The Right to Food around the Globe

  Japan

The Constitution of Japan implicitly guarantees the right to adequate food through broader human rights. 

Japan has become a State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 1979 by way of ratification.

CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITIONS OF THE RIGHT TO ADEQUATE FOOD

Implicit protection of the right to adequate food

Article 25: “All people shall have the right to maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living. In all spheres of life, the State shall use its endeavors for the promotion and extension of social welfare and security, and of public health.”

National status of international obligations

Article 98.2: “The treaties concluded by Japan and established laws of nations shall be faithfully observed.”

INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) – 1948

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) – 1966

Status: Ratification (1979)

Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) – 1979

Status: Ratification (1985)

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – 1989

Status: Ratification (1994)

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – 2006

Status: Ratification (2014)

Legislation and policies recognizing the right to adequate food

Guidance on how to progressively realise the human right to adequate food in contexts of national food security has been provided by the Right to Food Guidelines, adopted by the FAO Council and endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security.

Considering that the human right to adequate food can be implemented through a variety of legal and policy actions, we invite you to visit the FAOLEX Country Profile database for a wide-ranging collection of measures that have been taken at national level. Some of the documents you may find are legislation and policies that touch on a number of relevant Guidelines, such as those on Access to resources and assets (Guideline 8), Food safety and consumer protection (Guideline 9), Support for vulnerable groups (Guideline 13) and Natural and human-made disasters (Guideline 16).

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