"HRN Releases Report: “Japanese Trading Companies: Measures for Human Rights Lag Far Behind International Standards”", 12 March 2020

Human Rights Now (HRN), a Tokyo-based international human rights NGO, surveyed seven general trading companies regarding their human rights policies and practices (Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., Itochu Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, Sojitz Corporation, and Toyota Tsusho Corporation). Based on the results, HRN released a report… on trading companies’ human rights initiatives, “Japanese Trading Companies: Measures for Human Rights Lag Far Behind International Standards”…  

The report concludes that the majority of the companies’ efforts, in terms of implementing an effective human rights due diligence system including supplier audits, have been insufficient, and lag far behind international human rights standards as required by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). Much room for improvement remains. In particular, there remain many problems in ensuring respect for human rights in supply chains, regardless of the industry. Effective auditing systems and human rights due diligence systems have been established in only a handful of cases, and there is a significant gap between published human rights guidelines and their implementation (systems for which remain lacking). If an effective auditing system and human rights due diligence system are in the process of being established, the process should be disclosed for the purposes of accountability. Despite this, most of the companies have not implemented adequate measures in terms of transparency and information disclosure.

The report ends with several recommendations to the companies including developing a human rights policy in line with the UNGP, sharing it with suppliers and business partners and working with them to properly implement it, conducting human rights due diligence and audits throughout supply chains, conducting more dialog with stakeholders, and establishing accessible grievance mechanisms…