Petitie #221: “Education”

Petitie #221: “Education”

Excellency,

The English language is a first class global communication instrument. Many are the nuances that can be used to express facts and feelings. If the Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva Mr. Takashi Okada says that Japan “had been making” an active contribution to the activities of the Human Rights Council since its establishment and stresses that it saw the Universal Periodic Review as a vital mechanism to review the human rights situation of all United Nations Member States, then one welcomes this as a positive sign. However, one wonders if he then claims that Japan had agreed to (partially) follow up on recommendations made by United Nations Member States, including those recommendations promoting the protection of the rights of women, children, and persons with disabilities. To make any really serious improvements in Japan’s Human Rights policy today one must consider Japan’s past violations of Human Rights. The acknowledgement of responsibility for past misconduct by the Japanese military and the education of Japan’s young people through non biased information about Japan’s recent history are an absolute must. By not including these undeniable facts from the past in today’s Japan’s Human Rights policy the statement made by Japan’s representative in Geneva is null and void of any content. (meer…)