ABSTRACT
Japan's insensitivity to human rights concerning China's Tiananmen incident in 1989 was criticized by other democratic countries. Japanese officials, according to Asia Watch, have an a priori tendency to deny asylum to those fleeing China. The insensitivity reflects the status of human rights in Japan, and the consequences of this insensitivity are manifested in Japan's foreign policy regarding its Offical Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries. The International Cooperation Initiative calls for cooperation in promoting peace, enhancing ODA, and promoting international cultural exchanges. The human rights organization Asia Watch accuses the Japanese government of engaging in two kinds of human rights abuses against Chinese students, who, anticipating persecution in China in the wake of the crackdown, sought political asylum. Japan has historically been without a strong focus on human rights. To increase human rights awareness in Japan, international pressure, such as criticism from the Geneva UN Human Rights Forum, is very useful.
