TOP > Multi-topic Issues > Multiple discrimination against minority women in Japan

On July 23, 2009 at its 44th session, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) reviewed Japan’s 6th periodic report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), at the UN Headquarters in New York.

At the review session, the lack of information and policy pertaining to Japan’s minority women was raised by Committee members as one of the key issues. Also highlighted were issues such as the ratification of CEDAW’s Optional Protocol, the establishment of a national human rights institute, human trafficking, wartime “comfort women,” and migrant women, which IMADR Japan Committee had been advocating for, together with other NGOs. In its Concluding Observations issued in August, the CEDAW Committee made strong recommendations to the Japanese government on those issues. The full text of the Concluding Observations can be seen here (PDF, external link).

Ainu women, Buraku women, Korean minority women, Okinawan women and migrant women participated in the review session and actively lobbied the Committee members, in close cooperation with the staff of IMADR Japan Committee.

IMADR-JC featured “Japan’s review under CEDAW and minority women” in the latest issue of its Japanese newsletter (see here [Japanese page]).