第56回人権理事会　議題3　ビジネスと人権作業部会とのインタラクティブ・ダイアローグにおける尾池厚之大使によるステートメント（2024年6月26日）

 
  Thank you very much Mr. Vice President.
 
  At the outset, I would like to thank the distinguished members of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises for presenting the country visit report.
 
  First of all, the Government of Japan expresses its appreciation for the great efforts by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights as well as by the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights who have supported the Working Group.
 
  The Government of Japan has continued to promote respect for human rights in business activities under the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights that we formulated in 2020 and this was mentioned by the report earlier. As a part of this effort, we welcomed the members of the Working Group to Japan from late July to early August last year.
 
  The Government of Japan has supported the activities of the Working Group by arranging for exchanges of views with government ministries and agencies and local governments. We have sincerely explained the efforts of the Government in the meetings with them and on other occasions during their visit. Also, we have continually provided information after the visit from the perspective of conveying diverse domestic views.
 
  We are aware that the Working Group exchanged views not only with government officials but also with many stakeholders in Japan, including local governments, private companies, and civil society groups, during their visit to Japan.
We recognize that the report published by the Working Group is intended to clarify challenges Japan faces in relation to business and human rights, and to disseminate and raise awareness for efforts to respect human rights. While the Government of Japan does not agree with all the points raised in the report, we believe that it will serve as a reference for future discussions. Taking this report into account, the Government of Japan will continue to consider measures for business and human rights, while placing importance on dialogue with various stakeholders.
 
  It is desirable that the country visits and reports of the Working Group shed light on issues surrounding business and human rights that have not always been adequately recognized, and lead to rethinking of the actions of states, companies, and citizens. At the same time, as we have previously noted, to ensure the objectivity of the report’s findings and their full consideration by the countries concerned and the international community, it would be more desirable to conduct a certain degree of verification of the findings. We hope that the future activities of the Working Group will reflect a greater diversity of opinions and be carried out efficiently and effectively. The Government of Japan will continue to actively contribute to further progress in the international community’s efforts regarding business and human rights.
 
  Thank you very much Mr. Vice President.