Japan Press Weekly

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2022 April 27 - May 10 TOP3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Create a world where children in every country can live in peace

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

May 5 is Children’s Day in Japan. In Ukraine, due to Russia’s invasion, many children were forced to leave their homes and some were separated from their family members. Furthermore, some were killed. We must make the world a place where children in every country can live in peace.

Every child has the right to live healthy, study, act freely, and grow with protection and support from adults and the state. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which was adopted at the UN General Assembly in 1989 upholds four principles: the right to life, survival, and development; devotion to the best interest of the child; respect the views of the child; and non-discrimination. The number of countries and regions which ratified the CRC has reached 196, surpassing the number of UN members.

However, Japan lags far behind the world in terms of policies regarding children and is at the lowest level internationally in terms of children’s share in the budget. In Japan, it is reported that one in every seven children aged 18 and below lives in poverty. Looking at single-parent households in Japan, the poverty rate among children under 18 years stands at 50%. Due to excessively high tuition fees, there are many students who give up continuing their studies. In public schools, there is a shortage of teachers. Child welfare professionals are forced to work shorthanded under the current national standard and to endure low wages.

The Japanese government has repeatedly received recommendations from the United Nations that Japan implement the CRC, but it disregarded the recommendations.

The realization of policies based on the principles of the CRC will improve the situation surrounding children drastically. The urgent need is to change the government to one utilizing the Japanese Constitution and the spirit of the CRC.