Japan firms must address human rights in supply chains: UNDP director

Japanese companies need to do more in addressing human rights issues in their businesses as a failure to keep up with international ethical standards will be a serious risk to their operations in global markets, a U.N. Development Program director said.

“If companies do not tackle this issue in the right way, they could be shut out from the European and U.S. markets,” Asako Okai, director of the UNDP’s Crisis Bureau, said in a recent interview.

Companies worldwide in apparel, textile and solar panel industries, for example, have scrutinized their supply chains to see if their products included...