Japan moves from voluntary guidelines to binding human rights due diligence law
26 June 2026 6 min read
The Diet approves legislation converting METI's 2022 guidelines into binding obligations for large listed companies, aligning Japan with the EU regime.
Japan's parliament has passed a human rights due diligence law covering companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime market, requiring risk mapping, supplier engagement and annual disclosure of salient human rights risks.
The law is expected to cascade requirements deep into Asian supply chains, as Japanese buyers push questionnaires and audit rights onto tens of thousands of regional suppliers.
