Recently, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights based on the idea of "business and human rights" is becoming increasingly important. In general, the area of "business and human rights" is being developed mainly in Europe, and in Japan, the Japanese government has, among others, formulated the "Guidelines on Respecting Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains" in September 2022, which has triggered initiatives that are rapidly spreading among Japanese companies as well, such as the formulation of human rights policies, conduct of human rights due diligence, and development of remedial mechanisms. Moreover, partly due to accelerated legislative developments throughout the world and mainly in Europe, opportunities are increasing where companies are being requested to explain the status of their own initiatives for respecting human rights as a part of the human rights due diligence being conducted by their business partners. Whether or not such initiatives are being taken in accordance with the circumstances in Japan and overseas, as well as the substantiality of such initiatives, have come to affect business opportunities and corporate value.

Our lawyers are fully familiar with the systems and practices relevant to "business and human rights" in Japan and overseas. They can provide appropriate legal advice in accordance with the situation of each company for matters like establishing a governance system to promote "business and human rights" initiatives, reviewing human rights policies, handling human rights due diligence, and dealing with human rights-related incidents or concerns.