Search Results for: Japan

Japan’s Sapporo High Court affirmed on Thursday that the country’s current ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. This ruling from the High Court upholds the Sapporo Lower Court 2021 decision that found the ban unconstitutional. However, Thursday’s rulings are the first time a High Court in the country has gone as far as to declare [...]

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The plight of women’s rights in various countries reflects a complex interplay of legal, cultural and societal norms that significantly disenfranchise women and girls, threatening their human rights and dignity. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Nigeria present challenging environments where women’s rights [...]

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended a Parliamentary ethics hearing on Thursday, apologizing for his governing party’s corruption scandal and promising not to host any more fundraising parties during his leadership. The scandal involved individuals from three factions within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)—factions led respectively by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, [...]

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The United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on six individuals affiliated with various armed factions in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday. Sanctioned individuals were allegedly involved in obstructing disarmament and repatriation efforts, committing human rights violations such as murder and sexual violence, recruiting child soldiers, orchestrating or carrying [...]

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A Japanese court on Wednesday allowed a gender change to be legally recognized without the need for sterilization for the first time in the country’s history. Japan’s Okayama Family Court Tsuyama Branch ruled in favor of Tacaquito Usui, allowing him to legally change his gender to male without having to undergo sterilization surgery, a controversial requirement [...]

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Three foreign-born Japanese residents have filed a statement of claim against the Japanese national and local governments for the alleged police practice of racial profiling. Each of the applicants sought damages of 3.3 million Japanese Yen. The three applicants are Pakistani, African-American and Pacific Lander respectively, who also are either Japanese citizens or permanent residents. [...]

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The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an exclusive report Thursday revealing that UK businessman Ian J. Stones, who spent decades working in China and disappeared from public view in 2018, was actually convicted of espionage and is being held by the Chinese government. The Financial Times questioned Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin about the [...]

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Japanese prosecutors indicted several individuals from three factions within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) amidst political a fundraising scandal on Friday, according to local media. Former accountants of the Abe and Nikai factions within the LDP were indicted without arrest. The indictments follow a decision not to indict senior executive members of the Abe, [...]

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Human Rights Watch (HRW)  released its 2024 World Report on Thursday detailing the state of global human rights. The report’s central theme was that “transactional diplomacy” undermined global human rights institutions and enabled autocrats to worsen violations. HRW Executive Director Tiran Hassan described “transactional diplomacy” as when “governments disregard the benefits of long-term relationships built [...]

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