Women's Rights page on trafficking Human Rights Watch / New York, June 11, 2003
...The [US] State Department released the 177-page report today to comply with the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. The report evaluates the performance of 116 countries, putting each country in one of three categories, depending on how its domestic efforts meet the legislation's minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Tier 3 countries are deemed to be not in compliance with the minimum standards and not making significant efforts...
...Japan: Japan should be placed in Tier 3. Specific legislation prohibiting trafficking does not exist and there is no indication that there will be. In fact, there are special agreements that facilitate trafficking, allowing the admittance of "entertainers" into the country but not unskilled workers. Trafficking cases are not aggressively pursued and penalties are weak. Though the government has funded international programs to increase awareness in other countries, little to nothing has been done to control the growing trafficking issue in Japan.
