Abstract
The paper analyses the present situation of the national and international codification of human rights in order to consider a possibility of multi-layered system of human rights protection system. The paper focuses on the present situation of human rights implementation in Japan under the influence of the international human rights treaties. The paper concludes that it is necessary for Japan to re-examine the traditional constitutional design and to develop a multi-layered implementation system between a domestic constitutional system and the international system of human rights treaties.
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Notes
- 1.
It should be added that a by-product of the history of consecutive transplants was a flourish of comparative legal studies in Japan.
- 2.
The Edo Government (1603–1867), ruled by Tokugawa Shogun, failed to achieve modernisation and gave up the ruling power to the Meiji Government (1868–1912) ruled by Meiji Emperor.
- 3.
For the first time, Japanese women over twenty years of age participated in the election.
- 4.
Emphasis is added by the author. The text of the Constitution of Japan (English) I use in my paper can be seen on a government website: http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/constitution_and_government_of_japan/constitution_e.html (visited 31/01/2012). The translation is based on American spellings.
- 5.
The Optional Protocols of the ICCPR, ICSECR, CEDAW, CAT,CRPD and CRC.
- 6.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html (visited 31/01/2012).
- 7.
Rights in the Constitution may be restricted when they interfere with the public welfare as provided by Article 13.
- 8.
Emphasises are added by the author.
- 9.
They are the equivalent of prohibition of torture and cruel treatment (ICCPR Article 7), the freedom from slavery (ICCPR Article 8) and the right to liberty and security (ICCPR Article 9).
- 10.
Article 28 is clearly for workers.
- 11.
There was an unsuccessful attempt to distinguish rights guaranteed for non-citizens and those not guaranteed for them by relying on textual differences.
- 12.
Supreme Court, Grand Bench, 4 October 1978, 32 Saikou Saibansho Minji Hanreishu (hereinafter Minshu) 1223. The Court, however, turned down McLean’s claim and held that ‘Guarantee of fundamental rights to foreign nationals by the Constitution should be understood to be granted only within the scope of such a system of the sojourn of foreign nationals and does not extend so far as to bind the exercise of discretionary power of the state, i.e. does not include guarantee that acts which are guaranteed as fundamental human rights under the Constitution during the sojourn should not be considered as negative circumstances in renewing the term of sojourn’.
- 13.
Supreme Court, 3rd Petty Bench, 28 February 1995, 49 Minshu 639.
- 14.
Id.
- 15.
Supreme Court, Grand Bench, 1 January 2005, 59 Minshu 128.
- 16.
Supreme Court, 1st Petty Bench, 2 March 1988, 35–9 Sosho Geppou 1754.
- 17.
Supreme Court, Grand Bench, 19 June 1957, 11 Saikou Saibansho Keiji Hanreishu (hereinafter Keishu) 1663.
- 18.
Supreme Court, 1st Petty Bench, 16 November 1992, 166 Saikou Saibansho Minji Saibanshu (hereinafter Shumin) 575.
- 19.
http://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/HB/hb-01.html; http://www.moj.go.jp/ENGLISH/HB/hb-04.html (visited 31/01/2012).
- 20.
Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions were adopted by the General Assembly Resolution 48/134 in 2003.
- 21.
http://www.moj.go.jp/JINKEN/jinken03_00062.html(visited 31/01/2012).
- 22.
In Japanese law a treaty is considered to obtain an internal effect (domestic legal effect) after it is promulgated (Ashibe (1992): 89). The reason is as follows: the Constitution of Japan adopts the principle of international cooperation (Article 98); the conclusion of a treaty has to be accompanied by the approval of the Diet (Article 73). Since the international customary law is considered as ‘established laws of nations’ (Article 98 of the Constitution), it also has an internal effect.
- 23.
The original draft of this section was proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which believed it was important to sweep away the past impression of Japan that it did not observe treaties (Takayanagi et al. (1972b): 281, 282).
- 24.
Supreme Court, Grand Bench, 12 December 1959, 13 Keishu 3225 (Sunagawa case).
- 25.
http://www.gender.go.jp/english_contents/category/sorcial2_e.html (visited 31/01/2012.)
- 26.
Supreme Court, 1st Petty Bench, 7 September 2000, 199 Shumin 283.
- 27.
Supreme Court, Grand Bench, 4 June 2008, 62 Minshu 1367. Emphasises are added by the author.
- 28.
Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Japan. A/HRC/8/44, 30 May 2008.
- 29.
Several private members’ bills have been proposed to the Diet in vain.
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EJIMA, A. (2014). A Possibility of the Multi-layered Human Rights Implementation System Underpinned by the Simultaneous Codification of the Constitution of Japan and the International Human Rights Treaty. In: Wang, WY. (eds) Codification in International Perspective. Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03455-3_15
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