Japan Considers New Law to Combat Forced Labor in Xinjiang
TOKYO – Japanese lawmakers are moving toward enacting legislation that would restrict imports linked to forced labor in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, mirroring a U.S. law aimed at holding Beijing accountable for human rights abuses. The potential law signals a growing international effort to address concerns over the treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang.
Keiji Furuya, chairperson of the Japan Uyghur Parliamentary Association and a senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), announced plans last November to draft a Japanese version of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. He reiterated the importance of addressing the issue at a February 25 event in Tokyo hosted by the Japan Uyghur Association, stating the need to “send a big message to the world” about China’s rights abuses.
The proposed legislation, which Furuya intends to submit as a member-initiated bill to the Diet, would in principle ban imports of goods originating from Xinjiang, unless importers can demonstrate the products were not made with forced labor.
Human Rights Watch has strongly advocated for such measures, emphasizing in a February 18 letter to the Japan Uyghur Parliamentary Association that import restrictions are “crucial for increasing pressure on the Chinese government to end abusive labor practices in Xinjiang and beyond.” The organization also recommended Japan broaden its focus to include any global region at high risk of state-imposed forced labor.
Since 2016, Chinese authorities have detained hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in political “re-education” camps in Xinjiang, alongside sentencing half a million to prison without due process, according to reports. These individuals have been subjected to torture, mass surveillance, cultural and religious persecution, family separation, and forced labor.
The issue extends beyond Xinjiang’s borders, impacting global supply chains. Sectors affected include automotive, solar panels, apparel, seafood, agricultural products, and critical minerals – all of which have links to forced labor practices, according to Human Rights Watch.
Japan has previously voiced concerns regarding China’s human rights record, including in Xinjiang, during the 2024 Universal Periodic Review at the United Nations Human Rights Council and in a 2025 bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Experts say that import restrictions and corporate accountability laws, like the EU’s corporate sustainability due diligence directive, are vital for integrating human rights into economic policies and protecting industries from unfair competition stemming from abusive labor practices.
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