Japan Claims at UN That "Forced Labor in Wartime Recruitment Is Not Coercion"

Mentioned During the UN Regular Human Rights Review in January

The Japanese government recently argued at the United Nations that the routes through which forced labor victims during the Japanese colonial period entered Japanese territory were diverse, and therefore it is difficult to view these cases as "forced labor" prohibited under international agreements.

On January 31, during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) procedure held at the UN Geneva office, the Japanese government stated, "It is difficult to simply explain how civilian workers from the Korean Peninsula came to Japan."

They added, "At that time, there were likely workers who came to Japan voluntarily, as well as workers who were employed through government mediation or conscription, and we consider that labor provided in such ways does not constitute 'forced labor' as defined in international labor conventions."

In a session where Japan's human rights situation was reviewed by other member states, Japan expressed the position that, considering the circumstances of the workers' entry and employment at the time, it was not forced labor.

In 1930, the International Labour Organization (ILO) declared the abolition of all forms of forced labor through Convention No. 29. Japan ratified this convention two years later.

However, Japan appears to have argued that voluntary labor participation and labor imposed during emergencies such as war fall under exceptions to forced labor, thus claiming they did not violate international agreements.

This logic is connected to the argument that Korean workers cannot be regarded as victims of illegal acts by perpetrator companies such as the former Nippon Steel or Mitsubishi.

The question of whether illegal acts occurred is a core issue in the forced labor problem, along with whether the victims' claims for compensation have expired.

North Korea raised the issue of forced labor victims during the UPR. Some analyses suggest that North Korea's bringing up this issue at the UN meeting was intended to cause a rift between the governments of Japan and South Korea.