Draft of Japan’s North Korea Human Rights Legislation Released

The draft’s English text is here. The bill has a heavy focus on the return of the abductees, but goes far beyond in its human rights implications. Specifically, the bill–

• Links Japanese aid to improvement in human rights in North Korea;
• Calls for the government to welcome North Koreans to Japan and to its foreign missions’
• Requires that Japan’s diplomats in other countries and at the U.N. work for the protection of North Korean refugees;
• Provides for government cooperation with–and funding for–private organizations that assist North Korean refugees;
• Requires regular reports on human rights conditions inside the North, particularly as they affect former residents of Japan.

Overall, a fairly strong bill, in the context of Japan’s recent imposition of de facto sanctions.