In response to the growing societal expectations around “business and human rights,” the Japanese government published its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (2020-2025) in 2020, recognising the need for further efforts in this area.

In 2025, the government launched a public consultation to revise the plan by the end of the year. The draft revision identifies ensuring and enhancing the international competitiveness and sustainability of Japanese companies as key objectives of the plan, and for the first time explicitly designates areas such as the implementation of human rights due diligence (HRDD) and capacity-building for small and medium-sized enterprises as “priority fields.”

As measures to “leave no one behind,” the draft also emphasises continued efforts to promote gender equality and protect the rights of foreign workers, persons with disabilities, children, and older people, and indicates Japan’s intention to engage actively in shaping international rules on generative AI.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre also submitted comments jointly with the World Benchmarking Alliance.

Comments submitted by various organisations are summarised below.