"プレスリリース：ODA円借款事業受注企業のミャンマーでの人権配慮に関する質問状への回答," 11 March 2024

The five civil society organizations have sent questionnaires to 30 Japanese companies awarded ODA and Yen Loan projects in Myanmar to ask about their implementation of human rights due diligence. As of today, 29 companies out of the 30 companies have responded, excluding P.S. Mitsubishi Construction Co., Ltd....

The questionnaire requested responses on the implementation status of human rights due diligence, the alignment with each company's human rights policy if not implemented, whether military-affiliated companies listed in the report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission are included in the supply chain or if materials are being sourced from such companies, and whether security is provided by the military or security forces at construction sites and related facilities.

Companies including JFE Engineering Corporation, Toenec Corporation, Mitsui E&S Co., Ltd., and Toyo Construction Co., Ltd., who were awarded the Infrastructure Development Project in Thilawa Area, and Toda Corporation, which was awarded the Greater Yangon Water Supply Improvement Project, stated that their projects had concluded before the coup in February 2021.

On the other hand, Hazama Ando Corporation, which was awarded the East-West Economic Corridor Improvement Project, declined to respond to individual project inquiries. Similarly, Yokogawa Bridge Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd., which were awarded the Bago River Bridge Construction Project, known for generating revenue for the Myanmar military, also declined to respond.

The 22 companies, including two companies that had concluded their projects before the coup, responded that they have confirmed that companies affiliated with the military, as mentioned in the report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission, are not part of their supply chain nor are they involved in the procurement of materials or other resources....

...companies that are currently conducting projects are strongly urged to be persistent in carrying out their human rights due diligence.

The responses indicate each company's commitment to business and human rights and their stance on public disclosure. For more details on the companies' responses, please see here (Provided only in Japanese).

Read the summary of the Press Release regarding the questionnaire sent to companies on January 30, 2024 in English here (in Japanese here).