While it is easy to believe from current media reports <br>that the people of Myanmar are calling out for the world to <br>rescue them, the reality might be that although some may be happy
<br>to be 'liberated,' the inorganic rescuing by an outside force <br>taints domestic movements for reform with 'foreignness' and <br>makes more moderate domestic activists liable to increased <br>persecution. Not to mention the potentially devastating affect of
<br>economic sanctions. That said, it is hard to argue against <br>Teranaka's point that at the very least the Japanese government <br>should impose an arms embargo. And then, there is the experience <br>of the holocaust or Bosnia to consider where it may have been
<br>very wrong to have taken a soft approach. Perhaps the lesson to<br>be learned from historical with comparisons is that they only <br>have a limited usefulness and each case should be considered <br>on its own merits--the problem with a universal concept is the
<br>lack of practical guidance it gives in particular situations.<br><br>The complexities of the debate over what Japan should do with <br>regards to Myanmar perhaps requires more complex conceptual <br>thinking than the simplistic notion of universal rights. In his
<br>paper 'Why does Japan downplay human rights in Southeast Asia?' <br>(<a href="http://irap.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/lci139v1" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
http://irap.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/lci139v1</a>) <br>Hiro Katsumata argues that Japan's prioritization of economic
<br>relations as well as its self-identification as an Asian country <br>are key reasons why Japan has favoured a less confrontational <br>stance over human rights abuses in the region. In the process of <br>engaging with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
<br>Japan has pursued a 'non-intrusive and accommodative approach' <br>which is the result of the lobbying of the business community as <br>well its regional identity; thus Japan has asked Yangon to <br>release Suu Kyi on a number of occasions, but it has not taken
<br>the Europe or US line of not meeting with junta members until <br>she is actually released. For Katsumata, Japan should foster the <br>idea of East Asian community to transfuse human rights values, <br>and actively encourage any local initiatives through ASEAN.
<br><br>While there are very good reasons for Japan to take more of a <br>lead in dealing with human rights in Southeast Asia, <br>strategically, Katsumata's point is a valid one that where <br>possible, pressure would be best through ASEAN and the idea of
<br>community--not to mention that this would also silence critics who<br>claim ASEAN to be nothing more than a talking shop. Given <br>Fukuda's close personal relationship with ASEAN (see JIN 434 <br><a href="http://www.japaninc.com/jin434" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">
www.japaninc.com/jin434</a>) the firm but measured response to the <br>shooting of a Japanese national in Yangon, is characteristic. For<br>Amnesty's Teranaka, Japan, having had strong influence over Burma<br>during the war, should not see itself as so disconnected and needs
<br>to take more responsibility. First however, it might be better <br>for Japan to look internally and deal with domestic human rights <br>issues such as the maintenance, even today, of an isolated colony<br>of people suffering from Hansen's disease (leprosy).
<br><a href="http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/other/wz_hansen_e.htm" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/other/wz_hansen_e.htm</a><br><br>Conclusively, looking at Japan's international human rights
<br>diplomacy, its domestic issues and evolving concept of universal
<br>rights, it is difficult to find any clear guidance. However, if <br>Japan does decide to take a tougher policy towards Myanmar it <br>should also probably look inwards as well.<br><br>By Peter Harris<br>Chief Editor<br>
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<br>Start a Company in Japan<br><br>Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar 6th of October, 2007<br><br>If you have been considering setting up your own company,<br>find out what it takes to make it successful.<br>Terrie Lloyd, founder of over 13 start-up companies in Japan,
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</a><br><br>------------------- ICA Event - Oct 18 --------------------
<br><br>SPECIAL JOINT EVENT with the AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CHAMBER<br><br>Speaker: Robert Burnside - President, Empowr<br>Topic: Using 'Stories' to Create Winning Presentations<br><br>Details: Complete event details at
<a href="http://www.icajapan.jp/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.icajapan.jp/</a><br>(RSVP Required)<br>Date: Thursday, October 18, 2007<br>Time: 6:30 Doors open, Light buffet, soft drinks included
<br>Cost: 3,000 yen (members), 5,500 yen (non-members)
<br><br>Open to all-venue is The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan<br><a href="http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://www.fccj.or.jp/aboutus/map
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