The Japanese government, which has been known to have lax anti-trafficking policies, is making final edits to a new law that will make trafficking illegal in Japan. According to Kyodo News, the new law will enable immigration authorities to expel foreigners from Japan without trial if they are found guilty of trafficking. The new law will also assist victims who testify against their traffickers.
While anti-trafficking advocates see this is a positive step forward, they are skeptical if the new law will lead to real change due Japan’s ambivalence to addressing the issue only one year ago, reports the New York Times.
The 2004 US Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report placed Japan on Tier 2, otherwise known as the “watch list,” stating that “Japan lacks a comprehensive law against trafficking and until recently there was no official, clearly defined policy to coordinate anti-trafficking efforts.”
