Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has left the post of special adviser on international human rights issues vacant for about six months, resulting in stalled debate in the country on how to deal with such concerns.
Kishida has not appointed any successor to former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani since a Cabinet reshuffle in September. Nakatani is an advocate of introducing sanctions on foreign government officials believed to be human rights offenders similar to those under the U.S. Magnitsky Act.
With no one in the post and no progress in discussions regarding a Japanese version of the Magnitsky Act, Kishida has been criticized by a government source as "shelving" steps to address global humanitarian concerns.